The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING floor. If [freshman point guard] Tyus [Jones] is still there, they think he can play with him, but if Tyus isn't there, then they think he can play right away." Thornton was aver- aging 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals per game in leading Find- lay Prep to an 8-0 start. He added 14 pounds in the summer and now weighs 174. "He's getting more and more explosive now due to all of the time that he's putting in in the weight room," the elder Thornton noted. Thornton Jr.'s list sits at 10 schools — Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Lou- isville, Miami, California, USC, Ar- izona, UNLV and North Carolina State. "We will cut it to five when the season is over," his dad said. "It might be six, but it's probably going to be five." MICHIGAN TARGET T.J. LEAF OPTS FOR ARIZONA Michigan had been one of the frontrunners for El Cajon (Calif.) Foothills Christian's T.J Leaf (6-9, Rivals.com's No. 17 junior prospect nation- ally) since the summer, and he was expected to visit officially in Febru- ary. In fact, U-M was his only scheduled of- ficial visit, and he was e x p e c t e d t o d e c i d e shortly after the trip. His recruitment never made it that far. Leaf chose Arizona over a final list that included Florida, UCLA, Michi- gan and Duke, falling in love with the school on an official visit. He canceled a visit to Duke after the Wildcats' Red-Blue intra- squad game. "It was great," Leaf said. "The Red-Blue game was great, and I loved the atmosphere. I love the coaching staff, and I love what they're doing down there. It's a re- ally premier program. … They use their forwards really well, and it's how I want to be used." Leaf is the 12th five-star recruit Ar- izona has earned a commitment from during head coach Sean Miller's time at the school, and the fourth during this calendar year. Michigan has re- ceived one 2016 pledge in Medina, Ohio, big man Jon Teske (6-11, Rivals. com's No. 97 junior nationally). ❑ 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. Rivals.com lists Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard School shooting guard Tyus Battle as a five-star prospect and the No. 15 overall player in the junior class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM