The Wolverine

February 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BASKETBALL RECRUITING Basketball Pledges, Signees Continuing To Play Well BY CHRIS BALAS Unforeseen attrition (see: sopho- more point guard Darius Morris last year) and injuries often have a way of opening things up, or at least pro- viding uncertainty just when you might think a class is complete. In the class of 2013, Fort Wayne M (Ind.) Canterbury's Austin Hatch (6-6 200, Rivals.com three-star pros- pect) has been sidelined for the sea- son while recovering from injuries suffered in a June plane crash that claimed the lives of his father and stepmother. The good news — he con- tinues to recover from his injuries and has been in Ann Arbor a few times to watch games while recovering. There's been no word on his future on the basketball court, but his health is foremost on everyone's minds, in- cluding his Michigan family's. The U-M coaches have continued to host class of 2014 targets since au- tumn, two of the most high profile being Grand Rapids (Mich.) Chris- tian guard Drake Harris (6-4, 180) and St. John (Ind.) big man Tyler Wideman (6-7, 240). Head coach John Beilein and his staff won't offer soph- omores until mid-June before their junior years, but those two should be near the front of the line when the time comes. Meanwhile, the class of 2012 sign- ees and 2013 pledges continue to play well. Here's a look at how their seasons have gone. NICK STAUSKAS, SG 6-6, 200 Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark's Rivals.com No. 79 senior nationally Stauskas climbed steadily over the summer and earned a reputation as one of the top shooters in the 2012 class. He's become a YouTube sensa- tion for some of his home videos, which show him knocking down triples better than most shoot eight- footers. Stauskas shined at a late Decem- ber tournament in Raleigh, N.C., finishing with 28 points in the fi- ichigan isn't necessarily done with its class of 2013 recruiting. Southborough (Mass.) St, Mark's shooting guard Nick Stauskas, who is averaging 20.5 points per game so far this season, has drawn comparisons to current Wolverine Zack Novak. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL nale, a win over Charlottesville (Va.) Miller School. He went 5 of 10 from three-point range, 2 of 2 on twos and 9 of 10 from the free throw line, and scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. "Nick is the best offensive player I've coached at St. Mark's, alto- gether," head coach Dave Lubick said after the win. "It's a very fine line to walk. We walk it together all the time, and I enjoy it when he lis- tens to me and responds. Sometimes he doesn't, and that's okay, because I know with a player like Nick I've got to let him go a little more than I let everybody else go." Stauskas scored 12 in a 61-47 win over St. Andrew's Jan. 6 and a game- high 22 points in St. Mark's 69-35 win over Milton Jan. 7. He's averag- ing 20.5 points per game this year and should be an early contributor at U-M, Rivals.com's Eric Bossi said after seeing Stauskas play in the Ra- leigh tournament. "When Zack Novak graduates in the spring, Michigan is going to lose a tough and versatile leader who has a knack for getting under the skin of opposing fans," he said. "Fear not Wolverine supporters, Novak's re- placement is on the way. "Nick Stauskas is the perfect re- placement for the scrappy Novak. Like Novak, Stauskas plays with a huge chip on his shoulder and is willing to scrap it up a bit with opponents. Stauskas is also an ex- cellent shooter with deep range, a flashy passer and a guy who takes the floor with a significant amount of confidence. "Currently ranked No. 79 nation- ally in the class of 2012, the four-star wing is part of an excellent Michigan recruiting class, and he should be able to contribute right away." Stauskas missed his first four triples in a nationally televised (ES- PNU) game with Friends Central out of Pennsylvania Jan. 15 … and then he heated up. He made his next two and finished on a crossover lefty drive as part of a 12-point first half, leading St. Mark's to a 32-24 halftime advantage. Stauskas didn't get great looks in FEBRUARY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 67

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