The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2017 THE WOLVERINE 55 BASKETBALL RECRUITING Michigan's 2017 Recruiting Class Is Shining BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan's three-man 2017 bas- ketball class looks better by the day. Kalamazoo (Mich.) Central for- ward Isaiah Livers is the latest to re- ceive accolades, having been named one of six finalists for his state's Mr. Basketball Award. Livers (6-8, Rivals.com's No. 128 senior nationally) averaged 17.5 points, 14 rebounds and 2.4 blocks during the regular season, his best game coming against Oak Park in which he notched a double-double with 30 points and 24 rebounds. He's an inside/outside player with high basketball IQ and an affinity for de- fense and blocking shots. "The thing about him is he's worked so hard each year over the summer to improve," Central head coach Ramsey Nichols said. "He's very good as a leader. He started last spring making sure guys got in the gym and the weight room for pre- season conditioning. He's really led them this year." Central stood 18-3 and No. 15 in the state in Class A as of March 13, the only losses coming to an elite Detroit East English Village team, Romulus and No. 1 Grand Rapids Central. Livers has been putting up his big numbers despite missing good portions of fourth quarters in Cen- tral blowouts, and also sitting out a few games while working through the flu. He was shooting 59 percent from the floor and an impressive 57 percent (17 for 30) from three-point range in his first 15 games. "He's an inside/outside guy, mainly because he's improved so much as a perimeter guy," Nichols said. "He goes in there and plays de- fense, too, and rebounds from the interior for us. "He is absolutely a special talent. He's very selfless, a great teammate. He does a lot to affect and impact the game on both ends, and he's im- proved on something every year. "One year it was his shot; last year he improved a lot on ball handling and his range. But the great thing about him, and what people underes- timate, is his vision. He can really see the court, and he's a great passer." Livers is built like a college player already. He's among the better ath- letes Nichols has ever coached, though "he still has a long way to go." "He has tremendous upside," the coach added. "Tremendous. He's just getting started." The winner of the 37th Hal Sch- ram Mr. Basketball Award will be announced March 20. "We thought he'd probably be in those final six. I'm happy for him because of the work he's put in," Nichols said. "He's very deserving and embodies what Mr. Basketball is all about." Livers scored 21 points and added 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in a blowout win of Mattawan Feb. 24 and registered 16 points in a 73-63 loss to Romulus Feb. 25. He finished with 10 in a 53-51 over- time loss to Grand Rapids Christian March 2, notched 19 points and eight rebounds in a 71-37 win over Niles to kick off the playoffs March 8, and followed up with 11 points, 12 re- bounds and seven assists in an 83-30 win over St. Joseph in a March 10 district championship game. "[Michigan] Coach [John] Beilein said I need to shoot the ball a lot more than I do," he told the Detroit Free Press in a recent article. "Some- times I find myself playing too much within the offense and not creating enough shots for myself. I create a lot of shots for my teammates. "Coach Nichols has said I've got a lot more confidence this season, and I think it's the highest I've ever had because I've gotten stronger and been in the weight room three to five days a week and doing things to get quicker on my feet." During the regular season, U-M signee Isaiah Livers, a 6-8 forward from Kalamazoo, Mich., averaged 17.5 points, 14 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a game. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM