The Wolverine

August 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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AUGUST 2018 THE WOLVERINE 73 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan landed another huge piece to a program that contin- ues to ascend when four-star Jalen Wilson pledged to the program May 30. The Denton (Texas) Guyer product, a 6-7 forward, picked U-M over Kansas, Baylor and others. Wilson was named after former U-M standout Jalen Rose. His mother loved the program, and Wilson un- derstood what many analysts do as well — he is a great fit at Michigan. "He's a skill-and-feel guy," Ri- vals.com national analyst Eric Bossi said. "You can play him at the three or the four, so there's versatility in how you can use him. "I wouldn't classify him yet as a to- tal knockdown shooter, but he has to be respected out there. He rebounds pretty well, and he's a pretty strong kid who is only going to stronger in the weight room. He's 6-7 with a good, solid build on him." His versatility is his biggest asset, Bossi opined. He fits into a number of different styles, and he'll fit well in Beilein's offense. "He'll be another of those inter- changeable guys who you can spread the floor with, create some space and still have to respect them on the pe- rimeter without costing them on the glass or the interior," Bossi added. "What I like is he doesn't dribble just to dribble. He dribbles to do some- thing. He keeps his dribbles limited, and he doesn't make a lot of mistakes off the dribble as a result. "He could probably get a little more wiggle off the bounce, but he's pretty good making two or three dribbles and getting where he needs to go." The Guyer coaches are demanding on both ends of the floor, insisting that their players go hard offensively and defensively. "He's solid there, got some work to do, like anyone, for those times he's playing the four [power for- ward]," Bossi said. "He's still going to be learning how to defend bigger, stronger guys." Wilson, the No. 34 recruit nation- ally according to Rivals.com, was a national recruit from the South. The fact that Michigan was able to pluck him from the Lone Star State is yet another indication of the program's increasing reach and national visibility. "The biggest deal is getting it done so early, not having to go through a drawn out recruitment," Bossi said. "They got it done, and now they can focus on other guys." The Wolverines are technically full for 2019-20, but will likely over-sign by one, taking another class of 2019 prospect to go with Wilson. FIVE-STAR PICKS OSU, BUT U-M HAS MANY OTHER OPTIONS U-M seemed like the favorite to land five-star D.J. Carton out of Bet- tendorf (Iowa) High, but Rivals.com's No. 17 player nationally surprised many and committed to Ohio State July 14. The 5-11 point guard enjoyed his trip to Ann Arbor just weeks ear- lier, but OSU got the last visit and landed him. "He had been searching for that gut feeling for a while," Bettendorf head coach Curtis Clark told The Des Moines Register. "When he took the visit to Ohio State, he said that's what really stuck out. It just felt like the right place for him." The Wolverines will move on, and they still have several options. First, a look at the scholarship chart: 2019-20 1: Charles Matthews, 6-6 5th-Sr. SF 2: Jon Teske, 6-11 Sr. C 3: Xavier Simpson, 5-11 Sr. PG 4: Austin Davis, 6-10 R-Jr. C 5: Jordan Poole, 6-3 Jr. SG 6: Eli Brooks, 6-1 Jr. PG/SG 7: Isaiah Livers, 6-8 Jr. PF 8: David DeJulius, 6-0 So. PG 9: Brandon Johns, 6-8 So. PF 10: Ignas Brazdeikis, 6-7 So. SF 11: Colin Castleton, 6-11 So. C 12: Adrien Nunez, 6-5 So. SG 13: Jalen Wilson, 6-7 Fr. SF The Wolverines have offers out to three rising senior prospects: JOE GIRARD III 6-1 • 170 • SG Glens Falls (N.Y.) High Rivals.com No. 127 prospect nationally Girard had climbed into the top 80 before strug- gling this summer. The dynamic scorer who averaged 50.0 points per game is still considering six schools, though Michigan, Syracuse a n d D u k e w e re thought to be his leaders at one point. In 16 Nike Elite Youth Basketball   BASKETBALL RECRUITING Michigan Found Another Excellent Fit In Jalen Wilson Wilson — a 6-7 forward from Denton, Texas, who is listed as the No. 34 player in the class of 2019 by Rivals.com — committed to the Wolverines May 30. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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