Cincinnati St. Xavier attackman Ian King signed with Michigan in the 2013 class and wil join the Wolverines in the fall… but had one last high school game over the weekend.
King will become an important component of the Michigan attack for the 2014 season, serving as the dodger/feeder/point guard that the Wolverines need to take the offense to the next level. Saturday, he was more of a role player for the victorious South Team.
King scored a goal and recorded an assist for the South during the course of their 28-24 victory over the North. He also recorded an additional shot (saved by the keeper on a dodge from X) and a ground ball. South’s Matt Rambo, a teammate of King’s fellow Michigan signee Stefan Bergman at La Salle (Pa.) high (and the No. 1 recruit in the land according to Inside Lacrosse, bound for Maryland) was the game MVP with eight goals. The game could have used Bergman – or any upgrades to its defensive talent, based on the way things played out in a very offensively-oriented contest.
King is Michigan’s second-ever signee to participate in the Under Armour All-American Game, joining 2012 participant Brendan Gaughan, who will be a redshirt freshman with the Wolverines next year. King scored 72 goals and notched 35 assists for St. X, which fell to rival Moeller in a regional semifinal in the OHSLA tournament to complete a 14-5 season.
TopLaxRecruits.com contributed to this report.
I watched the game specifically to take a look at how he did against the top talent. In my opinion, he looked like he belonged there, although certainly not quite a star like Rambo was. He looked fairly comfortable, played his game, didn’t make many mistakes, quick ball movement and good vision. He looked sharp. He played the crease attack role, which is where he spent about half his time when I watched St. X play U of D Jesuit last spring. His assist was a great pass to the back door off a dodge from X.
Not sure where he will play for Michigan. They had him listed as attack/middie for this game, although he only played attack. He can likely contribute at a couple spots, and it will all depend where he is needed the most. Not saying he’ll start right away, but I think he has an opportunity to contribute. JP seems to have offensive middie threats now, so maybe attack will suit him better in the near term.
I kept an eye on King, and he definitely was of the “belongs on the field,” rather than “is a standout” variety. For a program like Michigan, that’s not bad out of a high school All-American game.
My understanding is that he’ll be the creator/distributor type for Michigan, playing mostly at X.