Indiana groomed Michigan's Zak Irvin, who returns home for NCAA tourney

INDIANAPOLIS – James Irvin had a flashback as he sat in the front row at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday, watching his son race around the court in Michigan’s open practice.

More than a decade ago, he was in the same stands watching the same kid, with no idea what the future held.

Zak Irvin was just a fifth-grader, playing for the Hamilton Southeastern district Royals youth travel team.

Irvin sat in those stands for Indiana Pacers games but knew in the moment “it’s different actually being on the court.”

He and his friends would launch three-pointers from the NBA line, just being kids and goofing around.

The game was a perk of the youth program, that every team gets a game on the big court and, as Zak recalled, “everyone was ecstatic."

Especially his proud father, still beaming all these years later.

“He hit the game-winning shot, too,” James recalled.

Irvin will take that same court on Friday when No. 7 seed Michigan faces No. 10 seed Oklahoma State in the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Regional (12:15 p.m., CBS).

It's a homecoming of sorts for Irvin, Indiana’s 2013 Mr. Basketball. U-M senior co-captain will try to extend his college career.

“I’m trying to embrace it,” Irvin said. “This is my last go-around, my last year, it’s nice to be having the first round here in Indy, being able to have my family and friends here. The Indiana guys have enjoyed this experience.”

In the beginning

Jeff Meyer remembers seeing Irvin for the first time nearly seven years ago.

The Michigan assistant coach was in the gym at Hamilton Southeastern to watch local star and eventual Michigan State signee Gary Harris, who even as a sophomore was a magnet for Division I basketball (and football) recruiters.

Irvin was in the gym, but few of those people noticed.

A junior varsity scout team player, Irvin was running the point against Harris and the varsity, trying to use his skinny frame to get noticed.

Meyer asked an old friend, HSE athletic director Greg Habbeger, if there was anyone else worth watching. Irvin's name popped up and was written down by Meyer.

“He had command of his team,” Meyer remembers.

Irvin was looking at Meyer during the first encounter.

“The maize polo? You definitely can’t miss that when he walks in the building,” Irvin said. “At that point Gary had everyone coming in every other day. I knew my time would come. I was patient. And soon enough it did.”

There was always a connection to Michigan, and when Irvin visited with his parents and sister as a sophomore, he was hooked on the university that “was different than all the other schools that I went to.”

Indiana and Purdue offered, but Irvin never flinched after Michigan added assistant LaVall Jordan to the staff. The pair already had a strong bond from Jordan’s time at Iowa.

Irvin stayed patient as U-M stuck to the Beilein plan of not offering until June 15 of a player’s sophomore year. Irvin committed six weeks later, and later signed as expected to officially spurn his home state.

The Twitter criticism came from the locals, even crossing the line a few times. But even when Irvin wanted to respond, his mother Marcia restrained him.

Irvin channeled any anger to his opponents.

“It was one of the bigger mistakes that we over at Fishers High School could have made,” said U-M's Sean Longeran, who went to a rival high school in the Hamilton Southeastern district. “We always used to chant ‘sidekick’ at my man Z Irvin. Then my senior year, he came out and put 28 on us in the first half. Absolutely killed us.”

Irvin followed Harris in winning Mr. Basketball, then headed north to Michigan.

Maturing man

A week ago, after Michigan’s plane crash, Irvin called his parents and emotionally spilled his feelings from the traumatic day.

They listened intently, and only when he was finished and they were assured he was safe were they comfortable.

There were highs and lows in Irvin's four years at Michigan; from the Elite Eight as a freshman to battling out of a scoring slump this season. He twice has been named U-M's MVP, sharing it the first time with Spike Albrecht. . Still, James stamped as his favorite moment this year's run to the Big Ten title, during which the Wolverines won four games in four days on the heels of the plane crash.

“What Zak Irvin did defensively in the Big Ten tournament has not been talked about enough,” U-M assistant Billy Donlon said Thursday, raving about his lock-down performances, beginning with Illinois’ Malcolm Hill. “His defensive performance individually was at an elite level…. He was a good defender, but he took it to another whole level for the Big Ten tournament.”

Embracing his job, not the spotlight, is why his teammates and coaches revere him. He has his own NBA aspirations, but has embraced his closest friend Derrick Walton Jr. taking the lead in the past six weeks.

“He has made this team a priority over his own performance,” Meyer said. “Zak has told him, 'we need you, for our team, to be that guy.' ”

When Indiana residents get their last college look at one of their natives, the one who started small and grabbed their most coveted award, they’ll see a grown man, looking to make his final in-state stamp.

“If we’re winning, I’m doing something right,” he said. “I’m a team guy. At this point in March, the more games you win, the more people that see you play.”

With stands filled with friends on Friday, it should finally be cheers. And if it comes down to a game-winner? He’s been there before.

Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!