Michigan Basketball Recruiting: Recapping A Huge Visit Weekend, More
Michigan hosted a number of big time visitors and extended another offer after a 77-68 win over Michigan State in Ann Arbor. Here's the latest on the Wolverines' basketball recruiting ...
Starting with the scholarship charts:
2020-21
1: Austin Davis, 6-10 5th-Sr. C
2: Eli Brooks, 6-1 Sr. PG/SG
3: Isaiah Livers, 6-8 Sr. PF
4: David DeJulius, 6-0 Jr. PG
5: Brandon Johns, 6-8 Jr. PF
6: Colin Castleton, 6-11 Jr. C
7: Adrien Nunez, 6-5 Jr. SG
8: Cole Bajema, 6-7 So. SG
9: Franz Wagner, 6-8 So. SF
10: Zeb Jackson, 6-3 Fr. PG
11: Isaiah Todd, 6-10 Fr. PF
12: Hunter Dickinson, 7-1 Fr. C
13: Terrance Williams, 6-6 Fr. SF
14: Jace Howard, 6-8 Fr. PF
2021-22
1: David DeJulius, 6-0 Sr. PG
2: Brandon Johns, 6-8 Sr. PF
3: Colin Castleton, 6-11 Sr. C
4: Adrien Nunez, 6-5 Sr. SG
5: Cole Bajema, 6-7 Jr. SG
6: Franz Wagner, 6-8 Jr. SF
7: Zeb Jackson, 6-3 So. PG
8: Isaiah Todd, 6-10 So. PF
9: Hunter Dickinson, 7-1 So. C
10: Terrance Williams, 6-6 So. SF
11: Jace Howard, 6-8 So. PF
12: Open
13: Open
The Wolverines are already one over the limit for 2020-21, meaning someone will have to move on (or not arrive). There have been rumblings that Davis, who has been playing well, will Grad Transfer and play elsewhere, while Todd, a McDonald's All-American, is still heavily flirting with the idea of playing professionally rather than going to college.
Junior Isaiah Livers, too, will likely at least test the NBA waters.
They'll need two to leave to bring in another 2020 prospect, and that looks like it's going to happen. As has been reported for a month or so, five-star Josh Christopher is trending heavily toward the Wolverines and will likely end up in the 2020 class and spend a year at U-M.
Christopher recently scored 32 points in a 66-53 win over La Mirada and is averaging 29.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.6 steals. Season highlights and highlights of his big game are below:
He would join Dickinson, Williams, Jace Howard and possibly Todd in Ann Arbor.
Dickinson has been on an absolute roll. He was in Ann Arbor for a quick trip for the MSU game and was glad he came.
"It was a very quick trip, but definitely worth it," Dickinson said. "I didn't really talk to too may recruits. I know (five-star Texan) Greg Brown from EYBL and USA Basketball, so I talked to him for a second. But it was mostly just Jace and me hanging together."
Dickinson put up 40 points in a recent win over St. John's. He finished 16-of-22 from the floor and 3-for-5 from long range, added nine rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. and became the first DeMatha player to hit 40 points in 22 years. Eleven-year NBA vet Keith Bogans was the last.
Dickinson scored 20 points in the first quarter alone.
“I just came out there and the ball was just coming to me. My teammates were just putting me in position where I could score really easily," he told reporters after the game. "I came out with three threes. That really sparked my big quarter.
"I think my teammates are just finding me in good spots. I’m starting to pop a little bit more on the ball screens and stuff like that. My teammates are finding me, and I'm just knocking them down."
Dickinson said his play has improved since he made his U-M pledge.
As for Brown ... never say never, Rivals.com's Corey Evans said. Brown had a great visit, his father (Greg Brown Sr.), said. They came to see what the crowd was like and were pleasantly surprised.
"We had a great time," he said. "We really enjoyed the visit."
Texas, Memphis, Kentucky and others are very much in play here, but Brown Jr. is enamored with Howard.
"He’s a legend,” he said. “Really cool guy. I saw the ‘Fab Five’ documentary a while ago, so it will be cool to get to know him and see what’s possible.”
Brown is averaging 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals a game. He plans to commit "around April," close to the late signing period.
"Regarding Greg Brown and his visit to Michigan, while it was a great win for the Wolverines, a single victory is not going to turn the tide with the five-star prospect," Rivals.com's Corey Evans said. "Michigan did a phenomenal job of even getting a visit out of Brown, but the Wolverines are still behind.
"Brown is nowhere near a decision. He will take his recruitment into the spring just as many blue-chip prospects do that decide against signing early. He will wait out various coaching changes and monitor his finalists’ rosters before deciding. I would bet on the field compared to the Wolverines."
But "never say never," Evans added.
Of the 2021 visitors, one already had an offer — elite point guard Kennedy Chandler.
For our article with Chandler about his visit, click here: KENNEDY CHANDLER 'VERY IMPRESSED' WITH MICHIGAN. Chandler and Khristian Lander are the two coveted point guard prospects in the 2021 class, as present.
Local standout Jaden Akins, a Farmington High product, picked up an offer on his visit. Michigan State, Northwestern, Missouri and others have been chasing him.
Akins loved his trip, his second to U-M within a year. Our article: JADEN AKINS PICKS UP MICHIGAN OFFER.
From the class of 2022, Texan Colin Smith, an outstanding player and student, made his third trip to Ann Arbor. He was being recruited by John Beilein and has camped the last two years.
The visit exceeded expectations, Smith's father, Lee, said.
"We wanted to take an unofficial look at it, catch a game, see what the atmosphere was like. It was crazy," he said. "A lot better than what I thought it would be.
"The two previous times we were there it was kind of summertime warm and Texas-like. We wanted to get a feel for the temperature ... and it wasn't too bad. It wasn't Minnesota-like or anything."
Smith recently visited Stanford, and the Big 12 schools are all over him. More with him in the days to come.
Finally, some senior year video of pledge Zeb Jackson, who hasn't played much this year for a stacked Montverde Academy team but has had some really nice moments:
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