The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 63 BASKETBALL RECRUITING do basketball-wise and playing the right way. "Some guys keep someone in there to pad their stats, but we don't do that. We want him there cheering his teammates on." "We wanted to try and keep it away from him as much as possible, but you know he's the kind of player that can create his own stuff. He's a real talent, and they're a good team, well coached, and we knew that," Jackson coach Dan Crowley said of Johns and East Lansing. East Lansing was riding a 42-game regular-season winning streak after beating Haslett 84-49 Dec. 12. Johns finished with 24 points, eight re- bounds, three steals and two blocks in the victory. He then put up 27 and added nine rebounds in a win over Lansing Everett Dec. 15. Colin Castleton: Castleton scored 17 points at the 41st annual East Orange Count Rotary Tip-Off Classic tourna- ment Nov. 30, Father Lopez' first game. "Castleton, a 6-foot-11 Michigan commit, had 17 points and multiple blocked shots and rebounds … to help Father Lopez rally past host Winter Park 54-50 in a first-round game," The Orlando Sentinel noted. "The Green Wave trailed 44-38 with four minutes, 53 seconds left, but closed the game on a 16-6 run to win it … Castleton was dominant in the first half, scoring 10 points and recording multiple blocked shots." Castleton scored a game-high 24 points in a 54-43 loss to Edgewater the following night. He was dou- ble teamed, but still finished with 11 points in the third-place game, a 39-37 win over Boone Dec. 2. Castleton had a huge game in a 72-60 district win at home over Main- land Dec. 7. He racked up 43 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in the victory. He then scored 22 in a 63-47 win over Trinity Prep Dec. 9. He then exploded for another 43-point game and added 21 rebounds in a 72-59 win over Seabreeze Dec. 16 to improve Father Lopez to 7-2. David DeJulius: Beilein lauded Detroit East English Village's DeJu- lius (6-0, No. 126 player in the coun- try) and Brazdeikis both for already preparing for life beyond high school. "He and Ignas have done things be- yond their years of getting into yoga, eating right. … Their athleticism has really changed on the positive side in the last couple months," Beilein said. DeJulius put up 30 in a scrimmage with Pickerington (Ohio) Central, 32 against Southfield Christian and 30 more against Wayne Memorial in early December. "Dave DeJulius … he's really a good point guard," Beilein said. "He's a guy that can set up others and get his own shot. He is a point guard that can score, not a scorer that plays point guard. That's really important." DeJulius had a big game in his team's season-opening loss to Hazel Park Dec. 9, notching 22 points and five assists. He finished with 23 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in a 60-54 victory over U-D Jesuit Dec. 12. Adrien Nunez: The 6-5, Rivals.com three-star prospect reported Dec. 15 that he'd averaged 16.8 points in his last six games for Oakville (Conn.) St. Thomas More. He scored 24 in a four-point loss to powerhouse Brew- ster in early December. Nunez said he hadn't shot the ball as well as he could, but he was com- ing around. "I'm shooting a decent percentage, but not as well as I'd like to be," he said. "We're all just trying to figure out how each other plays, and it will come together soon." He reported averaging 5.0 re- bounds per game over the last six contests, as well, and that was before he registered an 18-point, eight-re- bound game in a 95-82 loss to SPIRE Academy of Ohio Dec. 17. Beilein said he expects to see Nunez and all of his signees play in person within the next month. BEILEIN RANKS HIGH AS A TALENT DEVELOPER Everyone who follows basketball knows that Beilein is one of the best in the country at developing talent. Rivals.com recently ranked him as one of the seven who do the most with less heralded recruits. "John Beilein has learned the ins and outs of the game by working his way up the ladder," the website noted Dec. 15. "He has gone from coaching Division III to the low- major ranks before slotting himself into the national spotlight as one of the best tacticians in the game as the head coach at Michigan. "While the Wolverines sit with a top- 15 class this fall, in the past it has been more about Beilein's ability to cultivate lesser talent. Whether it's at the point guard position in the ilk of Trey Burke or on the wings in the mold of Caris LeVert or Tim Hardaway Jr., Beilein has been able to get the best out of his guys, which has equated to tremen- dous success on the playing floor. "This year 's group is bolstered by one-time top-50 wing Charles Matthews, who struggled mightily at Kentucky before transferring to Michigan. He is slated to earn All-Big Ten honors this winter. "Beilein is more than just an X's-and- O's savant: He is someone who recruits to his system and puts his players in the best position to succeed." NOTES • Former Michigan 2018 pledge Tay- lor Currie of Clarkston (Mich.) High has signed with Wisconsin. The 6-9, Rivals. com three-star prospect had pledged to the Wolverines in June as a 2019 re- cruit, reclassified to 2018 but then de- committed Sept. 29 before committing to the Badgers Oct. 31. ❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan basketball recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com. Colin Castleton, a Michigan-bound 6-11 center, racked up 43 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocked shots and five assists in a win Dec. 7, and then posted a 43-point and 21-rebound game in another victory Dec. 16. PHOTO COURTESY COLIN CASTLETON VIA TWITTER