Final Rivals 150 2014- Zak Irvin gets Fifth Star

Submitted by flysociety3 on

Zak Irvin moves up to 24th Overall and receives his 5th star...

Also, Derrick Walton moves up to 37th Overall

Donnal fell to 111th overall but remains a 4 Star prospect...

 

Another great example of Coach B identifying truly elite talent at very early stages of recruitment....

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/rankings/rank-2752

 

Erik_in_Dayton

April 15th, 2013 at 1:28 PM ^

It's not surprising given the praise he was getting at the end of the year...I think Michigan's backcourt  can be as good as this year's in 2014 - assuming Irvin is a SG and that he and Walton return for their soph. seasons.  Neither Walton nor Irvin will likely be as good as Burke, of course, but I think Irvin + Walton could be as good as Burke + Hardaway. 

flysociety3

April 15th, 2013 at 1:30 PM ^

If Tim leaves, Irvin starts...

Also, I don't think Donnal will be on the bench for all that long...

Out of all of the team's bigs, he is probably the only one who has a legitimate long range jump-shot...

 

DingoBlue

April 15th, 2013 at 1:46 PM ^

Will be more closely tied to who declares for the draft this season.  If Robinson declares, I might say outright that we'll see a heavy rotation of Donnal at the 4.  We really don't have anyone else that can stretch the defense at that position in Beilein's system unless Bielfeldt makes a drastic improvement.  Donnal's outside-in/face-up game I think suits him well for rotating time at the 4.

That said, if McGary and Robinson are back, I agree it's hard to see him getting much time next season.  Which may not be an all around bad thing as he and Austin Hatch were great friends when they committed and it might be nice for them to be part of the same b-ball class.

AtkinsDiet

April 15th, 2013 at 2:08 PM ^

McGary, Horford, Morgan and Biefeldt all being present and healthy is probably the only way Donnal doesn't see a little PT. Basketball redshirts are rare.

 

Shop Smart Sho…

April 15th, 2013 at 1:37 PM ^

I would assume that it would have been a bigger surprise if Indiana's Mr. Basketball didn't get a 5th star.  I can tell you that my Purdue and Indiana friends aren't terribly happy that both programs let him get out of state.

MichiganMan20

April 15th, 2013 at 1:54 PM ^

Is it crazy to think that even if Hardaway and Robinson come back that Irvin would join them in the starting line-up, while Stauskas comes off the bench? I think a starting 5 of Walton, Irvin, Hardaway, Robinson, and McGary could be explosive.

JCV16

April 15th, 2013 at 1:44 PM ^

I've seen reports that he's as tall as 6' 8'' , but not the athlete Robinson is.  Not sure where he plays. More relevant to defense than offense, as there  isn't a huge difference between those positions in most of JB's offensive sets.

DingoBlue

April 15th, 2013 at 1:51 PM ^

His handle is good enough that he played some point guard in High School.  I am personally guessing (hoping) he will be about 6'7" when he measures in at Michigan. He's tall and long, but he is not nearly as developed of an athlete as GRIII, so it would be very hard for him to play that undersized in the B1G in John Beilein's system.  That said, he's wired to score and the best comparison is a slightly more consistent Tim Hardaway Jr.  His High School coach raves about his ability on the defensive end, certainly aided by his length.

SeattleWolverine

April 15th, 2013 at 2:55 PM ^

He looks like a 2/3 naturally. He doesn't seem quite as muscular or athletic or GR3 and even GR3 had some definite matchup and rebounding shortcomings.

 

But where the suggestion of Irvin playing out of position at the 4 gets serious is if GR3 leaves. In particular, what if Hardaway stays and GR3 leaves? Then you've got Hardaway, Stauskas and LeVert at the 2/3 but the 4 is real iffy. Donnal has the closest skillset to the ideal Beilein 4 but is he good enough to play major minutes, especially as a freshman? If he is OK, but if not then your choices are either an undersized Irvin playing out of position at the 4 or going with two bigs and McGary at the high post while Morgan/Horford/Bielfeldt try to set tons of screens and get boards. Would be a better rebounding team but you lose skill if those guys are getting more minutes. Tricky.

 

Or what if McGary and GR3 both left? I don't think you can go with 2 of Bielfeldt, Morgan and Horford on the floor simultaneously as there is just not enough offensive skill. So again it gets down to Donnal versus Irvin at the 4. Donnal fits the position better but Irvin is almost certainly the better player and more useful on offense. Actually, they might both have to play some at the 4. At that point, we are starting to get thin if those two are gone.

 

Really this is not so much about Irvin as it is about whether GR3 (+ McGary) comes back. And then it is also about either finding a true stretch 4 who can play Beilein's offense but also has the size/athleticism to defend and rebound better than some smaller guys have in the best. Or whether Beilein adapts again and goes big. Or whether we sacrifice on the defensive end/boards at the 4 to get the best players all on the floor. Hopefully GR3 comes back and makes this all moot.

Jehu the Damaja

April 15th, 2013 at 1:57 PM ^

The one thing I always hear about this kid is that he is an incredible defender. Even if everyone comes back for next year, this kid HAS to get some big minutes as a freshman. I'm very excited to watch this team next year, and the years to come, even with Burke gone. The state of Michigan athletics is returning to elite level, like it should. This is Michigan, FERGODSAKES, we should be a national power in all major sports every year.

Mr. Yost

April 15th, 2013 at 2:10 PM ^

His game to me is very Scottie Pippen-like. Long armed defender. Can defend PG-PF. Solid shooter but more of a "scorer." Very good athleticism. Very smart player.

I'd say he's a solid 6'6...I don't see 6'8 unless he's grown quite a bit since November (it's possible, he's in high school).

To me he's a SF all the way. Can he play PF when you want to go big? Sure. Can he play SG? Sure.

La'Quinton Ross (Ohio) with a better jumpshot for those that don't remember Pippen's game. That said, I think he's got a better "head" on  his shoulders and will really thrive playing for Beilein.

He'll fall right in line with the Hardaway Jr., GRIII, etc. Talented. Smart/Knows The Game. Athletic. Instant impact.

 

And again Beilein finds gets that are getting BETTER. That's so huge. Especially in basketball where guys are bigger at an earlier age so they dominate early then top off and never get better after their junior year of high school. Beilein is finding guys that continuously get better. Irvin will be no different.

 

Dubs

April 15th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^

Just curious...but how often does he get to the line and how is his FT %? I know that's a good part of a typical scorer's game (like Ross). It would be nice to have someone who can be aggressive, drive, draw fouls and...well, hit those free throws.

MGoLogan

April 15th, 2013 at 3:04 PM ^

Getting to the line is an area where Zak definitely can improve.  He shot right around 6 FT's per game this year (hitting around 75%).  The strongest part of his offensive game is his ability to drive and hit the pull up jumper, but he can improve his ability to get all the way to the rim.  His most impressive game of the year, IMO, was against Indianapolis Tech (who features 2014 5-star big man Trey Lyles).  Despite having a rough shooting night, Zak absolutely dominated that game finishing with 30 points and 10 rebounds (Lyles had 25 and 16) in a narrow win for HSE, 64-59.  He was 12 of 14 at the line in that game, though I'm pretty sure that was his season high in FT attempts. 

x98

April 15th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^

Ross has a pretty decent jumper. He showcased his talents in the tourney. I do believe Irvin's game s more comparable to T-Mac. It's very smooth and at times it seems as if it effortless to him. I think he has tons of potential and has a nice pull up jumper which will translate well when scouts pay closer attention to his overall game. Michigan fans should be excited by what he will bring to table. He look as if he has the "It" factor or whateva people tend to say about very talented prospects.