2021 in-state target 4* SG Pierre Brooks to MSU
Not a surprise. Would have loved to have him, but long believed to be heading to MSU. I'd like Akins or Bufkin. 2021 is gonna be a big class for us. Hopefully we can recapture some of the recruiting momentum we had.
Couldn't agree more, felt like for a few months there Juwan was rolling on the recruiting trail and our momentum has slowed since. I do wonder how he is going to fill out the 2021 class given how many spots he'll be looking to fill. I'm really hoping they can snag Akins or Bufkin, but I know both had rumored momentum towards MSU. Gotta think Brooks choosing MSU would sway Bufkin elsewhere, but who knows.
The twitters have reported Brooks and Akins are best friends, and the expectation is they would likely attend the same school. Take it for what it’s worth, but I hope the staff is pushing hard for Bufkin. Would be disappointing to go 0-3 of the top in state kids this year.
Just chiming in to give bacon +1 for the Wolves logo. I'm missing EPL bigtime right now, and Wolves are my home club! Huge fan of the "Mexican Sensation!!" :-)
Good for him. Given the way things have been going, and the advanced reporting on his recruitment, this seemed the most likely outcome. Hard to feel poorly about this development from a competitive standpoint.
Izzo wants to mentally abuse kids so he can break them down, then build them back up better.
Like a husband who verbally abuses his wife - in a very similar way he's breaking and controlling her, so that she can be better in the way the husband demands. He's abusive, dominating, and demeaning, but he does love her.
This is he Izzo cycle of mind-fucking players, except many of these kids are 17-18 years old and he's 65.
When I hear his players say "He's hard on me, but only because he cares about me and wants to make me better"; I hear an abused wife saying, "he berates me, but it was my fault."
That’s a little dark Bodo. I agree Izzo isn’t Santa Claus.
Sizzling.
I've thankfully only observed the Tough Love crew so far. They're quite a bunch (perps and victims) in the workplace. I like to think I can smell them from a mile.
Next
Loved the dude's film. But at least was prepared for this outcome.
Great young man from an outstanding family. MSU is the perfect fit for PJ's game, I'm happy for him.
We made it through last night without Jaden Akins committing to Izzo, there was definitely pressure applied on that front yesterday evening.
WITHOUT commiting you hopefully mean?
I was wondering if it was Akins to Sparty or Keels to UVA that you were hinting at. Do you know how hard Michigan is pressing on the in-state guys? Feel like I haven't heard much on them lately.
Do you have any sort of idea what direction the staff would go if Akins joined Brooks at MSU? It really doesn't seem like we're even remotely in on any of the guys we've offered in 2021
I look forward to all the concern trolling about Howard not being able to recruit or close on recruits, despite just bringing in the best class in the B10
Howard will do just fine, but there is a lot of competition out there. He has to keep pushing in Michigan and not turn elsewhere. Izzo will always get some top kids, but we should get our fair share as well.
Juwan brought in a great class but it also has to be put in perspective. We brought in the best class in the B1G but it was also the second biggest class and one of those guys was his son. He's got a big task ahead of him for 2021 as the class is likely to be ~6 guys and if Akins ends up at MSU, we really could be in a bad spot
I think it's clear we have invested a lot in 2020 and haven't focused as much on 2021 yet. I'm guessing the plan was to hit this evaluation period hard. Unfortunately everything was/will likely be canceled due to Covid (no camp, no EYBL, etc.). It will be interesting to see when/how we find more targets. Akins and Bufkin are two obvious ones in-state. We've sent feelers out to several five stars but I'm not sure we have any traction beyond making a few top fives. With so many scholarships open, Juwan and co will have their work cut out for them.
Yes, let’s put it into perspective. We had as many top 100 recruits as Illinois and Wisconsin combined, the next two schools on the ranking list. Michigan State signed two top 100 recruits and our top two recruits are rated higher. Without even including Jace, we would still have the best class in the B10. Recruiting should be the last of anyone’s concerns with Howard and yet, because 2 five star kids decided to play elsewhere, now we get everyone thinking that having the 32nd, 69th, and 86th ranked recruit somehow needs perspective. If you don’t think Howard will work hard for the 2021 cycle, please tell us why?
Yours is the exact post I was referencing. If we don’t land Aikins we could be in trouble. A year before signing day. For a class that won’t set foot on campus for 2 and a half years. It’s concern trolling at its finest
How would that not put us in a bad spot? Not saying it's Juwan's fault we'd be in bad spot, but if we lose out on all the top talent in Michigan, we don't seem to lead for any of the other 5 stars we've offered, and the pandemic really limits our ability to evaluate, offer, and recruit players, then we are objectively in a bad spot. Won't step foot on campus for 2.5 years? The late signing period for the 2021 class is basically in exactly a year and then they'll be on campus that fall
And I really dont think Juwan wants to be battling into the late period in 2021 trying to land players, unless it's one spot and hes kind of reserved it for a top 10 player. I think we can all but rule that out going forward in most cases though with this new G League pipeline.
We have lost out on the top talent in Michigan for the past 15 years. Why would missing out on them this year put us in a bad spot? Johns, Livers, and Austin Davis are the only Michigan guys who will be on the team next year. DeJulius was a Michigan guy, but other than that, you’d have to go back to Derrick Walton for a Michigan signee. Then, Carlton Brundidge. Then Jon Horford. That is all of our Michigan recruits for the past 10 years. 8 total guys and 4 of them were highly ranked. If we are in a bad spot because of the pandemic, so is most of college basketball and it isn’t because we missed out on 2 highly ranked guys from Michigan
FUCK ALL OF YOU!!
Any kid that would voluntarily go play for that fuck is not thinking straight. Idgaf how many final 4s they used to make. The man is a piece of shit and anybody who pays attention knows it.
The expectation, as far as recruiting, was that Howard would recruit a step up from Beilein. His first class is really good, not great. Its not any better than several of Beilein classes. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt on it because he was late to it and had a couple 5 stars jerk him around. The 2021 class is going to be pivotal, especially since it's going to be a large class. Time will tell on his ability to recruit, but I'm a tiny bit concerned with his 2021 instate recruiting so far. I'm withholding judgement as a whole because it's a long road to signing day.
If Castleton, Nunez, and Davis were a class, would you rate them higher than Dickinson, Zeb, and Terrance?
You conveniently mixed classes and left out Iggy, Dejulius and Johns. The class comparison would be
2018: 40, 70, 107, 128 and 305
2020: 36, 69, 86 and 351.
So I would rate them pretty equal which is what I put in my post above, that recruiting so far is not a step above Beilein.
You're correct Juwan pulled a good class that was basically as good as a Beilein good class and people won't admit it. I don't think me or you are complaining about it because it's still a good class, but 2021 is a key year because it's Juwan's first real class and there's ~6 open spots. And so far it's not off to an optimal start some of it his fault and some of it not his fault
That is exactly my point. He pulled a good class, nothing epic. Some of this 2021 concern is coinciding with how 2020 ended, which is probably not fair to Juwan but it is what it is. You add in two top 140 players we arent landing in Brooks and Roper, to go along with Akins being friends with Brooks and Bufkin not being offered yet, othere should be a small margin for concern for the recruit watchers like us. So far, his first class is on par with Beilein from about 2012 and up. This is a very important class for Howard, I think he will do well, but I do have some small level concerns.
Juwan was able to get 3 top 100 kids this year and Beilein was able to get six in his last five cycles. (Chatman, Wagner, Iggy, Johns, Zavier, Poole). His last five class average recruit was 94.5, 91.7, 90.5, 94.3 (with a one man class of Mo basically) and 88 in 2014. Juwan's average this year is 94.7 with his son, and if you take his son out the average is essentially tied with Beilein's best class in 2013 with a 97.5. No, this is what we thought Juwan was going to do when he came in but the class is very good quality, and has three of them. I would hardly say this is an average Beilein class.
It's still to be determined and wont be decided for a few more classes. Beilein would have gotten Jalen Wilson last year and Abdur Rahim, Zeb and prob still Dickinson this year. Not sure who else. The only new ones that came in was Williams and Jace who Beilein wouldnt have targeted. So far, a lot of their recruiting focus on players are pretty similar. My post isnt to critique Howard, just simply to point out a little instate concern I have right now. I had it when Beilein wasnt recruiting the state back when it had consistent talent coming out year after year. I do think with this new G League crap that Juwan will have some issues that Beilein didnt have to deal with. When the top 30btalent gets dipped into, the Duke's of the world will go after other kids that the Michigan's of the world are trying to land.
This is exactly what I was getting at. What's there to be concerned about?
He lost an in-state battle in his first year to a successful in-state coach who's been at his school for like 20 years.
Take off his son, who's the outlier and someone he didn't have to recruit, and it's really no comparison between Year 1 Juwan and the latest Beilein classes as the classes stand, even now.
Had Juwan not been constrained with open scholarship spots while some are taken up by players on the roster who most fans cringe when they check-in (who he'd have to essentially painfully process) I think he'd have an even better class.
Beilein's ceiling is Juwan's floor... Juwan missed on players who were ranked even higher which made it equal. Beilein gave scholarships to players who'd be walkons, purposely. Juwan did it for his son as a last resort. Of course there's the Duncans and Raks but you can/should only do that when you have quality upperclassmen ahead of them if at all. Juwan didn't really have that luxury. He had/has to get more athleticism on the roster pronto. Players that you're refining their gifts rather than trying to squeeze everything out of just so they can be serviceable starters.
My point in purposely mixing classes is that those players are comparable. And If you heard that any of those freshman were starting over those upperclassmen, you wouldn't be surprised.
Hopefully we can get Bufkin instead. Would be a nice fit for us.
Mais non!
I just really hope we get Atkins, although I'm not sure how hard Howard is trying to get him.
April 22nd, 2020 at 10:00 PM ^
Are we in on any of the top 50 prospects for 2021? For I looked at the list on 247 and it seems were aren't at all.
April 22nd, 2020 at 10:26 PM ^
Matt, if Juwan could land his most likely 2021 class right now, who would most likely be in it?