The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 71 BASKETBALL RECRUITING high on his list. He wants to be com- mitted by this time in 2019. "Things can change obviously," Morton said. "I think for me, when I stop enjoying the process and it be- comes more of a job, that's when I'll know I need to make a decision. I've been enjoying it. "I just want to make sure. I'm still gathering information." His relationship with the coaching staff, his fit with the other players on the team and the system will be the deciding factors when it comes time to pledge, he noted, adding he wants a system that doesn't put him in a box and restrain him. TOP JUNIOR POWER FORWARD VISITS MICHIGAN M i c h i g a n h o s t e d Wo o d b u r y (Minn.) East Ridge power forward Ben Carlson in late September, a day after Carlson visited Ohio State. Ri- vals.com's No. 54 junior nationally picked up an OSU offer, but U-M did not follow suit. "Michigan was a good visit," Carl- son said. "They didn't say a whole lot about an offer … but seeing the environment during a football week- end was cool. "They showed me around, and it was really nice. They had a really good team last year and made it to the championship game." Carlson and the other recruits saw Michigan thrash Nebraska 56-10. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa, Col- orado, Creighton, Stanford, Kansas State and others have offered, and he's already visited Kansas State. His sister played volleyball at Creighton, and he's visited there and has also been to Iowa State and Ne- braska. Purdue, Colorado and Texas were in to see him recently. "He is one of the best frontcourt prospects in his class nationally," Ri- vals.com's Corey Evans said. "Carl- son's feel for the game in the low and high post area, ability to shoot the perimeter jumper and also defend his basket are evident. "He is an impressive big man that can score in the post, facing the bas- ket to 20 feet and also defend his bas- ket as a rim protector." He has elite grades and a "rela- tively polished skill set," he added. Evans reported Carlson sounds like a kid who is still trying to sort through the process. "It would be a pretty big surprise to see him choose a school before next summer," Evans said. "Minne- sota is clearly making him a prior- ity as a talented local recruit, and he seems to be buying into Richard Pi- tino's program. The trips to Michigan and Ohio State also impressed him. "Coming off a great season with a built-in advantage of having his sister on campus already, it would be wise not to count out Bruce We- ber and the Kansas State Wildcats. At this point, though, there is a long ways to go in his recruitment." CLASS OF 2020 NOTES • An under the radar junior from Chi- cago Loyola Academy, Jordan Kwie- cinski, has visited Michigan a number of times, and U-M has seen him many times. The Chicago Sun Times calls him one of the top up and comers in the Chicago area. "He boasts a ton of upside as he pushes towards 6-8," the paper wrote. " The multi-faceted, skilled four-man continues to improve. Kwiecinski is shooting it better, filling out physically and is clearly more talented and boasts more potential than a number of other players in the class who receive a lot more attention and are ranked higher. "Kwiecinski is already locked in as one of our top 10 players in the class of 2020 and pushing top five status as a prospect." • Michigan also hosted Anthony Leal of Bloomington (Ind.) South in Septem- ber. Though he's a huge Indiana fan and would likely commit with an offer, he enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor. "I loved Michigan and everything about it," Leal said. "They said getting an offer is a long and drawn out process, but told me to stay hitting the books and getting better at the game." Leal, a 6-4 shooting guard, is Rivals. com's No. 80 junior nationally. ❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan basketball recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com. Woodbury (Minn.) East Ridge power forward Ben Carlson — Rivals.com's No. 54 overall player in the class of 2020 — had a good visit to Michigan in late September. PHOTO BY RIVALS.COM