The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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basketball recruiting 23 points and took home MVP honors for No. 2 Stevenson, which won its first Proviso West Holiday Tournament championship with a 67-55 victory over Morgan Park Dec. 31. "It was a big adjustment for us," Brunson told the Chicago Tribune. "We haven't played that good of a team since last year against Simeon [a 58-40 loss in the Class 4A championship game]. It was a really good test for us. We stuck together and won." Brunson scored five straight points, two free throws and a triple, to turn a 40-39 deficit into a five-point lead. He posted 13 points in the third quarter and also finished the game with nine rebounds. Brunson had scored 32 points, notched eight rebounds and dished six assists to lead Stevenson past Westchester (Ill.) St. Joseph 85-72 in the semifinals days prior. Illinois, Connecticut, Creighton, DePaul, Oklahoma State, Purdue, SMU, Temple, Tulsa, Virginia and Xavier have joined Michigan in offering. A second offeree, LaPorte (Ind.) La Lumiere's Jalen Coleman (6-3, 180, No. 34 player in the country), also continues to play well. His Lakers lost 71‑60 to Indianapolis Arsenal Tech High School in early January, with Coleman scoring 21 points. "Four-star junior Jalen Coleman had some nice moments for La Lumiere," Rivals.com reported. "His shot wasn't quite on target, but he is getting stronger, understands movement and decision-making on the offensive end and is a natural scorer who plays the game with some swagger." Illinois has turned up the heat, while Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Memphis, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Providence, Purdue, UCLA and Xavier have also offered. A new NCAA rule prevents coaches from watching prospects at prep schools, and they can't attend games between prep schools. "I haven't seen too many coaches right now," Coleman said, adding he has no leader. Class Of 2016 Notes • On Jan. 15, Michigan assistant Jeff Meyer watched Indianapolis North Central's Eron Gordon (6-2, 170, No. 32 in the 2016 class) at the Marion, Ind., County Tournament. Indiana and Purdue have offered, but U-M could have a shot here given Meyer's ties to the family — he coached his father, Eric Gordon Sr., in college, and helped recruit his brother, Eric Jr., to Indiana. • Michigan assistant Bacari Alexander watched Detroit Consortium's Josh Jackson (6-6, 185), Rivals.com's No. 1 player nationally in the 2016 class, Jan. 11. Jackson scored 26 points and grabbed 11 boards in a loss to Detroit Pershing. Jackson, we hear, is likely headed out of state, though Michigan will continue to pursue him. ❑ On The Web For regular reports on basketball recruiting, plus videos of all the top prospects in the nation and Michigan's commitments, visit TheWolverine.com.