The Wolverine

May 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BASKETBALL RECRUITING Glenn Robinson III Is The Big Ten's Highest-Rated Signee M BY CHRIS BALAS the program's first Big Ten title since 1986, and the recruiting efforts have been just as impressive. The Wolver- ines' four-man class of 2012 haul now ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten behind Indiana's No. 5 nationally rated class, according to Rivals.com — and it's now four strong with the addition of North- field (Mass.) Mt. Hermon three-star point guard Spike Albrecht (6-0). St. John (Ind.) Lake Central's ichigan basketball continues to ascend on the court, coming off Glenn Robinson III (6-7) and Wolfe- boro (N.H.) Brewster Academy's Mitch McGary (6-10, 263) essentially switched spots in the recently up- dated rankings. Robinson moved from No. 34 overall to No. 11 (five stars), while McGary slipped from No. 3 to No. 30 (four stars). Robinson's strong play during the season brought predictions of a long NBA career. "Coming out of the summer after we did the rankings, we thought we maybe underrated Glenn then," Ri- vals.com's Eric Bossi said. "Then we had a chance to see him play a couple times this winter, and I thought he was fantastic with his size, athleti- cism and overall skill level. He's still a little hot and cold as a shooter, but the mechanics are there. He has the package that he can be really good. "Sometimes you decide to take a product, Southborough (Mass.) St. Mark's standout shooting guard and U-M signee Nick Stauskas (6-6, 210), earned first-team all-conference honors for the Class AA champions. Stauskas rose from No. 79 to No. 71 after showing off his ever-improving (and already impressive) skill set. "I saw him a few times this winter, Rivals.com elevated Robinson to No. 11 in the nation with five-star status in its final rankings. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN double- and triple-teamed much of the season. He was named to the In- diana Basketball Coaches Associa- tion 15-man senior all-state team and the Associated Press second-team all- state squad. Dropping McGary following a and I just think he's got the overall polish to his game and a confidence that's tough to deny," Bossi said. "He's another big wing who can play shooting guard or small forward. He has range. He's probably the kind of kid — and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible —who looks at the rankings and wonders how there are 70 kids ranked ahead of him. That's his approach and his take on things, and I like that." Stauskas is an outstanding shooter chance and go with your gut on a kid when you're ranking him. My gut tells me he's going to be tremendous. With his size and overall skill at that position … you don't see lot of wings in college that have as broad a base with that skill level." Bossi sees Robinson as a "pure summer AAU season in which he dominated the competition was tough, Bossi said, but warranted. McGary had a solid year, finishing as a All-New England Prep School honorable mention selection for a loaded Brewster team that lost only one game all year. "It was a mixture of things," Bossi wing" at the next level, though there's always a chance he could play some four should head coach John Beilein decide to go small on occasion. Robinson was the Duneland Con- ference Player of the Year after aver- aging 21.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game despite being said. "Just like we thought Glenn was underrated, Mitch might have been over-ranked a little. We didn't want to snap and react too badly to his year, but his play in compari- son to some of his teammates — we just think that's where he should be ranked. "The key with Mitch was trying to find the player we saw in the sum- mer that caused us to jump him so high and reconcile that with what we saw in the winter, when he had struggles and was not near the same productivity level. The league he plays in isn't a regular high school league. He's a little old for a '12, and in a prep school situation he's matched up with guys who match him age-wise. He didn't have the same physical advantage he had in the summer." Another New England prep school and underrated when it comes to scoring off the dribble. "I definitely think he's a top-shelf shooter in that class," Bossi said. Finally, Albrecht, formerly of Crown Point, Ind., and Crown Point High in the Duneland Conference where McGary also spent time at Chesterton, signed April 8 to com- plete the class. "He's a guy that is intriguing," Bossi said. "I wish I'd gotten to see him play a few more times. He's crafty, tough as nails and has a good feel for the position. He shoots well enough that he can play the one or two depending on lineups. He has that versatility." He's a winner, too, having led Mt. Hermon to a huge upset of Mc- Gary's Brewster team in the New England Prep School AAA semifi- nals on the way to a title. He'll get his feet wet this year playing behind Trey Burke, this year's Big Ten co- Freshman of the Year. MAY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 57

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