Posts Tagged ‘Stu Douglass’

Michigan lands late 2012 PG commitment

Published by Source on April 7th, 2012

With the news that Michigan starting point guard Trey Burke may be gone to the NBA, head coach John Beilein went in search of a new point guard to bring in next season. It appears he has found that player in Spike Albrecht, a point guard currently finishing a prep season at Northfield Mount Vernon (MA). Albrecht, who is originally from Crown Point, Indiana just over of the IL/IN border, becomes the fourth member of a Wolverine 2012 class that includes Rivals150 players Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III and Nick Stauskas.

The NCAA spring signing period starts on Wednesday, so Albrecht will be able to sign with his new team as early as next week. The commitment came during a visit to Ann Arbor on Friday night on which Beilein offered the point guard a scholarship. Beilein has landed a number of players from “The Region” of NW Indiana, including seniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak, as well as 2012 commits McGary and Robinson, both of whom come from the same AAU program (SYF Players) as Albrecht.

There are conflicting reports as to whether or not Burke will be back to the Wolverines next season and there is no doubt that his departure will be a tough loss for the program. Burke emerged as one of the top point guards in the conference and shared B1G Freshman of the Year honors with Indiana’s Cody Zeller. The NBA stock is high for Burke now, but he may decide that another year in college would improve his position and NBA-readiness. Albrecht would also benefit from playing with such a talented point guard for a season or two, but will have to be ready to go right away if Burke is in fact off to the pros.

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The B1G’s Top 12* Players – Part 2

Published by Source on August 29th, 2011

The Windy City Source is profiling the top 12* players in the Big Ten Conference for the upcoming season. The reason we say “12*” is because rather than choosing the best players regardless of school, we will be taking 1 player from each team. Some players will be obvious, others not so much. And in case you forgot, Nebraska is in the conference now! Anyways – here’s the second part of four (link to Part 1), featuring players from the “M” schools:

* Tim Hardaway Jr. – Michigan sophomore from Miami, FL

With the early departure of guard Darius Morris to the NBA, the Wolverines have become Tim Hardaway Jr’s team. The sophomore guard, son of former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, will be relied upon for a heavy leadership role (and more dunks like this one) on an up-and-coming Michigan team. John Beilein’s crew is looking to continue building upwards after a surprising season that ended with a Sweet Sixteen loss to top-seeded Duke. One of the youngest teams in the conference, Michigan finished the season strong due in part to Morris and 13.9 ppg from Hardaway. The Miami product finished his freshman campaign as a 42% shooter, having scored 20+ six times. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and was a unanimous choice for the All-Freshman squad. Not bad for a player ranked a 3-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout.

This past summer, Hardaway travelled to Latvia with Team USA to compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship where he emerged as the team’s sixth man. The experience allowed the sophomore to grow as a basketball player. USA coach Paul Hewitt noted: “…going to the basket and finishing with contact is something he probably will be better at next year.” Hardaway is already a seasoned veteran, starting all 35 games for the Wolverines last season. Michigan fans will certainly be counting on Hardaway, along with seniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak, to keep the momentum building in Ann Arbor. The leadership and experience on the Wolverine roster is quite an improvement over last year’s squad and should be enough to push Beilein’s crew back to the top of the conference and into the NCAA Tournament.

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Scouting the Three B’s

Published by Source on August 15th, 2011

Michigan’s 2011 Recruiting class of Trey Burke, Carlton Brundidge, and Max Bielfeldt

by: Joe Hawley, Michigan Contributor

Trey Burke #3

Burke is the headliner of the 2011 class for the Wolverines, not because of his high ranking, but rather due to the fact that he will be asked to play a monumental role this season.  After losing superstar PG Darius Morris to the NBA, a guy who was top five in the country in assists and Michigan’s leading scorer, Burke clearly has some big shoes to fill.  The 6’1” floor general that was awarded the honor of Mr. Basketball in Ohio is known for his quick offense, but also for his excellent vision and ball-handling.

Michigan opens the 2011 campaign in what is annually the toughest early season tournament: The Maui Invitational.  Joining the Wolverines will be Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Tennessee, UCLA and host Chaminade, making this tournament one of the strongest fields in recent history.  This tall test will be key in judging how well Burke will be able to acclimate himself to the NCAA game.  Look for senior Stu Douglass to get the bulk of the minutes at PG in Hawaii, with Burke entering in a backup role to start the year.  The key to how high the Wolverines can fly this year just may be contingent on how quickly Burke can make himself the #1 option at point. (more…)

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