Basketball

WHY THINGS HAVEN'T HAPPENED YET

We're at a somewhat frustrating stage where it seems like Michigan is on the verge of picking up several commits but has not actually landed anyone except for George Washington III, who withdrew from the portal. And here is the crux: Washington isn't transferring. Michigan infamously got dunked into the center of the Earth by admissions when they tried to bring Caleb Love aboard, and my guess is that Dusty May thinks this is a bad thing so nobody's going to announce until the Ps are crossed and Qs dotted.

Thus the delay for Vlad Goldin, who everyone on the planet is saying will transfer to Michigan. There are rumors of silent commits that I believe—Goldin is certainly one—because there is an obvious reason why the commits would be silent: Michigan is checking transcripts prior to any public announcements. Yes, even with grad transfers.

Thus, we wait.

VISITS PENDING

Friday will be a Large Day, in the parlance of our times. Auburn PG Tre Donaldson and OSU CG Roddy Gayle will both be on campus. 247's Eric Bossi asserts that Michigan is the "team to beat" for both. Isaac Trotter says May is a "huge player" for Gayle. 

Bossi also says that Wisconsin SG Connor Essegian and Auburn PG Aden Holloway will be on campus this weekend. Essegian's pending visit was known but that's the first I've heard that Holloway would be in Ann Arbor. Essegian was at Maryland this weekend and is visiting Indiana today. Holloway will be visiting Alabama on Thursday, to the general merriment of the Alabama internet.

[After THE JUMP: NSFMF]

Well, I was holding off on this post because I wanted something to happen; nothing has yet. Instead I will post this, and thus cause something to happen.

[UPDATE: minutes after this post went up On3's Jamie Shaw predicted 2024 CG Justin Pippen to Michigan.]

VISIT WEEKEND

Michigan had three expected visitors as of a few days ago. Vlad Goldin came in; there has been complete radio silence about his visit.

Yale C Danny Wolf visited this weekend and there is also zero out there. He did not pull the trigger, then. The other team mentioned prominently for him was UNC, and it looks like UNC is pounding the pavement for a starting five. They've been linked to Tennessee's Jonas Aidoo, Kentucky's Aaron Bradshaw (who just committed to OSU), Arizona's Oumar Ballo, and Rutgers's Cliff Omoruyi. Wolf may be further down their board since the rest of those guys are close analogues to Armando Bacot, a defense-and-rebounding kind of C, than the skilled Wolf.

One of their 247 staffers said that they'd "heard no further developments" after Wolf's initial conversations with UNC were reported last week, but there are Trilly Donovan-induced rumors he is going to take a visit to Chapel Hill early this week.

Wisconsin SG Connor Essegian did not come in; he took a visit to Maryland this weekend and is apparently going to take one to South Carolina. He is scheduled to be on campus for the spring game. If that gets pushed further off I'd take that as a signal this isn't happening.

They also had two late breaking/surprise visits. One was Oakland F Trey Townsend coming in on Sunday. Townsend is in that class of grad transfers that is not headed for the NBA and would like to make a hefty chunk of change in his last year in college, understandably. I'm not sure where that leaves Michigan, which is likely going to have to set aside large chunks of their NIL budget for two other one-and-done fifth years in Goldin and Davis.

The other: FAU decommit Lorenzo Cason. Cason was also at Florida this weekend. On3 reports that he wants to have a decision "as soon as possible," so it's probably between the two. Nothing as yet about the other two FAU decommits, Elijah Elliott and Ty Robinson.

[After THE JUMP: positive development with Johnell Davis.]

2 hours and 30 minutes

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