aden holloway

Dusty May didn't waste time securing his first HS commitment as Michigan's leading man, as Justin Pippen pledged to the Wolverines today. This is a nice pickup given how late in the cycle May came to Ann Arbor in tandem with an extremely small pool of available HS prospects. 

GURU RANKINGS

247 is the most bullish on Pippen, placing him just outside the top 60. Rivals essentially concurs with the national standing, slotting him top-75 in their most recent rankings update. On3 and ESPN are a bit lower on Justin, as they both go with what amounts to a 100-150 ranking. There is  consensus in terms of size, as all services agree on 6'3 and 180 pounds.

I have no basis for ranking any individual in the 2024 class, as I haven't seen enough of those prospects to have an informed opinion. But from a holistic perspective across years, I'd likely lean toward On3 's take here. Pippen has the look of a kid you typically see in that 100-125 range. Admittedly though, the distinction between 60 and 125 is nearly moot these days, so I'm not sure it matters functionally. 

SCOUTING

Though I have sifted through full-game film, I have not evaluated Justin Pippen live. As someone that has scouted professionally for years, multiple live viewings always generate the most informed evals, so caveats apply and my word is certainly not gospel here. With that out of the way, let's get into it.

First and foremost, Pippen is a perimeter shotmaker with legit range. The shot mechanics are very good, with superb balance and nice arc. Justin isn't restricted to stationary shooting, as he knocks down jumpers via pull-ups from midrange and distance with some regularity. From an evaluation/projection perspective, the fact that he maintains excellent balance on the pull-up attempts is really enticing. There is almost zero unnecessary motion and he nearly lands in the identical spot of the initial elevation. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]

Dusty May Gets It

May did an interview with Champions Circle that had a lot of encouraging quotes in it; Dusty May seems to understand the current state of college basketball and is going to deal with it as best he can:

A lot of times us coaches, I think we expect more out of these young men than we do ourselves. I've tried to be even transparent with my processes of jobs and whatnot and even with our guys at FAU. They read last year that I was up for jobs and this and that, and I explained to them that we're all sacrificing here. I'm not telling you that to earn any more equity with you. I'm just saying that this is part of being a member of something great.

And then you come here, and the contract, the length of years was never my priority with any of these jobs. I wanted to pursue the job that fit me and I felt like we could be the absolute best we could be. But then again, when these players and everyone looks and sees how much coaches make, they naturally want a bigger piece of the pie. They deserve more than what they were getting. But it's such an unregulated market and you never know.

I do want all the players that play for us to be taken care of. And what I mean by 'taken care of': To be able to to have their parents attend games, to be able to eat what they need to eat to be a high-performing athlete. And also, my goal with anyone that has NIL, is save enough money where no matter what happens next, you can at least have a down payment on a house and you have a nest egg built.

That's about right: they should get paid, but it's got to be about more than that. May hasn't put a foot wrong so far in his brief tenure.

Speed Dating

A few guys have progressed to the "actually definitely a target" stage:

FAU C Vlad Goldin fielded another prediction in favor of Michigan, this one from Joe Tipton. This one seems over. Goldin will be on campus this weekend as soon as the dead period ends and I bet one dollar he does not leave campus uncommitted.

[After THE JUMP: new portal entries perk up the ears]

With the addition of Jaelin Llewellyn and the departure of Frankie Collins, the Wolverine roster only has three true guards heading into the 2022-23 season. Barring more transfer additions to the backcourt, the staff will look to add guard depth via 2023 HS prospects. 

Let's take a look at the pecking order heading coming off the first live evaluation period of June.

Isaiah Collier

Height/Weight: Listed height in the 6'2 - 6'4 range, with listed weight ranging between 170 - 205. Eye test says he's probably a legit 6'2 and 190-195.

High School/AAU: Marietta Wheeler HS (GA)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA)

Mainstream Ranking: Now a top-5 overall prospect to both On3 and Rivals. 247 bumped him up to #10 overall. 

EM Ranking/Evaluation: After watching Collier extensively in the Spring, the projected impact is definitely that of a 5-star prospect with an extremely high floor. The playmaking ability for others is off the charts as seen in my footage above. While he was a known commodity as a passer, I didn't anticipate him to be a perimeter shotmaker to the extent I witnessed. Particularly when considering that a good portion of the attempts are difficult pull-ups. He's streaky as a shooter, but even if Collier is a consistent mid-30s type shooter from distance, that translates to a guy that has huge impact on the game given his ability to make others better and get downhill off the bounce. Athletically, my initial comp of poor man's Jrue Holiday was relatively accurate. Isaiah doesn't have the vertical explosion of Holiday (hence poor man's version) and isn't quite as tall, but his strength/core balance is impeccable for a HS junior. Defenders bounce off him when he's attacking the paint and his physicality can be overwhelming. He's not necessarily a shifty ballhandler, but he does have a solid handle and controls the ball while not being a big TO risk. There is no doubt in my mind that he can step in and be a rotational player at Michigan from the day he steps on campus. There is a clear gap between Isaiah and the remaining prospects on this list. 

Recruitment: I checked on things here after the recent West Coast visits to both UCLA and USC, as reports suggest the Bruins are surging. What I can say is that Isaiah's brother resides in the LA area and is looking to get into the entertainment industry. I have no intel to confirm this, but it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if both UCLA + USC could somehow make that goal more attainable if Isaiah were to play basketball at their respective institutions. As it relates to Michigan, the Wolverines are all in here. Collier didn't suit up during last weekend's live evaluation period in Georgia due to injury, but Juwan Howard was still present at Wheeler's game just to reiterate his prioritization of Isaiah. The all-out pursuit is apparently paying dividends, as Isaiah's Mom says he will take his final official visit to Ann Arbor. The staff will try to sell distance and opportunity, as Ann Arbor is much closer to Atlanta and there is no doubt in my mind that Collier would be a legitimate rotational piece as a freshman and the staff feels the same. That said, I don't necessarily know if Michigan can match what UCLA/USC have to offer in this particular scenario. Get him on campus though, and anything can happen. 

Marvel Allen

Height/Weight: 6'4/195 (listed measurements), most likely a legit 6'2 - 6'3 and 185-190

High School/AAU: Montverde Academy (FL)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA)

Mainstream Ranking: As predicted, Allen's stock is slipping. He's now down to #50 overall on 247 and #69 overall for On3. Still holding on to top-25 overall status with both Rivals and ESPN, but I'd anticipate those services following suit as well. 

EM Ranking/Evaluation: I've been subtle in saying that I'm not a huge fan of Allen. To be candid, Marvel has the look of a 100-150 level prospect as opposed to a borderline 5-star. He's a below-average shooter as a catch + shoot floorspacer (shooting 22.7% from distance during EYBL play) and isn't good enough as a playmaker for others to justify playing him on-ball with heavy volume. Allen is a solid athlete, but lacks twitch and doesn't possess great acceleration. But he is strong and can absorb contact when going downhill, getting to the charity stripe at a nice clip for a guard. The fundamental issue for me is that he's functionally a bully-ball wing in the body of a SG. Just don't know that he has the necessary athleticism, given his size, to thrive in that sort of role in the B10. 

Recruitment: Offered in late March. There are connections here, as Allen is the former HS teammate of incoming freshman Greg Glenn. Current AAU teammate of Isaiah Collier for The Skill Factory as well, so the staff has evaluated Marvel extensively over the last year. Took OV to Georgetown in May and the Hoyas still seem to be a serious player here. Says he is 100% taking an official visit to Michigan with Florida State, Texas A&M and LSU being the other contenders. Reading between the lines, this seems similar to the Greg Glenn situation last year. Allen isn't as high on the board in relation to others, but might be the fallback option should we strike out with more coveted options. If Juwan Howard makes a serious push and Marvel does end up visiting, it's likely Marvel ends up in the class. 

[After THE JUMP: Elmarko Jackson anyone?]