I made the trip to the DMV area last weekend for the National High School Hoops Festival hosted by DeMatha Catholic. One of the most talent-laden High School events in the country, 2020 commit Isaiah Todd and 2020 priority offer Hunter Dickinson both took the court. These settings are great not only for evaluation purposes, but also getting the latest information from sources on the ground floor. The most recent intel on Todd, Dickinson and a familiar name below.

Transparent Todd

Isaiah certainly solidified his reputation as a prospect with an extremely high ceiling that goes through the motions at times. He scored exactly 1 point during the first half of his Saturday afternoon game and wasn’t dialed in the way he’s capable of. Some “over-rated” heckling from a front-row spectator early in the second half saw Todd unleash this level of play:

Needless to say, when Isaiah is locked-in he is one of the very best prospects in the country that is capable of doing things on a basketball court that a 6’10 human being should not be able to do.

With respect to the college/overseas quandary, I spoke with multiple sources close to the situation and things are fluid. It appears that Todd himself may be leaning toward heading to Ann Arbor, while Mom may be more inclined to take the overseas route.

You have to respect the kid for being candid about the situation. In an interview with Rivals, Isiah expressly acknowledges the overseas option is still a consideration.

“I don’t know, my mom would probably have to be the one to persuade me. I really do want to go to college but also really want to make the best decision. Like I said, right now, I am just focused on the high school season.”

With Todd’s on-record quotes essentially mirroring everything I’ve been able to gather, this certainly has the feel of something that drags out for a bit before a final decision in March/April.

While I’m not confident enough to make a projection either way, I genuinely believe Todd likes the Michigan option with Juwan Howard leading the charge. His behavior in D.C. seems to lend credence to my thoughts.

Amidst all the overseas rumors, Isaiah Todd appears just fine with calling Ann Arbor home next year.

The first person he seeks after the post-game talk? Juwan Howard pic.twitter.com/UrcYZaOROg

— Endless Motor Sports (@endless_motor) December 8, 2019

[Hit THE JUMP as we go back to the future.]

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Still Hunting for Hunter

Top-40 center Hunter Dickinson is still very much a priority for the Wolverine staff. Originally expected to commit in November but hold off on putting pen to paper, the DeMatha Catholic senior now appears ready to pull the trigger in the near future via his quotes to Corey Evans. 

“The reason why I didn’t sign early is because, if I did sign, it would have been a rush. I think giving it another few weeks was really beneficial for me and now I feel like I am pretty close to a decision,” Dickinson said before plotting a timetable for his commitment. “I am hoping within the month.”

One can’t help but to see Dickinson’s response concerning Michigan in that piece as favorable. My sources tell me this is still a Michigan/Florida State battle and the Wolverines are on solid ground. The Crystal Ball and Future Forecast still heavily favor Michigan for what its worth.

I did find one item a bit perplexing while attending the Hoops Festival. Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and assistant Phil Martelli departed DeMatha Catholic immediately after Isaiah Todd’s final game Sunday evening, bypassing the opportunity to get a live glimpse of Hunter and DeMatha Catholic.

While that decision may lead to some concern on our standing with Dickinson, further explanation below likely clears things up.

Things Heating Up for Terrance Williams

Four-star combo-forward Terrance Williams tells me that he’ll visit Michigan soon.

“I’m in the process of setting up a visit to Michigan and UCLA, but I don’t have confirmed dates yet.”

Williams decommitted from Georgetown last week amidst many bad things with multiple players being ousted by Patrick Ewing.

Michigan made the initial final 3 for Terrance along with Georgetown and Notre Dame, and I’m told Juwan Howard and crew are definitely strong here.

Perhaps more intriguing is that I’m also told Williams is very close with Hunter Dickinson. Both prospects play for Nike-sponsored Team Takeover on the EYBL circuit during the Summer.

I mentioned above that Howard and Martelli ditching DeMatha prior to Dickinson’s game felt a bit odd at the time. Fast forward a day and it seems like a good development.

Rivals’ Corey Evans speculates that Howard went in-home with Terrance on Sunday evening, the precise time of Dickinson’s game. Evans also put in a Future Forecast prediction for Michigan yesterday.

The timing of these events in tandem seem too much for simple coincidence. Williams decommits, Michigan goes in-home with a visit in the works and his AAU teammate and close friend Hunter Dickinson is now suddenly ready to make a decision.

If Hunter does make the call for the good guys, that bodes well for Michigan’s chances with Williams. Hopefully things wrap up quickly.

Here and There

Michigan looks to be in the functional top group for 2021 wing Quincy Allen. Allen tells Rivals that he’s been in contact with Juwan Howard and the Wolverines are in strong consideration to get his first official visit.

Juwan Howard extended an offer to top-50 guard/wing Trevor Keels. The 2021 Paul XI junior put on a scoring clinic at DeMatha.

With Phil Martelli having strong connections to the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic region, you can expect Michigan to have a strong presence in the DMV area moving forward.

2022 wing Eric Dailey received an offer on Saturday after a strong performance for IMG Academy in front of Juwan Howard.