The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/315684
2014 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Rivals.com No. 14 rising senior nationally Former Temple star, NBA player and coach Rick Brunson wasn't certain un- til about a year ago how good his son was, even with coaches from all over the country telling him what he had, and despite a number of high-major offers for the Rivals.com five-star. Jalen Brunson's junior year at Ste- venson helped convince him. The younger Brunson averaged 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game while lead- ing the Patriots to third place in the Class 4A boys basketball tournament in March. He twice scored 56 points in a game, the second time in a loss to Duke-bound and Illinois Mr. Bas- ketball Jahlil Okafor (Rivals.com's No. 1 rising senior nationally) in a state semifinal, an Illinois record for points in a tournament game. "I kept questioning it — maybe be- cause I'm a coach and dissecting it, and I'm so close to him," Rick Brunson said. "But there were a lot of college coaches telling me, 'He's good,' and I'd say, 'I don't see it.' But over the last year I realized, 'He is pretty good!'" He's possibly the best rising senior point guard in the country, in fact. Brunson shares many of the same characteristics his dad played with when Rick Brunson carved a niche in the NBA as a tough player with high IQ. Relationships and early playing time will both factor into Jalen's deci- sion, his father reported, noting his son has a great rapport with the Michigan coaching staff. The Brunsons were in Ann Arbor last summer and picked up an offer from Beilein and assistant coach LaVall Jordan. "This is going to be Jalen's decision, but I think Coach [John] Beilein is a very good coach, somebody I can see my son playing for," Rick Brunson said. "There's a reason why they were in the final eight. He has a great con- nection with the coaches, and I love Coach Jordan. He's done a great job recruiting him." UConn, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue, Temple and Villanova are the other finalists, in no particular order. The list will likely be trimmed to five before August when visits will begin. Jalen Brunson averaged 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game last season for Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM