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 after the first live evaluation period of July.

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)

Weekend Performance: Sat out due to injury

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'm told Collier has locked in an official visit to Ann Arbor during late July. It's no stretch to say that he's the number one overall target for the class of 2023, so securing an OV is a huge positive. Assuming he makes it on campus, this absolutely makes Michigan a serious option. I can't imagine many head coaches have the ability to connect with prospects and their respective families to the extent that Juwan Howard does. That said, West Coast visits to both UCLA and USC tell you that SoCal is looming large in this race. 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 Collier were to play basketball at their respective institutions. The staff absolutely sees him as rotational piece as a freshman and I concur. To that extent, the pitch will be early opportunity, as the lack of guard depth is favorable to this particular scenario. 

 

Elmarko Jackson

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'3 and 185 pounds. That appears very accurate to my eyes.

High School/AAU: Recently transferred to South Kent in CT (now teammates w/Papa Kante)/Under Armour WeR1 (DE)

Weekend Performance: 15.8ppg, 3.5asst, 47.4 FG% and 43.8% from distance on 16 attempts over six games

Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/60-150 range

EM Rankings/Evaluation: Projects to have the impact of a prospect that ranks in the 40-60 range overall if his performances this year are the new normal. I've watched Jackson live eight games since April and each time he's looked much better than last year as a shooter. As you can see from the film over the weekend, Elmarko is consistently hitting midrange pull-ups and triples off movement. My most recent viewing came last month in Connecticut and Jackson hit at least two pull-up triples in all three games I viewed live. He's a twitchy athlete with some real acceleration + strength and getting to the rim has never been a problem. While the decision-making in terms of playmaking is still inconsistent, there are flashes there that allow one to project him favorably in that regard. Don't necessarily know if he'd be a guy that plays heavy minutes as a freshman, but there is some pro upside down the road given his positional size + athleticism in tandem with the much improved perimeter shotmaking. Would much prefer him in relation to Allen. 

Recruitment: Juwan Howard offered the first of July after seeing him live and coming away impressed in back to back weekends in June. Absolutely blowing up, with offers from Villanova, Indiana, Texas, Kansas, LSU, Virginia, Tennessee, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Pitt and DePaul in the last month alone. Juwan kicked off the live evaluation period by taking a front row seat to see Elmarko in Atlanta. Michigan is making a concerted push now, conducting a Zoom call with Jackson last week prior to the live evaluation period. The Wolverines view him as more of combo-guard/shooting guard and are prioritizing both Isaiah Collier and Elmarko, as they visualize that backcourt pairing to be one of very best in the country. Their are serious family ties here, as former Michigan FB standout and Indianapolis Colt, Marlin Jackson is Elmarko's uncle. As someone that is fairly tied-in here, Michigan entered the mix a bit late and has some work to do, but there can be no denying the affinity for the Wolverines. We're talking about a family that was in attendance at the 2005 Rose Bowl to see Marlin + Michigan when Elmarko was a toddler. As of now, the tentative plan is take a fall OV to Ann Arbor. The competition is obviously stiff now, but I'm still inclined to think Michigan has a good chance to land him once things are patched up and he's made to feel like a priority. 

[After THE JUMP: Marvel Allen + Durral Brooks]

 

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)

Weekend Performance: 9.2ppg, 3asst, 26.6 FG% and 11% from distance on 19 attempts over six games

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. Juwan Howard was courtside for both of Allen's games on Thursday. 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. 

 

Durral Brooks

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'2 and 180 pounds and it checks out with the eye test.

High School/AAU: Grand Rapids Catholic Central (MI)/Nike EYBL The Family (MI)

Weekend Performance: 15ppg, 6asst, 35 FG% and 32% from distance on 19 attempts over four games

Mainstream Ranking: #88 overall to Rivals, unranked elsewhere

EM Ranking/Evaluation:  Above-average positional size + frame. Good passer/playmaker for others. Good midrange pull-up game. Above-average handle with some ability to change direction/speed with a live dribble. Solid athlete with good strength/core balance, but lacks twitchiness/explosion. Solid defender that slides his feet at the point of attack. He made some strides over the weekend by connecting on multiple triples during the sole game I took in (see my film above) and shooting 32% from distance over four games. Still, the major blemish here for Brooks is that he's been a poor shooter from distance. I've seen him no less than ten times since December 2021 and this is the first time I've seen him connect on a triple. Durral's style of play (distinct from talent/resume) has shades of former Denver Nugget standout Andre Miller in that he's a bigger guard with good vision and a great playmaker, but somewhat limited because he hasn't been able to consistently stretch the floor from distance while being a solid, but not great, athlete. 

Recruitment: Juwan Howard extended an offer in May. Other offers include Michigan State, Toledo, Western Michigan and Oakland. In the portal era, it's far too early to get invested in a HS sophomore. However, it is interesting that a guard offer was extended considering the 2024 class has an early pledge from Christian Anderson.