The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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70 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2018 BASKETBALL RECRUITING Beilein's camp and was extremely impressive. He can shoot and pass, and he has a great feel for the game. He's also coached on the AAU circuit by Quincy Simpson, father of Michigan junior Zavier Simpson. Quincy Simpson has been around a lot of pros, he said, and he believes Jackson could be next. He's also "like a brother" to Zavier, the man called "Coach Q" said, and the two share a special bond. That said … he's in no hurry to pledge, even after back-to-back weekend visits in early September. "He's coming to enjoy what Michi- gan has to offer," Coach Q said. "He's nowhere near ready to commit yet, but he does have his final five, six or seven that he likes." One of them is Ohio State. He's been there a few times. Marquette, Butler, Purdue, Arizona State and Michigan State are the others. "He is very heady and smart," Simpson said. "His parents have done a tremendous job with him." His h igh sch ool coach , R ob Conover, told The Columbus Dispatch this summer that Jackson was a great all-around player. "The ball is in his hands a lot," Conover said. "He can distribute. He averaged five assists per game this year on top of 19.5 points per game. He started to rebound more. He's a big point guard, and he's starting to fill out. "I think he's going to grow a little bit more yet. He's got great explo- sion. His skill level is off the charts. I think that's what a lot of the college coaches are seeing is just his skill and knowledge of the game." Jackson called the Michigan offer "a huge blessing," noting U-M was high on his list. "They are definitely up there," Jackson said. As of now, Jackson is planning on taking more visits. Butler will host him Oct. 19, Arizona State Oct. 26 and Michigan State Nov. 9. He has already officially visited Marquette and has been to Michigan and Ohio State a number of times this fall, and those two will likely see him on cam- pus even more this fall. TOP-60 POINT GUARD ETHAN MORTON ANTICIPATES U-M VISIT Michigan has extended one offer to a junior — Toledo, Ohio, point guard Zeb Jackson — but that will change soon. It's expected that Butler (Pa.) Area Senior point guard Ethan Mor- ton (6-5, 180, Rivals.com's No. 56 ju- nior nationally) will be next in line when he visits Oct. 19. The versatile Morton is in high de- mand, but he likes what he's seen from the Michigan coaching staff. "I think they've done a good job of building the relationship," Morton said. "I've come to really appreciate the process they have when it comes to recruiting, just really taking time to build the relationship. They kind of go class by class." Morton added he really likes the relationships he's developed with Beilein and assistant Saddi Washing- ton. Michigan's play in recent years is another area that's stood out to him. "Coach Beilein's success, speaks for itself," Morton said. "In five or six years, he's been to two national championships. "They've won several Big Ten titles and tournaments. I just think he's had a lot of success playing with guys similar to me." Morton said he also likes how he could fit into Michigan's scheme. "Basically, what they run is almost that two-one-two on offense," Morton said. "You have basically two guards, whether it's two combo guards or a combo guard and a point guard, and you have the big at the top of the key or the high post and then two wing players working from the corner. "I think the system has obviously worked for them, and it's showed over the past years." Morton plans to watch a Michigan practice on his visit. He came up for the Rutgers game last season, but didn't get to spend much time with the coaching staff or see too much of campus. He said he's excited to get to know the coaching staff better. In addition to Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Pitt, Stan- ford, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Penn State, Florida and Villanova are Rivals.com rates Toledo (Ohio) Maumee Valley Country Day point guard Zeb Jackson as the No. 72 junior in the country. PHOTO BY JORDAN WELLS