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Adding some quality depth to the frontcourt in the 2023 class is a priority. With visit season upon us, Michigan appears to be in solid position to land a top-50ish prospect in the frontcourt as we head down the homestretch in multiple recruitments. All the latest intel below.

Papa Kante

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'10 and 225 pounds. Probably closer to a legit 6'8.5 - 6'9 and 215 - 220lbs.

High School/AAU: South Kent School (CT)/Nike EYBL New York Renaissance (NY)

Final EYBL Stats: 10.2ppg, 8.5reb, 1.5blk, 54%% FG and 27.3% from distance on 33 attempts over 26 games

Mainstream Ranking: Received massive bump from On3 and now sits at #32 overall after a strong performance at the Pangos AA Camp. I'd take that with a grain of salt personally, as those camps tend to lack defense and structure (and this coming from someone that runs camps). Wide variance among mainstream services with Kante in the 30-140 range overall. 

EM Ranking/Short Evaluation:  Likely to be in the 40-60 range for my upcoming rankings release. Impact defender that is a switchable big with good agility and defensive instincts on rotations, while being surprisingly disciplined on shot-fakes, etc. Burgeoning offensive skill and getting more comfortable and accurate as a perimeter shooter in recent months. Some potential as a face-up option from the elbows. Still a bit of a tweener that may not be big enough to defend the true mammoths of the B10. Will need development offensively. Multi-year college player.

Latest Recruiting Intel: Currently in Africa to see family, will deliberate on college selection and likely make a public commitment sometime in the new few weeks as it stands now. Official visit to Michigan in June went about as well as it could. Extremely fond of Juwan Howard. Other legit contenders include Rutgers (Gavin Griffiths + family connection), Maryland and Pitt. Wolverines are in solid position here with a decision on the horizon. My hypothetical crystal ball in favor of Michigan remains at a 5-6 confidence level. 

Zayden High

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'7-6'9/185-225. He's a legit 6'8-6'9 and 210 pounds at minimum.

High School/AAU: Arizona Compass Academy (AZ)/Nike EYBL JL3 Elite (TX)

Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/35 - 65 overall

EM Ranking/Short Evaluation: Likely to be a top-50 prospect in my finalized rankings. Skilled F/C that can knock down perimeter shots off the catch or the bounce, can put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles and make a play. Athleticism a bit below average in terms of agility + vertical pop. Tweener that lacks the size/length to defend B10 centers with NBA size, and probably not agile enough to check legit wings on the perimeter. Multi-year college player. 

Recruitment: I'm told that Zayden kept a good poker face for the majority of his OV to Ann Arbor. But the protective wall started to show signs of overt happiness on the final day of the visit. Gave standard fluff to Rivals in the aftermath. Much like Kante, HC Juwan Howard is resonating in a major way with High. Playstyle/lineup combinations under Coach Howard means that Zayden can realistically see himself playing a more perimeter oriented PF position, which is appealing to him. He plays things close to the vest, so its difficult to ascertain the primary competition. Took OV to Villanova in June along with unofficial visit to Texas. Accepted thought seems to indicate that North Carolina + Arkansas and the aforementioned programs are seriously in the mix. 

[Hit THE JUMP for Carey Booth + Happy Trails]

With Hunter Dickinson back for his junior season, the need for a portal big in 2022-23 becomes much less pressing even with the departure of Moussa Diabate.

Still, it is difficult to imagine a situation where Michigan doesn't add an additional big from the high school ranks for the 2023-24 season, as Dickinson will presumably bolt for the professional path if viable. If that scenario comes to fruition, 2022 signee Tarris Reed would be the only true scholarship center on the roster. Let's take a look at the board coming off the final live evaluation period of the Summer.

Papa Kante

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'10 and 225 pounds. Probably closer to a legit 6'8.5 - 6'9 and 215 - 220lbs.

High School/AAU: South Kent School (CT)/Nike EYBL New York Renaissance (NY)

Weekend Performance: 10.4ppg, 9.1reb, 1.9blk, 44.3% FG and 23.5% from distance on 17 attempts over seven games

Mainstream Ranking: Received massive bump from On3 and now sits at #32 overall after a strong performance at the Pangos AA Camp. I'd take that with a grain of salt personally, as those camps tend to lack defense and structure (and this coming from someone that runs camps). Wide variance among mainstream services with Kante in the 30-140 range overall. 

EM Ranking/Evaluation: After what I saw in Kansas City for EYBL Session IV, I now project Kante to have the impact of a 60 - 80 level prospect (was previously 70 - 100) and that may be a tad conservative. Papa was impressive as a perimeter shotmaker in Kansas City (see my film above) and looked increasingly confident in his offense. He's now flashing a back-to-the-basket game and the ability to face-up from the elbow/mid-post and hit pull-ups. It's the best offensive performance I've seen from Papa. 

As good as the offense was, defense is still the area where he's an absolute beast. A switchable defender at 6'9 - 6'10 that protects the rim adequately while being a rebound magnet is a huge commodity in contemporary basketball.

Recruitment: Took an official visit to Ann Arbor in June. Juwan Howard was front row for Kante during last week's final live evaluation period. Papa informed Rivals yesterday that a decision is coming soon. In the same piece, he confirms that he speaks with Juwan Howard after every game. Heading down the home stretch, I still feel good about Michigan's standing. In my purely hypothetical crystal ball, my confidence level is still a 5-6 (in April I said I'd put in 4-5 crystal ball after breaking news that Kante would visit Michigan). Kante is extremely close with former target and Rutgers commit Gavin Griffiths (Griffiths' family accompanied Papa on his OV to Ann Arbor), but I'm told Griffiths/family aren't pushing Papa to Rutgers with real conviction and are content to let him find the best possible situation. Maryland and Pitt seem to be the other serious contenders, but I like where the Wolverines sit as of now. 

Zayden High

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'7-6'9/185-225. He's a legit 6'8-6'9 and 210 pounds at minimum.

High School/AAU: Arizona Compass Academy (AZ)/Nike EYBL JL3 Elite (TX)

Weekend Performance: 12.8ppg, 7reb, 1.2blk, 35.6% FG and 23.8% from distance on 21 attempts over five games

Mainstream Ranking: Now a universal top-40 prospect in the country

EM Ranking/Evaluation: Projected impact resembles that of a top-50 prospect. Good perimeter shotmaker off the catch or the bounce. Good playmaker/secondary shot-creator for a big with good ball-skills. Not a great athlete, so struggles to finish at the rim in traffic based on lack of lift/twitchiness. Does a solid job of protecting the rim at this level, but probably more of a secondary rim protector at the college level based on his size/length/athleticism. Projects to be a good, multi-year college player that can play the PF or C spot based on matchup. 

Recruitment: I broke news a few weeks ago that Zayden would be taking an official visit to Ann Arbor this week. High has maintained Michigan is one of the four schools recruiting him the hardest, but I remained somewhat skeptical based on what I was hearing in terms of distance. That still may be the case, but getting him on campus for a precious OV is indicative of serious mutual interest when available visits are extremely limited. Juwan Howard is the key here, with his ability to resonate with basically everyone while having an impressive development history during his short time as Wolverine HC in tandem with his lengthy track record at the NBA level. Any time Coach Howard gets a kid on campus, there is a chance. 

[Hit THE JUMP for Carey Booth + Xavier Booker]

With Hunter Dickinson back for his junior season, the need for a portal big in 2022-23 becomes much less pressing even with the departure of Moussa Diabate.

Still, it is difficult to imagine a situation where Michigan doesn't add an additional big from the high school ranks for the 2023-24 season, as Dickinson will presumably bolt for the professional path if viable. If that scenario comes to fruition, 2022 signee Tarris Reed would be the only true scholarship center on the roster. Let's take a look at the board coming off the first live evaluation period of July.

Papa Kante

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'10 and 225 pounds. Probably closer to a legit 6'8.5 - 6'9 and 215 - 220lbs.

High School/AAU: South Kent School (CT)/Nike EYBL New York Renaissance (NY)

Weekend Performance: 11.5ppg, 9.5reb, 1.5blk, 60.4% FG and 33.3% from distance over six games

Mainstream Ranking: Received massive bump from On3 and now sits at #33 overall after a strong performance at the Pangos AA Camp. I'd take that with a grain of salt personally, as those camps tend to lack defense and structure (and this coming from someone that runs camps). Wide variance among mainstream services with Kante in the 30-140 range overall. 

EM Ranking/Evaluation: After what I saw this weekend, I now project Kante to have the impact of a 60 - 80 level prospect (was previously 70 - 100) and that may be a tad conservative. Papa was impressive as a perimeter shotmaker in Kansas City (see my film above) and looked increasingly confident in his offense. He's now flashing a back-to-the-basket game and the ability to face-up from the elbow/mid-post and hit pull-ups. It's the best offensive performance I've seen from Papa. 

As good as the offense was, defense is still the area where he's an absolute beast. Rens HC Andy Borman gave Kante the assignment of checking 4-star wing Devin Royal (holds a Michigan offer) and he put the consensus top-100 prospect in the torture chamber repeatedly as you can see in my film below.

Royal isn't a great athlete, but Papa beat him to the spot with consistency and Devin simply couldn't create any space. Kante isn't as twitchy as Moussa Diabate at the same stage, but his lateral movement is mighty impressive.

Take a look at this possession below. Papa blitzes a ballscreen against Duke commit and top-30 overall prospect Jared McCain (who appears very overrated), forces him right before recovering and beating McCain to the paint for a block. 

Here's Kante on an island against a legit guard in 3-star Lawrent Rice. He beats him to the spot twice and forces Rice to feed Devin Royal on a post-entry pass. Papa then digs down on Royal to force a kickout before beating Rice to the spot twice more as the refs bail him out with a cheap foul. You simply cannot teach that level of agility.

As good as the agility is, the motor is just as impressive. Look at my clip below. 4-Star Oklahoma State commit Brandon Garrison is off to the races in transition for what appears to be an easy dunk in a two-on-one scenario. Not so fast. Papa hauls ass and erases the 12-15ft gap that Garrison initially had to prevent an easy two and force a turnover. 

His timing as a shotblocker is impeccable as well. Kante is a bit undersized for a center, so this element is critical to his success as a rim protector and he passes with flying colors. Look at the discipline and timing below.

Recruitment: Took an official visit to Ann Arbor in June. Juwan Howard was front row for Papa during his first two games of the live evaluation period last week. Nothing has changed here, I still feel good about Michigan's standing with a decision that should be coming within the next month. In my purely hypothetical crystal ball, my confidence level is still a 5-6 (in April I said I'd put in 4-5 crystal ball after breaking news that Kante would visit Michigan). Kante is extremely close with former target and Rutgers commit Gavin Griffiths (Griffiths' family accompanied Papa on his OV to Ann Arbor), but I'm told Griffiths/family aren't pushing Papa to Rutgers with real conviction and are content to let him find the best possible situation. Maryland and Pitt seem to be the other serious contenders, but I like where the Wolverines sit as of now. 

[Hit THE JUMP for Carey Booth, Xavier Booker and Zayden High]