The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING Irvin finishing with 13, including a big triple at the end of the third quar- ter and another to open the fourth. Irvin was at it again Jan. 14 at day two of the 10th annual Flyin' to the Hoop event, when Southeastern hammered Troy (Ohio), 93-54. He was named Rivals.com's No. 2 player of the event for his work. "The four-star junior shot lights- out on Saturday afternoo, making all five of his three-point attempts on his way to a game-high 26 points," the site wrote. "The Michigan commit hit threes off the dribble, off of screens and by spotting up with a smooth stroke and confidence. "Irvin also displayed some of his signature bounce by throwing down two alley-oop dunks off of set plays. The 6-foot-5 wing was active on the defensive end, where he recorded four rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot." DERRICK WALTON, PG 6-0 • 170 Harper Woods (Mich.) Chandler Park Academy Rivals.com No. 89 junior nationally Walton scored 26 in an 80-70 loss to Detroit King at the PSL Holiday Classic Dec. 27, notched 23 in a 66-60 win over Detroit Osborn Dec. 28 and recorded 30 more in a 67-62 loss to Toronto Henry Carr Dec. 30 to end the year. Chandler Park got off to a great start to 2012 behind Walton, who notched 24 points, five rebounds and eight assists in an 82-41 win over De- troit University Prep Academy Jan. 6 and put up 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in an 85-51 win over Old Redford Academy Jan. 10. On Jan. 14, Chandler Park fell 77-69 to Flint (Mich.) Beecher and highly ranked point guard Monte Morris, a former U-M target. Walton scored 24 points, but many came late when the game was no longer in doubt. "Every time we get on the floor, we always battle," Walton said. "His guys hit more shots than our guys, and they came out with the win." Walton said he's gained more poise since committing over the summer and continues to work on that as- pect of his game. He's been keeping a close eye on Michigan and likes what he's seen. "I watch them a lot, and they're playing good," he said. "I like the Whitehouse (Ohio) Anthony Wayne big man Mark Donnal is averaging 20.4 points and 8.7 rebounds this year after posting 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds last season. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM MARK DONNAL 6-9 • 210 Whitehouse (Ohio) Anthony Wayne Rivals.com No. 124 junior nationally Donnal averaged 20.8 points be- fore Christmas and continued to play well in the weeks following. He led Anthony Wayne to a 65-53 win over Southview Jan. 3, scoring 19 points, and added 27 in a 71-54 win over Perrysburg Jan. 7. "This game was probably the best four quarters we've played all year," head coach Bryan Borcherdt told the Toledo Blade of the win over Perrys- burg. "When you play a very good team like Perrysburg — that's well- coached and works hard and has a great system — it takes four quarters." Donnal scored 21 of his points after halftime and finished the game 13 of 13 from the foul line, the Blade reported. "He played within himself to- night," Borcherdt said of Donnal. "He played aggressive defensively without fouling." FEBRUARY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 69 Scan this code with your smart phone to stay up-to-date with recruiting news on the go! way they share the ball. A lot of guys have stepped up." Including freshman Trey Burke, his future backcourt mate. "To step into that role as a fresh- man is a big deal," Walton said. "I commend him a lot." Anthony Wayne couldn't keep it up, losing 75-65 to Napoleon Jan. 10. Donnal scored 18 for Wayne (6-2 overall, 5-2 conference). Anthony Wayne's solid start was the subject of a recent Blade article. The team hasn't won a Northern Lakes League title since the 1997-98 season, but is in the hunt this year. "Perhaps no one on the team has bought in to the new approach more than Mark Donnal, the 6-9 junior who is already committed to the University of Michigan," the Blade wrote. "The league's top post player is averaging a team- high 20.4 points and 8.7 rebounds after averaging 15 points and seven boards last season. "Donnal, who probably receives more double-teams near the basket than any other player in the NLL, is sinking 79 percent of his shots from the field, as well as from the foul line." "Mark has been a big asset for us, there's no doubt about that," Borcherdt said. "He's been very effec- tive. He takes good shots. He's a good free-throw shooter. He's making other people around him better." ❑ For regular reports on basketball recruit- ing, plus videos of all the top prospects in the nation and Michigan's commitments, visit TheWolverine.com.