Hoops Recruiting Looks For Guards
Michigan secured a third 2021 commitment last week when 4-star wing Kobe Bufkin made it official. Full analysis, film and projection in the Hello Post. With fellow 4-star wing Isaiah Barnes and 3-star big Will Tschetter also on board, the Wolverines are solid at the wing spot for this cycle and are off to a decent start with bigs. Michigan is turning the heat up for guards and things may move quickly in light of the health crisis precluding visits.
The In-State Option
Top 6? pic.twitter.com/GFtBx2QRwk
— Jaden Akins (@JadenAkins3) July 20, 2020
4-star guard Jaden Akins announced a final 6 yesterday of Michigan, DePaul, Michigan State, Northwestern, Florida and Mississippi State.
I’ve gone on record multiple times to say that style of play is the appeal for Michigan and Jaden confirmed the same yesterday:
“Michigan – Coach Howard is a good player’s coach. It’s a good system with pro-style sets, that’s interesting to me that he comes from the pros and brings that knowledge and experience.”
While Northwestern is definitely more of a threat than people realize, their pursuit has cooled a bit recently as they’ve ramped up things with 4-star guard Tamar Bates. Florida is relatively new to the party, but might be a school to watch because of that reason. In the end though, I see this as a classic Michigan/Michigan State battle.
Rivals has been claiming that Akins is a near lock for Michigan State since at least May, but nearly three months have passed without Jaden making a commitment in favor of the Spartans. I’ve countered that by saying the Wolverines are in the hunt based on depth chart and play style. Michigan is absolutely a serious option here folks.
The initial plan was to take official visits, see the how season plays out for the respective finalists and get a better feel for roster composition accounting for likely NBA departures. But it feels like the health crisis may expedite the process here and a decision might come prior to the Fall.
Look, MSU is unquestionably in good standing. But there is a clear path to early playing time in Ann Arbor and that is attractive.
[After THE JUMP: the Beilein play, even more guards, Will Tschetter highlights, this week’s edition of not happening.]
The Beileinian Target
what y’all think? @TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/BqaSSm1c9D
— angelo brizzi (@abriz14) July 14, 2020
Michigan made the final 8 for 3-star guard Angelo Brizzi last week. This is a very winnable recruitment, with the remaining competition mostly high academic programs and Arizona.
Brizzi plays things very close to the vest in our conversations, but the Wolverines are on solid ground for sure. Assistant coach Phil Martelli has been recruiting Angelo for years dating back to his days at St. Joe’s.
The shotmaking guard out of Virginia is a different type of kid though, and I don’t get the vibe that he’s going to choose a school based exclusively on name recognition/historical basketball success. I don’t think there’s any question Michigan is likely in the upper half of that final 8, but getting a proper read on him has proven difficult.
New Kid On The Block
Top 8 ?? pic.twitter.com/K6glaib40i
— frankie? (@Frankiecollins0) July 11, 2020
Top 75 guard Frankie Collins included the Wolverines in his final 8 a few weeks back despite the absence of a reported offer. Michigan seems to have entered the mix back in May and things have progressed.
Collins doesn’t fit the typical Juwan Howard profile as he is much closer to 5’10 than his listed height of 6’1, but does have some explosion as a finisher and is shifty off the bounce as a shot creator. The biggest question regarding Frankie’s skillset is whether he’s an adequate shooter.
In any event, it seems as if Collins may have more interest in Michigan than is being reciprocated. Depending on things unfold with the existing guard offers, that may change in the coming weeks/months.
Martelli's Guy
4-star guard/wing Jalen Warley has the Wolverines in his top 10, but Michigan is likely in a top 3-4 based on extensive family ties to Phil Martelli. Both his father and uncle suited up for Martelli at St. Joe’s, and that undoubtedly is a plus.
In 247’s national notebook last week, Brian Snow and Josh Gershon note that Michigan, Oregon and Florida State are 3 programs to keep an eye on.
One school that is definitely getting a lot of talk is Michigan. Wolverine assistant coach Phil Martelli has a long-time connection to the family, and also Head Coach Juwan Howard has built a strong connection with Warley and his family. The Wolverines definitely look like they will be a school that is involved until the end. While some question ultimately how far Warley wants to go from home, two other programs seemingly right in the mix being talked about as potential options are Oregon and Florida State. Both programs have also done a good job building a bond with Warley and are expected to be in this battle for the long haul.
I speak with Jalen frequently, and he’s in no rush to make a decision. Michigan has some tough competition here as several heavy hitters are involved and the bluebloods may poke around at some point. But there’s no question Phil Martelli is going to keep us in the thick of things to the very end at minimum.
Tschetter Has Solid Outing
Over the weekend I was in Minneapolis to get a live viewing of 3-star commit Will Tschetter. As he generally plays lower level competition in both high school and AAU, I was curious to see how he would stack up against legit high major prospects in a championship game versus D1 Minnesota (Adidas sponsored) at the D1 Summer Classic.
The results were a bit mixed, but Will is a prospect that has some intriguing offensive abilities and is a solid pick-up in a class that could get up to 7. I’ll have a very thorough scouting report this week.
File This Under 'Not Happening'
I will be announcing my commitment this Tuesday at 3 pm Eastern time! I will also be breaking down my decision this Tuesday on the @SInow show with @JasonJordanSI stay tuned!!
— Matthew Cleveland (@MCleveland35) July 19, 2020
Top 25 wing Matthew Cleveland will make his decision today, choosing among a final 5 of Michigan, Stanford, Florida State, Kansas and N.C. State. Don’t expect Michigan to win out, as Florida State holds all 6 crystal balls and seems to be a good choice based on style of play.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been told Cleveland and his family have a desire to play for a Black head coach and Michigan obviously fits that description along with N.C. State and Florida State. FSU being closer to home during a pandemic obviously helped their cause here.
In Passing
A solid source informed me over the weekend that “Emoni Bates has zero intention of ever suiting up for Michigan State.” While I haven’t spoken with Emoni or his father directly on the issue, I think this is probably an accurate claim as of today based on all the information we have.
Happy trails to top 50 wing Quincy Allen, who committed to Colorado on Friday. Quincy is definitely a great long term prospect with some NBA upside, but he’s the type of low floor/high ceiling kid that I’m skeptical about helping a college team win a ton of games. With Isaiah Barnes and Kobe Bufkin in the mix, he was more of a luxury. Allen is an outstanding kid and I wish him nothing but the best.
Appreciate all the insight here! What would you rank the guards as far as most likely to end up in the class? Warley, Brizzi, Akins, Collins?
I’ll bury this here, but I literally just received word that Angelo Brizzi is likely coming off the board to Villanova at some point soon.
I could tell by his name, geography, and play style that he was Nova bound lol
Wish him all the best. Hope we never play him.
That seemed like a likely landing spot for the next DiVencenzo ?
Great spot for any player to go. He'll do very well there.
Also related to WS. After watching Will Tschetter in his championship game online, I have some concerns as to how productive he will be at Michigan. He was matched up with David Joplin, a three star similarly ranked PF to Will and Will seemed overwhelmed defensively. His offensive game is fairly polished with a quick release and good range on his jumper and his footwork in the post is refined. However, he seems to lack the athleticism needed to defend, rebound, and create his own shot. His stats from the weekend were almost all less than five rebounds a game which isn’t ideal for a 6’8 kid. He also struggled to finish around the rim due to an inability to elevate and explode. On defense his lack of quickness made him an easy target to drive on and also made him have to close out cautiously on shooters to the point they could get their shot off without a contest. I’m hoping the staff didn’t overvalue his film against small school competition in Minnesota. Would you say that’s an accurate assessment, Matt?
I’ll have a very detailed analysis on Tschetter and there are definitely some concerns defensively. Again though, in a class that is likely to get up to 6-7, he’s a solid early get.
I love that Juwan seems to be able to get into everyone's top-8 list....just need to close some down the stretch here.
Do you see Michigan entering the picture for other guards like Tamar Bates or Carter Whitt given the competition we're facing here on our top three of Warley, Akins, and Brizzi?
So if Bates has no intention of playing in college, then what's the reasoning for committing to MSU? It's not like he was getting hounded by recruiters. No one was even trying except for MSU.
Notice that the commitment announcement went along with their announcement of starting Ypsi Prep. Not a coincidence
Maybe MSU agreed to issue the charter for Ypsi Prep and Bates returned the favor by committing. MSU gets a recruiting boost even if he never attends.
Seemed like a favor to Izzo for being the only coach to actually recruit him
Whatchu talkin bout chemist?!
I was trying!
Maaan I really want Jaden Akins in this class. The kid looks ELITE and can't imagine that there are 9 point guards in the country that are better than him (according to 247 composite ranking).
Would also be nice to steal him from sparty after they've been the assumed leader for so long.
I really like his play as well. This one will hurt if it ends like we think.
"The initial plan was to take official visits, see the how season plays out for the respective finalists and get a better feel for roster composition accounting for likely NBA departures. But it feels like the health crisis may expedite the process here and a decision might come prior to the Fall."
This is the paragraph that really stuck out to me that makes me think we have a legit chance. Obviously there is no guarantee he follows my logic, but here's my thought process:
Right now the CBB season is pretty up in the air. Will the season be canceled? Maybe. Right now MSU is pretty full at the guard spot: Watts, Hoggard, Loyer, and Christie as kinda combo guard. MSU fans seem to think that Watts will leave after this year (even though I disagree) and Loyer is a transfer option. If Akins goes to MSU and the season gets cancelled, then there's a solid chance he walks into MSU as the 3rd or 4th PG option plus Christie. That's a pretty packed backcourt. Where as if he we were to go to Michigan he'd walk in as potentially the starting PG depending if we pull Warley and what position Zeb Jackson ends up at
I would like that pairing very much as well...if only!
I love Akins' play and skillset as a PG. He can both score the ball and facilitate his teammates. He is so dynamic with the ball in his hands and he demands significant defensive attention. Even in his tapes he exudes character, confidence and an excellent understanding of the game-he is first and foremost about his team winning...and that is what defines an elite PG.
Wonderful double post!
Let me just add that I believe Akins and Bufkin would be an excellent pairing at guard. Both are wonderfully unselfish.
If we end up with Warley and Bufkin at the guard positions, how well do you think they would play together? Seems like they are both versatile combo guard types and I imagine it working pretty well in theory but was curious what your thoughts are. Would one be more ball dominant than the other?
Warley is a very good player-an outstanding scorer. It is interesting that he is listed as a PG/combo guard by different sites. I just watched a 4 minute clip of him-he did not pass the ball one single time...not one. (It would be interesting to see him live.) That said, Bufkin would be fine playing alongside Warley because he actually is a combo guard who can and will distribute the ball.
This accentuates the value of a player like Akins. Akins does it all. He is adept at bringing the ball up against pressure and initiating the offense. He shoots the 3 well enough to demand respect. He is very quick and can break his defender down off the dribble and finish. He is very efficient in the mid-range level. He has great floor vision, is a very good passer and loves to set up his teammates. He has the quickness, strength and tenacity to defend other top-level PGs. He is not a dark hole when he possesses the ball. Everything I have seen says he is the ultimate team player...and you put him on the floor with outstanding teammates he will shine.
I am biased toward the value of guard play..."we" rule...the team goes as "we" go. In my view, with this large recruiting class, having Akins, Bufkin and Warley would be scintillating.
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