The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2021 THE WOLVERINE 59 BASKETBALL RECRUITING America news Feb. 23 was a welcome pick-me-up for the svelte guard. Af- ter waiting until early February to get the season underway due to CO- VID protocols, he took a hard fall Feb. 20 in his fifth game of the year. The diagnosis — a hairline fracture in his wrist during a 59-44 loss to Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Bufkin scored his 1,000th career point in a victory over Northview Feb. 19. The Eagles then fell to Catho- lic Central, but Bufkin still earned Mlive.com Grand Rapids area player of the week honors after averaging 27.5 points in wins over the Wildcats (29 points) and Forest Hills Central (26), averaging 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the two games, as well, and also put up 29 in a win over Byron Center Feb. 12. He had hoped to be back by the state playoffs, but he wasn't in a rush. "He is definitely in good spirits," Christian coach Eric Taylor said. "He is optimistic that he will be able to come back. For now, just him being at the practices, being a leader, cheer- ing on his teammates and being an extension of the coaching staff will be huge for our team." Bufkin is the state of Michigan's top recruit and the first player from the state to receive McDonald's All- America recognition since Muskeg- on's Deyonta Davis in 2015. Catholic Central coach TJ Meerman had high praise for the future Wolverine, add- ing his good wishes after his team's win. "Kobe is an incredible player, and just watching him play, he is just an incredible leader of West Michigan basketball for us," Meerman said. "He plays the right way. We are pray- ing that he is okay and that it is just a sprain. "I told our guys after the game that he made that play off of a hustle block, and it was an incredible de- fensive play. Not only does he get it done on offense, but on the defensive end. He's a difference-maker." In Chicago, Isaiah Barnes had been outstanding in his first handful of contests when the state of Illinois fi- nally allowed games to begin, but he suffered a minor setback of his own. He was averaging 18.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game before going down with a knee in- jury on a fast break in a 56-47 loss to Evanston March 13. Simeon coach Robert Smith told The Chicago Sun-Times he expected Barnes to be okay, though there was no official word as of March 15. Simeon's season was shorter than most in Chicago due to COVID re- strictions, and it took some time for it to click, The Sun-Times reported. "A big, 6-7 multidimensional player, Barnes has shown in spurts why he's headed to play for the Big Ten champs next year," they wrote. Barnes put up 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 57-51 overtime win over Bogan March 6, and notched 24 points and nine rebounds in a 59-51 victory over Flossmoor March 9. "Barnes started high school at Ro- meoville and played at Oak Park the past two years. He's always flashed high-level potential but was incon- sistent," The Sun-Times reported after the game. "That's not the case any- more." "I'm finally able to play on a team where I can showcase my skills ev- ery game," Barnes added. "The last few teams I wasn't always put in the best situations, but [at Simeon] they care for me and they want to see us be great. So, I'm doing whatever it takes to help them win and bringing it every game." The high-flying Barnes opened a game with St. Patrick in the Chipotle Clash of Champions with a steal and a thunderous dunk on his way to 16 points and six rebounds in a 57-38 victory March 12. "We've started clicking as a team," Barnes said. "We had a couple close games early that shouldn't have been. Today, we dominated as we should." SIGNEE WILL TSCHETTER CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE COMPETITION Will Tschetter, meanwhile, might not be the most heralded player in Michigan's six-man class, but he's got the potential to be every bit as valuable. He was averaging 30.2 points per game as of March 15 and had led his Stewartville team to a 14-3 record and a league champion- ship. He still had one eye on Michigan while heading toward the state play- offs. "Coach [Juwan] Howard said we want to win and have fun while we're doing it," Tschetter told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "That's what I want to do." Tschetter went head-to-head with Minnehaha (Minn.) Academy five- Bufkin — the state of Michigan's top recruit and the first player from the state to receive McDonald's All-America recognition since Muskegon's Deyonta Davis in 2015 — suffered a broken wrist five games into his senior campaign. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM