basketball recruiting is dirty like dirt in a dirt sandwich

More bad news: the class that looked to have two five-star recruits 24 hours ago will have none.

*BREAKING* Isaiah Todd (@zaytodd) has informed me that he has officially decommitted from @umichbball and will pursue a pro career overseas. He plans to hire an agent.
READ⏬https://t.co/eB0OBE4Bwz

— Jason Jordan (@JasonJordanSI) April 14, 2020

But hey, we're doing well in CFBRisk!

The Wolverines locked-up their third pledge in the 2020 class today with top-40 center Hunter Dickinson making his commitment to Michigan. 

I will be committing to... pic.twitter.com/31zz80lCbg

— Hunter Dickinson (@H_Dickinson24) December 20, 2019

Juwan Howard scores another impressive victory on the recruiting trail, this time Duke, Florida State and Notre Dame were the other finalists. A head-to-head win over Coach K is certainly delightful independently, but that doesn’t do it justice. Dickinson released a final seven in July that also included the likes of North Carolina and Louisville.  

GURU RANKINGS

All of the services sit in strong agreement on Hunter being a high 4-star prospect in the 30-40 range overall. Rivals, ESPN and Endless Motor mirror each other in terms of physical profile, listing him at 7’1 and 260 pounds. 24/7 gives him an extra inch at 7’2 while tipping the scales at 255. The most recent measurement available comes via the 2019 Nike Skills Academy, where Dickinson checked in at 7'0 and 264 pounds. The differences are trivial in nature. This is a large human-being that is a legit seven-footer with a wingspan in the 7’3 range. 

SCOUTING

Michigan is getting their most polished back-to-the-basket prospect in over fifteen years, since the days of Courtney Sims. Dickinson is a technician in nearly every aspect of the game from 15 feet and in and you can certainly run offense through him in the half court. He has phenomenal touch around the basket for a prospect of his size. His jumphook over the right shoulder is extremely consistent and should be nearly unstoppable at the college level given his sheer size. Hunter consistently bullies defenders by getting into their chest to create space where he converts at the rim with great efficiency. The future Wolverine has good footwork and gets clean looks through multiple pivots and spin-moves to get defenders off-balance as well. He also has a solid midrange game as a pick-and-pop or face-up option that knocks down jumpers from 10-18 feet away.

In addition to his scoring prowess, Dickinson is a great passer that can facilitate extremely well. To put this in context, he may very well be a better passer than high school Jon Teske. When faced with double-teams, which is often, he finds cutters/shooters with pinpoint passes with relative ease and just looks very comfortable operating as a distributor where his ability to see over the defense aids him greatly.

On the other side of the ball, Hunter offers plus rim protection and does a great job of blocking shots while keeping the ball in play and avoiding fouls. He's certainly not adept at keeping ballhandlers in front of him and generally struggles to move his feet in space. But as a mammoth center, he does a good job of boxing out, is an above average rebounder and will alter a ton of shots.

Rivals’ Corey Evans nearly mirrors my evaluation in terms of scoring on the block and his impressive vision. 

“The scuttlebutt surrounding Dickinson is with just how polished he is in the low post. A lefty with impeccable hands and touch around the basket, the lefty can score to the perimeter but is a more than serviceable threat as a 15-foot and in passer that can carve up an opposing defense.”

Jerry Meyer of 247 says much of the same:

“Big body who can occupy space. Not an explosive athlete. Good basketball IQ and positional defender and rebounder. Effective in the high/low game. Knows how to seal his man and can also deliver a pass from the high post. Has reliable jump hook with his dominant left hand. Can make a face-up midrange shot. Should end up being a second-round draft choice.

ESPN completes the three-game sweep with a similar assessment:

“Dickinson is a talented and emerging post prospect. The southpaw has great size, a sturdy frame, and an advanced interior skill set at this early stage. He posts strong to provide a big target on the block, has soft touch, good dexterity around the rim, and an established hook over his right shoulder. He also has a quickly emerging passing instinct that should eventually allow him to be able to play off the elbows and extend his game away from the rim. He runs fairly well and, unlike most young big men, seems comfortable in his own skin. He doesn't back down from older players or high level competition, doesn't appear to mind contact, doesn't show any hesitation or timidness, and competes on the glass.”

There is consensus that Dickinson is a legit offensive weapon that is very likely to average double-digit scoring early at Michigan while providing quality facilitation when doubled. The only glaring knock on the resume is the inability to switch on the perimeter to defend guards/wings. With the game becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented, you can expect the opposition to hunt Dickinson on pick-and-rolls. Having a sample of the defensive approach under Juwan Howard, albeit a very small one, I’m not overly concerned about it. Drop coverage is designed to keep our bigs close to the basket while our guards apply backside pressure, thus mitigating any potential limitations Hunter may have in terms of lateral agility and speed.

[After THE JUMP: we beat out many dirty schools]

All the speculation will be exchanged for concrete information this week. Will five-star commit Isaiah Todd sign early? Will two of Michigan’s remaining targets in Nimari Burnett and Hunter Dickinson be heading to Ann Arbor next year? These questions are widely expected to be answered in the coming days. Let’s take a look at where we stand with all three and welcome a familiar face a bit earlier than expected.  

Nimari Burnett to Announce Tomorrow

Very important announcement on Nov 12th‼️ Stay tuned

— Nimari Burnett (@NimariBurnett) November 8, 2019

Top-25 guard Nimari Burnett will make his college selection tomorrow between Michigan, Alabama, Texas Tech and Oregon at approximately 1pm EST via Instagram/Twitter. Michigan has been involved with Burnett for quite some time, starting with the John Beilein regime. The relationship grew stronger upon the Juwan Howard hiring and culminated in an early September official visit.

Nimari and family haven’t given away many hints throughout his recruitment, and very few have access to reliable information. All four finalists received an OV, and standard fluff-type substance was given in the aftermath of each visit.

Having been in communication with Burnett and family throughout the process, Michigan did a great job of checking the boxes. Nimari would’ve had the opportunity to play on-ball, with sufficient playing time as a freshman in a fast-paced offensive system.

That said, I do not expect Burnett to choose the Wolverines tomorrow. The staff did all they could here, but it would not be a surprise to see Texas Tech land$the Chicago-native tomorrow afternoon.

[Hit THE JUMP for a big-time visitor.]