BASKETBALL RECRUITING
BY CHRIS BALAS
T
he signees in Michigan basket-
ball's class of 2016 are off to a
good start, with a couple having
notched dominant performances
in the early going. Here's how they
(and class of 2017 shooting guard
pledge Jordan Poole) have fared in
the first few weeks of the high school
basketball season.
IBI WATSON, 6-5 SG
Pickerington (Ohio) Central
Rivals.com three-star prospect nationally
Watson is stating his case as one of
the most improved players in the se-
nior class. He opened his season with
31 points, 11 rebounds and seven as-
sists in a 79-64 win over Springfield
(Ohio) High Dec. 1 and earned The
Columbus Dispatch's Player of the
Week honors after making the publi-
cation's "Division I Players to Watch"
list. He also earned 270Hoops.com's
Player of the Week honors and is
the site's No. 3 Ohio Central District
player in the 2016 class.
"Watson showed a newfound te-
nacity that he didn't always play
with as a junior," the website noted
after his game against Springfield.
"Aggressively attacking the basket
whenever possible, Watson was the
key for Pickerington Central in a mo-
mentum-building 79-64 win. Trail-
ing 34-33 at half, Pickerington Cen-
tral opened the third quarter on an
BASKETBALL RECRUITING
Signees And Pledge Jordan Poole
Start Their Seasons Strongly
Pickerington (Ohio) Central 6-5 shooting
guard and Michigan signee Ibi Watson posted
31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in
the first game of his senior season, a 79-64
win over Springfield (Ohio) High Dec. 1, and
earned The Columbus Dispatch's Player of
the Week honors.
PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM
