Michigan basketball secured one of the highest profile commitments in program history on Monday in the form of elite 2016 guard Tyus Battle out of Edison, New Jersey.
Battle is a great get for the Wolverines, as he is a five-star prospect and the 12th overall player in the 2016 class, according to the 247 Composite.
Michigan, who already had a pair of center commits in Jon Teske and Austin Davis, was in need of a guard to fill the lone remaining spot (for now) on the roster for 2016-17. Not only did they find one, but he very well could be the most well-rounded player on the team when he steps on campus.
Battle is a likely starter who will step in and fill the spot that Caris LeVert will leave behind when he graduates after this coming season.
Like LeVert, Battle is a well-rounded prospect who has the ability to do just about everything well, though he is a much better offensive player. He is not quite the sniper from long range that Michigan has been well-known for, but he has the range on his jumper to hit a shot from anywhere on the floor and he also is a great slasher.
While Battle is very good offensively, what sticks out to me the most is his defense. He flat-out brings it on both ends of the floor and has the ability to be a lock-down defender.
Make no mistake about it -- this is a fantastic pull for Beilein and the Wolverines. It remains to be seen if Michigan loses any players to the NBA after this season that are not graduating, but if the core group sticks around, Battle should end up being a key cog in what will be another very good team in 2016-17.