Recruiting Report: Ben Lubitz
You know is not a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Michigan? I will give you a hint. This 6-foot-5 Michigan Mustang scored over 2,000 points, collected more than 500 career rebounds, and helped push his team deep into the playoffs every…
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Continue ReadingYou know is not a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Michigan? I will give you a hint. This 6-foot-5 Michigan Mustang scored over 2,000 points, collected more than 500 career rebounds, and helped push his team deep into the playoffs every winter.
Ben Lubitz is that player. It is possible the 185 miles separating him from the state’s media hub contributed to his omission. Maybe the senior just missed the cut.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to be on there,” said Lubitz. “I have come to understand that living in Northern Michigan, it can be harder to get attention. A lot of the best players do play in the south, but I am focused on winning District (Championship) and I am just happy to be playing tomorrow.”
Friday night Ben’s Mio-Au Sable Thunderbolts (13-9) meet the Au Gres-Sims Wolverines. The Thunderbolts smashed the Wolverines in early December, and this is a game Lubitz wants to win.
Winning is important to him it drives him personally. More telling the ability to win at the next level is driving his recruitment.
Ben Lubitz Recruitments
“I am just excited to play for a winning team (in college), and a winning program,” said Lubitz. The time Ben Lubitz (34 ppg) has spent with Mio-Au Sable HS and the Mustangs made him starkly resistant to losing. The art of losing is lost on him.
After taking several Lubitz has an eye towards a nearby DII school.
“I have been looking to walk-on at Grand Valley (State),” said Lubitz. “I have been talking to the assistant Jeff Bauer. He said that they would like me to come down and try to walk-on with the team.”
Grand Valley State University has a strong reputation. Six former Lakers bounded into pro careers after GVSU, most recently Breland Hogan (Australian league) and Tyrone Lee (England).
“I know that they had a pretty successful year this year,” said Lubitz. “They have a really good coach in Ric Wesley and good assistant in Coach Bauer.”
Coach Bauer is the lead recruiter for GVSU, and if the interest he is showing in Lubitz is genuine, then the senior scorer might find himself in Laker Blue.
GVSU has a broadly successful athletic department. It is a department that consistently wins conference championships in track, x-Country, volleyball, soccer, and baseball. Football and basketball sprinkle in their own conference crowns too.
Along with the academic pedigree of GVSU, the winning ways are a big deal for Lubitz.
Another Michigan college that won a lot of basketball games this winter was and is Alma University.
Of the sixteen Division III teams still alive, Alma U. is one of them. Impressive wins over Denison and perennial power John Carroll paved the way to the third round.
“They are having a really successful year, ever since their coach came in,” said Lubitz. “All that team has been doing is stepping up every single year. They are making a run for the DIII Championship.”
As a program on the rise, clearly capable of winning games, Alma has hosted Lubitz three times already.
The Game
Lubitz has the endorsement of his prideful AAU program, the Michigan Mustangs.
“Ben (Lubitz) is a good ball-player,” said Michigan Mustangs AAU Director Carson. “He was a starter for me. Guys are looking for guys that are flashy. He rebounds for his size and he is a tough kid. He is a really, tough kid.”
Lubitz is both tough and mobile. His ability to score in bunches is indisputable. The Mustangs 17u season resembles more of what Lubitz will see in college. Whichever college earns his commitment, Lubitz will be asked to adapt to a balanced offensive system, and efficiently capitalize on his chances.
As long as Lubitz can help his team along in the Class D Tournament, his recruitment will gain steam.
He is not rushed.
If the season ended today, Ben Lubitz would have two strong options to call upon.
“They are taking in consideration that I need time to look at what is best for me,” said Lubitz. “They understand that is a tough situation and a tough choice.”