Tag: Justin Pippen

Michigan basketball to be without one player in season opener

Bummer. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Dusty May era starts in earnest on Monday night at Crisler Center with Michigan basketball hosting Cleveland State for the official season opener of the 2024-25 season.

Though expectations outside of Ann Arbor aren’t necessarily high, the Wolverines have assembled a solid team comprised of top-flight transfers and freshmen, along with a couple of holdovers from the Juwan Howard era. The maize and blue enter the contest on Monday evening mostly healthy, but one transfer is out and one true freshman is questionable.

Here is the official injury report for Michigan ahead of the 8 p.m. EST tipoff against Cleveland State.

Michigan injury report

Questionable

  • Justin Pippen

Out

  • Rubin Jones

The Wolverines have played two exhibition games to this point and they won both, but this will be the first true game for new head coach Dusty May, who took over the program this offseason after leaving Florida Atlantic. He brought several high-profile transfers to Ann Arbor, including centers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, guard Tre Donaldson, former Ohio State starter Roddy Gayle, Alabama transfer Sam Walters, and more. The injured Pippen, son of Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen, is in his first year, along with prolific scorer LJ Cason, who shined in the exhibition games. The holdovers from last year include Jace Howard, Nimari Burnett, and Will Tschetter.

Jones, who is out, was also an offseason transfer from North Texas.

4-star guard Justin Pippen, son of Scottie, commits to Michigan

Justin Pippen, the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, has committed to the Michigan Wolverine’s men’s basketball team.

Justin Pippen, the star guard of prestigious Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.) and son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, announced on Friday that he has committed to the University of Michigan.

The four-star guard chose the Wolverines over the other six universities that offered him, including Stanford, Cal, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M. He was named to the Los Angeles Daily News All-CIF Open Division team this year after helping the Trailblazers go 26-4.

Ranked as the No. 62 player on the 247Sports list and No. 101 on the composite ranking, Pippen had a good assist-to-turnover ratio and a bundle of steals this season, according to On3. The outlet’s reporter Collin Ginnan wrote:

“The eye test will show you a guard with good size, who is comfortable with the ball in his hands and has no trouble touching the paint. He plays aggressively, and without question deserves to be in the 2024 On3 150. Currently, he is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who needs to continue developing his scoring efficiency. That put him as a high three-star, at No. 115 in this update.”

Pippen is a very late commitment for the class of 2024, but it was much-needed for Michigan, which only had received the commitment of three-star point guard Durral Brooks prior to Pippen’s announcement.

(Sierra Canyon guard Justin Pippen (1) against Desert Mountain during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Chaparral High School. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Since appearing in the Elite Eight in 2021 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2022, the Wolverines have been unable to return to the NCAA tournament over the last two seasons. This past year, they posted a record of 8-24.

The program is hoping Pippen can help prop them up in the coming years.

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Michigan basketball gets first commitment under Dusty May

Huge pull for May for his first commitment! #GoBlue

Michigan basketball has been waiting to get its first commitment — either from the recruiting class or via the transfer portal — since Dusty May took over the reins from Juwan Howard late last month. With multiple targets on the board, it was unclear who would drop first, but the one who did ended up being a big one for May and his new staff.

The son of former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen, 2024 Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon point guard Justin Pippen had a number of suitors. Hailing from the class that’s currently on the clock and that will be on campus this upcoming season, Pippen is rated the No. 62 player in the country per 247Sports’ proprietary rankings. And on Friday, he announced he’s choosing Michigan basketball over Florida, Stanford, Texas A&M, and Cal.

At 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Pippen got a glowing scouting report from 247Sports’ Travis Barham earlier this week:

Pippen is a dynamic combo-guard that has bloomed late in his high school career, much like his brother and father. He’s grown nearly two inches in the last eight months while also continuing to improve and expand his skillset as both a scorer and playmaker.

Pippen is a naturally talented guard with good instincts for the game. He is very comfortable with the ball in his hands to score from all three levels and also set the tables for those around him. As he continues to grow and fill out his frame, Pippen can become a highly impactful high-major guard, much like his brother did at Vanderbilt before him.

With Pippen in the fold, Michigan at least has a point guard soon to be on the roster. Time will tell whether or not he’ll be thrust into a starting role early or if he’ll have some time to develop.

The sons of Scottie Pippen and Master P took down the No. 3 team in back-to-back games

Justin Pippen, the son of Scottie, and Mercy Miller, son of Master P, lead their respective teams to wins over No. 3 Harvard-Westlake.

Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) was rolling as the best team in California. Coming off a 34-2 championship season, the Wolverines leapt to a 20-1 record and No. 3 spot in the USA TODAY Super 25 national rankings.

All it took to take them down were the sons of two well-known people, one of whom with deep basketball roots and one with music (and a touch in basketball)

Harvard-Westlake lost its second game of the season on Wednesday to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), a close battle that ended at 59-54. Houston commit Mercy Miller, the son of rapper and producer Master P, scored a game-high 29 points — essentially half of his team’s output — to upset the juggernaut. Miller has been crushing it this year, proving his four-star rating on 247Sports with his school-record 68-point performance on Dec. 11, according to Marca.

Miller may be able to one-up his dad. Master P rose to fame in the 90s through his rapping and producing, and is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, but he also ventured into hoops and came very close to breaking into the NBA — according to Marca, he was on the preseason team of the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets.

Mercy Miller is working to accomplish what his dad couldn’t.

Harvard-Westlake couldn’t bounce back on Friday, falling to Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and guard Justin Pippen, the youngest son of Scottie and Larsa Pippen. A three-star guard, he’s taking the mantle from Scotty Jr., the eldest son of the pair who graduated from Sierra Canyon in 2019 and is now on a non-guaranteed contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Justin led the Trailblazers over Harvard-Westlake by scoring 21 points in the second half to finish with 24 overall, helping elevate the team to a 74-68 win. He and Bryce Cofield, who had 15 points, helped the Trailblazers go on an 18-0 run in the fourth quarter to get the lead and the win.

With those victories, there’s a new question about the king of California basketball. Do Notre Dame (22-0) or Sierra Canyon (21-1) take hold of that title for the time being? Is it Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), with a record of 20-1? If we’re including prep schools, perhaps it’s Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), whose record is 19-3.

Luckily for us, we’ll have a stronger answer next week: Notre Dame and Sierra Canyon face off on Jan. 26.

High School Basketball Recap: Bronny James’ team beats Kiyan Anthony’s, 62-51

Here’s how the two young players performed and who else stood out.

On Monday night, the sons of two NBA legends met on the court, with Bronny James and the Sierra Canyon (Calif.) taking on Kiyan Anthony and Christ the King (NY.). For a high school basketball game, it drew some real Hollywood star power. Broadcast on ESPN2, the game naturally drew stars like LeBron James and Scottie Pippen, but Kim Kardashian was also spotted in the crowd.

In the end, the Bronny’s Trailblazers beat Kiyan’s Royals, 62-51. Here’s how the two young players performed and who else stood out.

Bronny James:

Bronny’s biggest highlight of the game was in the first quarter on a breakaway steal and dunk, which brought on a lofty LeBron comparison:

This lefty windmill layup late in the third quarter may have been his most impressive play, though.

Later on, Bronny threw down an alley-oop to ignite the crowd. While Bronny does not look like a natural shooter at this time, he is already a potent finisher on the break and a sharp facilitator.

In the end, James finished with a line of 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Other Sierra Canyon standouts:

Justin Pippen (Scottie’s son) flashed some sharp ball-handling and shooting chops. However, shooting guard Isaiah Elohim looked like the best player on the floor as he scored a team-high 17 points. That befits his status as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 prospect in California in the class of 2024. He already has 11 college offers.

Kiyan Anthony:

Anthony didn’t get as much attention compared to Bronny. On the bright side, he’s a much better shooter. His first basket was a catch-and-shoot three from the corner early in the second quarter. His jumper has a quick release and excellent form with tons of range, not unlike Melo’s.

He has a spooky-high ceiling from deep.

Anthony finished with eight points, two boards and two assists.

Other Christ the King standouts:

Power forward Qin Pang was superb in the first half. He impressed with his power on cuts and screens; he moved well without the ball and demonstrated a surprisingly soft touch for his size (6-foot-9, 230 pounds). A tough spin robbed him of a three just before halftime. Pang has 11 offers, including Michigan, Oregon and UCLA.

Sierra Canyon is now 7-1 this year. Their next matchup will be visiting LeBron’s alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio) on Saturday. Meanwhile, Christ the King is 2-2 and hosts St. Francis Prep (NY) on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

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