The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING followed suit and chose the Buckeyes over an offer from Michigan. U-M made up ground for the lifelong Buckeyes fan, but couldn't land him. • Moss Point, Miss., standout shooting guard Devin Booker continues to take his time. Booker (6-4, Rivals.com's No. 24 junior nationally) named U-M the strong frontrunner after receiving a summer offer, but he's since slowed things down. He holds offers from Alabama, Florida and Missouri, among others. Moss Point started the season 1-4. Booker's best game in the early going was a 33-point outing in a 65-60 loss to Gulfport. • Indianapolis Park Tudor standout for- ward Trevon Bluiett (6-5, No. 46 junior nationally) remains a serious target, but Indiana is turning up the heat with him. Head coach Tom Crean was on hand to watch Bluiett score 19 points in a season-opening, 30-point win over Uni- versity High. CLASS OF 2015: TWO-SPORT STAR LUKE KENNARD ball coach Brian Bales used to really enjoy watching the Franklin football team play on Friday nights before hitting winter hard with his own club. Then his star forward, 6-5 fu- ture four-star (or higher) forward be- came the team's starting quarterback. Bales still took pride in watching READY TO SWITCH GEARS Franklin (Ohio) High head basket- Luke Kennard lead Franklin deep into the state playoffs with big game after big game, but he also admitted breathing a deep sigh of relief at the end of each game. "Friday night can be scary some- times, but we try to make sure he knows where that out of bounds line is," Bales said with a laugh. Whether or not he'll continue to Kennard, a 6-5 future four-star (or higher) forward on the hardwood, also became Franklin (Ohio) High's starting quarterback on the gridiron this fall. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Illinois as a John Beilein basketball re- cruit, enjoying yet another trip to Ann Arbor with Bales' family and his own. Newly renovated Crisler Center, including the William Davidson Player Development Center, were highlights. "The facilities are unbelievable, they are very interested in Luke. We want them to be able to focus on their team, and for him to focus on his game. He's going to get into the gym — he's a little rusty right now, and he'll be sore. That's a different mus- cle group he'll be using, but we're in the gym two to four times a week, just shooting." When it does come time to decide, Bales said, he'll be in good hands. "Luke and his family are very fo- cused," he said. "He has a great sup- port system around him, and they want him to experience and be ex- posed to as many colleges and uni- versities as he can, see different bas- ketball programs, see which place is going to fit him best not only as a student, but as an athlete. "He'll see how they run their pro- "Michigan has made it clear that grams from top to bottom, and he's going to have everything he needs to make his decision." first class," Luke's father, Mark Ken- nard, said. "Everywhere we've been they have nice facilities, but Michi- gan's are really nice. We've seen Lou- isville, Ohio State, Kentucky … all of them do it right, and we've had great experiences with all of them. "We had a great time in Ann Arbor, went to the football game and spoke with the coaches. It's a great univer- sity. We enjoyed being around them, and we got to see them practice, which was neat. We keep in touch with them." Kennard went to Ohio State for play both sports given how he's emerging as an elite basketball pros- pect is up to him and his family, Bales continued. "I know he's really good at it, and he has the potential to be a big-time quar- terback, as well. He's a special athlete, and we're blessed to have him." Kennard recently joined Bales' Towns Jr. of Metuchen, N.J., will an- nounce his decision Dec. 4 in a press conference at his school. Michigan was never seriously in the mix and he never visited, though he was on the radar and had expressed interest in U-M. Florida and Duke are among his final three, but it's been reported he'll choose Kentucky. • Evan Boudreaux, a 6-6 forward out of • Five-star center/forward Karl CLASS OF 2015 NOTES Lake Forest, Ill., and a U-M target who holds offers from Boston College and Northwestern, visited Michigan this fall. He also visited Michigan State. Named one of the top five underclass- its football game with Nebraska this year, but now he's focused more on his own season. West Virginia, Day- ton, Michigan State and Xavier are among the others on his list, but U-M appears to have as good a shot as anyone. Kennard is likely to receive his of- team after Franklin bowed out of the football playoffs. While he wasn't in basketball mode, he had been doing individual workouts and shooting drills in preparation for his second season. Earlier this fall he attended Michigan's home football game with 68 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2012 fer June 15, the first day Beilein and his staff offer rising juniors. "I remember when people didn't offer kids until they were seniors," Mark Kennard said. "Now, with AAU, the whole ballgame has changed. They start recruiting at an early age, and to be competitive, that's what you have to do. men in the nation by the Chicago Tri- bune, he opened his season with 14 points in a 57-52 win over Glenbrook North. "We are playing together right now, White, another U-M target, scored 27 points for Carroll High in a 74-52 loss to South Bend Adams in its opener. ❑ 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. • Fort Wayne, Ind., guard Chandler " he said. "We are holding each other accountable and doing a good job of moving the ball around and not forcing any shots. "