Here is the latest from last weekend on the AAU circuit including a look at Carlton Brundidge, Amir Williams, some talented Indiana underclassmen, Patrick Lucas-Perry, and more.
The Family Playing Well
Amir Williams has struggled with his consistency so far this summer but it appears that he put together a solid weekend at Spiece. Here is what Brian Snow had to say for Rivals:
One of the better performances from a rising junior was turned in by Amir Williams from The Family. In a game against All-Ohio Red, Williams was an impressive force down low. At 6-foot-9 with good athleticism and a long wing span, Williams blocked at least a half dozen shots, and altered numerous others. In fact his presence alone caused All-Ohio to rely exclusively on perimeter jumpers. Then on offense Williams showed some aggressiveness and a decent touch from the foul line. Overall it was a huge improvement from just a week previous in Akron.
Rivals also gathered a school list from Amir, at this point Michigan is his big offer.
Amir Williams has interest from Michigan State, Miami, Notre Dame, UCLA, and Oklahoma to go with an offer from the in-state Wolverines of Michigan.
Carlton Brundidge
While Williams brings the defensive presence, his teammate Carlton Brundidge provides the scoring. The Southfield guard sounds is probably more of an undersized two guard than a point guard but there is no denying that he can fill up the scoring column.
While Williams was the biggest factor on defense, it was Carlton Brundidge that got it done for The Family on the offensive end. The scoring dynamo proved once again that when he is in attack mode very few players can defend him. In the second half of the game alone, Brundidge was near 20 points and simply had moments of dominance.
Brundidge caught several Michigan home games over the winter and he is definitely a prime target in the class of 2011 for John Beilein.
Indiana Sophomores
Spencer Turner
Michigan raided Indiana in the class of 2008 for Stu Douglass and Zack Novak and they appear to be looking into the Hoosier-state for 2011 prospects again.
One of these prospects is Spencer Turner, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Bloomington. Turner reportedly put on a show early in the weekend.
One of the best shooting performances of the spring came from Spencer Turner in a losing effort. The 6-foot-3 shooter deluxe from Bloomington, Indiana almost did enough to will Indiana Elite-One to a win on Friday night. Turner nailed eight threes on his way to 29 points. He was simply in one of those zones where it seemed like every time he shot the ball it was going in. Even on the rare occurrence that he missed, the shot still looked pure.
According to Rivals, Turner is receiving interest from Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois.
Another sophomore from Indiana who is receiving some Michigan interest is Justin Gant, a long 6-foot-8 forward. The scouting report on Gant makes him sound like a Beilein-special, a skilled forward with a shot, however he didn’t list Michigan at Spiece. His main high-major offer is from Iowa.
Gant is a skilled power forward who rebounds, shoots it well from deep, and can block some shots. As he gets more physical and assertive, he will see his production increase greatly.
Patrick Lucas-Perry
Laval Lucas-Perry’s little brother played great in the state tournament and it appears that he’s carrying that momentum into the summer recruiting circuit. Lou Dawkins reports that PLP may be the #1 player in the in-state class of 2011 at this point. Here’s the full update from Dawkins:
He currently holds offers, according to his father from South Florida, Ohio, and Oakland. Michigan State, Duquesne, and Michigan were also recently in Flint for an open gym to watch PLP. This could come down to a MSU, UM battle for PLP. Tom Izzo and Associate Head Coach Mark Montgomery came to see him play in the open gym as well as Mark [sic] Jackson from Michigan. Expect his recruitment to be intense, and really pick up after the July period. PLP will attend the NBA Top 100 Camp and the John Lucas Invite Only Camp in Houston, which is one of the top camps in the country. Watch out for him on the circuit with Team Legion.
The “big three” guards in the class of 2011 are Lucas-Perry, Brundidge, and Kearney. At this point Brundidge and PLP appear to be the most productive. Kearney continues to be intriguing with his size and skill but the question is when will his potential translate to production.
Another Plumlee
Marshall Plumlee
Beilein and the Plumlee family definitely have connections. Beilein and Michigan were in the running until the end for Miles Plumlee, an incoming freshman at Duke. Beilein also recruited Mason when he was at West Virginia, Mason is also at Duke. Now there is another Plumlee brother who is rising through the recruiting ranks. Marshall Plumlee is a 6-foot-11 class of 2011 big man.
Here is Reggie Rankin’s take for ESPN:
Plumlee has continued to improve. He is still a work in progress both physically and skill wise but is talented and has a terrific upside. Plumlee has an excellent basketball IQ and fundamentally sound for a young player his size. He runs the floor well and is mobile. At times he will shy away from contact but as he adds strength that should change because he competes on both ends of the floor. On defense he plays with his hands up and blocks and charges shots because he does a nice job of making the opponent shoot over him. Plumlee has good hands and footwork in the post. He likes to post on the left low block and spin baseline or drop step and use his height to score over the top. Plumlee also has the ability to step out of the low post and be very affective. He has an excellent shooting stroke and knocked 15 foot jumpers with great confidence. Passing under pressure and out of the post when doubled is an area of improvement for this young post. At times he allows the defense to speed him up and he may rush to get rid off the ball that will result in a turnover. Post players tend to develop at a slower rate the guards and Plumlee is no different but when he hits his peak watch out!
The Duke connection is obvious with two of his brothers already there but plenty of other high-majors are involved and Marshall is one to watch at this point for Michigan.
More Notes
- Dejuan Marrero (2012 wing) lists Michigan among many others.
- Austin Etherington (2011 wing) is another sophomore to watch from Indiana.
- Tiny Saginaw Arthur Hill point guard Maurice Jones was listed as a surprise player by ESPN.
- Go Blue Wolverine has lengthy scouting information in a three part series from Spiece. ($)
- The Wolverine @ Spiece: Part 1 ($), Part 2 ($)
- Peegs (IU) @ Spiece: Day 1 ($), Day 2 ($), Wrap Up ($)
- Taking a pass on a basketball star
The LA Times breaks down why USC and UCLA would tell Sidney to look elsewhere - BELLY OF THE BE-AST: SONNY VACCARO EDITION
NBE has an interesting look at Sonny Vaccaro and Jeremy Tyler
