Michigan Wolverines Add Five-Star Recruit Tyus Battle

John Beilein has won basketball games at every stop during his collegiate coaching career. He’s never been known to attract the nation’s best players. Instead he’s made his living by attracting players that have the specific skill set necessary to thrive under his tutelage. However, it seems that this particular old dog is still learning new tricks.

After previously bringing in five-star recruits Glenn Robinson III and Zak Irvin, Beilein has finally landed the first truly elite prospect of his coaching career. Tyus Battle, five-star shooting guard from New Jersey, has committed to the Michigan Wolverines. Battle is currently ranked #14 in ESPN’s Class of 2016 ranking, making him the most highly touted coup of Beilein’s career.

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There may not be any coach in the country that has found more success with less talent. He turned West Virginia into one of college basketball’s toughest outs crafting veteran-laden rosters full of no-name players. Since arriving at Michigan, he’s gone a step further, finding NBA talent at the tail end of the top 100.

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Trey Burke‘s final ranking from ESPN tabbed him as the nation’s #84 recruit in 2011. Nik Stauskas was the #76 prospect at the end of 2012. Caris LeVert, who will likely join the two aforementioned as a first round NBA draft choice, was not even ranked by ESPN during that same year. He was considered the #69 shooting guard in the class. Beilein stole LeVert’s signature away from Ohio, not the Buckeyes, but the Bobcats.

Adding a player like Battle is uncharted territory for Beilein. If the lanky scoring guard stays true to his current form, he will likely become the first McDonald’s All-American to ever play for Beilein. After spending so many years as a curator of raw talent, Battle will arrive in 2016 as a polished jewel for Beilein’s system.

Despite a team that has the talent to be a top 15 outfit next year, the Wolverines won’t lose much talent heading into 2016-2017. LeVert will exit after next season, as well as tenacious backup point guard Spike Albrecht. Yet, the rest of the team will return, allowing Battle to simply step in for LeVert and join the likes of point guard Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin on the wing.

Other targets such as point guard Cassius Winston (ESPN #31 in 2016) and small forward Miles Bridges (ESPN #7 in 2016) are extremely talented in-state prospects that the Wolverines could possibly add to a class that now includes Battle and a pair of 6’10 centers (three-star Austin Davis and four-star Jon Teske). However, the Wolverines are currently projected to already have 13 filled scholarships for 2016 as of now.

A monster junior season from Irvin could make him a candidate for early entry in the NBA Draft, but that would be a surprising departure. What’s more likely is that Battle and Irvin team up to terrorize opposing wings in the Big Ten, while the Wolverines contend for a Big Ten title.

John Beilein has already proved that he’s one of the best player development coaches in college basketball. It’s about time we get the opportunity to see how he’ll respond to coaching a truly elite talent. Ann Arbor should be excited for the arrival of Tyus Battle, but they should also be weary. If Beilein can get a four-star recruit to the NBA in two years, don’t expect Battle to be under Beilein’s watch for more than a season. Battle is too good to return to school if he shows the rapid improvement that Beilein’s players typically exhibit through their college careers.

In today’s era of college basketball, coaches who thrive in the area of talent development are faced with having both a gift and a curse. Often times their players go pro before the program can reap the rewards of their progress. Battle may be the next Wolverine to do so, but Beilein and the rest of the Michigan Wolverines are still ecstatic to welcome him into the fold.

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