The Wolverine

  COMMITMENT PROFILE Pickerington (Ohio) Central shoot- ing guard Ibi Watson has been work- ing toward a Michigan offer for more than a year. He at- tended the Michi- gan elite camps, the t e a m c a m p s a n d e v e n U - M h o m e games while spend- ing most of his spare time in the gym try- ing to improve his game. He earned an In- dian a offer first, and he might have committed to the Hoosiers had U-M h e a d c o a c h J o h n Beilein not called him shortly after a late-July visit to tell him he had earned a scholarship offer to Michigan. The self-reported 6-5, 178-pounder, still unranked by Rivals.com but a likely three-star when the rankings are updated, pledged the next day, July 28. "I was kind of expecting it to come," Watson said. "When I got it I was really excited. Coach Beilein called me and talked for a while, and he just ended up offering after watching me this summer." Beilein and the Michigan staff is- sued a challenge to him — play in attack mode all spring and summer and maybe he'd earn his spot. So Watson took them to heart. When the coaches were watch- ing him — and even when they weren't — he played aggres- sively. " I t h o u g h t I played a lot better this summer, really hard, and that re- ally helped me," he said. "When that offer came, I was so happy. I thought at the team and in- dividual camps I played really good and aggressive. "I was making shots, and that also helped me." Watson was back in the gym only two hours after pledging to Michigan, working out with head coach Eric Krueger and a few Central assistants. He's reminiscent of another Central standout in that regard, Krueger said — Caris LeVert, the Michigan senior shooting guard and soon-to-be first- round NBA Draft pick. "We've been up to Michigan a lot," Krueger said. "We were at the June 6 Elite Camp, the team camp … it was a steady build-up as far as getting Coach Beilein and his staff to offer. Shooting Guard Ibi Watson Earned His Place At U-M Watson, who committed to Michigan on July 28, averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during his junior campaign at Pickerington (Ohio) Central. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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