The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/262939
ishes the season at home against a lurking and very capable Iowa squad, then travels into Ohio State's Value City Arena. The Wolverines survived their toughest stretch. The Spartans face a pair of landmines at the end. However it goes, a good step back and casual survey of the land- scape never hurts. Beilein lost two underclassmen to the NBA after last year's run to the championship game, including the consensus Na- tional Player of the Year. In Decem- ber, he lost the big man who was supposed to be the lynchpin for any strong conference title surge or deep NCAA Tournament run. Despite all that, the Wolverines are fighting it out for a league title and on their way to a top-five seed in the tournament. Again. Or, as sophomore guard Nik Stauskas put it, regarding the pres- ent state of Michigan basketball: "When you get here, you have a lot of fun winning. Coach Beilein and his staff are going to continue doing a great job. As long as they're here, they're going to keep recruiting players who are good on the court and good off the court. That's been the key to success here. I'm looking forward to being a part of that." *** Prep sensation Jabrill Peppers obviously headlines Michigan's 16-member recruiting class detailed in the pages that follow. He hasn't been afraid to state how good he thinks he can be, and many observ- ers find it hard to disagree. What Michigan fans ought to find most heartening about this kid involves his unwillingness to back down in the face of adversity. He could have gone anywhere in the country to play football, and there were a host of anywheres weighing in when the Wolverines went 7-6 this fall. Peppers might have entertained some doubts, but he didn't budge. And he took all the grief when a host of supposed grown-ups weren't happy about it. "He's a 17-year-old kid," noted his coach, Chris Partridge. "You should be happy for him. I understand be- ing a fan and when the game starts, you're in the stands screaming and harassing and getting into it. But when you're putting stuff into the public and you're badgering kids and you have grown men saying negative things to kids who decide where to go to college, I don't agree with all of that stuff. "Jabrill was able to block all of that out and stay committed. It re- ally speaks to who he is, his loyalty and integrity. Nowadays, you don't see that often. You see all these kids flipping and going back and forth. "He knew where he wanted to be, and he stuck to it. That's going to motivate him more, and I hope Mich- igan people can see that, too. He's a true Michigan guy. He's one of their own, through and through." ❏ Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB _ Wolverine.