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.

[Hit THE JUMP for better news]

Confidence Rising

My first live viewing of 4-star center Tarris Reed came last week in Peach Jam and I've been impressed. The big-bodied Missouri-native is putting up 13.3 points, 7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks during pool play on a superb 61.5% FG. He's buried 2/4 threes while shooting 88% from the line on 25 attempts.

Reed has displayed good footword/pivoting as a back-to-the-basket scorer, uses his superior size/strength to bully defenders as a face-up option, finishes strong around the rim and looks very comfortable as a perimeter shooter. While he's not the most agile big, he rebounds pretty well and eats up space. He is best-suited for the drop-coverage approach that Juwan Howard utilizes on defense. Overall, the mainstreams have Tarris undervalued as a backend top-100 type. He looks more like a 40-70 level prospect.

On the recruiting front, last week I mentioned that I would be close to putting in a hypothetical low-confidence crystal ball in favor of Michigan. Fast forward a week and I would increase that confidence to around a 5-6. I'm hearing that a decision could potentially come by the end of the month for Tarris. If that's the case, this is a race between the Wolverines and hated-rival Ohio State. As of now, I like where Michigan stands.

 

Likely Moot

I was in Omaha on Saturday to see fast-rising big Ernest Udeh and so was Juwan Howard. I've seen plenty of Udeh in the last four months, and this performance was in-line with previous outings. This is an athletic prospect that finishes with power, protects the rim at a high level and changes ends very well. That said, the 5-star status from 247 probably isn't warranted. He's a bit undersized at 6'9, doesn't really have the ability to score exclusive of lobs/putbacks/dumpoffs and isn't fully switchable. The 40-70 range is probably more appropriate here.

Udeh hasn't set up any visits just yet, but as mentioned last week, Stanford and Tennessee are likely to get OVs as of now. The Tarris Reed situation will likely determine how things progress with this recruitment. If Reed doesn't drop for Michigan in the next month, this one should be monitored more closely.

 

A Take Regardless?

The biggest stockriser of the summer for me has undoubtedly been Yohan Traore. As noted last week, the dated film didn't do his skillset justice. The clip above is from a game that I viewed in Omaha and is definitely more representative of the full arsenal. Yohan is an athletic big with tons of skill and versatility. He would fit seamlessly with any lineup based on his combination of size/skill/athleticism.

Traore is rising up the board for Juwan Howard, as he was present in Omaha on Saturday. While an offer hasn't been extended, it may come down the road if things don't go as planned with Tarris Reed. Additionally, there are some on the staff that believe Yohan is a take as a forward regardless of whether Michigan lands one of Reed/Lively/Filipowski/Udeh. I agree with that assessment, particularly if the choice is between Traore and Rodgers.

Its worth mentioning that Traore suffered an ankle injury (relatively minor) in the late stages of a Saturday game and his status for this weekend's live evaluation period isn't clear just yet. That may impact Juwan Howard's ability to see him again in July if he isn't able to give it a go in the early days at the NBPA Top 100 camp starting on July 25th. The NBA draft is July 29th and I would anticipate Coach Howard being present to support Franz Wagner and Isaiah Livers.