The Wolverine

August 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BASKETBALL RECRUITING Class Of 2013 Targets Move Up After Great Showings In Spring I BY CHRIS BALAS Beilein and his staff from the moment they stepped on campus. The un- heralded members of Beilein's first recruiting class — Stu Douglass and Zack Novak — became captains of a Big Ten championship team this year, the five-man 2012 class arrives as one of the nation's top 10 groups, and the 2013 prospects are right on their heels after two of the three pledges — big man Mark Donnal and point guard Derrick Walton — made significant moves upward in the recently up- dated Rivals.com rankings. A third, meanwhile — Zak Irvin dentifying talent has been a strong suit for Michigan head coach John — dropped five spots from No. 63 to No. 68 … and then proceeded to tear up the competition at the July adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. "There are a lot of talented recruits at the adidas Invitational, but Michi- gan commit Zak Irvin showed on day three he might be the best at the event thanks largely to his shooting," ESPN.com reported. Irvin has never wavered since com- mitting to U-M last year, and that's good news for the Wolverines. The Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern four-star, now 6-6 and 185 pounds, was on campus again in late June to run open gym with the incoming freshmen and the rest of the Michi- gan team, and reportedly he held his own. He's looking forward to the day he joins his future teammates in Ann Arbor, but first will be asked to lead his Southeastern team in the ab- sence of Michigan State-bound senior guard Gary Harris. "Gary was a great player to play with," said Irvin, who averaged 18 points per game as a junior. "Last year, he helped me score more easily. I expect this year teams are going to make it harder for me to score, so I'm going to have to be able to create op- portunities for my teammates, too." Power forward pledge Don- Whitehouse (Ohio) Anthony Wayne power forward Mark Donnal was elevated to four- star status and moved from No. 116 to 103 in Rivals.com's national rankings. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM No. 103, while Harper Woods (Mich.) Chandler Park Academy point guard Walton moved from No. 72 to No. 57. Fort Wayne (Ind.) Canterbury pick-and-pop type of player. He's very adept at pick-and-rolls. He did not shy away from any of the elite competition. I thought he rebounded aggressively. He is not what I would call a premier, above-the-rim type of athlete. He has developed strategies on how to compete against players that are bigger, quicker, stronger. I think he will fit in exceptionally well and will be a great complement to Mitch McGary during his freshman year." one of the nation's top point guard prospects, moving up to No. 40 over- all nationally in ESPN.com's updated rankings. He was called "one of the nation's top pure point men" by Ri- vals.com after an incredible spring that led to his jump in the rankings. "Walton is a skilled ball handler Finally, Walton has blossomed into shooting guard Austin Hatch (6-6), sidelined for a year by a head injury suffered in a plane crash last summer and still not cleared to play, remains a three-star prospect. Donnal shined at the Michigan with a strong build and tremendous quickness on the break," the recruit- ing service noted. "A pass-first guard who always is looking to make his teammates better, Walton affects the game in a variety of ways. When you add in his scoring, which he can do from long range or around the bas- ket, as well as his on-ball defense, you can see why Rivals.com has him ranked as a four-star prospect." team camp with his Anthony Wayne squad, showing his versatility in scoring inside and out. First, though, he showed off his skills at the June National Basketball Players Associa- tion camp in Virginia, where former Wolverine and NBA big man Tim McCormick had the chance to work with him. "The thing I like about Donnal is, nal of Whitehouse (Ohio) Anthony Wayne (6-9, 200) became a four-star prospect, moving from No. 116 to 78 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2012 number one, he's a very conscien- tious kid," McCormick assessed. "I loved his attention to detail during classroom settings, his desire to do extra work with coaches, his respect during games with officials and his teammates. "That's all besides basketball. On the court, he's very much a skilled, Derrick Walton, a point guard for Harper Woods (Mich.) Chandler Park Academy, jumped 15 spots to No. 57 overall in Rivals.com's class of 2013 rankings. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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