It seems a bit early to discuss 2023 recruiting, as we're still not fully up to speed for 2022 in light of the health crisis. But, June 15th is the annual date on which juniors-to-be can be contacted directly by college coaches. And with that we have some early insight as to which prospects Juwan Howard and staff are giving serious looks to. Let's run through the early candidates by position with my initial pecking order at each.

**Caveat - I have yet to see some of these prospects live, and so my evaluation may not be fully informed. I will reflect this where applicable.**

 

Guards

#1 With A Bullet: Elmarko Jackson

Measurements: 6'3/185

School/AAU: Academy of New Church (PA)/WeR1 (Under Armour/Delaware)

Short Evaluation: Explosive athlete with a college ready frame. Three-level scorer. Shifty off the bounce. Good pull-up game. Outstanding playmaker for others. Has size and skill to play either guard spot. I was first on the Elmarko train the moment I viewed him in April destroying a Team Thrill team with multiple high-major prospects while playing a year up in the 17u division. The mainstreams are now catching up. Rivals released their 2023 rankings this week and Jackson checked in at #31 overall. 

Recruitment: Michigan contacted him when the direct contact period commenced. Elmarko is the nephew of former Michigan All-American and Indianapolis Colt, Marlin Jackson. He informs me that he was a fan of Michigan growing up. Good academic resume with a 3.3 GPA. Will absolutely blow-up during the live evaluation periods. Reeled-in offers from Maryland and VCU this week. Syracuse reached out as well. Will visit Maryland on Wednesday. Terrapin staff was so impressed with him over the weekend, they will attempt to get Jackson to reclass as a 2022 and commit on spot. This should end well if Juwan Howard pushes in the near future. This is a perfect fit for both parties. 

2) Simeon Wilcher

Measurements: 6'3-6'4/175

School/AAU: Roselle Catholic (NJ)/NY Rens (Nike EYBL/New York)

Short Evaluation: Elite playmaker/passer when I say him in May playing a year up (film above). Good positional size for a PG. Solid perimeter shotmaker, but definitely more of a pass-first type. Above average athlete but lacks quick-twitch explosion. Defined role + good positional size probably translates to day 1 contributor at college level. 5-star to the mainstreams.

Recruitment: Michigan contacted him when the direct contact period commenced. Already highly coveted by several high-majors, with Kansas, UCLA, Oregon, Memphis, Auburn and Illinois among the notables offers. Probably a tough pull given his brother is Nebraska incoming transfer CJ Wilcher.

[Hit THE JUMP for five more 23' Guards]

 

3) Lawrent Rice

Measurements: 6'3-6'4/170

School/AAU: Huber Heights (OH)/All Ohio (Nike EYBL/Ohio)

Short Evaluation: Haven't seen him play live. Very good athlete with good positional size + length. Has some shiftiness off the bounce. Above average pull-up shooter. Above-average playmaker for others. Two-way ceiling is high here. Mainstreams have him in the 70-100 range. Will likely be much higher for me pending my live evaluation. 

Recruitment: Michigan has been in touch. Coaches seem to value Rice the same way I do in relation to the mainstreams. Ohio State, Louisville, Marquette, Xavier and Notre Dame have all offered within the last week. From Dayton-area, will have to fend off OSU if we get serious here. 

4) Jeremy Fears

Measurements: 6'0/175

School/AAU: La Lumiere (IN)/Brad Beal Elite (Nike EYBL/Missouri)

Short Evaluation: Haven't seen him play live. Good shot-creator off the bounce that can make plays for others and get two feet in the paint. Not much volume jumpshooting available via film, but appears to be a solid perimeter shotmaker. Above average athlete for size, but certainly not a quick-twitch type. Lack of size may limit the long-term ceiling. 247 may overvalue him a bit as a top-25 prospect. Hovering around 50ish for Rivals, which feels about right in my preliminary view. 

Recruitment: Michigan contacted him when the direct contact period commenced. From the Chicago-area. Already holds offers from Memphis, Indiana, Gonzaga and Purdue among several others. Stiff competition and a tough pull, but I like others on the list more. 

5) Drew Steffe

Measurements: 6'4-6'5/175

School/AAU: Memorial HS (TX)/Team Griffin (Nike EYBL/Oklahoma)

Short Evaluation: Very good positional size + length. High level of skill and spatial awareness. Good pull-up shooter from midrange and distance. Good playmaker for others as a passer. Big enough to play SG and possibly SF. Limited athlete that also needs to add muscle mass. Has the feel of a productive multi-year college player that may not be athletic enough to go the NBA route absent growing a few inches. Mainstreams have him in the 60-90 range. Might be more of 50-70 type for me pending more evals of 2023 prospects. 

Recruitment: Michigan contacted him when the direct contact period commenced. Notable offers include Oklahoma State, Auburn, Arizona State. Probably not a kid we get far down the road with based on other options and geography.

6) Braelon Green

Measurements: 6'3/180

School/AAU: Undecided (Transferring from Ypsilanti Lincoln)/Bates Fundamentals (Nike EYBL/Michigan)

Short Evaluation: Good athlete with some quick-twitch explosion as a leaper. Above average ballhandler that can change direction/speed with a live dribble. Not a playmaker for others at this stage of development. Originally a 2022 before re-classing, so might be a year old for class? 

Recruitment: Michigan contacted him when the direct contact period commenced. Recent offers from Michigan State, Alabama, Mississippi State and Arizona State. Feels like a kid the staff watches in July and makes an assessment about his standing.

7) John Blackwell

Measurements: 6'3/180

School/AAU: Brother Rice (MI)/The Family (Nike EYBL/Michigan)

Short Evaluation: Good positional size + strength for a lead guard. Good shooter off the catch when feet are set. Above average playmaker for others. Solid handle, but not really shifty and can be a bit loose at times. Average/Above average athlete that doesn't really possess any quick-twitch ability. Needs to be more productive on a consistent basis. 

Recruitment: Michigan contacted him when the direct contact period commenced. VCU just offered, which is his biggest offer to date. Visited Michigan State recently. This is very much a wait + assess type for Michigan.