jalen duran

The greater DMV-area was the destination over the weekend, as I attended the Team Thrill Showcase  with intriguing matchups between the shoe-circuit powerhouses including Michigan-friendly clubs such as Team Takeover (Nike EYBL) in addition to the host Team Thrill (Under Armour) among others.

If there is one thing we've learned about Juwan Howard, the National Coach of The Year loves big wings and Michigan is in heavy with several blue-chippers. Let's see where we stand with the wing/forwards and dabble into the bigs as well.

Jarace Walker The Playmaker

The first thing that pops-out about 5-star Jarace Walker is the frame. At 6'8 and probably 230 pounds, Jarace looks capable of physically competing in the NBA, let alone college. And while his physical profile passes the eye test with flying colors, the athleticism displayed with his verticality off one or two legs in both the half-court and transition was more noteworthy. He's not the most agile kid out there, but at his projected position, he's most definitely going to have an athletic advantage against most opponents with his combination of size + strength + leaping ability. 

Walker really impressed with his playmaking for others off the bounce and from the free-throw line area. You simply don't find many HS prospects that size capable of facilitating offense. His handle can be a bit loose at times, but he does show the ability to change direction with a live dribble. Shooting is the biggest question I've had for Jarace over the last two years and he didn't do much to ease my concern in that regard. He didn't knock down any triples in the 2 games I took in and still has the same slow release. I've seen him knock down enough jumpers over the years to project him as a solid/average shooter but I'd like to see more development considering he's at a basketball factory in IMG Academy (FL). 

Nothing really new as it relates to Walker's recruitment. He's in no hurry and will likely consider the professional route given his positional size, skill and athleticism. Michigan will be in it until the end here with the all the IMG connections including Jett Howard and 2021 signee Moussa Diabate. 

AJ Casey Quickly Moving To The Top Of The Board

Things seem to be picking up with top-30 wing AJ Casey (Whitney Young HS/Meanstreets EYBL) out of Chicago. In an interview with Prep Hoops last weekend, Casey rattled off Michigan as a school he plans to visit in June once the dead period comes to an end. He also confirmed the same to Rivals a few days ago and had this to say about the Wolverines' pursuit:

"Casey has 17 scholarship offers and says Ohio State, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Purdue and Louisville are among the schools recruiting him the hardest."

Michigan should definitely be considered one of the 5ish legitimate options for AJ. Juwan Howard has heavy Chicago connections and former Wolverine football standout Tai Streets is the program director for the Meanstreets EYBL program. An added bonus - his teammate is 5-star big Jalen Washington (see below). 

On the court he's off to a tremendous start  on the travel-ball scene, consistently knocking down triples to compliment a combination of NBA size and athleticism at around 6'7 with a great frame. In my update a few weeks ago, I said AJ is challenging Jarace Walker as my top option at the wing spot and that sentiment is stronger today after watching some film from the Prep Hoops Chi Town Tip-Off. I plan on getting an updated live evaluation of Casey very soon. Pending that, he looks like the prospect I'd prefer the most at the wing/forward spot. 

[Hit THE JUMP for the full rundown on wing + big targets]

Michigan locked in the first commit for the 2021 cycle when 4-star wing Isaiah Barnes made the call for Michigan last week. Full commitment post here. The Wolverines are surging with a few other wings and have made various top lists over the last week. Coach Howard and staff have taken full advantage of the dead period by replacing live evaluation period time with Zooms and the like.

Charles Matthews Part II?

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— Matthew Cleveland (@MCleveland35) June 29, 2020

Top 25 wing Matthew Cleveland included Michigan in his Top 5 on Monday. I hinted there was mutual interest back in May, and that was confirmed. 

The Atlanta native had a strong start to the travel season with 64 points over 2 games on Saturday suiting up for the Atlanta Celtics at The Opening. Having reviewed the film, it's hard not to see shades of former Wolverine standout Charles Matthews.

An explosive 6’5 wing that is a terror in transition, has the look of a real difference-maker on the defensive end and whose best facet in the half-court is a back-to-the-basket jumper from the elbow. Sound familiar? 

The final 5 has an odd flavor, with Kansas, N.C. State and FSU well-known for their off-court tactics. But I’m told Michigan has a legit chance here, as Cleveland is a Juwan Howard fan and his time at the prestigious Pace Academy has fostered a healthy consideration for academics. 

I’m on record as saying Cleveland doesn’t necessarily have the look of a top 25 type, but I’m also of the view that this would be a major pickup. I don’t think he’ll ever be a number one option on offense at the next level, but his two-way impact would give Michigan a ton of lineup flexibility and help the team win a lot of games. 

[After THE JUMP: More good news with wings. Chet! Notes on 2022.]