Michigan basketball picks up 2012 commitment from prep school point guard Spike Albrecht
This story was updated at 9:35 p.m.
Regardless of what Trey Burke's future holds, the Michigan basketball program has another ball handler in the fold for 2012-13.
Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) coach John Carroll confirmed via text message to AnnArbor.com on Friday that 2012 point guard Spike Albrecht offered a verbal commitment to Michigan coach John Beilein and the Wolverines.
And, according to Carroll, a better marriage might not exist.
"We played a very similar offense to what Michigan runs, and this kid is designed for this offense," Carroll said. "He was years ahead of other players when it came to understanding where this offense could go, and that's what you hope your point guard is.
"And I think he'll be the same for Michigan. I think (Beilein) will have a blast coaching this kid."
Albrecht, listed at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds according to MaxPreps.com, will become the fourth player in Michigan's 2012 class, joining signees Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas.
He can officially sign his letter of intent on April 11, when the spring signing period begins.
Carroll said Albrecht -- currently an unranked prospect -- began an official visit to Michigan on Thursday and was expected to remain in Ann Arbor through Saturday.
He didn't need that long to commit.
"He just built a great resume as the year went on," Carroll said of Albrecht, who is originally from Crown Point, Ind., and played on the same AAU team as McGary and Robinson. "He was our tournament MVP, and one thing (Michigan can) expect was what we saw, is that he makes the right decisions.
"He is absolutely clutch."
He may be unranked at the moment, but he's not without a resume.
Albrecht played in the prestigious New England Preparatory School Athletic Council last season, the same league that featured McGary and Brewster Academy.
In fact, Albrecht went 5-for-6 from the foul line in overtime of an NEPSAC tournament semifinal, helping NMH knock off Brewster, advance to the finals and hand McGary's club its lone loss of the season.
Albrecht was later named the most valuable player of the tournament.
"With us, being surrounded by (elite players), coaches didn't have to guess what he would have to look like at a high-level, Division I school," Carroll said. "A lot of the players he went against were high-level kids and our starting lineup was 6-9, 6-9, 6-6, 6-3 and him.
"And coaches said, 'well, if he can do it with this group, he can do it with us.'"
As far as his fit with Michigan, Carroll says it's a natural pairing.
Albrecht set Northfield Mount Hermon's school assist record last season, and rarely turned the ball over in the process.
"The mental ability and the ability, physically, to run the offense is what probably stood out," Carroll said. "He shattered the school record for assists with 241 assists with about 50 turnovers. That combination of right pass without taking unnecessary risks is perfect for that offense.
"He's a terrific search-dribbler, where it looks like he doesn't see the whole floor, and then the next thing you know, he's throwing a pass over his head to a kid that's wide open for a 3."
Burke is currently deciding whether to return to Michigan for his sophomore season or declare early for the NBA draft.
Should Burke leave, Albrecht will join senior Eso Akunne as the only point guards on Michigan's roster.
And if Burke isn't in Ann Arbor next season, Albrecht will have large shoes to fill, as he'll be competing to replace the co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
According to Carroll, it won't be anything the cool-handed Albrecht can't handle mentally.
"This kid is the lowest-maintenance kid I've ever coached," Carroll said. "He's incredibly hard to rattle, other opponents tried to do it, but he's an incredibly tough kid.
"Outside factors won't be a distraction to him. He's a very coachable kid, and he's very focused on and off the court."
Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
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Comments
boo
Sun, Apr 8, 2012 : 6:40 a.m.
lets see, Morris already in NBA, Tre Burke NBA bound, Hardaway NBA Bound and both McGary and Robinson are 5 star recruits who will be NBA Bound. Can you remind me again what you mean by he doesn't recruit NBA talent? Yes, a bad loss to Ohio, can't argue that, but this program is poised to be at the sweet 16 level and better in the years to come. And they do it without violations. Can anyone reasonably be against that? How many programs in the country do that? Please name them. Remember the "without violations" part.
Dre
Mon, Apr 9, 2012 : 4:29 a.m.
They have been poised to make a sweet 16 push for 3 years now and they just went backwards in the tourney. You are saying w/o violations but I just saw Kentucky win it with no violations, Duke just did it. UNC has done it, Kansas did it. Come on man what are you talking about? They need to GET THERE first. And you are talking about sweet 16's?? See that's my problem right there. We need to be talking about Final Fours or bust....not Sweet 16's. Xavier been to sweet 16's like 4 times in 5 years. Butler been to 2 final fours...MSU on a down year will get to a sweet 16. Listen if you are not going to recruit big time athletes on the regular then you better be one heck of a coach.....He is getting Robinson who is a great athlete...but McGary??? I think he's a bit over rated...I've seen him 5 times this year and each time he wasn't even the 3rd best player on the court...so let's quit acting like this is Chris Webber of 2012.....
cutty240
Sun, Apr 8, 2012 : 4:29 a.m.
Beilein knows guards maybe better than anybody in the country.He likes the ones that not to many people know about.Just like this Kid.
UlyssesWrong1
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 7:26 p.m.
Assuming that Mitch McGary and Glen Robinson III are as good as we think they can be and the players remaining at least show minor improvement, this Michigan team can do as good or slightly better with lower end recruits at point guard. Michigan still needs to make strides in recruiting, obviously. If Beilein's recruiting remains so poor it could cost him his job in the long run..
Engineer
Sun, Apr 8, 2012 : 6 a.m.
No he is not joking! This team is all Beilien recruits and was seriously out manned when playing OSU and MSU. After 5 years Beilien is still bringing in lower level talent when he should be loading up the roster with NBA first rounders. Look at Calipari. He is hoping to have 7 first round picks on his squad next year. In his third year he wins it all. Beilien after 5 years wins a shared title but then gets hammered in BTT and can not get past a MAC school in NCAAs. There is much work to do to et us to 3 final games in 5 years like the Michigan glory days! GO BLUE!!!!!
mookienation
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 11:39 p.m.
If Beilein's recruiting remains poor? I'll just go ahead and assume you're joking.
Dre
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 6:12 p.m.
I can't lie, I kind of agree with Engineer. Its cool that the program is better than it was 3 or 4 years ago...but you don't stay the same...you get better. I want to win NCAA championships. A team set up for a deep run in the tournament is what I am looking for now. There were 3 teams from Michigan that went to the final 4 and 1 other that made the elite 8 since 89 and of those NONE of them won a big ten title. I'm just saying...shouldn't we want more than bench players starting???? And I will say this and be done...I think Manny and Darius Morris both left partly because of the coach. I don't think that's the case with Trey. But whoever is out there I will be rooting for them and yelling at them. Go Blue.
Dre
Mon, Apr 9, 2012 : 4:37 a.m.
My man 81Wolverine....u said we didn't win no big ten titles because of no discipline...well one of those teams won it all. Beilein has a bona-fide system u say....well why they don't rebound well...or why they can't get past the 2nd game in the tourney...why they don't get to the big-ten final in the tourney...when did we become satisfied with average as michigan fans.....u said he needs athletes...and I 100% agree with that...but its up to him to get the athletes. I LOVE the role players he gets...but they have to be ROLE players...and NOT guys who has to carry the load...When role players become your 3rd leading scorers...u not gonna do much when its time for crunch time because they are going to constantly go up against players better than them and they will wear down. Let me say this right now....if Burke don't come back...They will be probably 5th best in the Big Ten...another step back. This Spike kid is NO Trey Burke. And w/o Burke this year they probably barely make the tourney...if at all. I hope everyone understands the magnitude of a PG. How bout recruiting a defensive presence...a big man who can change the game on the defensive end.
81wolverine
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 10:49 p.m.
The big reason we won no Big Ten Titles for so long was because (despite having a lot of talent) we had ill-disciplined teams with no real system in place. Beilein has a bona-fide system that will work. He just needs enough athletes to make it a big success at Michigan. Starting next year, he will have that. Regardless of whether Burke comes back, Michigan badly needs another PG. So, today's addition of Spike (love the name!) is a big plus.
azwolverine
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 5:36 p.m.
Whether Trey stays or not, UM needs a PG. This is a good pick up for the program, and the fact that he has played with McGary and Robinson will make for a smooth transition for all three. I'm glad to have him aboard.
discgolfgeek
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 2:43 p.m.
I liked what I saw, can shoot the 3, fundamentally sound. Great pick-up whether Trey leaves or not. Forget the rankings, this kid could easily blossom into a good Big 10 point guard.
Fannie Que
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 7:21 p.m.
AMEN to that! Go CHOCOLATE MILK -- show them how it's done. He's got some flash too if he wants to show it -- but he prefers to control the offense and get everyone involved... and he can also clamp down on D
saintd
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 1:19 p.m.
these guys are not michigan men. they owe nothing to our school. We are a means to an end for them. The school does the same thing....
craigjjs
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
Which guys?
Macabre Sunset
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.
This prep-school route is interesting. Apparently, the prep school league in question recruits kids from all over the country. They get a year of this basketball academy, and the competition draws major college coaches. A couple of notes on Albrecht: the boys in his family apparently have a hip condition that can lead to serious back injuries when playing a lot. Spike has gone through a lot of physical training to alleviate the condition - no idea whether that works long-term. And one of his brothers, for real, is named Chachi. Poor kid. I guess dad was a big Happy Days fan. Spike was Fonzie's cousin, right?
a2grateful
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 12:38 p.m.
System-oriented players are the essence of coach Belein's teams. Welcome, Mr. Spike Albrecht! Work diligently in school, earn your degree, and have great fun playing "Big 10" hoops in a2.
Macabre Sunset
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 4:38 a.m.
I hope his coach is right. He certainly sounds like the right fit for Michigan. And we need a 1 - even if Burke stays, he's probably going to be gone in 2013.
Hookemhorn
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 3:36 a.m.
Spike is joining two 4 star and one 5 star player for this class! Yeah, Beilein only recruits "unranked" prospects....Beilein is going to be here for a long, long time, thank God!! He took this program from a complete joke to a Big 10 champion in a short period of time, give him some credit!!
Engineer
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 3:26 a.m.
Just what we need some more unrank prospects. I am sure after one year he will want to leave even if not a first round pick. This seems to be the Beilien way. We would not want to plan ahead and have a roster of actual big ten caliber players. Role players are a much better way to go.
rightmind250
Sun, Apr 8, 2012 : 9 p.m.
Got news for you Johnny, Zack Novak sucked. He played hard and all, but dude disappeared when the competition stepped up. He would have been an average player in the Mac. Then, again, doubt he could have started for Ohio, only Michigan.
Fannie Que
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 7:14 p.m.
ranked & not this kid can hoop not to mention his high basketball IQ -- and has sound fundamentals. if trey stays (i hope he does since he's not NBA material YET) spike "chocolate milk" albrecht will certainly push trey for some minutes and both will be better players in the B1G. if trey leaves, MI will still be ok since chocolate milk can flat our run the team. if they choose to leave the program early -- so be it and good luck to them.... NO ONE is bigger than the TEAM. GO BLUE!
craigjjs
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 2 p.m.
Interesting theory, unranked prospects leave, but ranked players do not. Brilliant!
johnnya2
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 12:57 p.m.
Yeah, those unranked players like Zack Novak or Stu Douglass. I guess YOU know more about basketball than John B. What are your coaching credentials? You must be one of those recruiting geeks who think recruiting is all that matters. Tell that to Bradley or VCU
mookienation
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 1:34 a.m.
Looks pretty solid. Beilein has traditionally been very good at finding 'unranked' high school players and turning them into effective contributors. As long as he can pass, run plays, and play some defense, he'll be just fine.
RWBill
Sat, Apr 7, 2012 : 1:26 a.m.
Panic, stop-gap offer by M, but they had to make a precautionary move if Trey does leave. Even if not this year, looks like he'll surely be gone after one more year if he's already considering it.