MBB Hello: Austin Hatch(2013) and Mark Donnal(2013)
According to today's UMHoops twitter feed, 2013 SG Austin Hatch has committed to play his college basketball at the University of Michigan. UMHoops also provides a very brief bio of Hatch on their website. Rivals lists Hatch as a 3-star player, but as we have seen with previous Beilein recruits, that may not mean much. I'm sure UMHoops will have a full commitment post up later today, so check their site for an update.
EDIT
For now, this has only been reported by fellow Michigan recruit Monte Morris per Twitter. UMHoops trying to confirm. Sorry for jumping the gun.
DOUBLE EDIT
It has been confirmed by UMHoops that Austin Hatch is the first commitment for John Beilein's 2013 class.
TRIPLE EDIT
UMHoops also reporting, as suggested in the comments below by wlubd, that Michigan received a commitment from 2013 PF Mark Donnal. UMHoops provides their scouting report of him here.
On that class of 2014.
I'm hoping Beilein keeps his NBA player's son pipeline going--and brings back a familiar name--with 2014 prospect Maceo Baston Jr.
is a phenominal player. i used to coach him and have watched many games, he reminds me of a classier pittsnoggle. very athletic, around 6'9" kid who can dunk (i'm talkin throw down!) and also shoot outside. needs to work on his footwork and moves in the post. great kid from a great family . perfect for belien's system. great addition in my very biased opinion.
also his brother plays OT for Iowa.
Thanks for the scouting report. You biased opinion is appreciated. It is good to know that those problems seem like they can be fixed and that he has lots of time to work on his game.
I've done some scouting of the kid over the last year and I agree with you 100%. I don't think I've encountered anyone that has a bad word to say about him. Dan Dakich (his AAU coach and former Indiana legacy and D1 coach elsewhere) raves about him. And Dan isn't prone to too much hyperbole. This kid is an important get.
Ok, so continuing in my complete lack of knowledge in the world of basketball recruiting, how many scholarship offers does Beilein usually hand out right away?
He obviously identifies the kids who he really wants and offers them right away, but is that like four players, or more like double digits?
Beilein could get Vern Troyer to commit to UofM and I'd have faith that Beilein could turn him into a serviceable player. In Beilein I Trust.
we could call him "Mini-Bee" . . . .
I hope we have more slots left because these two don't excite me at all.
I see Beilein isn't too concerned about signing players from Michigan. He's had what, 2 players from Michigan in 4 years?
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One a year for the last three years. Not his fault Costello and Valentine went Green.
What's your point.
*cough* Mouthbreather say what?
I posted this in the comments of the main page item, but I figured it should go here as well. This is an interview with Hatch by WANE in Fort Wayne in which he talks about his commitment to Michigan. Seems very well spoken. He compares himself to Novak in being a tough and gritty player.
....impressive interview. Hatch clearly fits the Beilein mold.
especially coming from a HS soph.
Toledo's Channel 24 has a video report on Donnal's commitment with a few quotes from him.
I'm Lovin It ... First all the football recruits and now this ... GO BLUE!!!
I have known Austin Hatch since I was 8 as our parents went to college together and while I don't know a whole lot about his game aside from the fact that he used to own me, I know that he is very smart and extremely hardworking and should be a great addition to the class of 2013.
Didn't see this posted yet, but interesting note about Donnal. At 6'9" (apparently being told he could realistically graduate from HS at 6'11") 215, he's not exactly massive. He does, however, come from a gene pool that can create size.
His brother, Andrew Donnal (pictured below), is a freshman OL at Iowa and is currently 6'7", 285. He was an Army All-American and 4 star recruit.
If the younger Donnal can indeed grow to 6'11" and also add 40 quality lbs he would be the biggest guy on the roster in a while.
Other than Ben Cronin, Michigan hasn't anyone 6'11'' or taller since Courtney Sims.
I like what Dan Dakich, Donnal's AAU coach, has to say about him (from a wolverine.com article):
Dakich is very high on Donnal's potential and thinks the 6-9, 200-pound power forward will have a great career with the Maize and Blue.
"Regardless of who else is recruiting Mark, it's a really good get for Michigan for a variety of reasons," Dakich said. "One, he's a super kid, a great guy. Second, he's a tough guy, the kind of guy that you win with. And he has a skill set that fits everything Michigan needs: he shoots well from the 3-point line, he can pass out of the post, he can run, rebound and he'll get bigger and stronger. Whoever got Mark was getting a really good player, and Michigan got him."
A Free Press article had some interesting points about Hatch, including his U-M connections:
His mother and some grandparents attended U-M, and his family has roots in the Saginaw area. He didn't hesitate to accept after coach John Beilein made a scholarship offer during a 15-minute phone conversation Wednesday afternoon.
Hatch plans to follow his father's lead and enter medical school after four years of undergraduate study -- an academic focus that helped lead him to U-M. He also considered Notre Dame and Virginia.
Also this:
Hatch said U-M coaches told him they wanted a wing (Hatch), a big man (Donnal) and a point guard in this class.
At point guard, Beilein has already offered Monte Morris and Derrick Walton. Sam Webb said the other day that Demetrius Jackson is planning to visit U-M later this month and could get an offer as well. Jackson's impending visit might pressure Morris or Walton into jumping at the Michigan offer lest it be snatched up by Jackson.