The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/70129
BASKETBALL RECRUITING season at Mt. Hermon following an outstanding career at Crown Point (Ind.) High with the intention of earning more interest from college coaches. Michigan came calling when Trey Burke started flirting with the NBA, with SYF Players AAU coach Wayne Brumm alerting the coaches to his former point guard's impres- sive stint at Mt. Hermon. Albrecht visited April 5 and com- SPIKE ALBRECHT ADDS DEPTH Spike Albrecht opted for a prep mitted a day later after what he called an "unbelievable visit." Ver- mont, Ivy League schools and Ap- palachian State were among those in consideration when he pledged. "I got texts from both Mitch [Mc- Albrecht set the Mt. Hermon single- season record with 241 assists, and averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals to lead the team to an all-time best 29-6 record and the New England Prep School Class AAA title. He scored 16 points and added three rebounds and eight assists to lead an upset of No. 1 and previously undefeated Brewster (with McGary), 87-83 in overtime, in the semifinals to reach the title game against St. Thomas Prep. He then notched 23 points, two rebounds and nine assists in a 74-70 victory that clinched the Class AAA title, and earned him tournament MVP honors. It's nothing he hasn't seen before. Gary] and Glenn [Robinson] on my visit saying they hoped everything worked out for me," Albrecht said. "That was great." Albrecht played in the same con- ference as Robinson and McGary while at Crown Point (Ind.) High for four years before heading to Mount Hermon, and he is good friends with both. his visit, but the trip exceeded both his and his parents'. "It was awesome," he said. "They Albrecht had high expectations for had me doing a lot of stuff. I played with the team for the first time [in pick-up ball], and that went really well. I got to know the guys. The following day [April 6] I did a lot of touring, went and toured a lot of the academic places, got to see the Ross Academic Center, the school of busi- ness and the Player Development Center. The facilities were top notch." He was also able to watch film of Michigan — and himself — with head coach John Beilein and his assistants. "I heard he's a big film guy, which is awesome," Albrecht said. "We saw clips of what Michigan likes to do, and he broke down film on me, had all my clips from my senior year in high school and this year. He was showing me things I do well and things I need to work on. He also showed me how what I do would work in Michigan's system. "I think I fit well with their style of play and what they want to do. They have great athletes and scorers, so if they need me to run the offense and do the dirty work, I think I can do that." 58 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2012 me a lot of [departing seniors] Zack [Novak], Stu [Douglass] and Corey [Person]. He is a very skilled point guard with strong leadership skills, terrific court vision and a very high basketball IQ. "Spike is a proven winner who values an assist just as much as any points he may score. Our team will love playing with him, and our entire coaching staff is looking forward to coaching him in the years ahead." Albrecht hung out with fellow Duneland Conference alum Novak on his visit and got to know most of the other players, as well. He hopes to follow Novak's footsteps and en- roll in the business school. "He's really happy for me," Albre- cht said of Novak. "He told me it's not easy — that the Big Ten is quite the grind. But he said I was going to be living the dream." Mt. Hermon head coach John Car- roll called Albrecht "the lowest main- tenance player I have ever dealt with. "He is the most humble player I have ever worked with, and I have been coaching here for 10 years," Carroll said. "He appreciates every kind gesture that comes his way. He appreciates every opportunity pre- sented to him. He takes full advan- tage of it all. He has been just a plea- sure to work with. "Spike has a super high basket- Albrecht averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals this winter, directed Mt. Herman in Northfield, Mass., to an all-time best 29-6 record and led the team to the New England Prep School Class AAA title. Crown Point, notching 1,059 career points. He averaged 21.0 points, 5.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds as a senior to help the Bulldogs to an 18-4 over- all record and a runner-up finish in the Duneland Athletic Conference (11-3). He earned all-state honorable mention honors from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Associaition and the Associated Press, and was named the Duneland Conference Player of the Year honors. "Spike Albrecht is an excellent ad- PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS Albrecht was a three-year starter at dition to our basketball program," Beilein said in a release. "His work habits and love for the game remind ball IQ and really understands the game better than most players I have worked with. It's that old cliché of the game has really slowed down for him, and because of that he is able to make the better play 99 percent of the time. If it is a shot he is supposed to take, he takes it. If it is the pass he is supposed to make, he makes it. He is going to be a great asset to Michigan." room for Spike Albrecht (the trans- fers of freshman point guard Carlton Brundidge and sophomore forwards Evan Smotrycz and Colton Chris- tian) has also opened a scholarship for another class of 2013 recruit. The Michigan coaches haven't wasted time trying to fill the slot, with junior forward Reggie Cameron of Paterson (N.J.) Hudson Catholic the latest tar- get to receive serious interest. The same attrition that created MICHIGAN'S COACHES ARE HIGH ON CLASS OF 2013 FORWARD