Hoops Recruiting Is Wingin' It
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?
???? pic.twitter.com/xn7YbQj1u6
— 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.]
In Good Standing
I have no inside information with regard to top 20 wing/forward Harrison Ingram. That said, I did find it encouraging that he included Michigan in his top 10 only 2 days after being offered back in mid-May.
It seems my inclination may have been on point. Earlier this month, Rivals’ Corey Evans went on record to say that Michigan is surging here:
However, things are not going to end today which is why I would keep an eye on Michigan. They have picked up the greatest amount of ground compared to any of his finalists in recent weeks and if things remain on track, could be the winner of the Ingram recruitment.
Ingram himself confirmed his comfort level with Juwan Howard in an interview with Sam Webb:
It’s really close. He’s very down to earth and can relate really well to players. Him being a big man, I know he will have all his big men in the right spots and setting screens correctly since he once did it himself.
Harrison doesn’t have a timeline, and things are very fluid with visits because of the health crisis, but this is definitely a recruitment to monitor.
Trending Upward
At one point, I was seemingly the only person on earth to counter the thought of 4-star wing Kobe Bufkin being a near lock. After a few months, conventional wisdom from mainstreams followed suit and have now went to the other end of the spectrum.
Well, this is crootin’. Things change. Fast. Over the last two weeks Michigan has made up a solid amount of ground here, conducting several calls/Zooms with Kobe.
The Wolverines are now in the thick of things with DePaul and LSU. Despite what mainstreams claim, Michigan State isn’t really a factor at this point. Bufkin isn’t close to a decision, and I wouldn’t say Michigan leads, but they are a legitimate option now.
Chet!
Final 7‼️?? Thankyou to all the coaches who have recruited me to this point??@TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/hHWnlSaVIU
— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) June 26, 2020
Michigan making the top 7 for 5-star Chet Holmgren isn’t a surprise after he told Evan Daniels the Wolverines were among the programs recruiting him the hardest back in May.
Rivals’ hinted that Minnesota may be in strong position here with several family ties and the home-state advantage. Gonzaga also seems to be a threat, with former high school and AAU teammate Jalen Suggs a 2020 commit.
Juwan Howard is going to make things interesting here. A big that had a lengthy career at the NBA level in a championship culture is going to resonate with a high school center. Ultimately though, I think Holmgren lands elsewhere, with Minnesota the favorite in my opinion.
The Better Bet
Stewartville (MN) and 3-star big Will Tschetter is high on Michigan. The Wolverines have been in constant contact per Tschetter quotes with Josh Henschke of 247:
“He just expressed that the way that they play and how they do things in their program could be an awesome match for me at the University of Michigan! The communication has been great they call or text almost every day! You can always tell that they are thorough and to the point in every call! The coaching staff seems like a bunch of great people and coaches!”
While he has yet to cut his list down, it's safe to assume Michigan will be among the finalists. And trimming the list is likely to occur relatively soon, with a Fall decision on deck.
Will would be a solid get for a class that’s expected to range from 5-7 in total. While nobody will confuse him with a potential pro, he’s likely to be an offensive matchup problem that gets tutoring as a freshman before the training wheels come off in year 2 en route to a solid and productive college career. This is the kind of big Wisconsin seemingly gets every cycle that abuses the B10 for 2-3 years.
Hanging In There
Top-25 center Charles Bediako is heading to IMG as a post grad. While Bediako doesn’t do many interviews and generally keeps things close to the vest, a solid source indicates he’s more likely to take the college route as opposed to the G-League/professional options.
Michigan recently conducted a virtual meeting and Corey Evans says the Wolverines are making a push in a piece published today.
While a transfer to IMG would generally mitigate any chance of Michigan being a serious option, IMG also happens to be the home of one 2022 4-star Jett Howard. Bediako would be the perfect fit next to a more skilled, yet less mobile, Hunter Dickinson.
2022 In Brief
In a somewhat surprising development, Michigan didn’t offer Mt. Clemens (MI) guard Javaughn Hannah when the direct contact period commenced on June 15th. Hannah visited no less than 5 times in the fall, has tons of skills and fits the Juwan Howard profile as a bigger guard at 6’4 and 200 pounds. When Michigan does get serious, no doubt in my mind that we will be a serious player here.
Since 6/15, Michigan has handed out 2022 offers to Dug McDaniel (Paul VI Catholic/DMV area), Colin Smith (St. Marks School/HS teammate of Harrison Ingram) and Jalen Duren (Montverde Academy, but Philly native).
I’ll address this quickly, since it’s a question that will likely be tossed my way in the comment section. Yes, Emoni Bates committed to Michigan State. Do I think that bodes well for Michigan State’s perception in the recruiting world and provides some momentum? Absolutely.
What it does functionally may be a much different story. Bates was not very adamant about pursuing the college route in his on-air comments and follow-up quotes. I’d say the likelihood of him actually suiting up in East Lansing is pretty low. Further, the most likely path for him actually attending MSU is probably as a 2021. If that’s the case, Izzo will hold a spot for Bates because yeah, you definitely do that. Meanwhile, that’s one less spot for the likes of Jaden Akins, with Max Christie the clear priority at guard.
MattEM, which recruit is in the cover photo with Juwan ?
Kobe Bufkin
Even accounting for perspective, he doesn't look close to his listed height (6'4" AFAIK) in that picture.
Eh I think he's probably about 6'4". Juwan is 6'9"
He was measured at 6'5 with a 6'7 wingspan at the Nike Elite 100 in June 2019 (I attended). My eye test says that is absolutely legit.
That's Kobe Bufkin (edit: I am bad at the embedment of the twitters)
https://twitter.com/kb33zy_04/status/1253838371455188993
Blessed to receive an offer from The University Of Michigan. I want to personally thank Coach Howard, Coach Washington , and the entire UofM coaching staff!! #GoBlue ?? pic.twitter.com/ZwG3ExVwZF
— Kobe Bufkin (@kb33zy_04) April 25, 2020
1 person in that picture doesn't quite fit in.
The hot girl with the big earrings?
No, I think it's that kid in the middle who isn't wearing any Michigan gear.
I think it's a sign of getting old when you see the family & are like "I could stand seeing her at the games."
RBG?
That was my second thought...after I wondered why Jimmy King was in the pic, maybe with his son they're recruiting?
Not sure who RBG is, but yeah i definitely thought that was Jimmy King.
Atlanta Celtics is a pretty cursed name.
Does anybody else see Cleveland as more of a forward in the long run? Feel like if he grows another inch or two he's a great small ball 4, where his shooting would be less of an issue.
He's only 6'5" or 6'6" right now so if he grows another inch or two, he's likely still a wing. He seems athletic enough to guard 1-4 though
My positional distinctions are based on the fundamental question "Which position can you defend".
Cleveland may very well be a superb defender vs guards at the next level, so my answer to that is always going to be he's a wing. But in terms of offense, he's functionally a small ball 4 right now.
Matt, I wonder what you think of Chet Holmgren on defense. In his one year of college, will he have the size to match up with Big Ten centers? Or even power forwards?
I'm in the minority on Holmgren, I don't necessarily think he's a top 2-3 level prospect. And I also have questions as to whether he'll be productive in a one year college stint, or beyond for that matter, absent adding 30 pounds of muscle mass.
To answer your question more direct, I think Holmgren will definitely have a nice impact in terms of rim protection, but I have doubts that he'll be able to matchup with bully-ball centers such as Luke Garza, Tillman, etc that get into his chest to negate shotblocking.
Thanks! Yeah, that's exactly what I thought looking at his tape.
I worry a bit that if Michigan gets a really big name recruiting victory, and then that guy doesn't become a star at Michigan, it's going to make it harder to get the next one-and-done kind of player to commit. And I could definitely see that happening with Holmgren.
Holmgren is going to be absolutely fantastic in college. Insane skill and length. He's not a Zion or AD as far as being guaranteed to be a star, but there are only so many of those. He'd be in the next tier imo.
Is there any chance that Jett Howard could potentially reclassify to 2021 since the class is expected to be so large?
This class could potentially start shaping up pretty nicely sooner rather than later
I'm curious about this too. I thought this might be the reason Bufkin, initially, wasn't considering because they play the same position. Sounds like we've made up some ground since as I always thought of him as a lock to commit.
I'm willing to bet that no other employee in the history of MGoBlog has mentioned DePaul as much as Matt has.
Maybe I'm missi g something because I don't pay much attention to mid-majors, but is there a reason for mentioning their interest in a prospect so often?
DePaul is mentioned in this context because they sit near, or at, the top of the leaderboard for a prospect that Michigan is pushing for recently. Nothing in the immediate future is going to change on that front. DePaul is a major player for Kobe Bufkin, period.
Is DePaul a mid-major really? They arent a blue-blood or major contender, but they play in the Big East. You know, the conference with the best conference RPI in the nation last year.
Some smoke that Christie to MSU is imminent. Folks also think MSU will continue to push for Akins. Figure some potential early entries next year (Rocket, Hauser, Henry...) and/or some other guys may transfer (Kithier, Bingham, Loyer...).
Why are people so high on Rocket Watts? He could end up being good player, but he shot only 38% from the field and 28% from 3 on 4 attempts per game, and he's no Cassius Winston in terms of shot making or distributing. I think MSU is asking a lot of him to run their offense
Yeah, not at all saying he'd be justified in going. Some guys just say screw it and bolt for a host of reasons. Was also a top 30ish kid...now running offense...just seems potential is there for a big season, but as you said he's got a lot to prove.
He is supposed to be quite good defensively which is obviously tougher to see as a fan.
Thanks, Matt. Love the basketball recruiting updates!
Matt-- I thought people would get the "Chet!" reference too, but it turns out almost no one on this board has seen Barton Fink. But I see what you did there. I feel ya, dog.
MattEM, what recruiting services reported Bufkin ever being a near-lock?
Rivals
Matt, what’s the latest situation of Efton Reid? Is he still considering reclassifying, and is Michigan still in good standing with him?
Efton Reid is apparently transferring to IMG so I'm guessing he's staying in 2021. However, that's good for us because there are so many Michigan targets on that team now and Jett Howard goes there so Juwan has an excuse to go there pretty often
Tschetter is awesome. Needs development on higher release point but really good athlete and physical down low. Good hands. Guy is going to be one heck of a college player. Reminds me a little of the kid from Iowa this past year down low.
You want 3-4 year guys as the foundation of a college program. I hope UM can land him over any 1 and done guy. The recent MSU commit? I'll take this guy every time or the recent decommits from UM this past year.
Guy is going to be a beast in college. Beast.
Comments