The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2017 BY CHRIS BALAS T abbed the No. 36 group in the country by Rivals.com, the three- man 2017 Michigan recruiting class is doing its part to prove it might be underrated. The incoming freshman group will feature the state of Michi- gan's Mr. Basketball in Kalamazoo (Mich.) Central's Isaiah Livers (6-8, Rivals.com's No. 132 senior nation- ally) and a national champion in LaPorte (Ind.) La Lumiere's Jordan Poole (6-4, No. 102 senior in the coun- try). Poole's two big triples in the sec- ond half sparked La Lumiere to a 70-52 victory over Montverde Acad- emy in the Dick's High School Boys' National Championship April 1. He first helped La Lumiere make a run from six down in the first half, cut- ting the deficit to two with a 25-foot triple from the left side. He was 1 of 4 from deep in the stanza, but all of them were in and out and all from 25 to 28 feet. He was also good on the defen- sive end, notching two steals and a blocked shot, while playing about 12 minutes of the half. Poole checked in with 2:30 to go in the third quarter and La Lumiere up four. His long triple at the buzzer made it 47-38 and sent the Lakers fans into a frenzy with his only shot of the quarter. He then made it 50-38 at 7:45 into the fourth on a set play, yet another triple several feet behind the line. He hauled in a big rebound at 3:20 with La Lumiere up 11, and then notched a steal on the other end and a save before the ball went out of bounds. "Poole is showing that he is more than just a shooter," ESPN announc- ers said. He finished with a great baseline move and finish, another rebound and two free throws, ending with 13 points, three steals, three rebounds and four assists. "It's amazing ... everything we have been through, just a long season, eight months, not doing the regular things kids get to do, spending so much time with each other. It's just the cherry on top," Poole told ESPN after the game. "Right in the beginning of the game, I knew it was going to go in our direction. Having a talented group of guys like this, you just kind of know everything is going to click ... having the confidence of the guys to have my back, having confidence in my shoot- ing the shot [at the end of the third quarter], I just thought it was good right when it came off my hands." Poole scored 10 in a quarterfinal win over Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy, 64-52, March 30, making one two-pointer, a triple and all five of his free throws in the vic- tory. He then notched nine points on two triples and three free throws in a win over Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep the following night despite play- ing through foul trouble. He added four assists in the game. Poole paid close attention to U-M's Big Ten Tournament and Sweet 16 run. He noticed the huge Michigan con- tingents in Washington, D.C., for the Big Ten Tournament and said he can't wait to play in Madison Square Gar- den for next year's conference tour- ney. "That's what I love more than any- thing, especially that it's [on the] East Coast," he said. Livers, meanwhile, beat out MSU- bound Xavier Tillman of Grand Rap- ids (Mich.) Christian and several oth- ers to capture the 37th Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award, given annually to the state's top senior by the Basket- ball Coaches Association of Michigan, in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press. "The thing about him is he's worked so hard each year over the summer to improve," Central head coach Ramsey Nichols told The Wol- verine earlier in March. "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." Livers put up big numbers despite missing good portions of fourth quar- ters in Central blowouts and also sit- ting out a few games while working through the flu. He averaged 17.5 points, 14 rebounds and 2.4 blocks during the regular season, and Nich- ols compared him to former Duke star Grant Hill because he can play multiple positions and defend all five. "Ever since I was a child, I've been working on this," he told the Free Press. "I used to watch T.J. Buchanan (Kalamazoo Central/Rhode Island) and Doug Anderson (Kalamazoo Central/Detroit Mercy) growing up, and I'd go to [MSU's Breslin Center for the state finals] and say I'd want to be there. "Not only did I want to win the championship, but I wanted to win Mr. Basketball." Past Michigan winners of the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award in- BASKETBALL RECRUITING Jordan Poole Is A National Champion; Isaiah Livers Is Michigan's Mr. Basketball Poole tallied 13 points, three steals, three rebounds and four assists while helping his team win the final contest at the Dick's High School Boys' National Championship. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM