Hoops Hello: Moritz Wagner
John Beilein picked up his first commit of the 2015 class today when German forward Moritz Wagner announced he'll attend Michigan:
Proud that I gonna be a Wolverine and a part of ichigan next year. Damn grateful for what Alba did for me! This is my club &always will be
— Moe Wagner (@moritz_weasley) April 5, 2015
Wagner chose the college route over playing professionally in Germany for Alba Berlin. Beilein traveled to watch Wagner play for his club team last year, and Michigan jumped to the forefront of Wagner's recruitment when they offered him last month during a campus visit.
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
NR PF | NR PF | -- | -- | -- |
The recruiting services don't evaluate overseas players, so Wagner is unranked across the board. He's listed at 6'9", 210 on Rivals, which fits with reports that he isn't quite a full 6'10", which he was listed at on several sites. When Wagner visited Ann Arbor, Rivals' Eric Bossi found a scout to give his thoughts on where Wagner would be ranked if he were an American prospect:
So, exactly what type of player is Wagner? Rivals.com spoke with an NBA scout over the weekend and the scout said Moritz isn't likely as tall as the 6-foot-10 he's being listed at, but he is plenty big to play as a college four man. The scout said Wagner has good touch, is clever with the ball and that he competes on both ends of the floor.
"He's not a guy that is on our radar as somebody who is going to be a pro right away," said the scout. "He's somebody that we see going to college and then we'll see from there. I'd look at him as a top-20 to top-40 type recruit if he were in the States."
That would put him towards the tail end of the five-stars or among the top four-stars, which... yeah, that sounds nice.
SCOUTING
Scout's Evan Daniels caught up with an NBA Scout to get his take on Wagner's game:
From the video I’ve been able to get my hands on, Wagner’s all around skill set is what immediately stands out. He has impressive hands, good touch around the basket and can score both facing the rim and with his back to it.
“He’s a versatile kid who knows how to play ball,” a NBA scout that has evaluated him multiple times told Scout. “He’s not an athlete, but with his length and coordination he manages to deceive his opponents and get to the rack quiet easily. Once he becomes a more consistent shooter he will be a nightmare on the wing.”
“He reads the game well, gets his teammates involved and is unselfish player,” the NBA scout added. “The most impressive thing about him is his passion for the game and the will to win. He legitimately cares for the game.”
This scouting report from European Prospects comes from last May:
The young Moritz Wagner is a really interesting prospect for the future. Used as a PF on multiple occasions, Wagner showed that he has an outside game and that his future should be on the SF position. He can shoot from outside, either on catch-and-shoot situations or in the Pick and Pop when being the screener. Wagner can also put the ball on the floor which works particularly well when used against taller power forwards. He is also able to drive with direction changes and finish against stronger or taller players in the paint. Athletically, he is looking good and with his overall length, he is a good vertical presence on both sides of the court. Wagner really needs to be used on the wing positions in the future as he has the tools to become an interesting long small forward in the future.
Wagner still needs to hone his outside shot, but he's got great length for a Beilein wing, and he should be able to create offense off the dribble. While he isn't regarded as a one-and-done talent, his German team very much wanted to sign him to a pro contract, but Wagner reportedly wants to make it to the NBA and believes Michigan provides him the best path to get there.
OFFERS
Wagner's narrow focus on Michigan didn't allow for many other schools to come under serious consideration. When he was planning his visit, he'd also heard from Arizona, Auburn, Cal, Duke, Providence, Virginia, and UNLV. That's a pretty impressive list of suitors for an overseas prospect making a late decision.
STATS
In the NBBL (German youth league), Wagner is averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds, two assists and two steals per game while shooting 61% on twos and 30% on threes. He also averaged 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds during the Adidas Next Generation U18 Tournament, helping Alba Berlin to a third-place finish.
Playing with Germany’s U18 team in the FIBA Euro Championships, Wagner averaged 5.2 points and three rebounds in 10 minutes a game.
The outside shot needs some work, but that's some impressive efficiency inside the arc.
VIDEO
Going from most to least recent:
While his athleticism doesn't jump off the screen, his skill level is apparent.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
Wagner is going to need some time adding bulk at Camp Sanderson, and his slight physique—and still-developing shot—may limit his minutes as a freshman, especially if Caris LeVert comes back and a logjam results on the wings. He'll most likely be competing with Duncan Robinson and Kameron Chatman for a spot in the rotation, and of the three we've only been able to see Chatman play at this level.
Down the road, he's a very intriguing prospect. Michigan really missed having a player at the four who could create off the dribble, and while Aubrey Dawkins made some progress in that regard late in the season, Wagner looks like the most polished slasher among the guys who could play at that spot. If his outside shot comes along, he could be a very impactful stretch four.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Wagner's commitment means Michigan is currently at the scholarship limit for 2015-16, and that's assuming Max Bielfeldt will move on to another program for his fifth year, as expected. If LeVert departed for the NBA, that'd open up a spot. Michigan is still in pursuit of five-star 2015 forward Jaylen Brown, and should he decide he wants to attend, it's hard to imagine Michigan wouldn't have a spot for him, perhaps by putting Austin Hatch on medical scholarship; there have been some positive indicators for Brown since his visit, but he's still expected to end up elsewhere.
Unless Brown makes a surprise choice to come to Michigan, this should be the conclusion of the program's 2015 recruiting.
Brown isn't coming here.....? As of now, he still has Michigan as among his leaders and hasn't made a decision yet. Michigan is still in the race along with UCLA.
You don't turn down #1-2 player in the country because you run out of scholarship. There's Caris decision. If Caris decides to leave, that's one scholarship open for Jaylen (assuming that Max does a grad school transfer).
a kid from germany wants to go to Michigan? what's the backstory there?
He REALLY wants to play in the NBA... feels as if Michigan is going to get him there with their recent track record of getting guys to the next level
but so have all the other schools that ace listed. was there any specific michigan connection? did he meet coach b at some point early on in his career or something?
UM was the only school that showed major interest in him... Those other schools mentioned never showed the level of interest UM showed him.
"Michigan has been putting three and lower four stars into the NBA" better than anyone else lately.
Beilein previously coached a German player, Johannes Herber, at West Virginia. He also landed a commit from Robin Benzing to come here a few years back, but he was not ruled eligible by the NCAA.
As Dylan noted over at UM Hoops, this team is getting a lot taller. I didn't notice that Duncan Robinson is 6-8. With Wilson making his delayed "entrance" next season and Wagner being 6-9, Michigan is finally going to have a tall team.
Its no accident that the only Michigan team to win the NCAA Championship had PG Rumeal Robinson distributing the ball to (doing the heights from memory here; they should be close) 6-7 Glen Rice, 6-9 Sean Higgins, 6-10 Terry Mills and the combo of 6-9 Loy Vaught and 6-9 Mark Hughes.
Basketball may have evolved, but height is still a great thing to have on your side.
Yeah, but isn't it also true that small ball is the reason we've been good lately? I can't see Beilein sacrificing too much quickness and skill for size.
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He also wouldn't lose his scholarship or have to leave UM. I'm also pretty sure Beilein could find him a role as a team manager or something like that if he can't perform physically.
The question is really about whether or not he'll ever be healthy enough to play D-1 basketball. If he can come back in the next couple of years, then great. But if that isn't realistic, it doesn't make sense to limit who the team can bring in, especially when Austin still gets a free education and probably remains close to the team. I don't think any sane person would have a problem with that decision.
Most importantly, though, his teammates and coaches I'm sure have become his de facto family. So it's probably best for Austin that he's on the roster and is as much a part of the team as the other players.
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Beilein played him at the 5 too damn much and he transferred.
Gonna have to learn how to yell Vagg-naahhh,
like that announcer now.
when he blocks a shot.
I hope he wears #13. Zak Irvin already has his #21.
...competent Germans.
don't forget efficient Germans
And CRUSH some teams over the next few years!!!
My god, how the hell do those kids know which lines on the court are which.
If only all the top recruits were German, our Adidas contract would actually work to our advantage!!
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