jamal cain

No More Visits For Livers

Four-star Kalamazoo Central forward Isaiah Livers, who grew up in an MSU household, caught many people off-guard when he committed to Michigan over the weekend. Following his commitment, however, Livers told 247's Zach Shaw won't take visits to any other schools, and he also went into detail about how he'll be utilized by John Beilein:

“When I visited there in June, they pulled up highlights of like Zak Irvin and Caris LeVert, they want me to play a position like that,” the 6-foot-8 Livers said. “Kind of like a combo forward and when we get on a run still be able to drop down to the ‘4,’ guard the ‘4,’ hit the corner 3 and bang with the big dudes.

“They like when I’m super aggressive. They like when I’m active, cutting, trying to get the ball, taking it to the rack, drawing fouls, and just shooting it.”

Livers's commitment apparently caught even his AAU teammates off-guard, including one of particular interest to Michigan fans:

Insiders weren’t the only ones surprised at the news. 5-star prospect Brian Bowen, who played with Livers all summer and has been a long-time friend of Livers, thought he was heading to State, but was thrilled that he chose Michigan instead.

“At first he was just like ‘what?’ He didn’t think I was going to go there, he thought I was going to State too, he was shocked too,” Livers said.

MSU is the presumed favorite for Bowen. Hopefully his friendship with Livers will play a role in his recruitment. Shaw—a Daily alum and welcome addition to Wolverine247's coverage, I should note—also posted a pretty comprehensive (and free) overview of where Michigan stands with their main 2017 targets following Livers's pledge.

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A Late Riser Emerges?

The young man you see above displaying a visceral hatred for rims is 2016 Grundy (VA) Mountain Mission SG/SF Harold Baruti, who at the moment looks like the most likely option to fill one of the two open basketball scholarships. Baruti came to Ann Arbor on an official visit last weekend, and it sounds like a scholarship offer is on the way as long as he clears an academic hurdle or two:

Per his HS coach, 2016 wing Harold Baruti has not yet received a scholarship offer from his OV to Michigan. But workout went "very well."

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 5, 2016

Re. Michigan and 2016 wing Harold Baruti: Still no scholarship offer. U-M checking if he'll be cleared academically.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 9, 2016

Baruti, who moved to U.S. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo two years ago, also still needs to pass the TOEFL before U-M will offer.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 9, 2016

At 6'6", ~200 pounds, Baruti could provide much-needed depth on the wing. According to Quinn, Utah and Texas Tech are also showing late interest in Baruti, who holds scholarship offers from SMU, UNC-Wilmington, Utah State, and Tennessee Tech. While he doesn't look like the most polished prospect, he's got plenty of athleticism—he looks like a guy who could eventually fill the GRIII role of cutter/finisher who shoots just well enough on corner threes to keep defenses spaced out.

Speaking of wing depth, the just-released senior highlights of 2016 signee Ibi Watson are worth watching. While the highlight video caveat applies, he looks like a strong finisher and impressive passer; if he can hold his own on defense he can see a significant role right away as a backup at the two and the three.

In other hoops recruiting news, Michigan's offer has vaulted them into the top three for in-state 2017 SF Jamal Cain, per TMI's Josh Newkirk:

“(Michigan) is for sure top-three,” Cain said. “My top three, well, the schools that have been in contact the most have been Michigan, Marquette and Xavier.”

Cain mentioned academic support as something that stood out on his visit, and later said that factor is of significant importance in his decision, which should come during or after his senior season.

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M Offers Jamal Cain

Today's roundup starts not with football, but with some long-anticipated hoops news, courtesy of MLive's Brendan Quinn—Michigan has offered three-star 2017 MI F Jamal Cain:

Jamal Cain made the short trip from Pontiac to Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He made the drive back with a scholarship offer in tow.

Cain, a three-star small forward from Detroit Cornerstone Prep, added the Wolverines to his list of committable offers as U-M joined the likes of Xavier, Georgia, Marquette, Florida State and others as his biggest suitors.

Cain's outstanding play over the last season has raised his profile considerably, and Michigan should be a strong contender to land him. M has three open spots in the 2017 class in addition to a commitment from four-star SG Jordan Poole; that number could dwindle to two if John Beilein decides to fill the current open scholarship with a 2016 recruit, but either way Cain will be a top target moving forward.

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