The Wolverine

  BASKETBALL RECRUITING reclassify. Highland (Utah) Ameri- can Fork wing Brendan Bailey, son of former North Carolina State and Utah Jazz standout Thurl Bailey and a former Arizona State pledge, is the latest to receive interest from Beilein and his staff. T h e f o u r- s t a r ( 6 - 7 , No. 61 prospect nation- ally), who played well this summer, has nar- rowed his list of schools to five — Utah, Mar- quette, Gonzaga, San Di- ego State and Michigan. "It's going good," he said of his recruitment. "I've been talking to Michigan a lot. They're p ro b a b l y t h e n e w e s t school I've been talking to, but everything else is the same. "I talk to San Diego State a lot, Gonzaga a lot — mostly those two, and Utah and Marquette a little bit." Bailey has already visited San Di- ego State. His sister, BreElle, plays volleyball at ASU, but he no longer lists the Sun Devils. "He's the best defender in the state — he can guard the perimeter and the post," Doug Meacham, Bailey's high school coach at American Forks in Utah, told Rivals.com of the slender, smooth jump shooter in July. But he also needs to add bulk to his thin physique, Meacham said. And the catch — Bailey is expected to take a two-year mission following high school graduation, so he could actu- ally end up a class of 2018 recruit. That shouldn't keep coaches from recruiting him, Meachem added. "He's a humble kid," the coach said. "He just wants to get better." Bailey made it clear he's already extremely interested in Michigan and would be even more so with an offer, one he could pick up on a trip to U-M. "They haven't spo- ken yet about offering or anything — they're just watching me and see- ing how I play," he said. "Potentially in the future they'd offer me. "Mostly I'm looking for the kind of people I'd fit in with, the style of play. It doesn't have to be close to home. It's mostly just rela- tionships with the coach, style of play and fit into the offense." Bailey is working on a Gonzaga visit and is hopeful to set one up to U-M, which he believes could be a great fit. "They have a great basketball pro- gram and great school, too," he said. "They like that I can shoot the ball, go on the defensive end, sit down in a stance and play defense, rebound and run the floor." Bailey was an honorable mention Coaches Class 5A All-State pick as a junior.  ❏ 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. BRENDAN BAILEY

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