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Michigan is looking to add a wing to its 2010 recruiting class. Any number of candidates were at Crisler Arena for the second-annual U-M Elite Camp, including Roy Marble Jr. of Southfield-Lathrup, Devin Oliver of Kalamazoo Central, Josh Herbeck of Ann Arbor Richard, and out-of-staters like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Allen Payne. But the top of the bunch turned out to be one without an offer, 6-foot-7 Holt senior Cole Darling. Friday he was the third best player in the gym, and Manny Harris and Mike Gansey weren't playing.
The big thing for Darling was proving that he could play the wing. Those who saw him only with Holt during the regular season (and it was a good one, first-team Class A all-state) and not with the Roadrunners this spring, or in his younger point guard days, might have been surprised. But Cole looked quite at ease pushing the ball in the open court, dribble driving through traffic and hitting tough shots from all over the floor. He's a wiry strong defender, versatile and unselfish. Darling is the classic guy who does the "little things" to make his teammates better, and now that he can knock down that shot pretty like, he's a legit Michigan target. U-M coach John Beilein certainly seemed to be a fan, talking to him over the p.a. during drills, taking him aside between drills, and putting him on different teams so he could watch the Lansing area star more.
For Darling, fresh off a WMU visit, to stand out of this group, he had to be doing a lot right. Marble, a 6-5 senior, is really coming on, and looks like a high-major recruit. His jumper is flat and erratic, and his pops must've horded most of the jumping genes in the family, but he's just a natural scorer who gets to the rim, creates shots (albeit not always smoothly) and piles up the points. A year ago one could have accurately described Marble as a pump, but he's become more prudent with the ball, and even spent long stretches running the point for his camp team. Another thing to like about Marble is his positive attitude and fraternal demeanor, and coachability. Those may be underrated traits to fans, but can be deal makers or breakers for coaches deciding whether they want to spend hundreds of thousands of a school's dollars and four years of their own lives with a young man. "Good kid" is thrown around pretty liberally these days, but Roy Jr. seems to be the real deal.
Oliver, a 6-5 senior, can be too stylized with that left-handed jumper, often fading away, thus the results come and go. So I like when he uses his size and athleticism to do other things, like hit the glass, pass the ball, and show he's the complete player he was with Kalamazoo in the winter, and not the spot-up shooter he can be, at the expense of other skills, with the Mustangs.
Herbeck, a 6-3 senior, shot the three-pointer remarkably well in his afternoon game. No surprise to those who see him often, as one fan commented "he's made about 80 percent of his shots." His coach, U-M player Anthony Wright, could hardly contain himself after one bomb, and he practices with Stu Douglass every day. Herbeck is certainly strong enough to get to the hoop and finish, but doesn't have a lot of explosion. I liked how Herbeck used his size and strength defensively to push and direct smaller guards. As a college prospect, he's comparable to Brandon Cassise (Orchard Lake St. Mary's/Oakland).
Another local wing, Ypsi Lincoln's 6-4 senior Latwan Wesley, had his moments. He's long, a pure slasher, active and aggressive, but would have liked to see him convert at a higher percentage.
Darling is the state's No. 1 ranked senior forward. A close No. 2 is Matt Kamieniecki, 6-7 from Clarkston, a kid who dreams of playing for Michigan. Darling may have an edge in that race as he's a 3/2, whereas Kami is a 3/4 and U-M already has a commitment from a top 50 one of those, Evan Smotrycz. Nevertheless, Kamieniecki played his ass off Friday, He's put a lot of work into his outside shot, and it showed. He also powered in for the other kind of three-point plays, blocked shots, covered the passing lanes defensively, and basically contributed across the stat sheet. |
