Blanchard named to All-America team

Michigan forward LaVell Blanchard has earned a spot on the 2001-02 Playboy Preseason All-America Team.

Blanchard and the nine other players will be honored with a banquet at the Omni Hotel in Chicago on July 14.

While in Chicago, the players will participate in a basketball clinic and pose for the group photo.

The complete list of honorees will not be published until the December issue of Playboy magazine, which should be available in mid-November.

For the last two years Blanchard has led the Wolverines in both scoring and rebounding.

Blanchard"s 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game helped the 6-foot-7 junior earn second team All-Big Ten honors from both the Big Ten coaches and the Big Ten media in 2001.

The Ann Arbor native is also one of 16 finalists for the U.S. World Championship for Young Men Team.

Guard commits: Daniel Horton recently gave a verbal commitment to Michigan coach Tommy Amaker. The Texas native becomes the second member of the Wolverines" 2002 recruiting class, joining Lester Abram of Pontiac Northern.

Horton, a 6-foot-3 point guard, averaged 25 points and four assists for Cedar Hills High last year.

Maybe next year: Kelly Whitney signed to play basketball at Michigan last November.

But the 6-foot-8 220-pound forward from Chicago, failed to meet the NCAA"s academic qualifying standards.

Whitney currently plans to attend Christian Faith Circle, a prep school in North Carolina. He still hopes to play for the Wolverines after this season.

Hometown guy: Former Wolverine, Josh Asselin is expected to be on the Pistons" summer league team, which starts practice on July 7.

Staff reports