The Wolverine

June-July 2013 - Wolverine

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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2013 basketball recruiting issue Zak Irvin Develops Into A Five-Star Talent By Chris Balas Zak Irvin was somewhat of an afterthought the first time many head coaches saw him play. His teammate at Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern, future prep All-American and Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Michigan State Gary Harris, was the gem of the team and the state's eventual Mr. Basketball. Irvin was a skinny young kid with potential. Nobody is questioning him anymore. Like Harris, Irvin earned Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana, giving Hamilton Southeastern the distinction of being the first school to have back-to-back winners in the history of the award. One rival coach called Irvin the best he'd seen in Indiana since New Orleans Hornets standout and former Indianapolis prep star Eric Gordon, high praise given the talent that's come out of the Hoosier state. Rivals.com listed him as a five-star prospect, the No. 6 shooting guard in the country and the No. 24 player in the senior class. "He's kind of similar to a Glenn Robinson III situation where national scouts seem to be much higher on him than locals," Rivals.com's Eric Bossi said. "I see a guy 6-6 who can shoot with deep range, has a little pull-up dribble game and is athletic. I look at him and don't see how he's not a good Big Ten basketball player — a very good one. Some have questioned his toughness a bit, but he seems plenty Rivals.com ranks Irvin as the No. 24 prospect and No. 6 shooting guard in the senior class. photo by by Jamie Rhodes/ The Kentucky Derby Festival tough to me. You have to be to win Mr. Basketball, and he had a huge senior year." Irvin averaged 24.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for Hamilton Southeastern, scoring in a variety of ways. Once considered just a jump shooter, he made it to the free throw line 117 times in his senior year, taking it upon himself to be more aggressive. The lanky, 6-6 senior got to the rim much more frequently and finished more often than not when he did.

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