Basketball

Michigan Men's Basketball scooped up a commitment from their first portal target of the offseason, University of North Texas G Rubin Jones: 

North Texas transfer Rubin Jones has committed to Michigan, per his Instagram. He’s a 6-5 guard who can get to the basket and shot 41.6 percent from 3 last year. Michigan’s second commitment of the day, along with Justin Pippen. pic.twitter.com/v7mgLFFv5A

— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) April 19, 2024

We had heard some rumors about a mystery portal target who Michigan was in the advanced stages of discussions with, but hadn't been leaked publicly. That appears to be Jones. A four year player at UNT, Rubin Jones was a contributor over all four seasons he's been there. As a freshman he was a relatively inefficient reserve on a UNT team that upset Purdue in overtime of the NCAA Tournament. Jones played much larger roles in his sophomore and junior seasons, before moving back into a 6th man role as a senior, although he was still high usage when on the floor. Seth graphic: 

For his career, Jones is a .364 three point shooter, a relatively poor .426 from two, and a decent .734 from the free throw line. Listed 6'5", Jones has the ability to guard multiple positions and that versatility makes him a logical fit for Dusty May. Of note, Jones and May have a lot of adversarial experience, as both Florida Atlantic and North Texas were in the Conference USA prior to this past season, when both programs moved up to the American Athletic Conference. That familiarity likely played a role in Dusty's identification of Jones as someone he wanted for his team and also probably played a role in the successful courtship. 

We will have a more detailed rundown of Rubin Jones early next week, when Matt posts a Hoops Hello. There is no content after the jump. 

Dusty May didn't waste time securing his first HS commitment as Michigan's leading man, as Justin Pippen pledged to the Wolverines today. This is a nice pickup given how late in the cycle May came to Ann Arbor in tandem with an extremely small pool of available HS prospects. 

GURU RANKINGS

247 is the most bullish on Pippen, placing him just outside the top 60. Rivals essentially concurs with the national standing, slotting him top-75 in their most recent rankings update. On3 and ESPN are a bit lower on Justin, as they both go with what amounts to a 100-150 ranking. There is  consensus in terms of size, as all services agree on 6'3 and 180 pounds.

I have no basis for ranking any individual in the 2024 class, as I haven't seen enough of those prospects to have an informed opinion. But from a holistic perspective across years, I'd likely lean toward On3 's take here. Pippen has the look of a kid you typically see in that 100-125 range. Admittedly though, the distinction between 60 and 125 is nearly moot these days, so I'm not sure it matters functionally. 

SCOUTING

Though I have sifted through full-game film, I have not evaluated Justin Pippen live. As someone that has scouted professionally for years, multiple live viewings always generate the most informed evals, so caveats apply and my word is certainly not gospel here. With that out of the way, let's get into it.

First and foremost, Pippen is a perimeter shotmaker with legit range. The shot mechanics are very good, with superb balance and nice arc. Justin isn't restricted to stationary shooting, as he knocks down jumpers via pull-ups from midrange and distance with some regularity. From an evaluation/projection perspective, the fact that he maintains excellent balance on the pull-up attempts is really enticing. There is almost zero unnecessary motion and he nearly lands in the identical spot of the initial elevation. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]

THING HAPPENING

2024 G Justin Pippen is announcing tomorrow. With several crystal ball picks for Michigan coming off Pippen's official and a very brief window between said visit and a commitment, this is almost certainly Michigan. None of the other schools in his final five (the others are GT, Stanford, Cal, and Texas A&M) are particularly known for basketball bags, and it's unlikely that the son of Scotty Pippen is prioritizing NIL in his decision.

THE LIMINAL SPACE BETWEEN HAPPENING AND NOT

FAU G Johnell Davis is the biggest name on the board for Michigan, and there's been general optimism about Davis eventually landing at Michigan. That ticked down yesterday after 247's Travis Branham posted something vague and negative about Michigan's chance to land Davis.

A couple hours later a youthful reporter covering FAU asserted that Davis would be on campus this weekend, which was subsequently confirmed by a couple other Michigan recruiting reporters. Then Sam Webb said that Davis was not going to be on campus this weekend, and the original tweet that set off the confirmations was deleted. Davis's absence from campus has now been confirmed, and there's widespread speculation that Davis is looking for bag first and foremost. On the roundtable this morning Webb asserted that Davis to Michigan was "fizzling," as Michigan's NIL efforts won't compare to places like Arkansas or Kentucky.

FWIW, Davis signed with Jay Z's agency.

[After THE JUMP: would you like a Ben Wallace]