The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2015 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE The academic administration was every bit as good, he added. "The way they prepare you for life — 'Champions for Life.' That's their motto," he said. "He believes it's the best place for him, and he wanted to do it and get it over with." Battle tweeted the news May 11, but only after informing the other coaches of his decision. In landing him, the Wolverines are getting one of the elite players in the junior class, Rivals.com's Eric Bossi said. Battle's got all the skills that make him an NBA-caliber prospect, but he's still got room to improve. "He went through a stretch where it seemed he was trying to be more of a point guard, and he struggled for a while," said Bossi. "Then he hit a growth spurt last spring and turned into this big, physical guy, and he re- tained his ability to shoot a jumper. "This is a guy who has now grown to over 6-6, can shoot it probably above average from deep, and is a good athlete with a great basketball- type body. Those skills, at that size, give you a top 15 prospect." Michigan's plan for him — to be its next Caris LeVert — resonated. So did his relationship with LeVert. "That's his position, which is what he wanted," Gary Battle said. "And the kids, that was the icing on the cake. He and Caris are mirror im- ages of each other. He's an awesome kid. [Michigan sophomores] Aubrey Dawkins and Kam Chatman —- they hung out Saturday and had a great time." Beilein showed him film and sold him on how he'd use him, but Battle admitted he already knew what to ex-