Drew Naymick Interview and Congrats to TwoBears
The Wolverine spoke on Monday with 6-10 center Drew Naymick of North Muskegon (Mich.) High School. Naymick has emerged in recent months as one of the top juniors in Michigan, and some even regard him as the state's top big man in his class.
Naymick appeals to colleges not only for his basketball talent, but also because he is a very solid student, reportedly carrying a grade point average of 3.8. He said that he is interested in Michigan, Michigan State, and other Big Ten schools. Specifically, he said, "Purdue and Wisconsin have been sending me a lot of stuff," as have the two in-state programs in the conference.
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Naymick has taken unofficial visits to both U-M and MSU, but despite that fact and the prominent mention he gives the local schools, he denied a particular preference for staying in Michigan for college. "Right now I'm pretty much open in terms of staying in-state or going away," he said.
For more of Naymick's comments on himself as a player, the factors he will consider in picking a school, the aspects of Michigan that appeal to him, and other subjects in next week's issue of The Wolverine magazine. To subscribe or to order single copies, call (800) 421-7751 during normal business hours.
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On a personal note, congratulations are in order for Cody TwoBears. The 6-1 Native American, a junior guard from Standing Rock High School in North Dakota, wrote to The Wolverine a few weeks back and said that it has always been his dream to play for Michigan, but that he has not been able to get much recruiting attention in North Dakota, although he noted that Standing Rock is "the third best Indian team in the nation."
The U-M basketball office was made aware of his interest, and soon afterward, TwoBears wrote back and noted, "they sent me a letter and a questionaire." Still, he said, "I really don't think I can make it big in college basketball because I can't get recognized in North Dakota."
TwoBears suggested that it might help his cause if The Wolverine were to write about him. "I think that if you do that I might get somewhat known," he wrote.
Nonetheless, the curmudgeonly stickler for procedure who covers basketball recruiting for The Wolverine declined, citing the fact that the publication only covers players Michigan is actively recruiting, and TwoBears was not currently in that group.
However, TwoBears' desire to showcase his talent was brought to the attention of Vince Baldwin of Prep Spotlight magazine and PrepSpotlight.com, who devotes much of his time and effort to helping to bring players to the attention of colleges. Prep Spotlight had a High Exposure Showcase scheduled for the first weekend of November, and TwoBears made plans to make the 22-hour trek to attend.
By all accounts, TwoBears played quite well at the Showcase this past weekend. "He came ready to play," reported PrepSpotlight.com. "He hit his first jumper from 25 feet out and only moved back from there. One of his three pointers came from a step behind the hash mark. This kid has mad range on his jumper." The web site also named TwoBears to its junior All-Showcase Team.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether he will realize his dream of playing for Michigan. But now there are unquestionably people outside of Standing Rock who have heard of Cody TwoBears, and among them are people who can help him receive more recruiting attention if he is willing to continue working hard. And now The Wolverine has publicized his name.
In response to a message of congratulations from The Wolverine, TwoBears wrote, "I just want to let you know that I did what I had to do." Indeed you did, Cody. Well done.
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