Updating The 2013 ESPN100's Michigan Commits And Targets

In some of the better news of the offseason for Michigan basketball, ESPN has released their updated rankings for the 2013 class.  This takes all of the summer play that has occured into account so they can adjust their rankings.  Although these rankings are not cemented and are just about guaranteed to change before the players get on campus, this is when the list starts to get pretty solidified and it's much rarer to see players move too far up and down.  The scouts have finally gotten a good look at just about everyone and have seen for themselves whether they are the real deal or not.

Just a few quick reminders.  First, I have generally found that ESPN's basketball recruiting coverage has been the best of all the major recruiting services.  It's not perfect, but it has been the best.  Other services have done some great things and I think that they have improved in some areas, but overall, I still give the nod to ESPN.  The most important thing, however, is to compare where recruits are placed on different lists.  If a person uses just one or two services, they are probably going to get a limited idea of a recruit's potential.  Combining different recruiting services, offer lists, and videos seems to be the bes method for review.  You can see all the major scouting rankings for each class here.  Regardless, here are the rankings for the ESPN100 in 2013:

Breaking Down 247Sport's Top 100 2013 Recruits For Michigan

Another set of rankings is out, which means another breakdown.  To me, breaking down these lists is important because there are often some pretty surprising findings and they give a better impression of Michigan's recruiting success.  Somebody may think a certain school or player is doing great because of a certain set of rankings, but if taken with the full body of evidence, that conclusion may not be so accurate.  With 247Sports' newest set of rankings for 2013's Top 100 basketball recruits, it only makes sense to dive in and see where Michigan's top commits and targets have placed.


Now, to preface this breakdown a bit more, I would just like to point out my general findings on these types of rankings.  I have nothing against 247Sports, but in my experience, I think ESPN's basketball recruiting coverage is the best in the market.  Does that mean they are 100% accurate?  Of course not.  They, like every other recruiting service, make major mistakes.  This is why it's better to look at as much info as you can find.  247Sports may not be quite as established or as good as ESPN in terms of ranking basketball talent, but they may actually spot something another recruiting service misses, which can really make a difference in evaluating a specific player.  So, here are the rankings for the Top 100 2013 recruits in the nation according to 247Sports :

New 2013 Rivals150 Boosts Michigan Recruits

Rivals has updated their ranking of the top 150 basketball players in the nation and their latest move definitely is a good one for Michigan.  Michigan's 2013 class already has four commitments and was recently ranked #2 in the nation by ESPN.  Obviously, with a class ranking that high, Michigan will be bringing some great players to campus in 2013.


As I pointed out in the past, some of the recruiting services haven't done the best job at evaluating Michigan's 2013 recruits.  Yes, there will always be some subjectivity, especially between different services, but some of the differences have been quite dramatic.  For instnace, 2013 Michigan commit Zak Irvin is well within the top 100 players in the country for both ESPN and Rivals, yett Scout has him outside of the top 100.  Some of these irregularities just don't make much sense.

Michigan In Position For Big ESPN100 Haul

We all know that Michigan basketball's 2012 recruiting class brings a lot of great players and talent to Ann Arbor next year, but what about Michigan's future recruiting classes?  A few weeks ago I went through Michigan's recruiting chances in 2014, but what about 2013?  Well, ESPN has released their list of the top 100 players in the 2013 recruiting class and Michigan is looking very good.  Here are the Michigan commits and targets on the list:

COMMITS

Derrick Walton - #39 - PG - 4*
Walton has been committed to Michigan since August 1st of 2011 and brings some great talent to Ann Arbor.  Not only should he be the point guard that replaces Trey Burke when he eventually goes pro, which will likely be after next season, but he's an outstanding player.  He will be a great fit at the point, has great ball control, and really understands the game very well, which translates well to John Beilein's offense.  If Walton doesn't hit the ground running in 2013, I will be pretty surprised.




Zak Irvin - #61 - SG - 4*
This is a ranking that actually surprised me.  I knew Irvin wouldn't be higher than Walton and doesn't deserve to be a top ten recruit, but I really think he deserves to be higher than #61.  He is extremely talented and I think he's going to be an impact player for years to come at Michigan.  To me, if any of Michigan's players are going to blow it, it will be Irvin.  He is very talented and I do think that he's underrated on this list for what he brings to Ann Arbor.




Mark Donnal - #65 - PF/C - 4*
Donnal is a HUGE player.  Standing at 6'9" and weighing 225 lbs, he's easily Michigan's largest commit for 2013.  I think in the future he'll be a great big man for Michigan to accompany Mitch McGary.  Donnal and McGary are sure to be dominant up-front to accompany the tremendous talent of guys like Walton and Glenn Robinson III.  Bringing in this interior presence is really going to bring Michigan's team to the next level.  Donnal might be a little slower to develop, but he should have a little time with Michigan's current depth.

TARGETS

James Young - #5 - SG - 5*
Young is a very exceptional player and the only 5* recruit that Michigan is deeply pursuing according to most sources.  He's the type of player that can completely re-define a team, even as a freshman.  If there's one player beyond Michigan's current 5 commits that I would love to get, it would be Young.  He's also being deeply pursued by schools like MSU and OSU, so it'll be interesting to see what impact he has on the conference if he chooses a Big Ten school.




Demetrius Jackson - #31 - PG - 4*
Jackson is from Indiana and has an amazing amount of talent for any school.  He may not have as much raw talent as Young, but he's a very talented point guard and definitely has the ability to run an offense effectively.  The big question mark is whether he would want to commit to Michigan with Derrick Walton in the class who is also a point guard.  Personally, I don't see him as a likely commit, but hey, crazy things happen on the recruiting trail.




Dominic Woodson - #57 - C - 4*

Woodson, like current Michigan commit Mark Donnal, is a big guy.  He stands at 6'9" and weighs 265 lbs.  Similar to Jackson, the big question is whether he will want to commit to Michigan since they already have a talented center in Donnal.  With their size they will both probably play the same position on offense, so there would be a huge debate about who got playing time and at what position if both Donnal and Woodson committed.  This is another target that I don't see committing, but there's certainly a chance since Michigan appears to at least be a consideration right now.



Reggie Cameron - #67 - PF - 4*
Cameron is a very talented player and one that has at least a little potential in securing.  He's 6'7" and 210 lbs and would be a great fit alongside Donnal and McGary if he decided to commit.  He's from New Jersey and Michigan has been able to recruit some of the northeastern players so that's definitely not something that will exclude Michigan from landing a commitment.  The big question mark is whether Michigan will be able to beat out the numerous schools that are currently pursuing Cameron including NC State, Florida, and Villanova.


Jaren Sina - #75 - PG - 4*
Sina is a very talented point guard and could be a major pick-up for Michigan even though Derrick Walton is already committed.  He is from New Jersey and is 6'2" and weighs 175 lbs.  Other schools pursuing him are Syracuse and Virginia.  There are some other big name schools trying to get him so it will be an uphill battle for Michigan to say the least because of Walton's current commitment (not a bad thing).




E.C. Matthews - #85 - PG - 4*
Matthews is a point guard even though he's a 6'4" athlete.  He would certainly be a lot closer to a player like Darius Morris than Trey Burke.  The question mark again would be whether he wants to commit to Michigan despite another very talented point guard already being in the class.  This certainly wouldn't be a guarantee he wouldn't commit, but this is one that Michigan probably won't land.




Monte Morris - #94 - PG - 4*
Morris has been pursued by Michigan, but will probably not commit since he's being pursued by schools like Indiana and suffers under the same point guard issue that many of the other targets on this list have experienced.  He is very talented and could probably play at most places, but with Derrick Walton already committed, I don't think Morris will end up at Michigan, even though it would be great to have a player with his talents.






Devin Williams - #96 - PF - 4*
Williams is a recruit that I could definitely see committing to Michigan.  At 6'8" and weighing 220 lbs, I think he would be a great fit alongside Donnal and McGary and Michigan seems to be in solid shape right now.  He's from Ohio and battling schools like Illinois and Wisconsin will be a challenge, but he's definitely a guy I could see wearing the maize and blue starting in 2013.  Williams may not be very high on this list, but he's a player that has a great amount of talent and certainly would be a great pick-up for Michigan.