Michigan added a second pledge to the 2024 class when in-state guard Durral Brooks announced his commitment to the Wolverines on Sunday. 

Rivals	ESPN	247	On3
4*, #NR overall	4*, #96 overall #16 SG, #1 mi	3* PG, #127 overall, #17 PG, #1 MI	3* PG, #142 overall, #21 PG, #1 MI

While the star allocations are split between 3* and 4*, the national rankings all coming in around the 100-150 range is a better indicator in this scenario. There is very little difference in this tier when talking basketball recruiting. So while it may appear ESPN is a bit more bullish in relation to the remaining services, functionally its splitting hairs. Three of the four industry leaders list Brooks at 6'2, while Rivals says 6'1. There is consensus on the 180 pound weight. As someone that has likely seen more of Phat Phat than anyone over the last two years, 6'2/180-185 seems perfect. 

[After THE JUMP: scouting, highlights]

SCOUTING

Let's start off with the physical profile. Brooks has good positional size for a lead guard at the college level at 6'2 and solid length, with a frame that is close to college ready. From a size perspective, this breaks the trend from previous classes that saw Juwan Howard take lead guards that were a bit undersized in Frankie Collins and Dug McDaniel. 

Durral is at his best as an on-ball creator for himself and others. He's not the shiftiest of prospects, but the handle is above-average and he changes direction/speeds well enough to carve out space and get where he wants on the court. Phat Phat absorbs contact well and embraces physicality, and that aids tremendously in his ability to navigate the floor as a ballhandler. 

Brooks is an above-average playmaker for others. He routinely finds teammates on dumpoffs + kickouts after collapsing the defense off the bounce and also shows flashes of finding his roll-man in ballscreen action.

As a finisher, Durral excels when he can drive right and/or finish right. The body control is solid and he flashes the ability to change trajectory mid-air to avoid shotblockers. He's not an explosive leaper, but again, the developed frame + core-strength help the cause. Definitely needs to develop his off-hand finishing ability. 

Perimeter shotmaking is the biggest question mark for Brooks. To be candid, the shot mechanics are fine and it's sort of bizarre that he's only attempted 6 triples over eight games in EYBL play this Spring. I'm generally big into process/mechanics as opposed to results at this age, but the reluctance to even get up shots from distance says something about something. To make things even more complicated, Phat Phat is an above-average midrange shooter in my live viewings. Being able to knock down high-difficulty pull-ups from 14-18ft while being a reluctant shooter from three is definitely a unique shot diet in contemporary basketball. 

Physically, Durral is in the solid to above-average range in nearly every facet, with functional lateral movement likely being his best attribute athletically. He's not a twitchy/explosive athlete by any means, but will likely be a slightly above-average athlete with respect to B10 guards given his combination of positional size/strength/balance/agility. 

Point of attack defense may very well be the most projectable part of Phat Phat's game at the college level. As mentioned above, Brooks moves his feet fairly well and should be able to stay in front of most B10 guards. Accounting for the positional size + strength, he should be an above-average/good on-ball defender for the Wolverines as soon as year two. Durral definitely takes pride on that end of the court and is a willing and active defender. 

On3's evaluation mirrors much of your author's take:

Durral Brooks is a physical guard with good length. At 6-1/6-2, he uses a crafty change of pace to touch the paint. While he lacks top end burst he plays with confidence and his head up. Brooks can absorb contact in the paint, getting his body into the defender and creating angles. Needs to tighten the jump shot, become more consistent there, which will open up his entire game. He gives effort on defense, guarding the ball and the passing lanes. He is best defending the ball in the half court rather than the open floor and at his best, with the ball, when he is able to get into the paint. A good passer in traffic, and in the pick and roll.

The UMHoops scouting report is perhaps a bit too high on the athleticism, and maybe a bit too low on the playmaking. But there seems to be consensus on the overall picture for Brooks. 

Brooks is an explosive guard who excels at getting downhill and scoring at the rim. He is a powerful guard with the quickness to get to his spots on the floor with the ball. He’s earned a reputation as a quality defender and capable two-way player. He’s primarily a downhill player at this point in time and his jump shot is the major hole in his game that needs to be addressed. He’s a capable playmaker for others, and has been able to shift between scoring and distributing roles throughout his career. Brooks rarely attempts shots beyond the arc — 13% of attempts this summer — and will need to add to that area of his game as he develops. His favorite scoring spots are in the short mid-range where he can pull up and score, or at the rim.

OFFERS

Michigan beat out Michigan State along with Butler, Dayton and several mid-major programs.

HIGH SCHOOL

Phat Phat attends Grand Rapids Catholic HS. GRCC is one of the very best programs in Michigan's Division 2, winning a state championship back in 2021 and consistently pumping out quality teams in recent years. The quality of hoops in Michigan has declined a lot over the last five years, so its all relative, but the Cougars are likely one of the ten best in-state programs, even if they aren't pumping out a plethora of D1 prospects every year. 

STATS

Durral put up 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks as a junior with GRCC. Currently averaging 10.3ppg and 2.9ast on 45% FG in EYBL play. 

VIDEO

2023 EYBL Highlights:

2022 EYBL Highlights:

Single Game Highlights vs University of Detroit:

2024 Durral Brooks |@10PhatPhat| of GR Catholic Central is known as an athletic slasher, but he impressed today as an on-ball playmaker for others today in a victory over UofD.

Sophomore G had strong moments as an on-ball defender as well. Moves feet well + uses physicality. pic.twitter.com/cymybItzZm

— Endless Motor Sports (@endless_motor) December 28, 2021

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

It is not entirely clear whether Michigan is done taking on-ball types this cycle, but regardless Brooks isn't likely to receive real rotational minutes as a freshman in any scenario absent some major attrition. Dug McDaniel will be a junior when Durral hits campus and Michigan may very well add a guard or two via the portal.

The most likely outcome for a freshman Phat Phat is spot duty as a frosh during the non-conference portion of the season as he gets tutelage from Dug/insert portal addition before cracking the rotation as a sophomore. 

Assuming McDaniel is around for a senior season, a sophomore Brooks figures to be a defensive specialist off the bench that flashes some playmaking ability for others and converts at the rim against scrambling defenses/closeouts. 

Once Dug is out of the picture, things get interesting. Phat Phat will have two years of development under his belt, and presumably the perimeter shooting will be improved. The extent of said improvement will likely decide whether Durral is an impact two-way starter at the B10 level or a change-of-pace guard best utilized as a perimeter stopper that increases pace and scores in transition. 

It's not likely Brooks becomes a volume shooter from distance that hoists 5+ triples a game when he's attempting less than one triple per contest at this stage of development. But I'm still intrigued by the shooting mechanics and think there's some untapped potential there. A reasonable expectation sees Durral get up ~3 per game while connecting on 33-36%. With a midrange pull-up game that is already formidable in tandem with the mechanics, I think he hits that target volume/percentage. 

If that happens, it unlocks a lot of things for both Brooks and the Michigan offense. While I wouldn't label him an elite playmaker for others, he is above-average in that regard. Unlocking that shooting potential probably means that opposing defenses can't go under ballscreens, which opens up passing lanes and exponentially more options in terms of available actions and scoring opportunities for Durral himself as a downhill threat that gets to the rim.  

Once he settles into a starting role where he’s on the court for 25+ minutes per game, a reasonable expectation is probably in the 10-13 PPG range while dishing out 3-5 assists per contest. The Wolverines have operated as a ballscreen-heavy offense under Juwan Howard and a a combination of positional size/playmaking/shooting would probably see Phat Phat as one of the better PGs in the B10. 

While offense is what most folks want to know about, on-ball defense is possibly the area where he makes the greatest impact. Durral doesn't possess elite agility, but he is solid in that regard and it pairs well with the strength/core-balance, size and sheer effort. In a lunch-pale conference that generally lacks top-tier athletes, I definitely think Brooks can be one of the very best point-of-attack defenders in the B10. Don't necessarily think he'll be overly disruptive in terms of generating TOs, but forcing the opposition to eat up clock, staying in front of nearly any guard in the conference, while potentially being a switchable defender from 1-3 has tons of value.

 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

This section is largely irrelevant in the portal era. I won't even pretend to know what Michigan's roster will look like at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 season given the current state of affairs in College Basketball. As of now, Christian Anderson is in the class and Michigan is serious with a few other guards in Boogie Fland and Travis Perry, while casting a wide net at the wing position and sifting through options with the bigs.