dereck lively

With Hunter Dickinson likely gone in 2022 after a lengthy flirtation with professional options and Moussa Diabate having one-and-done potential, Michigan is absolutely taking a true center in the 2022 class. The Wolverine board expanded quickly after the staff identified new prospects during the live evaluation period.

I hit the road over the weekend, making stops in Augusta and Indianapolis for the Nike EYBL and Under Armour shoe-circuit events. I now have a firm grip on pecking order with the bigs after gathering the latest intel and will cover each option in order of staff preference (as opposed to most likely).

Reed Sets Decision Date

4-star Tarris Reed will go public with his commitment on August 5th. Last week I placed my hypothetical crystal ball confidence in the 5-6 range. As an update, my CB confidence would be 9 if Reed were making his decision today. But there is more than a week to go, and in the recruiting world that is a lifetime of opportunity for others to make last ditch efforts. 

Michigan has the most recent visit in late June and the only real competition at this point is Ohio State. The Buckeyes just landed Tarris' AAU teammate in top-50 center Felix Okpara, so all things point to Michigan for Reed barring a last-minute change of heart. 

The St. Louis native was one of the most impressive bigs during EYBL play, putting up 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and nearly a block per game against the very best HS competition in the world. This would be a great get by the staff, as Tarris is a legit back-to-the-basket scorer with solid vision as a passer and some upside as a shooter that can face-up and put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two.

I'll answer the inevitable question now - I'd lean toward Reed for Michigan if given the choice between Tarris/Okpara. In a vacuum, both prospects are in the same tier, with Okpara being a better defender by a healthy margin, while Reed has a significant advantage offensively. The difference? Tarris will  be coached by Juwan Howard and Okpara will not. 

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With Hunter Dickinson likely gone in 2022 after a lengthy flirtation with professional options and Moussa Diabate having one-and-done potential, Michigan is absolutely taking a true center in the 2022 class. The Wolverine board has expanded quickly after the staff identified new prospects during the live evaluation period.

I hit the road over the weekend, making stops in Dallas and Omaha for the Under Armour and Adidas shoe-circuit events. I now have a firm grip on pecking order with the bigs after gathering the latest intel and will cover each option in order of staff preference (as opposed to most likely).

Doubtful

5-star Dereck Lively has been downright dominant on the defensive end against the best HS competition in the world at Peach Jam, averaging a whopping 5 blocks per game through seven games of pool play. He's also put in 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds on 53.5% from the field in nearly 26 minutes per contest so far.

Juwan Howard is making his preference clear, as he was front and center for Dereck on the first day of last weekend's live evalulation period. As I mentioned last week, Lively has been publicly gushing over Kentucky and I've heard things are close to being done there since mid-June. And we now have our first crystal ball in favor of the Wildcats. With his ascension though, the professional route is now becoming a viable option as well. For that reason, I don't necessarily think Dereck is intent on wrapping things up in the near future. This could drag out to the fall, but I don't think Michigan is a legitimate threat to land his commitment unless he makes his way to campus.

The Biggest Longshot

Super-skilled big Kyle Filipowski has been putting on an offensive clinic during pool play at Peach Jam, averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 assists(!) on 45.5% from distance and 58.7% FG. He's also pulling down 7.6 rebounds and blocking a shot per game for good measure.

Coach Howard also took in Flip while in Augusta, and it's clear Michigan is shooting its shot here. I'll continue to stress that Filipowski plays travel-ball for the nephew of Duke leading man Mike Krzyzewski. Kyle was on campus at Duke for an official visit three weeks ago and picked up four crystal balls in favor of the Blue Devils in the immediate aftermath. Two more CBs came in for Duke last week. Long story short, I believe Durham is the destination until it isn't.

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With Hunter Dickinson likely gone in 2022 after a lengthy flirtation with professional options and Moussa Diabate having one-and-done potential, Michigan is absolutely taking a true center in the 2022 class. The Wolverine board has expanded quickly after the staff identified new prospects during the live evaluation period.

I hit the road over the weekend, making stops in Atlanta and Birmingham for the Under Armour and Adidas shoe-circuit events. I now have a firm grip on pecking order with the bigs after gathering the latest intel and will cover each option in order of staff preference (as opposed to most likely).

**Note - a very reliable source tells me that Michigan is dealing with four open scholarships for 2022 as of right now, and that includes a spot for Jett Howard. Functionally, the Wolverines have two open spots as of now.**

This Is Number One

5-star Dereck Lively (Pennsylvania/Team Final Nike EYBL) is the number one option on the board and it's hard to disagree with that. With NBA size/length and athleticism, he's an elite defender that is extremely disruptive to the opposition. Offensively his game is expanding rapidly, as he's now hitting triples routinely and is flashing a back-to-the-basket scoring package to compliment his explosive finishing at the rim.

Although Michigan is in a public final 7, it feels like the Wolverines are on the outside looking in after Dereck took an official visit with Duke after completing an OV with Kentucky a few weeks ago. In an interview with 247 from yesterday, Lively made no mention of Michigan while saying this about Kentucky:

"Everything there just blew my mind, even just being around the team and coaching staff, being around all that talent and coaching staff was amazing. I was able to play with them. It felt great. I fit in perfectly and I feel like that's a place I can see myself in. Coach Cal is coming tonight so I’m going to be able to show off infront of him."

It's hard to read those quotes and believe he doesn't up in Lexington if he plays college basketball. This one looks like a longshot and I'm told he hasn't locked in a visit to Ann Arbor and hasn't really had serious discussions with the staff regarding the same.

Second Option

5-star (for me) Kyle Filipowski (New York/NY Rens Nike EYBL) is perhaps the most offensively skilled big on the board. With a potent perimeter shot, the ability to put the ball on the floor and vision to create shots for teammates. Juwan Howard extended an offer three weeks ago after watching him during the live evaluation period and has been in hot pursuit since. Coach Howard has now taken the lead in this recruitment and a visit has at least been discussed per a 247 article from the weekend:

"Coach Howard loves my game style and the person I am. Academics is important to me as well and they have a really good academic program so I like everything they have to offer. I would potentially like to visit there in the future."

I'll reiterate that Filipowski plays travel-ball for the nephew of Duke leading man Mike Krzyzewski. Kyle was on campus at Duke for an official visit two weeks ago and picked up four crystal balls in favor of the Blue Devils in the immediate aftermath. I don't think you need me to tell you how this one is likely to end. But just to be thorough, I checked on where things stand once again this weekend, and it would be near shocking if Flip plays his college ball anywhere other than Durham.

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