The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING and Derrick Walton (6-0, 170, No. 46 prospect in the land). "I had a great time with the coaches and players," Irvin shared. "It's al- ways great to beat State." Irvin has been playing extremely well in the Metro Indy Fall League. He recently notched a 25-point, six- rebound game going head to head with Indiana commit Devin Davis, and he also enjoyed a 23-point game. Scouts in the Hoosier State say he's been deadly with his jump shot and has gotten much better at starting to attack from the perimeter, then rising up and hitting his jumper. has reclassified to 2014 while recov- ering from a summer of 2011 head injury following a tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of his father and stepmother. "His one-dribble, pull-up motion is much faster than it was during the summer, and his rise on the jumper has gotten higher," Peegs.com's Jeff Rabjohns noted. Irvin has gotten stronger, too, which has helped his overall game. "I got in the weight room a lot in the offseason, and that's helped me be able to get to the hole. I'm a lot stronger and more explosive getting to the rim," Irvin said. "People al- ways think of me as a jump shooter. I'm just trying to become an all around complete player. Being able to get to the hole makes me more versatile." press, squats and power cleans he does in his weight lifting class, Irvin has also been working with a per- sonal trainer in preparation for his senior year at Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern. "We've been working on my ball handling. Since I'm a big guy, being able to handle the ball just makes me a more complete player," he said. "It's not just my scoring, but I'm also getting my teammates involved. I care about getting everybody shots when they're open. This year, we have a lot of shooters around me." Irvin reports adding 10 pounds in In addition to the usual bench the offseason and is up to 195. He hopes to add five more before South- eastern starts its season, one accom- panied by high expectations, though "that may be pushing it," he added. He's expected to be one of the top performers in a loaded class in Indi- ana, and he's still firmly committed to the Wolverines. Barring an unexpected spring de- velopment, U-M is likely done with 2013 recruiting. Fort Wayne (Ind.) Canterbury's Austin Hatch (6-6, 200) 98 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2012 RECRUITING PICKING UP Michigan continues to evaluate a number of sophomore targets, and several have made unofficial visits for football games. One of the Wol- verines' top targets, Franklin (Ohio) small forward Luke Kennard, was in for the football team's home week- end with Illinois Oct. 13, the fourth time he's been on campus. Kennard is a likely top-50 prospect in the 2015 class, and he and has fam- ily have gone on record a number of times to say the Wolverines are among his favorites. He's a lock to get an offer in June, and though he's interested in Ohio State, Indiana and others (and has made visits to those two), it wouldn't shock at all if he ended up in maize and blue. Kennard had back-to-back 40-point games at the U-M team camp this summer and is a gifted player who can score with both hands, shoot the deep three with consistency and get to the rim and finish. U-M also received an early Octo- ber visit from a prospect from the Deep South in Carrolton (Texas) He- bron small forward Tyler Williams, whose play Beilein and staff noticed at the July adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. "Williams is a shifty slasher who loves to compete against high-level competition," Rivals.com reported in July. "The Urban DFW wing was able to score the ball prolifically in a win over Eric Gordon All Stars by con- stantly looking to be aggressive with his dribble, and using his superior size for a rising sophomore guard to rise over defenders. "Williams showed signs of hav- ing a mature mid-range jumper, but was more aggressive playing off the wing and attacking the basket with straight-line drives to the rim. He's a good athlete who can play a variety of positions at 6-5, and is willing to use his size to his advantage on the defensive end." Fort Wayne, Ind., standout Chan- dler White (6-2, 175) of Carroll High School, another Michigan summer camper, was on campus again in CLASS OF 2015 Diamond Stone, a 6-10, 253-pound center for Milwaukee Dominican who has been tabbed as a five-star prospect by Rivals.com, visited Michigan for the Oct. 20 Michigan State football weekend. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM early October, as was his AAU team- mate Hyron Edwards of East Chi- cago (Ind.) Central. Edwards, a 5-10, four-star point guard, has been in Ann Arbor twice in recent months, and the Wolverines are among his early favorites with Purdue. He is an outstanding scorer and passer, and a likely top-50 pros- pect in the 2015 class. Lake Forest (Ill.) 6-7 forward Evan Boudreaux, meanwhile, is a new name to watch. He was on campus in October, as well. Some have com- pared him to former Northwestern great Evan Eschmeyer. Milwaukee Dominican's Diamond Stone visited for Oct. 20 Michigan State football weekend. The 6-10, 273-pound five-star big man is mak- ing a strong impression early in his prep career. kee isn't an off-the-charts athlete, but his skill level is mighty impressive," Rivals.com reported. "Stone scores with either hand in the post and is a dangerous jump shooter." Stone holds offers from UCLA, "The big post player from Milwau- Wisconsin and several others and will be one of the most coveted play- ers in the 2015 class. u On The Web For regular reports on basketball recruiting, plus videos of all the top prospects in the nation and Michigan's commitments, visit TheWolverine.com.