The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Big Ten championships among them. The key, he knew, was to land some of the nation's better players, and he figured U-M, with its great tradition and combination of athletics and aca- demics, would be enticing to plenty. Beilein has never been about re- J cruiting rankings — senior guard Zack Novak was a two-star prospect, and he's been one of Beilein's most important recruits, having infused toughness into the program. But the coach found a five-star with intan- gibles included in Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy standout Mitch McGary, the nation's top power for- ward prospect and No. 3 senior over- all according to Rivals.com. Duke, North Carolina and Ken- tucky were just a few of McGary's other finalists. Michigan, though, had everything the 6-10, 250-pounder was looking for, SYF Players AAU coach Wayne Brumm said. When asked recently why McGary might choose U-M over some of the nation's most established power- houses, Brumm — who is a mentor to both McGary and Michigan 2012 pledge Glenn Robinson III (6-6, Ri- vals.com No. 34 senior nationally) — said anyone questioning it didn't realize what was going on in Ann Arbor. "It proves a lot of people don't get past headlines," Brumm said. "It's not their life, and for Mitch the deci- sion was about, 'How is this going to impact me?' Academically, is Mich- igan a great school? Heavens, yes. Does the staff put emphasis on aca- demics? Absolutely. John Beilein gets so fired up talking about academics you almost think he's going to give you a personal tour of the academic facilities, too. "The coaching staff … there's so much chemistry there, and so much depth. Some staffs I would say are inbred from the standpoint that the head coach has such a large footprint — 'This is the way it's going to be done.' This staff all comes from dif- ferent backgrounds. They are pretty experienced and creative in their own right, but nobody's so sensitive that if their idea doesn't fly, they go into a shell and pout. They all understand BY CHRIS BALAS ohn Beilein had lofty goals when he took over as Michi- gan's head basketball coach five years ago, Final Fours and McGary, rated as the No. 3 senior in nationally by Rivals.com, averaged 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game last season at Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Mitch McGary, The Nation's Five-Star Addition No. 1 Power Forward Prospect, Signs With U-M what the common goal is, and they all share feelings … there's no ego there. You've got to be a family, and the team plays off that." McGary noticed it, too, first on a summer unofficial visit, but espe- cially on his official visit during a football weekend against Western Michigan. He jelled with the staff, later noting big man coach Bacari DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 71