Hoops Recruiting Says Here We Go Again
Michigan currently holds a top 5 recruiting class for 2021 after 4star guard Frankie Collins announced for Michigan a few weeks back. While the Wolverines have been burned with 5star recruitments recently, it appears Juwan Howard is making significant progress with the top overall target on the board.
Closing In?
5star forward Harrison Ingram has Michigan in his final 6 along with Stanford, Purdue, Howard, North Carolina and Harvard.
I received word from a reliable source over the weekend that Coach Howard has made a ton of headway here to the point where the Maize and Blue may very well be at the top of the list at this point.
While nothing is imminent, the general vibe of this recruitment lends support to Michigan being a significant player. Ingram included the Wolverines in his top 10, only two days after being offered.
Harrison is a high-academic prospect by all accounts and Stanford’s serious involvement here confirms as much. The educational/athletic combination available in Ann Arbor is likely working in our favor and one cannot discount the potential appeal of playing for a Black head coach in light of the current climate.
My opinion is that this recruitment may be winding down over the next month or so and I like where Michigan stands right now.
[After THE JUMP: more 5star pursuits and the latest Efton Reid chatter]
Making The Cut
6️⃣ @TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/qbIhrA40EF
— Jd Davison (@jddavison10) August 21, 2020
Michigan made the cut for 5star guard J.D. Davison last week despite the lack of a reported offer.
Rivals’ Corey Evans says Michigan was a dream school for Davison, but the childhood affinity probably isn’t translating to a commitment.
“There's no publicity stunt here. Michigan was one of JD Davison’s dream schools growing up. That doesn’t mean the Wolverines have much of a chance, however, because they are trailing the other five schools on his list when it comes to securing his commitment.”
I’m not optimistic on this one, as I’m told this is a deep-South fight between LSU, Alabama and Auburn. I’d love nothing more than Michigan to be a legit option here, as Davison may very well be the best guard in the class of 2021.
Top 12! pic.twitter.com/NuBzENpwI9
— Hunter Sallis (@HunterSallis_) August 23, 2020
Top 25 guard Hunter Sallis included Michigan in his top 12 last week after being offered ten days prior.
While an offer may have just been extended, the Wolverines have been building a relationship here for since May. Sallis is a longshot as Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina are all involved, so don’t get your hopes up here.
This is the “swinging for the stars” approach that Howard can take when you already have a top 5 class in hand with the likelihood of 2-3 spots available.
TOP 9‼️ pic.twitter.com/Vzwhourtok
— Bryce Hopkins (@BryceHopkins) August 30, 2020
4star forward Bryce Hopkins reeled-in a Wolverine offer a few weeks back after de-committing from Louisville and included Michigan in his top 9 yesterday. I had consistent contact with Bryce/his family before he committed to Louisville and he had legit interest in Michigan during that time. However, it would be shocking if he ended up turning down Kentucky at this point. If things go sideways with Calipari though, I do think the Wolverines would be an enticing option and 247 seems to agree:
“If somehow UK falls off, keep an eye on Indiana, Michigan and Providence. Those appear to be the other three contenders for Hopkins, with Illinois and Oregon hoping to find a way into the mix as well.”
Hopkins is more of a luxury with Terrance Williams as the designated PF of the 2020 class and Isaiah Barnes filling the SF position this cycle. Nevertheless, this is the type of “best available prospect” you take if Harrison Ingram decides to go elsewhere.
The Latest on Efton Reid
If you’ve followed the recruitment of top 30 big Efton Reid, then you know it’s provided entertainment value at minimum with various folks at Rivals going back and forth as to who is a legit contender.
Corey Evans’ latest intel once against suggests Michigan is on solid ground here, along with Ohio State, Pitt and Virginia.
“Maybe Kentucky makes a late run at Reid or UNC shows greater interest, but I don’t give anyone outside of Michigan, OSU, Pitt and maybe Virginia much of a chance. All four have a great need at the center position and all four have intrigued Reid to some extent.”
Reid is playing things very close to the vest, but the Wolverines are one of the few programs consistently mentioned. The Team Takeover connections and Phil Martelli’s association with the same bode well.
Michigan would happily take Efton as a 2020 or 2021, but I believe the 2021 situation is more plausible for the Wolverines in terms of projected playing time.
Happy Trails
Top 75 wing Brandon Weston committed to Seton Hall yesterday. He landed a Michigan offer back in May, but once 4star wings Isaiah Barnes and Kobe Bufkin committed during a two-week span in June/July, Weston was essentially squeezed out of a commitable offer. While I like what he brings to the table defensively, Michigan is better off with Barnes and Bufkin. Good luck to the young man.
4star big Legend Geeter released a top 5 over the weekend that did not include Michigan. Juwan Howard never offered and Geeter was a backup option so this isn’t surprising. That said, if Michigan revisits Legend after striking out elsewhere, I think there will be serious interest.
August 31st, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
Literally insane how many top recruits we are in the mix for this late in their recruitment. Juwan has completely revitalized the recruiting for Michigan Basketball, now to get some of those guys to stick is going to be the next step and then having those guys pan out the step after that.
August 31st, 2020 at 12:56 PM ^
Based on the amount of guys Beilein sent to the NBA, recruiting was never an issue.
Getting max time/value out of them in college was.
August 31st, 2020 at 2:27 PM ^
U-M had 2 players go in the lottery range in Beilein's 12 years. Yes, they put plenty of guys in the NBA, but there's room for growth between the Beilein recruiting level and the UK/Duke hard ceiling.
August 31st, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^
These updates are very welcome and I like how we can expect one every 2 or 3 weeks at minimum with more appearing as things unfold. Thanks for your work Matt.
August 31st, 2020 at 2:21 PM ^
Glad I can be of utility to everyone in the MGo community. I honestly feel bad..........the updates would be more frequent during normal times. But intel is generally passed at live events, and obviously its been a challenge in that regard. Still, I'm pretty confident in saying that I've been to more live events in relation to my evaluation colleagues this Summer. Should be on the road again this weekend.
August 31st, 2020 at 11:28 AM ^
Maybe I missed it, but what are your thoughts on Ingram? I think he's a really good player, but I also see him as likely a minimum 2 year college player. His game just doesn't scream one-and-done imo. That's not a knock on his game, he just seems to be a more calculated, skill guy opposed to a freak athlete
Also, what's up with Legend Geeter? His tape seems better than his ranking and offer list
August 31st, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
I'll continue to reiterate my preferred terminology of "return value" 5star to sort of aid in making distinctions between "true 5stars" that are instant impact in college and NBA rotational players at minimum(Jonathan Kuminga), "2nd NBA contract" 5stars (Isaiah Todd) and prospects like Ingram.
We also have to account for the fact that 2021 is historically weak in terms of top-end talent and depth. All that to say that rankings can be very deceptive when attempting to use that guide to project college production.
As it relates to Ingram specifically, he simply lacks the physical abilities to be attractive to NBA GMs unless he produces at a very high rate for a few years. He doesn't move well, is likely closer to 6'5 - 6'6 than 6'7, doesn't handle the ball well enough to be a primary on-ball guy in the NBA and has shot mechanics that give pause when projecting him as a catch and shoot type at the league level.
That said, he has the look of a VERY good college player that produces at a high level for a few years. He's going to be an absolute matchup problem at the college level that scores from all over the court and I see him turning into a 15pt, 5 reb, 3asst guy that is the epitome of a return value 5star/instant impact player with a relatively low ceiling.
August 31st, 2020 at 11:51 AM ^
Agreed, while I think I am a little more optimistic about his potential college statistical ceiling
August 31st, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
Normally, I would be more optimistic in terms of quantitative projection, but with the overall talent on this roster and Juwan’s preference to feed the post, Michigan isn’t going to be perimeter oriented to the extent it was with Beilein.
August 31st, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
Makes sense
August 31st, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
Well Matt I went ahead and watched the Ingram highlights for the first time. Wow! Great body control and passing ability/smarts. Knows where to go with the ball and can get it there.
I never watched the Christopher highlights.
August 31st, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
Harrison Ingram reminds me a lot of Caris Levert. He does not appear to be super explosive. But he is herky/jerky, and once he takes that first step, he seems to be a long strider blowing by you quicker than it appears. He is smooth and pretty strong with very good balance and control.
So much of him reminds me of Caris. But he is much stronger/built at the same stage.
August 31st, 2020 at 12:05 PM ^
4star big Legend Geeter released a top 5 over the weekend that did not include Michigan.
Welp. Geeter done.
August 31st, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
Legendary comment.
August 31st, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
Thanks for the comprehensive update Matt. The one name I didn't see listed on here was Charles Bediako, the other IMG center we have offered. Given the unique situation where we are desperate for a center in this class and our only two plausible recruits happen to play on the same team - wonder how that's playing out in your mind.
The only other question I had was whether the limited AAU or summer games/tournaments have allowed you to watch any of these guys recently and whether you have any other thoughts on their outlook as prospects. (Maybe just the guys we have a shot at....not the pipe dreams on this list.)
August 31st, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
Unfortunately, I haven't viewed Reid or Bediako live in over a year at this point. To oversimplify things, Bediako has a prototype NBA physical profile with good athleticism. He's very raw offensively, but will be an instant impact defender that protects the rim and finishes as roll-man on lobs/dumpoffs.
Reid has legit NBA size, doesn't move as well as Bediako, but is more refined offensively. He'll be a legit back to the basket option early in his college tenure.
August 31st, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
Thanks for the response. To follow up, I presume you'd be excited to get either prospect into the rotation with Dickinson - right?
You offered some insight into Reid's current status/timeline....any similar insight to Bediako?
August 31st, 2020 at 2:28 PM ^
Absolutely. Either would compliment Dickinson well, as both move better by a considerable margin. Hypothetically Coach Howard would have a good response to any big in the B10 - Dickinson the guy that you use to defend less agile bigs, with one of Reid/Bediako utilized against more athletic bigs that can face-up. I don't necessarily think PnR coverage is as much of an issue as some may think if we continue to use drop coverage as our primary defense against ballscreens.
It also allows Coach Howard the ability to play 2 big lineups, as Dickinson is an excellent passer from the high-post and can facilitate offense that way.
In a world that is perhaps too enamored with small ball, one must remember the favorites to win the NBA title, the Lakers/Bucks............are the biggest teams in the NBA that utilize two bigs for nearly 48 minutes.
August 31st, 2020 at 3:09 PM ^
To be fair, LAL have Ant who can step out and make 3s. Same with Brook Lopez who has improved a ton as a shooter where he's a legit threat at corner 3 which allows Giannis to go downhill with 4 out offense. You can play with 2 bigs as long as they can defend and one of them can shoot from the perimeter.
I think Juwan wants lineup flexibility on ability to go small if needed, have ton of switchable wings and go big if needed depending on the matchup. Guy like Terrance Williams who can go small at a small portion of the game to give the bigs breather or present matchup problem.
August 31st, 2020 at 3:14 PM ^
Yeah, I was going to say that while Anthony Davis and Giannis are "bigs".....they are unicorns. They dribble, shoot, pass, run like a deer.....
August 31st, 2020 at 3:27 PM ^
Certainly agree that AD, in particular, is literally the perfect big for any era. But my small-ball reference was more focused on the defensive end. McGee and Lopez aren't really switchable perimeter defenders, and yet the Lakers/Bucks are probably the 2 best defensive teams in the world.
Essentially, you can't score in the paint on those teams and you have to beat them with jumpers. Its nearly impossible to beat a quality team with the majority of your shots being semi-constested jumpers, because that is a high-variance shot type. Layups and FTs are the most valuable shot types in basketball. Portland and Orlando found that out the hard way. Seems like a lifetime ago that Portland was a popular pick by a vocal minority to win the series vs the Lakers. Portland shot 38% from distance in the series, while the Lakers shot 34%........which is a rather large gap. Yet, the Lakers destroyed them in 5 games because LA averaged 50ppg in the paint while Portland averaged 38.
Despite accepted wisdom, size very much matters in basketball.
August 31st, 2020 at 8:29 PM ^
Well, while we're on the topic of bigs, what about Holmgren? Have you seen the kid play? In June he listed Michigan as a possibility??? I believe he and Reid would look pretty good together :)
September 1st, 2020 at 8:44 AM ^
I’m pretty sure the “possibility” thing is more of a “they are in my top 6 so you never know” more so than being a legitimate contender for his commitment. I think I’ve read relatively recently that he is more interested in some of the more blue blood programs and that we are a little ways down the list
August 31st, 2020 at 1:04 PM ^
Looking at things linguistically, I'm sorry to lose an All-Name prospect like Legend Geeter.
August 31st, 2020 at 2:04 PM ^
It's going to be extra weird to see how recruitments go for basketball players because of the travel limitations along with the fact that for a lot of the top guys this is a -1 or 2-year decision at best. Glad to see Howard in the mix.
August 31st, 2020 at 4:15 PM ^
It's great to see Coach H swinging for the fences at this point with a very good 4 player start to the 2021 class. He has some time to sign several big difference makers like Ingram and Reid. I think though that a really good center has got to be the biggest remaining priority. I'd love to see Reid in the class when the dust settles.
August 31st, 2020 at 7:18 PM ^
Matt, what percentages would you put for Michigan to land Ingram and Reid?
August 31st, 2020 at 7:53 PM ^
Low if we’re talking both, as I’m not quite as confident in landing Reid in relation to the mainstreams.
August 31st, 2020 at 8:12 PM ^
Who would be the likely fallback option for a big then?
August 31st, 2020 at 10:26 PM ^
I'm so pumped but it's usually this
Comments