The Wolverine

February 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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FEBRUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 61 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan coaches have been tak- ing their time in extending 2020 offers, but they finally extended a fourth, this one to another Lone Star State standout. Micah Peavy, a 6-6, 180-pound for- ward from Duncanville (Texas) High, is the latest in a small group of junior prospects to receive an offer. He joins joining Ohio point guard pledge Zeb Jackson (6-3, 165, Rivals' No. 71 overall player nationally), Pennsylvania wing Ethan Morton (6-5, 180, No. 55 pros- pect in the class) and Georgia big man Walker Kessler (7-0, 235, No. 9 in the country) on the short but talented list. U-M has one Texan in the fold in 2019 signee Jalen Wilson and would like to add another in Peavy. He vis- ited officially during the weekend of Jan. 11-13, and saw the Wolverines handle Northwestern 80-60 in front of a raucous and sellout crowd. "The visit went great," Peavy said. "I loved the atmosphere when I was at the game." However, it will be awhile before he makes a decision. "Cutting a list will probably hap- pen after the live period next July, so I won't be doing that for a while," Peavy said. "Then I'll probably make my decision sometime around Octo- ber next year. "I'm not in a hurry and need to be sure I pick the right situation." Many believe he'll stay in the South — LSU and Texas A&M are thought to be strong with Peavy — but the U-M offer has certainly given him something to think about. "He's the typical jumbo wing for- ward who can play different spots," Rivals.com's Corey Evans said. "He's got a good feel for the game and has a little [Michigan sophomore forward] Isaiah Livers to him, but more guard skills. He defends different spots and has gotten taller over the years. He's a good character kid … His dad is his high school coach." Jackson, Michigan's first 2020 pledge, continues to play at an extremely high level. He was averaging 25.8 points per game for Toledo (Ohio) Maumee Val- ley Country Day as of Jan. 18, and put up 30 points in his team's 92-37 win against Montpelier (Ohio) High Jan. 12 and 37 in a one-point loss to Ottawa Hills (Ohio) High Jan. 15. "Some kids will come in here if the gym is open, and they'll just kind of goof around," head coach Rob Conover told The Toledo Blade. "He's pro-like when it comes to his workouts. He knows exactly what he needs to get better at." Jackson said he's happy to have his recruitment over with so he can concentrate on other things. " haven't accomplished everything that I want to accomplish," Jackson said. "That keeps me going. I have more goals in high school, in college and past college. "There are a lot more personal goals, but right now I'm mainly just focusing on trying to win a state championship." Butler (Pa.) Area Senior 's Morton told Rivals.com recently he is keep- ing his focus on the court for the time being. He wasn't ready to discuss favorites, but Indiana, Marquette, Northwestern, Ohio State, Pitt, Pur- due and Stanford are among those pursuing him. "They told me, and I visited right before Zeb Jackson committed. That doesn't change anything because Coach B [John Beilein] sees me as someone that can play multiple po- sitions in their offense from the one through three," Morton said. "They play with a lot of guys that have simi- lar positions, but are shooters and cre- ators and also just basketball players, so that doesn't deter me at all. "They told me he is more of a one or two, creator type of guard, and they see me as someone that can play all around and do whatever I have to do to get onto the floor." Morton had a huge week in early January and continues to play well. He was Triblive.com's player of the week after putting up a whopping 51 points in one game and 27 in another. His single-game school-record 51 came in a 79-74 loss against Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine- Richland Jan. 8, a contest in which he made 20 of 31 shots from the field and 11 of 13 from the free throw line. "The reason Ethan is such a spe- cial kid is he would have rather have scored zero if it meant winning the game," Butler Area Senior head coach Matt Clement said. "A lot of players talk that way, but few of them mean it. "His personal accomplishments are the last thing he is worried about." Morton scored 26 of his game-high 33 points in the second half to lead Butler Area Senior to a 72-65 win over Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny Senior Dec. 21. Kessler, meanwhile, has picked up an offer from Duke. Rivals.com re- ported Jan. 8 that the seven-footer from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy has now taken three of his five official visits, but maintains he's still wide open in the process. "Virginia fans should be excited about the impression Tony Bennett and his program made on the Georgia native," Rivals reported. "The Hoos have as good a shot as anybody right now to sign Kessler in the 2020 class.   BASKETBALL RECRUITING Wolverines Extend Fourth And Fifth 2020 Offers Duncanville (Texas) High junior Micah Peavy — a 6-6, 180-pounder who is rated as the nation's No. 22 small forward and No. 87 over- all player by Rivals — took an official visit to U-M Jan. 11-13. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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