basketball recruiting roundup

I made the trip to Phoenix over the weekend with 4-star commit Frankie Collins and the majority of Michigan targets participating in the inaugural Border League. This event brought together several powerhouse teams from the West Coast, along with IMG Academy (FL), which features 2022 Jett Howard and several offered prospects.  

The first in a three-part series divvied up by position group, today’s piece will examine the bigs with new film, evaluation and the latest on Michigan’s involvement. Tuesday we touched on Frankie Collins and the guards here, while yesterday focused on Jett Howard and the wings. 

Moussa Diabate Makes A Statement

Competition Level: 2021 Pepperdine commit Carson Basham (Sunnyslope HS) and 2021 Providence commit Legend Geeter (Coronado HS) 

Stock Status: Up

Evaluation: When I last viewed 2021 Moussa Diabate at the DC Hoopfest in December 2019, he was essentially a 5-star athlete with a good motor. Fast forward nearly a year and he’s made significant strides with his skillset that make him one of the very best prospects in America.  

Diabate was the best big at the event, which included #1 overall Chet Holmgren (more below) and 5star Oregon commit Nate Bittle. As I mentioned above, he displayed outstanding athleticism with a great physical profile. He measured in at 6.8’5 with a 7’1 wingspan…as a freshman at the 2018 Nike Elite 100. He’s likely in the 6’10 range now and around 200 pounds. Moussa moves extremely well laterally, and was comfortable switching on the perimeter to defend guards for a few dribbles. His size, length and athleticism all stood out as he high-pointed rebounds in traffic. Diabate blocked shots as a helpside rim protector and closing out on shooters as well.

While his natural physical gifts are unquestionably great, the improved perimeter skill from Moussa had everyone buzzing. Diabate looked really good shooting the ball from the perimeter, knocking down multiple triples with good elevation and nice form. The biggest development was undoubtedly his ability to create shots off the bounce from the wing. The play starting at roughly the :12 second mark is absolutely insane for a 6’10 HS prospect. Moussa blows-by 2022 AJ Storr (Offers from Virginia Tech, Ole Miss and a multiple mid-majors), attacks the paint and delivers a precision shovel pass to a teammate in a tight window while being surrounded by 4 defenders. His passing/playmaking was approaching guard level off the bounce and in stationary positions all weekend long. 

Diabate still put his superior athleticism to good use. On the first possession in the clip above, he absolutely blew by a defender from the wing before hammering down an impressive dunk. He also caught lobs and finished in traffic on dumpoffs and rebounds. His hands are great as well, as he caught everything tossed his way in traffic or not. A play that really stood out to me that may not necessarily mean anything to the casual eye commenced at the :48 second mark. 2022 Jaden Bradley delivers the ball to a sprinting Moussa, who catches the ball just inside the free throw line with a defender waiting to take a charge. He changes direction on the drop of a dime, avoids the offensive foul and lays the ball in with soft touch. That level of body control and quick twitch ability in tight spaces is what makes him a special prospect because it cannot be taught. 

There is no question in my mind that Diabate is very undervalued by the mainstreams at #20 by 247 and #29 by Rivals. He’s a no-brainer 5-star that should be a top 10ish prospect. Moussa is my number one choice for a big in 2021, over Holmgren, Reid and Bediako. He’s the prototype big in modern basketball that can play either the PF or C position and is compatible with any lineup combination. He’s going to be an instant impact player at the collegiate level and will likely be in the NBA sooner rather than later. 

Recruitment: one of the quietest recruitments you’ll ever see from a prospect of this caliber. Diabate doesn’t talk at all, and Eric Bossi of 247 essentially admitted yesterday that nobody knows anything here. Jett Howard is obviously his HS teammate and I suspect Michigan will hang around until the end here. Although I have no inside information, my gut tells me the G League will pursue Moussa. 

[After THE JUMP: Chet Holmgren, the latest on Efton Reid/Charles Bediako and a 2022 big to pursue]

I made the trip to Phoenix over the weekend with 4-star commit Frankie Collins and the majority of Michigan targets participating in the inaugural Border League. This event brought together several powerhouse teams from the West Coast, along with IMG Academy (FL), which features 2022 Jett Howard and several offered prospects.  

The first in a three-part series divvied up by position group, today’s piece will examine the wings/forwards with new film, evaluation and the latest on Michigan’s involvement. Yesterday we touched on Frankie Collins and the guards here.

First Look At Jett Howard

Competition Level: squared off versus 2022 AJ Storr (Bishop Gorman HS/Offers from Virginia Tech and multiple mid-majors), 2021 Providence commit Legend Geeter (Coronado HS) and 2022 Elijah Saunders (Sunnyslope HS)

Stock Status: Same

Evaluation: Having not viewed Jett in person prior to last weekend, I was excited to put eyes on him. Physically he passes the eye test without a doubt. Howard appeared to be a legit 6’5 – 6’6 with good length and a frame capable of adding 15-20 pounds of muscle mass without losing agility. He’s a better athlete than given credit for, with good verticality, nice body control and adequate lateral agility. 

Jett definitely has the look of a wing that projects to be a good shooter at the next level. He has a really smooth release with very good rotation on his shot. Howard appears as though his range can extend out to 28 feet with comfort. All of his attempts from three were quality shots, even though he didn’t necessarily connect at a high percentage. 

Jett isn’t a primary shot creator in the half-court, but he is effective at attacking closeouts and on straight line drives. His long strides aid him in getting by defenders. The possession starting at roughly the :45 second mark really demonstrates this. Howard gets from the corner to the rim in just one dribble for an easy layup. He also moves well without the ball in the half-court, with good situational awareness that allows him to time up cuts to and receive the ball in stride for layups. With his combination of size/length and verticality, there aren’t many bigs that can adequately contest his layups when he gets the ball with a head full of steam. 

The most pleasant surprise for me though was Jett’s ability as a passer. He’s a very good stationary facilitator that can whip passes around and place teammates in position to get easy buckets. While he’s not an on-ball playmaker against a set defense, he did flash the ability to facilitate off the bounce in the open court. 

Defensively, Howard spent the vast majority of his time checking wings and power-forward types in the post. His length is a real plus when contesting jumpers and it allows him to cover a nice amount of space. He also did a great job denying easy post-entry passes by using a ¾ fronting approach and moving his feet to deter easy angles. Jett doesn’t move well enough to defend legit guards and did get blown-by on a few occasions against some of the elite guards at the event. But I definitely like his potential as a wing defender at Michigan. 

Overall, I really liked Jett as a prospect. He’s a shooter with size, athleticism and vision. Howard has very good upside with the potential to be an impact two-way player in Ann Arbor. 

Recruitment: Will inevitably end up in Ann Arbor, but wants to experience the recruiting process before making it official. 

[After THE JUMP: Eric Dailey and a bonus section on Caleb Houstan that you don’t want to miss]

I made the trip to Phoenix over the weekend with 4-star commit Frankie Collins and the majority of Michigan targets participating in the inaugural Border League. This event brought together several powerhouse teams from the West Coast, along with IMG Academy (FL), which features 2022 Jett Howard and several offered prospects.  

The first in a three-part series divvied up by position group, today’s piece will examine the guards with new film, evaluation and the latest on Michigan’s involvement. 

Frankie Collins Is Legit

Competition Level: squared off versus 2021 Hercy Miller (Minnehaha Academy/Offers from USC, LSU, Missouri and others), 2021 top 40 Stanford commit Isael Silva (Prolific Prep) and 2022 5-star Jaden Bradley (IMG Academy)

Stock Status: Slightly Up

Updated Evaluation: This was my first time viewing Frankie live since last Summer, and he did not disappoint. The first thing that pops out for Collins is the leaping ability, as he’s absolutely an elite jumper when going off two legs. It’s no exaggeration to say that his vertical is 40+ inches. The hang time displayed on the possession starting at roughly the :17 mark just doesn’t seem physically possible for a high school senior. A 5’11 Frankie jumps over and through a 7-foot Chet Holmgren, with ridiculous body control and finished with the left hand. Collins’ head is approaching rim level on the possession starting at roughly the :46 mark, before he’s fouled and finishes through contact with the off-hand once again. I suggest you watch those possessions several times. It’s quite enjoyable knowing an athlete of that caliber will suit up for your favorite program. 

In terms of skill, playmaking for others is unquestionably his best facet. Frankie is outstanding at collapsing the defense with dribble penetration, forcing helpside defense and finding bigs at the rim for easy points. Whether its ballscreen action, isolation or transition, Collins fits precision dimes in tight windows consistently. 

As a half-court scorer, Frankie is at his best attacking the rim. He consistently gets in the paint based on his ability to change direction with a live dribble, tremendous strength for a guard and his spatial awareness in small spaces. As a finisher, Collins is able to fully utilize the explosive vertical when he can get a running start in a straight line (more likely to happen against drop coverage defense). When that happens, there is a good chance he’s going to finish or draw a foul because he seeks out contact consistently. If forced to change direction in the paint, he doesn’t get the same level of lift and shotblockers have a much better chance of altering his shot.

The question everyone has is the jumper. Frankie isn’t a volume jumpshooter, but he’s not a total liability in that regard either. Mechanically, I confirm there is some extra motion on the mechanics, but not of the extreme variety in any sense. The jumpshots I viewed were quality for the most part, even if they didn’t necessarily find the bottom of the net. Collins has the potential to be a solid jumpshooter if he can tighten up his mechanics just a bit and add a few inches of arch. 

Frankie is absolutely electric in transition as both a scorer in facilitator. When he gets a head full of steam in the open court, he can simply outjump the opposition to finish or use his vision to hit teammates in stride for layups/dunks. I anticipate him being extremely effective for the Wolverines in transition opportunities. 

The other end of the court is where I was pleasantly surprised. The highlight-reel blocks in the open court are amazing, but more importantly Frankie is an above average/good defender in typical half-court sets. Collins has very active hands and his anticipation is impressive. He jumps passing lanes for steals/deflections and moves well enough laterally to keep ballhandlers in front of him while using his superior strength to bump them off their spots. The one knock I had in my notes is that Frankie tends to go under ballscreens and concedes open jumpers. That certainly won’t be the plan in Ann Arbor. 

Recruitment: Committed to Michigan. Hello Post. 

[After THE JUMP: Jaden Hardy and Jaden Bradley]