Michigan hoops recruiting notebook: Derryck Thornton Jr. stars at NBPA Top 100, Jalen Brunson helps lead Team USA, much more

Findlay (Nev.) College Prep point guard Derryck Thornton Jr. was a standout at the NBPA Top 100 camp over the weekend.

ANN ARBOR -- Derryck Thornton Jr., who holds a Michigan scholarship offer and plenty of interest from U-M coaches, was among the top standouts at the NBPA Top 100 camp over the weekend.

Playing alongside some of the nation's top recruits in the three-day camp at the University of Virginia, the five-star Chatsworth, Calif., point guard led his team to the camp championship, scoring seven points on 3-for-3 shooting and dishing out seven assists in the final game.

Thornton attended Michigan's College Practice Camp on June 7 and earned himself a scholarship offer from coach John Beilein soon after. The 6-foot-2 point guard from Findlay Prep in Nevada is ranked as No. 19 overall player and No. 3 point guard in the 247 Sports Composite 2016 rankings.

At the NBPA Top 100 camp, Thornton's steady balance of scoring and distributing earned him plenty of attention.

In his camp recap, Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels wrote, "It's clear Thornton has been working on his game and his approach to it. As he did yesterday morning, Thornton played well and ran his team. He set up his teammates, ran the pick and roll to perfection and showed he could consistently make the pocket pass. Thornton was also engaged on defense and took pride in trying to defend Dennis Smith. Thornton hit a pair of shots at the rim, hit four three throws and even tossed in an off hand floater. In all he finished with 10 points, six assists, four steals and just two turnovers."

ESPN.com analyst John Stovall called Thornton "arguably the best pure point guard in camp."

"In my opinion, he was the MVP of the championship game, as he led his team to the victory by playing point guard to perfection," Stovall wrote. "He had 7 points, 7 assists and 2 turnovers but made the correct decision on every play. Thornton doesn't wow you from the neck down (though he is quick and has improving strength). It's what he can do from the neck up with his ability to control a game that's most impressive."

Thornton is widely considered as a top priority in Michigan's recruiting of the 2016 class. Landing the five-star talent won't be easy, though.

While he already holds scholarship offers from Arizona, Florida, Connecticut, Miami, USC and California, among others, Thornton visited Kentucky on Sunday to cap his busy weekend.

That visit ultimately produced an expected scholarship offer from UK coach John Calipari.

Thornton is close friends with five-star shooting guard Tyus Battle (Gladstone, N.J.), who visited Kentucky on Tuesday and holds a scholarship offer from the Cats. Battle was alongside Thornton for U-M College Camp two weeks ago and each earned a Michigan scholarship offer on June 15. Battle and Thornton have publicly mentioned the possibility of attending the same the school.

Duke and Louisville also have reportedly inquired about Thornton and could earn campus visits.


Gordon checks out Duke: Speaking of Michigan targets visiting Duke, Eron Gordon visited Durham, N.C., on Sunday to meet with the Blue Devils after a few days at the NBPA Top 100 camp.

Following the camp, Gordon told Duke's Scout.com affiliate that he is "hoping for an offer but I'm not 100% sure if it will come."

Of the potential Duke scholarship offer, Gordon said, "It will be a big deal, not saying I would commit right away but that’s been one of my favorite colleges growing up after (Indiana), that’s one of the most historical colleges of all time, it would be fun.

Gordon, a 2016 four-star point guard from Indianapolis, is scheduled to visit Michigan on June 27. Click here for more on Gordon.


Davis also stands out at NBPA Top 100: Another point guard with a Michigan scholarship offer turned some heads over the weekend in Virginia.

Eric Davis, a four-star 2015 prospect from Aurther Hill High School in Saginaw, also posted a solid showing at the NBPA Top 100, including a 32-points outing on Friday.

Arthur Hill junior Eric Davis attempts to put up a shot during the Class A boys basketball district opener against Saginaw High on March. 3, 2014 at Clio High School.

Critiquing Davis,

Scout.com's Evan Daniels wrote

, "Davis is quick and is a good scorer off the bounce, as he’s comfortable pulling up off the bounce or dropping in floaters from short range."

The 6-foot-3, 172-pound guard was offered by Michigan in mid-May and holds additional scholarships from Michigan State, UCLA, Florida and others. He is ranked as the No. 43 overall 2015 prospect in the 247 Sports Composite.

Davis will head from Virginia to Union, N.J., for the Nike Point Guard Skills Academy from Monday through Wednesday. In July, he will participate in the LeBron James Skills Academy and head to Colorado Springs to play for the USA 17-under Developmental team.

Davis is one of three rising high school seniors with an offer from U-M, along with Lincolnshire, Ill., point guard Jalen Brunson and Indianapolis guard Jalen Coleman.


Coleman holds his own in Virginia: Jalen Coleman, ranked as the No. 31 overall 2015 prospect in the 247 Sports Composite, was also on-hand at the NBPA Top 100.

A 6-foot-3 scorer from La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Ind., Coleman garnered plenty of attention over the weekend.

Coleman has recently said he will narrow his final list of potential destinations soon. Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Illinois and others are in the mix, per Scout.com.


Brunson helps spur three USA U18 victories: As for Jalen Brunson, the five-star 2015 prospect is currently at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Col. As a member of the USA Basketball U18 National Team, the 6-foot-2 point guard helped produce three blowout victories in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

The highlight of the weekend came when Brunson teamed with Duke-commit Luke Kenard (30 points, 7-of-12 3-pointers) to help set five USA records in FIBA Americas U18 Championship competition in a 156-58 opening-round victory over Uruguay on Friday.

Jalen Brunson dished out a USA U18 single-game record 13 assists in the Americans' 156-58 victory over Uruguay on Friday in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

The U.S. set team records for most points scored, largest margin of victory (98 points), most field goals made (59) and most team assists (40), while Brunson set the American record for individual assists with 13.

Brunson added 11 points in the rout, for good measure.

"You can make a lot of highlights with a lot of the players, and being so unselfish and getting everyone involved gets everyone excited about playing," Brunson said afterward. "We have a good offense, so we have to get back and play defense and having that momentum really helps."

On Saturday, Brunson posted 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting with one assist and three turnovers as the U.S. defeated Mexico, 100-46.

That win secured the U.S. with a berth in the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship (the top four finishing teams at the U18s qualify for next summer’s U19 Worlds).

Brunson and the Americans returned to the court on Sunday to notch a 118-64 victory over Argentina. Brunson finished with a team-high 16 points and handed out six assists in the team's third win in as many days.

The semifinals of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship are slated for Monday. The U.S. will face Dominican Republic at 5:30 p.m. (MDT), following the other semifinal between Canada and Argentina at 3:15 p.m. (MDT).

All games are being streamed live online by FIBA Americas and can be viewed via fibaamericas.com.

Brunson, the No. 19 overall recruit in the class of 2015 and No. 4 point guard in the 247Sports Composite, is considering Michigan, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Temple, Villanova, Purdue and Michigan State. He averaged 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a junior at Stevenson (Ill.) High School

Jalen Brunson's father, Rick, was a two-time team captain at Temple, scoring 1,493 career points in four seasons before spending nine years in the NBA with eight different teams.


Winston drops in for another visit: Only a few weeks after attending Michigan's College Practice camp, Detroit point guard Cassius Winston visited Ann Arbor again on Sunday, according to Sam Webb of GoBlueWolverine.com.

Winston is a four-star 2016 point guard from U of D Jesuit High School who holds a scholarship offer from Michigan. He's ranked as the No. 31 overall recruit in the 247 Sports Composite and reportedly holds additional offers from Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State and others.

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball and football. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com

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