The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/603303
I always, constantly have to prove myself. People still tell me now I'm not big enough, fast enough or strong enough. "Things like that have always fu- eled me my whole life." PROVING HIS WORTH Beilein wasn't completely con- vinced he was doing the right thing when he offered Albrecht a scholar- ship following the guard's prep year at Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon School. Albrecht averaged 21 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals per game at Crown Point (Ind.) High during his senior year, but Ap- palachian State remained his only offer until he earned MVP honors of the renowned and highly com- petitive New England Preparatory School (NEPSAC) Class AAA Boys' Basketball Tournament. The offers didn't come pouring in at that point, but others had taken notice — especially when he helped lead Mt. Hermon to a win over future U-M teammate Mitch McGary and Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy in the semifinals. "That's a tough question," Al- brecht said when asked where he'd be if Michigan hadn't offered. "Ap- palachian State was technically my only other offer, but there were a few other schools looking at me late and coming on. One of those schools watching me that I really considered was Davidson. Coach [Bob] McKillop seems like a great person, and I like the way they do things, their style of play. I enjoyed watching them play." But his heart was with Michigan, and his gut followed, telling him the Wolverines were going to offer. He didn't let himself think about other programs as long as U-M was in play. Meanwhile, he had an Indiana contingent working on Beilein. He'd played AAU ball with McGary and future Michigan teammate Glenn Robinson III, also an incoming fresh- man, and they were good friends. His father was college teammates with Michigan captain Zack Novak's dad, and while Novak was heading out, he made sure Beilein knew what he thought of Albrecht. Novak had played primarily with Albrecht's brother, but he'd also seen plenty of Spike. "I've known Zack probably since first grade," Albrecht noted. "He and my older brother played against each other, and I used to play up in AAU and played against them, too. They grew up playing together all through middle school. "I know Zack is a huge part of the reason I'm here at Michigan. I'm sure he lobbied for me. Coach B never told me, but I'm pretty sure I remem- ber Zack telling me he put the full- court press on him." Beilein had taken a chance on No- vak when literally every other pro- gram in the country had overlooked the undersized, but tough, guard/ forward. Novak became the blue- collar, bring-your-lunch-pail leader that helped change the program's identity and led the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title since 1986. He saw many of the same traits in Albrecht.