The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
basketball recruiting Indiana and is now the No. 24 senior prospect in the country. He follows Southeastern alum Gary Harris, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year for Michigan State in 2012-13, in winning the award, the first time two players from the same school have ever won in back-to-back seasons. Irvin led his team in scoring (24.6 points a game), rebounding (9.0), steals (2.1) and blocked shots (1.0). He was second in assists (3.3) and shot better than 51 percent from the field. He also got to the free throw line 117 times, proving he was more than just a jump shooter. "He improved more than any other player I've coached in a high school career," head coach Brian Satterfield told IndyStar.com. "He definitely had some tools as a freshman, but he's improved greatly in all facets. From not playing varsity as a freshman to starting three years and winning Mr. Basketball, he's come a long way. Especially his defense; he really took that to heart. For as talented as he is offensively, he's very versatile and special on the defensive end." Irvin scored 1,239 points (18.8 per game) in three years on the varsity level, and accumulated 402 rebounds, 164 assists and 105 steals. His teams were a combined 59-11. In short, he's a winner and another prospect Beilein identified early. He's also a future pro, Satterfield has said, who could face his own early entry decision in a few years. Irvin, though, fits what Beilein is looking for — he's a great kid, teammate and player. "I'm just going to continue to do the same thing," Beilein said. "Recruit young men who are going to unpack their bags and say 'Michigan is not a stopover — the University of Michigan is a destination.' "They're going to make the most of every opportunity at that destination. If things work out for them that they have better opportunities, I'm all for it. We think we're preparing kids for everything in life — whatever comes their way. We want them to be more skilled players. If their dreams are to play at a professional level afterwards, we study what people do at that level like crazy. But we're just saying, 'Unpack your suitcase and let's win at Michigan, and the rest will take care of itself.'" Derrick Walton Jr. Is Ready To Compete Sophomore point guard Trey Burke's departure for the NBA was expected — he's all but guaranteed to be a top-10 pick, and he'd have had a tough time accomplishing more than he did in leading U-M to the NCAA title game while earning consensus National Player of the Year honors. Michigan coaches did their part to ensure they had a plan in place in case Burke did opt to turn pro, and it appears to have been a good one. Freshman point guard Spike Albrecht is better than anyone could have expected, and incoming Detroit point guard Derrick Walton Jr. (6-0, Rivals.com's No. 34 senior nationally) finished second in Michigan Mr. Basketball voting.