The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/678402
2016 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Michigan's recruiting haul ranks No. 28 nationally according to Rivals.com, sixth in the Big Ten behind Michigan State (No. 3), Indiana (No. 17), Penn State (No. 18), Maryland (No. 20) and Minnesota (No. 24). Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi believes it's a solid group. "In [point guard] Xavier Simpson they are getting a winner and a leader, someone who in the summer and during the season in Ohio has experience playing under some pressure situations and against good players," Bossi said of the 5-11 Lima (Ohio) High standout. "Obviously, it's a big jump up when you get to college, but I don't think he'll be a guy shaken up by that jump. "He'll need to improve his shot because as a smaller guard, I don't know how much he'll make a living going into the paint and rely on scoring near the rim. But he'll make some adjustments. He's got a floater, and there are things he can do. But I think he's going to be more a move-the-ball guy than scorer." Pickerington (Ohio) Central wing Ibi Watson (6-5) would have looked like a stretch for Michigan to take last summer, but a big finish and a strong senior year have made him a candidate for early playing time. "That's a guy they probably took with the hope of long-term benefits," Bossi said. "He can stretch defenses, has some size and fits the physical profile of the late-bloomer types [head coach John] Beilein has recruited." Onsted (Mich.) High big man Austin Davis (6-10) is another late developer who is only going to get better, Bossi noted. "I think he's a guy who is a big, strong kid, going to take up some space, play with toughness," he said. "His value is going to be down the road. He's clearly a hard worker, displayed when he was willing to do things to transform his weight. Now you'll see him build it back up in the weight room." Medina (Ohio) High's Teske (7-1) is the wildcard, he added. "He's not a guy anyone has really seen a lot of," Bossi said. "I don't think anyone knows what they're truly getting. He's a guy with good size, liveliness in his body, can move pretty well. He's going to be able to make some shots out of the high post, open the lane a bit and he's a good passer. "He can develop into a pretty good rim protector. I think there will be an ad- justment to the timing and speed of things, but he has great length and size." — Chris Balas here. At the same time, that's not the only prerequisite for winning, as guys like Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice [at Michigan State], Nik Stauskas and Trey Burke have shown everybody." And he expects guys like Simp- son, Watson, Davis and Teske will, as well. ❏ Analyst Weighs In On Michigan's 2016 Class