Suddenly, the Michigan basketball program has a pair of point guards.

Michigan officially welcomed the fourth member of its 2012 recruiting class Wednesday by announcing the signing of Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) point guard Spike Albrecht.

"Spike Albrecht is an excellent addition to our basketball program," Michigan coach John Beilein said in a statement. "His work habits and love for the game remind me a lot of (former players) Zack (Novak), Stu (Douglass) and Corey (Person). He is a very skilled point guard with strong leadership skills, terrific court vision and a very high basketball IQ."

Spike Albrecht signs his national letter of intent to attend Michigan.

Courtesy John Carroll

Albrecht, a 6-foot-1-inch prospect, has been rated as a three-star player by Rivals.com.

He joins Rivals.com five-star small forward Glenn Robinson III, four-star power forward Mitch McGary and four-star shooting guard Nik Stauskas in the Wolverines' 2012 class.

As of Wednesday morning, Rivals ranked Michigan's class the fifth-best in America.

"We played a very similar offense to what Michigan runs, and this kid is designed for this offense," NMH coach John Carroll told AnnArbor.com last week. "He was years ahead of other players when it came to understanding where this offense could go, and that's what you hope your point guard is.

"And I think he'll be the same for Michigan. I think (Beilein) will have a blast coaching this kid."

Albrecht committed to Michigan last Friday, and at the time, he appeared to be an insurance policy for current Michigan floor leader Trey Burke.

Since then, Burke — who was named the team's most valuable player Tuesday — has announced he'll return to school for his sophomore season, likely pushing Albrecht into a backup role.

Even so, Albrecht fills a big need for the Wolverines, because the transfer of Carlton Brundidge drained the team's primary ball-handling pool.

"I'm really excited to be signing with Michigan," Albrecht said in a statement. "Playing in the Big Ten has been a dream of mine ever since I was little. I'm just happy and thankful that I get the opportunity to attend such a great school and be a part of a great basketball program."

Albrecht set NMH's school record with 241 assists last season and also scored 9.3 points per game, eventually leading his club to a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council AAA championship — besting McGary's Brewster club in the process.

"Spike is a proven winner who values an assist just as much as any points he may score," Beilein said in a statement. "Our team will love playing with him, and our entire coaching staff is looking forward to coaching him in the years ahead."

The Wolverines still technically have two open scholarships for the 2012 season, but they might end up pocketing them both for a future date.

Late Tuesday night, 2012 shooting guard prospect Amedeo Della Valle wrote on his Twitter account that Michigan has stopped recruiting him. Della Valle was scheduled to visit Ann Arbor next season.

Asked earlier in the week if he was finished recruiting for 2012, Beilein was noncommittal.

"Based on what we've seen, nothing's really closed," Beilein said. "You just keep going. We'll continue to look at all our options."

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.

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