I made the trip to Phoenix over the weekend with 4-star commit Frankie Collins and the majority of Michigan targets participating in the inaugural Border League. This event brought together several powerhouse teams from the West Coast, along with IMG Academy (FL), which features 2022 Jett Howard and several offered prospects.  

The first in a three-part series divvied up by position group, today’s piece will examine the guards with new film, evaluation and the latest on Michigan’s involvement. 

Frankie Collins Is Legit

Competition Level: squared off versus 2021 Hercy Miller (Minnehaha Academy/Offers from USC, LSU, Missouri and others), 2021 top 40 Stanford commit Isael Silva (Prolific Prep) and 2022 5-star Jaden Bradley (IMG Academy)

Stock Status: Slightly Up

Updated Evaluation: This was my first time viewing Frankie live since last Summer, and he did not disappoint. The first thing that pops out for Collins is the leaping ability, as he’s absolutely an elite jumper when going off two legs. It’s no exaggeration to say that his vertical is 40+ inches. The hang time displayed on the possession starting at roughly the :17 mark just doesn’t seem physically possible for a high school senior. A 5’11 Frankie jumps over and through a 7-foot Chet Holmgren, with ridiculous body control and finished with the left hand. Collins’ head is approaching rim level on the possession starting at roughly the :46 mark, before he’s fouled and finishes through contact with the off-hand once again. I suggest you watch those possessions several times. It’s quite enjoyable knowing an athlete of that caliber will suit up for your favorite program. 

In terms of skill, playmaking for others is unquestionably his best facet. Frankie is outstanding at collapsing the defense with dribble penetration, forcing helpside defense and finding bigs at the rim for easy points. Whether its ballscreen action, isolation or transition, Collins fits precision dimes in tight windows consistently. 

As a half-court scorer, Frankie is at his best attacking the rim. He consistently gets in the paint based on his ability to change direction with a live dribble, tremendous strength for a guard and his spatial awareness in small spaces. As a finisher, Collins is able to fully utilize the explosive vertical when he can get a running start in a straight line (more likely to happen against drop coverage defense). When that happens, there is a good chance he’s going to finish or draw a foul because he seeks out contact consistently. If forced to change direction in the paint, he doesn’t get the same level of lift and shotblockers have a much better chance of altering his shot.

The question everyone has is the jumper. Frankie isn’t a volume jumpshooter, but he’s not a total liability in that regard either. Mechanically, I confirm there is some extra motion on the mechanics, but not of the extreme variety in any sense. The jumpshots I viewed were quality for the most part, even if they didn’t necessarily find the bottom of the net. Collins has the potential to be a solid jumpshooter if he can tighten up his mechanics just a bit and add a few inches of arch. 

Frankie is absolutely electric in transition as both a scorer in facilitator. When he gets a head full of steam in the open court, he can simply outjump the opposition to finish or use his vision to hit teammates in stride for layups/dunks. I anticipate him being extremely effective for the Wolverines in transition opportunities. 

The other end of the court is where I was pleasantly surprised. The highlight-reel blocks in the open court are amazing, but more importantly Frankie is an above average/good defender in typical half-court sets. Collins has very active hands and his anticipation is impressive. He jumps passing lanes for steals/deflections and moves well enough laterally to keep ballhandlers in front of him while using his superior strength to bump them off their spots. The one knock I had in my notes is that Frankie tends to go under ballscreens and concedes open jumpers. That certainly won’t be the plan in Ann Arbor. 

Recruitment: Committed to Michigan. Hello Post. 

[After THE JUMP: Jaden Hardy and Jaden Bradley]

Jaden Bradley The Table Setter

Competition Level: squared off versus 2022 Oakland Fort (Sunnyslope HS/Northern Arizona offer), 2021 top 40 UCLA commit Will McClendon (Bishop Gorman HS) and 2022 5-star Jaden Hardy (Coronado HS)

Stock Status: Slightly Down

Evaluation: My initial live eval of Bradley came in Phoenix, and while he certainly impressed, I didn’t necessarily come away convinced that Jaden is a top 10 level prospect.

Bradley has good positional size for a point guard at around 6’2 and likely in the 180-185 range. He’s an above average/good athlete in nearly facet, from straight line speed, to lateral movement, verticality and body control. He’s solid, but not exceptional in any way. 

What he lacks in elite physical traits, he certainly compensates for in vision. Jaden is an elite passer, period. He’s a top 5 table-setter in high school basketball regardless of class. His spatial awareness and ability to throw pinpoint passes at multiple angles/speeds is a natural gift that cannot be coached. Bradley makes the game easier for everyone around him better and has the potential to average 6-8 assists per game in college once he’s a starter with 25+ minutes per game. 

As a ballhandler, Bradley doesn’t string together change of direction moves in the mold of a Kyrie Irving. But he absolutely has the ball on a string, maintains a tight dribble and rarely turns the ball over. So while his handle may not be And1 material, he gets wherever he wants functionally. 

While his playmaking ability is beyond question, Jaden’s lack of shooting prowess is a slight concern. To be fair, Bradley only attempted a single jumpshot during my live viewings in Phoenix and his mechanics weren’t poor, so the information is limited. But the lack of attempts gives me a certain level of pause in this era of basketball. Lead guards attempt pull-ups at an extremely high rate and seeing a ball-dominant guard get up one jumper may be indicative of something. 

To exacerbate the unwillingness to shoot from the perimeter, Jaden is an average finisher. He tends to avoid contact in most cases and his forays at the rim become high-difficulty/low percentage attempts that aren’t likely to draw fouls. His layup attempts require high-level acrobatics in order to convert and that probably isn’t a recipe for success if you’re not an elite athlete. 

In sum, Bradley projects to be an elite shot creator for others at the college level. He may very well be the best true PG in HS basketball right now, but he appears to have limitations as a scorer that may hinder his impact. Based on his performance in Phoenix, I’d probably have Bradley in the high 4-star range rather than a composite top 10 prospect. I’d love to see Jaden be a more willing shooter, even if the percentage isn’t great.

Recruitment: Michigan appears to be a serious player in the early going. In an interview with Rivals, Pops says Juwan Howard is “building a crazy good relationship.” Mom tells 247 that academics are big for them as parents, while the chance to play immediately is a priority for Jaden. This is definitely a recruitment to monitor, as Jett Howard is Bradley’s teammate at IMG and those two certainly have complimentary skillsets. 

Jaden Hardy Coming For the #1 Spot

Competition Level: squared off versus 2021 Hercy Miller (Minnehaha Academy/Offers from USC, LSU, Missouri and others), 2021 top 40 Stanford commit Isael Silva (Prolific Prep) and 2022 5-star Jaden Bradley (IMG Academy)

Stock Status: Up

Updated Evaluation: There’s really no other way to say it, Hardy was the best prospect in Phoenix (in a field that included composite #1 Chet Holmgren) by a wide margin. He absolutely dominated every game I took in, including a 46 point outburst to knock off a loaded Prolific Prep team on Saturday night.

Jaden has good positional size for a lead guard at around 6’3 – 6’4 with a developed frame that allows him to bully the vast majority of high school guards. But the quality that separates Hardy from any other 2021 prospect is his pull-up game. Jaden has the best jumper in America off the bounce. Its just that simple. His range off the dribble is absurd, as he routinely hits contested 30 footers that demoralize the opposition. The degree of difficulty on some of these attempts is unfathomable. I mean, this kid was hitting double clutch triples from 28 feet away………and nothing but net. 

I could certainly nitpick his game from a long term, NBA viewpoint, but that would be a disservice to the performance he just put on against some of the best competition in the country. Jaden is going to be an instant impact college player that will likely be an all-conference performer as a freshman. If I had to update my 2021 rankings as of this very moment, Jaden Hardy would be my overall #1 prospect. He’s earned it. 

Recruitment: Michigan has hung around here based on the home-town ties (Jaden is originally from Detroit), but isn’t thought to be a serious player. Kentucky was the presumed leader until recently, but UCLA is getting most of the recent buzz. I don’t think Michigan has much of a chance here unless Nevada forbids HS basketball. If that happens, things could get slightly interesting, but even then, it would be an extreme long shot. And let’s not dismiss the G-League route, because Hardy is that caliber of player.