It took a few extra days, but the Michigan basketball team finally completed its early signing period recruiting class Tuesday.

Carlton Brundidge, who had been verbally committed to the Wolverines for almost a year, finally sent in his Letter of Intent this afternoon, adding himself to a class that already included Columbus guard Trey Burke.

“It’s the end of one chapter, if you will, and the beginning of another,” Brundidge’s dad, Clennie, said Tuesday. “I hope it’s the right decision for him, the right fit. Hopefully he can be part of, if not the catalyst, to help Michigan get back to where they were when I moved here back in 1988, a team that most of Detroit and outlying communities, that’s all they talked about.

“It’s a tall order, but I told him he has to do his part.”

The 6-foot-1 Brundidge averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists last year while leading Southfield High School to a Class A semifinal. In his three-year high school career, Brundidge is averaging 21.1 points a game.

“Carlton is a physically strong, attacking combo guard that will add toughness and offensive punch to our lineup,” Michigan coach John Beilein said in a statement. “He is a leader and a winner that loves to compete. We love the fact that we have added another outstanding in-state player to our program and value of loyalty Carlton has demonstrated throughout his recruiting process.”

Carlton will add to the family of Brundidges in Ann Arbor. His mother is enrolled at Michigan, pursuing her master's degree, and his sister is working on her Ph.D at the school.

THE TRAVELING LIFE Soon after Brent Petway finished playing at Michigan in 2007, the Harlem Globetrotters asked the high-flying guard if he’d be interested in trying out for the world-famous entertainers.

At the time, he went after different opportunities.

This summer, when Petway was evaluating his options, the former Michigan standout reached out to the Globetrotters to see if they had room for him. The team invited him to try out and one of the most exciting dunkers in Michigan history is traveling the world.

“I was going out on a limb because I didn’t even know if they had spots available or how the roster worked or anything like that,” Petway said this week. “I was sitting at home this summer thinking and said ‘You know what, I want to go do this.’”

Petway also reached out to current Michigan assistant coach Bacari Alexander, who played with the Globetrotters from 2000-01.

Alexander told him to pay attention to the veterans, including Herbert “Flight Time” Lang. Lang played with Alexander and is among the more well-known Globetrotters because of his time on the reality television show ‘The Amazing Race’ last season.

Petway’s first game was the grand opening of the Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala. There, Petway met Charles Barkley and experienced more nerves than he ever did as a Michigan basketball player or during his time playing in the NBA D-League or overseas.

“Yeah, this is the Globetrotters, this is big time, the world's watching,” said Petway, whose Globetrotter nickname is Thunder. “I grew up watching them.

“Playing professional for the Globetrotters, it was nerve racking a little bit. But once I got settled, it was pretty good.”

The Globetrotters will be in Michigan on Jan. 2 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It is not known if Petway will be part of the team playing in that game.

DAYTIME EXPLANATION Turns out the Michigan-Purdue men’s basketball start time on Dec. 28 wasn’t a random pull for television or an odd scheduling outlier.

Rather, the 2 p.m. tip-off on a Tuesday afternoon was requested by Michigan.

“I know that it was their idea and the Big Ten Network approved it,” Big Ten spokesperson Valerie Todryk Krebs said. “It’s not the first time we’ve had afternoon games in this time. We have done it before.”

The switch could end up working in Michigan’s favor. One of the bowls the Wolverine football team could play in is the Insight Bowl, which kicks off at 10 p.m. Eastern that night.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.