Hoosiers add new recruit in 7-foot-1 center Michel

Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey will no longer be the lone new Hoosiers next season, as IU has added another player to the 2010-11 recruiting class.

Oladipo and Sheehey, members of the Rivals150, are both guards, making the addition of Michel an asset to a Hoosier team in need of a big man.

Guy-Marc Michel, a native of Sainte-Marie, Martinique, played at North Idaho College the past two seasons before signing a national letter of intent for IU on May 7. The seven-foot-one-inch, 256-pound center averaged 7.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Cardinals last season, and he led the Scenic West Athletic Conference in blocked shots for the second year in a row.

Michel also was ranked 16th nationally with 3.1 blocks per game.

“I think for a junior college our league is really, really tough,” NIC coach Jared Phay said. “You know a lot of Division I players, some mid-majors, a few high major guys — so he’s played against pretty good competition.”

Phay said while the competition might not be on the same level as the Big Ten every night, it helped Michel learn what he needed to do in order to be successful.

“I think he’s a tremendous defensive presence,” Phay said. “But as far as rebounding and defending, he’s really good at those two things.”  

Michel should offer a size under the basket that the Hoosiers have lacked in the past few seasons, particularly because of his 7-foot, 6-inch wingspan.

“We feel fortunate to add a student athlete with the presence and size of Guy,” IU head coach Tom Crean said in a statement. “He automatically upgrades our program on the defensive end with his shot-blocking and post defense. We also feel he will help us with defensive rebounding and help defense.”

Michel also has experience playing overseas with the U-20 French National Team and was ranked among the top prospects in Europe, which should help him in his preparation for the Big Ten. He turned down several offers to play overseas because he wanted to get an education as well as improve his basketball skills, Phay said.

The Hoosiers plan to have a variety of roles for Michel during his remaining two years of eligibility.

“Offensively, he wants the basketball with strong post-ups,” Crean said. “I also see him being able to pass the ball out of double teams, and we feel he can shoot it up to 15 feet. His upside is exciting, and once he gets in top shape, I think he will be prepared to help us.”

The signing of Michel to the program is largely credited to assistant coach Steve McClain, as well as the campus, which Michel “really fell in love with,” Phay said.   

“I am glad Steve (McClain) is the relentless recruiter that he is, because this is another example of him going against the grain to find a real prospect,” Crean said. “I know how excited Steve has been about Guy, and we all feel the same way.

“Our players are very excited to add Guy to our Indiana program.”