Who Can Be The X-Factor For Michigan Basketball In 2014-2015?

An article composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports looking at which player can be the x-factor for Michigan basketball in 2014-15.

Michigan Basketball: Who Can Be The X-Factor? http://t.co/IVTmCABCCC via @247Sports
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) October 1, 2014

Five Impressions From Michigan's Italy Trip

An article composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports looking at how Michigan's team performed on their international trip to Italy and some impressions from the trip.

Five Impressions From Michigan's Italy Trip. http://t.co/yBlDNrPd4O | #GoBlue
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) August 28, 2014

Could Mark Donnal Be An Upgrade For Michigan?

An article composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports looking at whether Mark Donnal could actually be an upgrade at the center position for Michigan basketball next season.

My breakdown on Mark Donnal and whether he can actually improve the center position for Michigan - http://t.co/RSFPSThj5F via @247Sports
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) July 17, 2014

Mark Donnal Redshirt Situation

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Here's a look at Mark Donnal's redshirt situation:

Mark Donnal Redshirt Situation

2013-2014 Michigan Basketball Preview: Big Men

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Here's a look at what many consider to be the team's position of strength for this season:

2013-2014 Michigan Basketball Preview: Big Men

2014 PF Keita Bates-Diop Picks Ohio State

For many, Keita Bates-Diop had become the most desired prospect in Michigan's 2014 recruiting.  When I posted on him visiting campus a few months back, he was already receiving rave reviews from the scouting services and he has only went up from there.  He performed very well during the summer and to no surprise, had been receiving some major attention from multiple programs including Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

When I first talked about Bates-Diop, there seemed to be a few schools that were really recruiting him hard, but Michigan and Purdue definitely seemed to be high up on his list.  However, Ohio State got in the mix and really recruited Bates-Diop pretty hard and ultimately, recruited him very effectively.  He tweeted earlier today that he committed to Ohio State.  He is now Ohio State's only commit for the 2014 class and will surely do a lot for them in the coming years.

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:

Updating 2013 Commit Mark Donnal

For the second consecutive year, Michigan will be bringing in a ESPN100 "big man" for their recruiting class.  In 2012, the Wolverines brought in Mitch McGary and now they will be bringing in Mark Donnal for 2013.  Donnal hasn't received the same hype or rankings as McGary, but he is a very talented player and will complement what already should be a pretty solid team in 2013-2014.  The most exciting thing about Donnal, however, is the fact that fans could potentially see him on the floor at the same time as McGary, which would be a lineup that should leave fans mouths watering.

Donnal has a multitude of talents that will make him a great pickup for the Wolverines.  He has the ability to play above the rim and shoot from distance.  In fact, his shooting ability is one of the main reasons he should fit into Beilein's offense so well.  In a post by UMHoops,it was said that, "A lot of guys can step up and shoot, but [Donnal] can set a ball screen, pop, set a side ball screen and pop, and he's getting better on the block."  This shooting ability will separate him from many other big men and should hopefully pay dividends for Michigan.  He's also been improving on his rebounding abilities, which could make him even more deadly once he arrives on campus.  If this part of his game improves, he may also move up in the 2013 rankings.  This does little to help his actual game, but it is pretty exciting for fans to witness.  Donnal has also been cited as having a great motor, the ability to shot block,and as a good low post scorer.  All things that make him into one of the best players in Michigan's 2013 class.

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.

2013 Prospect Vitto Brown Visits Michigan

Michigan's summer basketball recruiting continues to pick-up with a flurry of visits occurring today.  It's already been reported that 2013 Michigan prospects Zak Irvin and Mark Donnal along with 2014 prospect Devin Booker were all visiting Michigan today.  However, the most intriguing visit is from Ohio power forward Vitto Brown.  


Brown is a 2013 prospect and hasn't received a lot of attention from the major scouting services.  Although he does have some decent ratings on some of the sites, for the most part he's not close to some of Michigan's more hyped 2013 recruits such as Derrick Walton and Mark Donnal.  Despite this, Beilein has consistently went after some of the recruits that fall under the radar and I think that could be happening with Brown.  

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.