We really only have wing on the roster capable of creating off the bounce from the perimeter - Tray Jackson. He has the combo of size/length + athleticism + ballhandling that is required
The issue for Tray is simpl - he can't buy a jumper. So until he's able to get the jumper to fall at a respectable rate, he likely won't have the opportunity to flash the off-the-dribble facets of his game.
I think he's the most logical answer to Michigan's biggest issue the last 2 seasons - lack of a two-way wing. Hoping he can get the jumper together.
That's the goal - a mix of micro level stuff (think Coach's Clipboard stuff that I do where we go in-depth on specific sets) and macro level stuff (such as this where we look at bigger picture and projections)
It's more challenging to do the macro level stuff for CBB, because the sample is extremely small. Really can't do more than 3-4 per year.
Pline is a great kid, have known him for many years.
Was originally a hoops prospect in HS. From a small town in the Lansing area.
Vouched hard for him as a low-major D1 caliber prospect. Eventually received an offer from Air Force, but wanted to stay closer to home and opted for Ferris State.
Was eventually convinced to go the FB route and it’s worked out for him.
Mason was the quintessential tweener in BB - not quite big enough to be a D1 big, but not quite agile enough to be a D1 wing. Good, but not great shooter as well.
Can’t really speak intelligently as to his FB projection, but I’d assume the athletic limitations may have been applicable there as well.
The way to counter Dug is blitzing coverage in half-court setting. He's really struggled vs that coverage. And I'd be shocked if we don't see more of that moving forward.
He has a bad tendency to retreat with his dribble and turn his back to defenders. It blows up the entire possession when he does that. Definitely think his lack of size plays into that.
I've been really encouraged by Nkamhoua's passing/playmaking. Michigan runs a LOT of offense through him in half-court scenarios. He's almost the third PG on the roster right now to a certain extent
Will has been really good shooting the ball without question, but I weighted the SJU game based on competition level. If he keeps it up, he'll certainly make that Blazing Hot section in short order
There will be improvement throughout the season IMO, particularly from the new additions to the roster.
But the lack of spatial awareness/reads from Dug in half-court scenarios might improve only to a marginal extent. He had these precise type of issues last season and I went in depth about it here:
Dug is a good playmaker for others when freelancing, but lacks spatial awareness in structured scenarios. I think some of that can be attributed to the sheer lack of size...........he simply can't see over the top.
Another contributing factor is Dug isn't all that good at using screens. He tends to not hug the screen on a fairly consistent basis, and it completely negates any advantage
I try to stay away from that dialogue when possible, as it tends to open up some toxic discussions regarding subjective morals and semi-political statements.
In short, money is very powerful as a motivating factor. Prior to the expansion of two-way contracts in the NBA, the available slots to make life-changing money (relatively speaking) were much slimmer.
With each team now allocated 3 two-way contracts per season, the NBA draft has functionally gone from 60 draft spots, to the 120-150 range. In short, more opportunities/supply of life-changing money = less desire to attend classes.
Double Drag = PG above-the-break on either side of the court, receiving two consecutive ballscreens (hence the term Double, in Double Drag)
Spain = a backscreen for the big setting the ballscreen for the PG. Functionally it looks like this - Dug gets a ballscreen from Tarris, then immediately after Tarris scrrens from Dug, Terrance Williams sets a backscreen on Reed's defender to free him up on the roll to the rim. In short, screening for the ballscreener in quick succession
Big distinction between a top-30 prospect in a given year, and a wholistic top-30 prospect in *any* year
In other words, a top-30 prospect in 2023 is not the same as a top-30 prospect in 2018.
For context, Iggy Brazdeikis was #40 on the composite in 2018 and yet he was definitely a better prospect (For college purposes) in relation to Rooths.
If we're talking across any year, Khani more closely resembles a 45-70 type prospect IMO.
FYI - apologize for my absence with recruiting information/evaluations over the summer. A few of my family members have experienced health issues over the last 6 months, so I couldn't hit the road as I needed to ensure the homefront was stable.
In any event, I won't be doing the recruiting stuff much (if at all) going forward. With the portal era being what it is, it has much less significance these days to be totally candid.
But I do intend to be more active with team analysis in terms of Xs + Os, etc. I think the team has some real potential to outperform expectations and I'm excited for the season to play out.
At some point I will have a full Hello for Aaliya. It's been a rough stretch of late, as a few of my immediate family members have experienced health issues.
My apologies for the extended absence, I hope to be back in some capacity in the near future.
Sort of an interesting note on Holloway - she is the sister of former MBB target, Aden Holloway. The Holloways were a bit frustrated with what they perceived to be a slow-play by the staff in favor of Isaiah Collier and ultimately chose Auburn.
Very much a column of its own.............but here's some data for reference.
The 2017 senior class in Michigan features the following players and their respective HS rankings:
Xavier Tillman (rotational player for the Memphis Grizzlies/#106)
Jamal Cain (on the roster for the ECF Miami Heat and definitely appears to be on the cusp of cracking the rotation next season/#142)
Isaiah Livers (Detroit Pistons/#134)
The talent in HS hoops across the country has declined in a MAJOR way, but Michigan in particular is just flat-out bad these days. The best players in Michigan in 2017 were all 6'7+...........the best player in Michigan for 2024 is 6'2.
I have yet to see him live this year, so I can't speak intelligently on Anderson's height. From clips I've seen, he still appears to be in the 5'7 - 5'10 range (with shoes) IMO
Have watched several times in April and he's legit. But 2026 is just too far down the road in the portal era for me to dedicate significant time at this point
Michigan scored 7 points in the first two minutes of the game on the following shots - a Dug pull-up, and contested three by Jett and a three by Dug. McDaniel is a 31.8% shooter from distance and not a good shooter by any standard. Over the next 14 minutes of the first half, the Wolverines scored precisely 18 points..........which is abysmal. The offensive wasn't sustainable IMO from a process perspective.
Probably not viable in the B10 the way it is in the NBA. Oddly enough, Llewellyn got very comfortable defeating the blitz in his last game by rejecting the screens, which is another solution.
Would be shocked if he re-classified. There is a long history of re-classed guards failing miserably (former M target Khristian Lander being a very loud case)
Assuming both are back, then I think it's likely both start in a twin tower lineup. In that scenario, I can definitely envision Kante giving one of Hunter/Tarris a blow for one shift per half.
But this year's team doesn't really have a short PG. Llewellyn is 6'1 - 6'2 and should be an upgrade over both Mike Smith and DeVante Jones.
And Collier doesn't fit the role of an off-ball guard. He's absolutely a ball dominant PG that creates offense for teammates.
Kobe/Jett are being used interchangably as 2/3s. So if you have depth concerns about that particular position, I do think that is reasonable.
I'll say it again though, I just don't concern myself with guard recruiting in the portal era. Rotational Guys under 6'5 are dime a dozen. We've done just that 3 years and counting and it's worked out well each time.
Will try to consolidate my thoughts to questions/comments here.
Can only speak intelligently with respect to BB recruiting, but two factors at play here for the slow start for 2023 recruiting:
A) Michigan is loaded with underclassmen at every single position, so its simply hard to objectively sell early PT, absent a given prospect being an instant-impact OAD type. Particularly when Michigan has been reeling-in top 100 level talent at every spot
B) Michigan operates much more like a traditional college program, whereas the competition operates much more like a professional team on the college-pro spectrum. Functionally, a lot of teams are offering signing bonuses, which the Michigan administration simply isn't going to dabble in. So realistically, Michigan's NIL pitch is "come to Ann Arbor, and we think we can match any other institution in terms of NIL, however you have to wait for a year+ to see any hard cash". As the saying goes, "money talks and BS walks". Kids simply aren't enamored with the college route any more. They want to be pros that get paid.
As someone that grew up with inner-city Cartier culture (commonly referred to as “Cartis” or “Yas”/pronounced Yays)in the 90s, I can see perspective from both angles.
Inner-city Detroit has always had an infatuation with high-end fashion accessories, namely shoes (Mauri gators), chains (Byzantine Chains), glasses (Cartier glasses), etc……things that we sort of made fashionable for urban fashion trends before anyone else. It’s symbolic of Detroit culture and something we’re proud of. So there’s a sense of pride that one of the most impoverished cities in America is a trendsetter for urban fashion trends that are still popular 30-35 years strong.
OTOH, i vividly remember the 90s - people outside of gas stations along West 7 mile and Livernois (Warren to Joy Road during the weekend street races) waiting for a naive person to pull-up so they could rob them for Cartier’s. It’s a very real thing in Detroit proper.
So while I embrace the Detroit culture/trendsetting, I’m also cognizant of the potential dangers associated with it. Like anything, use common sense.
Cincinnati - the Collier situation just happens to be circumstance, as their AC has heavy ties to the Atlanta area. One might say its similar to the DMV ties Michigan has via Martelli. Bidunga is a bit different. Recruiting is a big boy game, and Wes Miller and staff are playing a legal game, along with many other schools.
HS Recruiting in General - I was a bit more subtle about it earlier in the year and have become progressively more candid in recent months. But the fact is that recruiting has changed in a major way. It's simply not worth it for HCs to dedicate years of recruiting to developmental and/or marginal prospects when they can dedicate a few months to a kid in the portal that will have a bigger impact. To that extent, little guys that shoot jumpers are plentiful...........you really don't need to recruit those types out of HS these days. Frankly, you can find a George Washington III out of the portal every year. He wouldn't be a priority for me and I'm assuming that is part of the logic for Holtmann/OSU. He projects as an Eli Brooks type player that is an above-average/good shooter, but isn't a primary on-ball type/playmaker. A 6'1-6'2 SG with limited athleticism simply isn't hard to find in the portal. Michigan's starting PG for the last 3 years will have come from the portal in Smith/Jones/Llewellyn............and each one has/or will be an average starting B10 PG at minimum. Little guards are simply dime a dozen.
Bigs are much different. The likelihood of Michigan getting a starting caliber big out of the portal is almost zero, as those guys are at the very top of the food chain and are limited in number. Michigan absolutely needs to recruit HS bigs basically every cycle.
Decisions - most fans make the mistake of thinking the vast majority of prospects consider objective/on-court criteria in the decision-making process. It simply doesn't work that way. As someone that speaks with prospects/coaches/handlers every single day.............the #1 factor is relationships without a doubt, now followed by money/NIL. Kids go to schools with coaches they trust/like/relate to, regardless of track record/development/winning. College choice is basically all about off-court factors in contemporary basketball.
In short, a version of the NBA is upon us. Massive turnover every year with free agency to address needs. It's really that simple. And the coaches like it better this way.
“Keep in mind the NBA approach these days is to stockpile wings in the 6’5 - 6’9 range to the extent you have a largely switchable defense with the requisite amount of shooting.
I say that because Juwan Howard is clearly influenced by the NBA having spent 20ish years as player/coach. It absolutely impacts his roster construction.
Contrasting that with the lens of college-specific fans, who tend to see things via guard play (unless we’re talking UK/Kansas/UNC/Duke that get pro bigs every year seemingly), it’s easy for me to identify the different logics as someone that dabbles with analysis at both levels.
You can build a winner through both approaches IMO. But quality guards are a dime-a-dozen, particularly in the portal era. Legit bigs are much harder to acquire and present a bigger mismatch IMO.”
The short story - I don’t worry about guard recruiting because small guys that shoot jumpers are plentiful at all levels.
The roster could literally return everyone next season. The reality is there are very few HS prospects in the 2023 class that would be an upgrade over the current roster or what you can obtain in the portal. That changes the equation.
The fundamental question has now become "is this HS prospect better than what I can get in the portal, without spending years of resources?"
No offense to him, but George Washington isn't likely to be an upgrade over the likes of Dug McDaniel, JL or Kobe Bufkin. You can find an undersized guard that lacks pro upside in the portal every year with no problem..........and Michigan has done just that 3 years and counting.
Bigs are much different because there is such a premium on transfer bigs that its probably not realistic Michigan can land a starter quality center in the portal given the academic requirements/NIL limitations. That's where the recruiting emphasis should be IMO. Michigan is in deep with a top-50 big in Kante and has contingency plans should it not work out.
We're loaded with wings, so getting one in 23 isn't a priority absent an instant-impact prospect that potentially projects as a starter.
Keep in mind the NBA approach these days is to stockpile wings in the 6’5 - 6’9 range to the extent you have a largely switchable defense with the requisite amount of shooting.
I say that because Juwan Howard is clearly influenced by the NBA having spent 20ish years as player/coach. It absolutely impacts his roster construction.
Contrasting that with the lens of college-specific fans, who tend to see things via guard play (unless we’re talking UK/Kansas/UNC/Duke that get pro bigs every year seemingly), it’s easy for me to identify the different logics as someone that dabbles with analysis at both levels.
You can build a winner through both approaches IMO. But quality guards are a dime-a-dozen, particularly in the portal era. Legit bigs are much harder to acquire and present a bigger mismatch IMO.
You don't really "offer" Bronny. More likely, you contact Lebron James through back channels to get his initial approval, unless you're Juwan Howard, and have direct contact.
In any event, Michigan isn't actively recruiting Bronny at this point.
With NIL now a driving factor in stay/go decisions (Dickinson in particular) + the 2023 class being extremely weak, the logic on HS recruiting is changing.
I've mentioned on multiple occasions that building a team organically (through HS recruiting) as the exclusive, or even primary method, is waning by the day.
Free agency is upon us, whether we like it or not.
So I can understand the "if we can't land our top guys through the HS ranks, we'll just get plug + play guys via the portal instead of wasting time with multiple years of development on project type HS prospects" approach.
Recent Comments
We really only have wing on the roster capable of creating off the bounce from the perimeter - Tray Jackson. He has the combo of size/length + athleticism + ballhandling that is required
The issue for Tray is simpl - he can't buy a jumper. So until he's able to get the jumper to fall at a respectable rate, he likely won't have the opportunity to flash the off-the-dribble facets of his game.
I think he's the most logical answer to Michigan's biggest issue the last 2 seasons - lack of a two-way wing. Hoping he can get the jumper together.
That's the goal - a mix of micro level stuff (think Coach's Clipboard stuff that I do where we go in-depth on specific sets) and macro level stuff (such as this where we look at bigger picture and projections)
It's more challenging to do the macro level stuff for CBB, because the sample is extremely small. Really can't do more than 3-4 per year.
Pline is a great kid, have known him for many years.
Was originally a hoops prospect in HS. From a small town in the Lansing area.
Vouched hard for him as a low-major D1 caliber prospect. Eventually received an offer from Air Force, but wanted to stay closer to home and opted for Ferris State.
Was eventually convinced to go the FB route and it’s worked out for him.
Mason was the quintessential tweener in BB - not quite big enough to be a D1 big, but not quite agile enough to be a D1 wing. Good, but not great shooter as well.
Can’t really speak intelligently as to his FB projection, but I’d assume the athletic limitations may have been applicable there as well.
TWill definitely has a case! But I did include him the movement shooter section under Warm.
The way to counter Dug is blitzing coverage in half-court setting. He's really struggled vs that coverage. And I'd be shocked if we don't see more of that moving forward.
He has a bad tendency to retreat with his dribble and turn his back to defenders. It blows up the entire possession when he does that. Definitely think his lack of size plays into that.
I've been really encouraged by Nkamhoua's passing/playmaking. Michigan runs a LOT of offense through him in half-court scenarios. He's almost the third PG on the roster right now to a certain extent
Will has been really good shooting the ball without question, but I weighted the SJU game based on competition level. If he keeps it up, he'll certainly make that Blazing Hot section in short order
Absolutely shocked. He was subpar shooter at all three levels in HS.
OTOH, he's been below-average as a playmaker/making reads at Michigan, while he was superb at that in HS.
His college profile is truly bizarre IMO
There will be improvement throughout the season IMO, particularly from the new additions to the roster.
But the lack of spatial awareness/reads from Dug in half-court scenarios might improve only to a marginal extent. He had these precise type of issues last season and I went in depth about it here:
https://mgoblog.com/content/coach%27s-clipboard-closeout-slips
Dug is a good playmaker for others when freelancing, but lacks spatial awareness in structured scenarios. I think some of that can be attributed to the sheer lack of size...........he simply can't see over the top.
Another contributing factor is Dug isn't all that good at using screens. He tends to not hug the screen on a fairly consistent basis, and it completely negates any advantage
Thanks for checking it out! I'm hopeful that I can be a small benefit to your Michigan basketball experience.
It's great to be back here with you guys talking hoops with the best sports community on the planet. I truly love basketball and this community.
Appreciate the kind words. Hopefully I can assist in your enjoyment of the team and aid in your hoops experience with your son!
I try to stay away from that dialogue when possible, as it tends to open up some toxic discussions regarding subjective morals and semi-political statements.
In short, money is very powerful as a motivating factor. Prior to the expansion of two-way contracts in the NBA, the available slots to make life-changing money (relatively speaking) were much slimmer.
With each team now allocated 3 two-way contracts per season, the NBA draft has functionally gone from 60 draft spots, to the 120-150 range. In short, more opportunities/supply of life-changing money = less desire to attend classes.
Double Drag = PG above-the-break on either side of the court, receiving two consecutive ballscreens (hence the term Double, in Double Drag)
Spain = a backscreen for the big setting the ballscreen for the PG. Functionally it looks like this - Dug gets a ballscreen from Tarris, then immediately after Tarris scrrens from Dug, Terrance Williams sets a backscreen on Reed's defender to free him up on the roll to the rim. In short, screening for the ballscreener in quick succession
Didn't get the opportunity to see him live this Summer, so I don't really have an informed opinion on Anderson's height.
In terms of physical profile + playstyle (to a certain extent), I think there are some similarities to former Purdue standout Vince Edwards.
Actually, its the opposite. Rooths is #29 to for 247's individual database and #25 for their composite.
https://247sports.com/player/khani-rooths-46115816/
Big distinction between a top-30 prospect in a given year, and a wholistic top-30 prospect in *any* year
In other words, a top-30 prospect in 2023 is not the same as a top-30 prospect in 2018.
For context, Iggy Brazdeikis was #40 on the composite in 2018 and yet he was definitely a better prospect (For college purposes) in relation to Rooths.
If we're talking across any year, Khani more closely resembles a 45-70 type prospect IMO.
FYI - apologize for my absence with recruiting information/evaluations over the summer. A few of my family members have experienced health issues over the last 6 months, so I couldn't hit the road as I needed to ensure the homefront was stable.
In any event, I won't be doing the recruiting stuff much (if at all) going forward. With the portal era being what it is, it has much less significance these days to be totally candid.
But I do intend to be more active with team analysis in terms of Xs + Os, etc. I think the team has some real potential to outperform expectations and I'm excited for the season to play out.
At some point I will have a full Hello for Aaliya. It's been a rough stretch of late, as a few of my immediate family members have experienced health issues.
My apologies for the extended absence, I hope to be back in some capacity in the near future.
Sort of an interesting note on Holloway - she is the sister of former MBB target, Aden Holloway. The Holloways were a bit frustrated with what they perceived to be a slow-play by the staff in favor of Isaiah Collier and ultimately chose Auburn.
Very much a column of its own.............but here's some data for reference.
The 2017 senior class in Michigan features the following players and their respective HS rankings:
Xavier Tillman (rotational player for the Memphis Grizzlies/#106)
Jamal Cain (on the roster for the ECF Miami Heat and definitely appears to be on the cusp of cracking the rotation next season/#142)
Isaiah Livers (Detroit Pistons/#134)
The talent in HS hoops across the country has declined in a MAJOR way, but Michigan in particular is just flat-out bad these days. The best players in Michigan in 2017 were all 6'7+...........the best player in Michigan for 2024 is 6'2.
He is indeed, my mistake. Thank you for pointing this out.
I have yet to see him live this year, so I can't speak intelligently on Anderson's height. From clips I've seen, he still appears to be in the 5'7 - 5'10 range (with shoes) IMO
Have watched several times in April and he's legit. But 2026 is just too far down the road in the portal era for me to dedicate significant time at this point
I do think the lack of size plays into it, but pocket passes can also be made via bounce-passes.
Michigan scored 7 points in the first two minutes of the game on the following shots - a Dug pull-up, and contested three by Jett and a three by Dug. McDaniel is a 31.8% shooter from distance and not a good shooter by any standard. Over the next 14 minutes of the first half, the Wolverines scored precisely 18 points..........which is abysmal. The offensive wasn't sustainable IMO from a process perspective.
Appreciate the kind words. Hopefully it aids your enjoyment of the team.
Probably not viable in the B10 the way it is in the NBA. Oddly enough, Llewellyn got very comfortable defeating the blitz in his last game by rejecting the screens, which is another solution.
Legit 6'8.5 - 6'9.5 IMO
Detailed analysis of Papa's offensive game forthcoming in the next week
Would be shocked if he re-classified. There is a long history of re-classed guards failing miserably (former M target Khristian Lander being a very loud case)
Need to see him this Spring
Defensively he's more Maceo Baston. He's not as gifted offensively as Mo Taylor at the same stage
Assuming both are back, then I think it's likely both start in a twin tower lineup. In that scenario, I can definitely envision Kante giving one of Hunter/Tarris a blow for one shift per half.
But this year's team doesn't really have a short PG. Llewellyn is 6'1 - 6'2 and should be an upgrade over both Mike Smith and DeVante Jones.
And Collier doesn't fit the role of an off-ball guard. He's absolutely a ball dominant PG that creates offense for teammates.
Kobe/Jett are being used interchangably as 2/3s. So if you have depth concerns about that particular position, I do think that is reasonable.
I'll say it again though, I just don't concern myself with guard recruiting in the portal era. Rotational Guys under 6'5 are dime a dozen. We've done just that 3 years and counting and it's worked out well each time.
Will try to consolidate my thoughts to questions/comments here.
Can only speak intelligently with respect to BB recruiting, but two factors at play here for the slow start for 2023 recruiting:
A) Michigan is loaded with underclassmen at every single position, so its simply hard to objectively sell early PT, absent a given prospect being an instant-impact OAD type. Particularly when Michigan has been reeling-in top 100 level talent at every spot
B) Michigan operates much more like a traditional college program, whereas the competition operates much more like a professional team on the college-pro spectrum. Functionally, a lot of teams are offering signing bonuses, which the Michigan administration simply isn't going to dabble in. So realistically, Michigan's NIL pitch is "come to Ann Arbor, and we think we can match any other institution in terms of NIL, however you have to wait for a year+ to see any hard cash". As the saying goes, "money talks and BS walks". Kids simply aren't enamored with the college route any more. They want to be pros that get paid.
As someone that grew up with inner-city Cartier culture (commonly referred to as “Cartis” or “Yas”/pronounced Yays)in the 90s, I can see perspective from both angles.
Inner-city Detroit has always had an infatuation with high-end fashion accessories, namely shoes (Mauri gators), chains (Byzantine Chains), glasses (Cartier glasses), etc……things that we sort of made fashionable for urban fashion trends before anyone else. It’s symbolic of Detroit culture and something we’re proud of. So there’s a sense of pride that one of the most impoverished cities in America is a trendsetter for urban fashion trends that are still popular 30-35 years strong.
OTOH, i vividly remember the 90s - people outside of gas stations along West 7 mile and Livernois (Warren to Joy Road during the weekend street races) waiting for a naive person to pull-up so they could rob them for Cartier’s. It’s a very real thing in Detroit proper.
So while I embrace the Detroit culture/trendsetting, I’m also cognizant of the potential dangers associated with it. Like anything, use common sense.
I'll try to answer all questions here:
Cincinnati - the Collier situation just happens to be circumstance, as their AC has heavy ties to the Atlanta area. One might say its similar to the DMV ties Michigan has via Martelli. Bidunga is a bit different. Recruiting is a big boy game, and Wes Miller and staff are playing a legal game, along with many other schools.
HS Recruiting in General - I was a bit more subtle about it earlier in the year and have become progressively more candid in recent months. But the fact is that recruiting has changed in a major way. It's simply not worth it for HCs to dedicate years of recruiting to developmental and/or marginal prospects when they can dedicate a few months to a kid in the portal that will have a bigger impact. To that extent, little guys that shoot jumpers are plentiful...........you really don't need to recruit those types out of HS these days. Frankly, you can find a George Washington III out of the portal every year. He wouldn't be a priority for me and I'm assuming that is part of the logic for Holtmann/OSU. He projects as an Eli Brooks type player that is an above-average/good shooter, but isn't a primary on-ball type/playmaker. A 6'1-6'2 SG with limited athleticism simply isn't hard to find in the portal. Michigan's starting PG for the last 3 years will have come from the portal in Smith/Jones/Llewellyn............and each one has/or will be an average starting B10 PG at minimum. Little guards are simply dime a dozen.
Bigs are much different. The likelihood of Michigan getting a starting caliber big out of the portal is almost zero, as those guys are at the very top of the food chain and are limited in number. Michigan absolutely needs to recruit HS bigs basically every cycle.
Decisions - most fans make the mistake of thinking the vast majority of prospects consider objective/on-court criteria in the decision-making process. It simply doesn't work that way. As someone that speaks with prospects/coaches/handlers every single day.............the #1 factor is relationships without a doubt, now followed by money/NIL. Kids go to schools with coaches they trust/like/relate to, regardless of track record/development/winning. College choice is basically all about off-court factors in contemporary basketball.
In short, a version of the NBA is upon us. Massive turnover every year with free agency to address needs. It's really that simple. And the coaches like it better this way.
More likely, they processed him for Taison Chatman. The nature of Bronny's recruitment............is unpredictable at best.
There is often a distinction between reported heights and actual heights.
Dad is realistically about 6’4, so the hope is Christian gets to about 6’.
I'll believe Eric Dailey is going the college route when he signs an NLI
Copied From my last recruiting update:
“Keep in mind the NBA approach these days is to stockpile wings in the 6’5 - 6’9 range to the extent you have a largely switchable defense with the requisite amount of shooting.
I say that because Juwan Howard is clearly influenced by the NBA having spent 20ish years as player/coach. It absolutely impacts his roster construction.
Contrasting that with the lens of college-specific fans, who tend to see things via guard play (unless we’re talking UK/Kansas/UNC/Duke that get pro bigs every year seemingly), it’s easy for me to identify the different logics as someone that dabbles with analysis at both levels.
You can build a winner through both approaches IMO. But quality guards are a dime-a-dozen, particularly in the portal era. Legit bigs are much harder to acquire and present a bigger mismatch IMO.”
The short story - I don’t worry about guard recruiting because small guys that shoot jumpers are plentiful at all levels.
International play doesn’t influence me as much as others in the industry, particularly at the lower levels of competition.
The European game tends to be more finesse-oriented, whereas the US game, specifically the B10, is much more about physicality + toughness + motor.
Elite shooter, but unless he grows from 5’7/130 pounds I don’t take the commitment to be all that serious.
Honestly, it’s just far too early in the portal/NIL era to take 25s seriously.
Trey suits up for Meanstreets in the summer, which is a program that has close ties to Illinois, so they will be in the hunt here for sure.
The roster could literally return everyone next season. The reality is there are very few HS prospects in the 2023 class that would be an upgrade over the current roster or what you can obtain in the portal. That changes the equation.
The fundamental question has now become "is this HS prospect better than what I can get in the portal, without spending years of resources?"
No offense to him, but George Washington isn't likely to be an upgrade over the likes of Dug McDaniel, JL or Kobe Bufkin. You can find an undersized guard that lacks pro upside in the portal every year with no problem..........and Michigan has done just that 3 years and counting.
Bigs are much different because there is such a premium on transfer bigs that its probably not realistic Michigan can land a starter quality center in the portal given the academic requirements/NIL limitations. That's where the recruiting emphasis should be IMO. Michigan is in deep with a top-50 big in Kante and has contingency plans should it not work out.
We're loaded with wings, so getting one in 23 isn't a priority absent an instant-impact prospect that potentially projects as a starter.
Keep in mind the NBA approach these days is to stockpile wings in the 6’5 - 6’9 range to the extent you have a largely switchable defense with the requisite amount of shooting.
I say that because Juwan Howard is clearly influenced by the NBA having spent 20ish years as player/coach. It absolutely impacts his roster construction.
Contrasting that with the lens of college-specific fans, who tend to see things via guard play (unless we’re talking UK/Kansas/UNC/Duke that get pro bigs every year seemingly), it’s easy for me to identify the different logics as someone that dabbles with analysis at both levels.
You can build a winner through both approaches IMO. But quality guards are a dime-a-dozen, particularly in the portal era. Legit bigs are much harder to acquire and present a bigger mismatch IMO.
You don't really "offer" Bronny. More likely, you contact Lebron James through back channels to get his initial approval, unless you're Juwan Howard, and have direct contact.
In any event, Michigan isn't actively recruiting Bronny at this point.
With NIL now a driving factor in stay/go decisions (Dickinson in particular) + the 2023 class being extremely weak, the logic on HS recruiting is changing.
I've mentioned on multiple occasions that building a team organically (through HS recruiting) as the exclusive, or even primary method, is waning by the day.
Free agency is upon us, whether we like it or not.
So I can understand the "if we can't land our top guys through the HS ranks, we'll just get plug + play guys via the portal instead of wasting time with multiple years of development on project type HS prospects" approach.