Hoops Recruiting Is Primed To Add A Big
With Hunter Dickinson likely gone in 2022 after a lengthy flirtation with professional options and Moussa Diabate having one-and-done potential, Michigan is absolutely taking a true center in the 2022 class. The Wolverine board expanded quickly after the staff identified new prospects during the live evaluation period.
I hit the road over the weekend, making stops in Augusta and Indianapolis for the Nike EYBL and Under Armour shoe-circuit events. I now have a firm grip on pecking order with the bigs after gathering the latest intel and will cover each option in order of staff preference (as opposed to most likely).
Reed Sets Decision Date
4-star Tarris Reed will go public with his commitment on August 5th. Last week I placed my hypothetical crystal ball confidence in the 5-6 range. As an update, my CB confidence would be 9 if Reed were making his decision today. But there is more than a week to go, and in the recruiting world that is a lifetime of opportunity for others to make last ditch efforts.
Michigan has the most recent visit in late June and the only real competition at this point is Ohio State. The Buckeyes just landed Tarris' AAU teammate in top-50 center Felix Okpara, so all things point to Michigan for Reed barring a last-minute change of heart.
The St. Louis native was one of the most impressive bigs during EYBL play, putting up 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and nearly a block per game against the very best HS competition in the world. This would be a great get by the staff, as Tarris is a legit back-to-the-basket scorer with solid vision as a passer and some upside as a shooter that can face-up and put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two.
I'll answer the inevitable question now - I'd lean toward Reed for Michigan if given the choice between Tarris/Okpara. In a vacuum, both prospects are in the same tier, with Okpara being a better defender by a healthy margin, while Reed has a significant advantage offensively. The difference? Tarris will be coached by Juwan Howard and Okpara will not.
[Hit THE JUMP for the not-happening options and a full audition]
Believe It When I See It
5-star Dereck Lively continued his ascension as perhaps the best prospect in America (will likely be my #1 overall prospect - how many bigs in the world can put together 3 consecutive possessions like the one clipped above?) with a superb effort in the Peach Jam championship game finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. No need to dissect his game. This an NBA defender in terms of size/length/athleticism that is coming on rapidly as a shooter/scorer.
Much like his on-court assessment, I'm simply not going to do a deep-dive on this recruitment. Michigan is still making a push as evidenced by the staff's presence for Dereck's games last week, but isn't a serious player until Lively actually makes it to campus for a visit. I'll assume this is a Kentucky/Professional Route battle until it isn't.
Make Me A Believer Part II
Versatile and skilled big Kyle Filipowski saw his Peach Jam run cut short by Covid. But that didn't stop him from putting on a show during his eight game stint where he went for 13 points, 8.2 rebounds, nearly 4 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest while shooting 46.2% beyond the arch. Kyle is going to be a potent offensive weapon at the college level without question.
The same logic that applied to Lively is also at play here. The staff is using time/resources for Kyle during last week's live evaluation period, but the Wolverines aren't a legit option until he makes his way to Ann Arbor. Here is your weekly reminder that Filipowski plays travel-ball for the nephew of Duke leading man Mike Krzyzewski and all six crystal balls are in favor of the Blue Devils. This appears to be a one-horse race with everybody fighting for the right to be second.
Playing For An Offer
Fast-rising forward/center Yohan Traore played well enough in Birmingham to spark serious interest from the leading man at Michigan, as he was front in center in Omaha to watch his games in Omaha the subsequent weekend. Unfortunately, Traore suffered a minor ankle injury during the late stages of a Saturday game. Yohan sat out last week's evaluation period where his team was playing in Las Vegas (competition wasn't good) in an effort to be fully healthy for this week's NBPA Top 100 camp.
I checked in on things yesterday and this is absolutely a case where Traore will be fully evaluated and playing for an offer this week in Orlando. While Juwan Howard definitely liked what he saw in Birmingham + Omaha, he didn't get a chance to see Yohan live when he was at his best. With Kyle Fililpowski not expected to attend and Dereck Lively potentially not showing up either, all eyes from the Michigan staff will be focused on Traore and this is his opportunity to make a statement.
There has certainly been interest from Yohan's side during the initial courtship, but until an offer is extended this one can't really be considered serious. If Yohan is healthy, I'm of the opinion he'll do enough to reel-in an offer. Of the remaining wing/big options, he would be my number one choice exclusive of Dereck Lively.
Thanks as always for the write up, Matt.
In your opinion, would Michigan be willing to take both Reed and Traore? Do their games compliment each other well enough to be on the court at the same time? TIA.
Me imagining a big man rotation of Year 2 Diabate, Reed and Traore gets me all warm and fuzzy on the insides.
Plus Year 3 T. Williams playing both forward spots. Whew!
Getting Reed then potentially brining in Traore as a combo forward would be an ideal scenario. They seem like they could really compliment each other well
I agree and would prefer getting Traore over the wing options Matt discussed yesterday. The only exception would be Dailey.
Coincidentally just made brine last night for a fresh batch of pickles…
This made me chuckle. Nonsense is just funny. This made no sense to me.
Given Diabate's one-and-done potential it would seem like a second big would be a very good idea.
I think well likely be hitting the transfer market in that scenario. Grab a veteran big transfer to start and hope Reed supplants him by seasons end.
I honestly don't see it, but you never know what folks are thinking or their situations. Guys are leaving to be top of the 2nd round picks right now.
The thing about Diabate is I see a guy who gets drafted in the Isaiah Todd/Isaiah Livers range if he leaves after year 1 and a guy who gets drafted in the lottery after year 2.
He has most improved written all over him, a contributor this year to a guy who All-B1G as a sophomore. Similar to Franz now that I think about it.
He's a the new prototype center at the NBA. Unless he gets injured he'll be gone after one year. Enjoy him.
Thanks for the update Matt. I had a couple of follow up questions for you.....
- When do you expect to update your player rankings for the class? You've talked a few times about adjusting your rankings based on what you've seen and how yours compare to other services. Curious when we'll be able to go in and see all of the updates now that live viewing has been more available.
- Along those lines, I'm unnecessarily fascinated by the fact that there are two pairs of highly rated centers that play together and have sparked debates about who is the better prospect - with Duren/Lively competing over the #1 spot and Reed/Okpara competing over the top center recruit for the B10 next year. Curious how you see those rankings shaking out in your list and also compared to the other players we've discussed here at center in this cycle.
- Given the quiet nature of the "big wing" recruiting you described yesterday, I'm growing comfortable with Traore taking a spot in the class. But could you elaborate on how he'd fit with Reed and his ability to play both 4/5 spots similar to Diabate/Johns this season?
Mich will have 2 open transfer portal spots if Diabate is a 1 and done and Johns also leaves (does he have 2 years of eligibility left or 1?Covid) Getting a wing via portal seems easier than convincing a center to share time with Soph.Reed.So put me on the Reed and Traore bandwagon.
Matt - Kentucky seems to be in on every 5* PG/SG/CG and I can't see them having room for all of them. What if Jaden Bradley want's to come? I don't see them turning a talent like him away, do you?
Jaden seems destined for UK or N Carolina. If UK adds any of the other 5 stars they are leaders for, Bradley will most likely opt for Carolina. For whatever reason we’ve never been a serious contender there.
There's been some Bradley and Jarace Walker to Bama noise recently
Nobody is gonna convince me that Oats is squeaky clean with how well he recruits. He coached high school basketball and Buffalo prior to this stop.
Matt basically said Bama is cheating a few weeks back even now with NIL
I guess if he's going to compete with Wade's "strong ass" offers, he's got to make some himself!
Is there anyone trying to convince you?
I don't think anyone thinks he's clean. He may not be Will Wade brash, but he's far from John Beilein.
There isn't a team in the SEC that doesn't brazenly cheat except MAAAYBE Vandy. The rest of them absolutely do it.
That said, I have no reason to believe a team like OSU cheats in basketball (the way they absolutely do in football, and as of late they're actually getting sloppy...or bold, it's just a matter if anyone cares).
I can't see them having room for all of them
Apparently UK not having playing time doesn't seem to faze some players because they have like 12 playable guys this year and most of them transferred in
Amazing how most programs have to sell people on instant playing time while others can stock pile positions 2-3 deep and keep on adding them. It’s almost as if there are other underlying reasons why they attend those programs.
Yep, you can't honestly convince me that some of the guys who transferred/committed to UK this year did so to play 15 minutes a game
I could maybe understand it as it pertains to Michigan, for example, before the facilities upgrades. Now we are on par with a lot of these schools and better than many of them. Somehow these kids are ok being 10-13 on the roster with limited playing time. Those kids are gonna get less than 5 minutes a game unless he’s playing 13 players 12 minutes a game or whatever it equals out to.
Kentucky certainly is doing the bag thing but I’m sure Calipari also has any given recruit thinking he won’t be the one on the bench.
That is an interesting philosophy. An elite pg and and elite big with a good supporting cast can win you a national title in college. I’m not saying Howard is wrong, it’s just an interesting approach for college basketball. Perhaps he’s looking for functional quickness and ability to push the ball as opposed to size or ranking for the pg position?
It seems like college play is the opposite of this thinking. Teams that do well/win in the NCAA tourney always have good guard play. Baylor last year had several good guards, with their bigs play being just average. Baylor also played a tenacious defense, but the UConn and Nova teams are also examples that come to mind with good guard play.
Matt, Ohio State just landed Felix Okpara while we are close to landing Tarris Reed. Can you tell us who you like better between ZZ Top and AC/DC?
ZZ Top no contest.
AC/DC is hot garbage
Is it easier to teach an offensive-minded player to play defense, or a defensive-minded player to play offense?
Ooh....that's a deep question. Could have a whole message board thread on this topic and have people cite Michigan examples, their own personal examples, etc.
The real answer is that it probably depends a lot on the position and the individual. On the one hand, you can get really far on defense simply with effort so you'd think that would be easier to "teach" or "improve" - especially team defense. Offensive skill is usually something you have or you don't - though there are plenty of examples of people developing specific parts of their offensive game over time. (Simpson with his hook shots, Rondo with his jump shot, etc.)
Tend to agree with the defense correlating to getting after it.
To try to answer the question tho, I feel like it’s easier to teach D than it is to teach O. I think defense can improve a lot faster with a few big changes/a bit of work.
Offense requires some inherent skill and ability and, I think, requires a lot more time on task.
to AC’s point tho, it’s highly dependent on the position and other intangibles
Ha! I agree with your answer to your "re-framing" of the question but you cheated by changing the question :) I played with a kid who was a nice athlete-went to WMU on a football scholarship-was an excellent defensive player but had bricks for hands, not sure if he ever made a free throw in a game and otherwise could not be counted on to make a layup. I do not believe any amount of practice or instruction would have made him into a functional offensive player. Then there was my friend who was a class behind me. Dean was 6'2", slow of foot with a six inch vertical. But he seemed to have 4 lightning quick hands and 4 sets of eyes. He is the smartest BB player I have ever encountered. In his junior and senior years in HS he averaged over 30 points and 16 rebounds...he was an assist machine and led his teams in steals...he was in range when he crossed the half-court line. One of the funniest people on the earth and the best teammate ever...is my BIL's best friend. He is in the Indiana HS Basketball Hall of Fame.
Cmon BigTarris Reed!
And again, a super informative Mattt EM post only gets to stay at the top of the frontpage for a couple of hours before a post that could go up at any other time gets posted. Same old song and dance.
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