Michigan basketball has one player coming into the program from the 2023 recruiting class. George Washington out of Dayton (Ohio) Chaminade Julienne is the lone recruit to sign with the Wolverines after Papa Kante requested to be released from his letter of intent and signed with Pittsburgh.
Juwan Howard is still searching for transfers to bring into Ann Arbor for the 2023 class to go along with the three incoming transfers already committed to Michigan.
But recruiting is shifting to the 2024 class, and Michigan received news on Saturday that the Wolverines are a finalist for 2024 five-star forward Liam McNeely.
The Wolverines made his final six schools along with Oklahoma, Indiana, Kansas, Alabama and Texas.
NEWS: 2024 five-star wing Liam McNeeley tells me he’s down to six schools.
The Montvere (Florida) native is listed as a 6-foot-7 power forward on 247Sports. According to the composite, he is the No. 7 recruit in the 2024 cycle and the top-rated power forward.
“Coach (Juwan) Howard, talks to me every week. We talk on the phone, we text. He’s obviously a great basketball mind, playing in the NBA and playing in Michigan and now coaching at Michigan. He is coaching his son right now, Jett, and he’s doing really good, so it’s good to see. I’m excited to grow that relationship.”
247Sports’ recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins compares McNeely to former Duke star, Kyle Singler. Here is Jenkins’ scouting report on McNeely.
McNeeley is as versatile as they come in the 2024 class. He has the handle and feel to run an offense and with his textbook shooting stroke, he has the capability to be a knockdown three-point shooter. The best area of his game is his passing as his vision is above average and he is willing to find the open man. He is unselfish to a fault, but he plays the game the right way. A high IQ prospect who can bring something to the table at eithet forward position, McNeeley should excel as a reliable complimentary option at the collegiate level.
The Wolverines have two commitments for the 2024 class. Point guards Christian Anderson and Durral Brooks are both four-star recruits.
Michigan basketball lost quite a bit from its 2022-2023 basketball team. The Wolverines lost Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard to the NBA draft, lost Hunter Dickinson to Kansas, and Gregg Glenn and Isaiah Barnes were lost to the transfer portal.
The maize and blue have brought in three players so far via the portal for the 2023-2024 season, and George Washington is the lone commit for the ’23 class.
Michigan is going to need to get some players during the 2024 cycle and on Friday, the Wolverines received good news. They made the final eight schools for 7-foot-2, five-star center John Bol.
NEWS: 2024 Top-25 prospect John Bol, a 7-foot-2 center, is down to eight options, he tells me.
Bol named Michigan a finalist along with Wake Forest, Florida, Missouri, Texas, UConn, USC and Overtime Elite.
According to 247Sports composite, Bol is the 22nd-ranked prospect in the country and the fourth-ranked center. Bol is playing his high school ball at Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian.
After Bol took an official visit to Michigan, he spoke with On3 about the connection he had with Juwan Howard and the school.
“When I went to Michigan, I would say the whole coaching staff stood out to me. They took the time to get to know me and my whole family. I talk to them all on like a weekly basis.
“The team, too. The culture of the team, how they practice, and everything they do as a team stood out. They are all there as a family if one person is down, everyone is there to pick him up. That’s something that is rare for a team. Michigan itself is a big school with a lot of kids and a lot to do. And it is a good school too. It was all good in Michigan.”
Michigan has one prospect committed for the 2024 class: four-star point guard Christian Anderson.
Michigan basketball lost Hunter Dickinson, officially, on Thursday after he announced he would attend Kansas for the upcoming basketball season. There was doubt the 7-footer would return to the Wolverines after entering the transfer portal, but Michigan fans were holding out hope Dickinson would change his mind after Juwan Howard brought in a solid transfer class to Ann Arbor.
While there was somber news on the Michigan front on Thursday, there was also positive news in terms of the 2024 recruiting class.
According to 247Sports’ Dushawn London, five-star combo guard Boogie Fland was on campus to take a visit with the Michigan basketball squad.
Five-star point guard Johnuel “Boogie” Fland will begin his official visit to Michigan tonight source tells @247Sports. pic.twitter.com/ruWxipTUtX
The 6-foot-3 guard hails from White Plains (New York) Archbishop Stepinac and is the sixth-ranked prospect in the class of 2024 according to the 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 2 combo guard and the second-ranked prospect in the state.
Michigan currently has one prospect committed to it for the 2024 class: four-star guard Christian Anderson.
With the losses of Kobe Bufkin, Jett Howard, and Hunter Dickinson, the Wolverines need to replenish the cupboard for future success. Landing a prospect of Fland’s caliber would go a long way.
The Wolverines get a talented shooting guard from the Demon Deacons.
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Michigan has already managed pretty well on the transfer market after losing a few of its own this offseason.
Not only did the Wolverines lose two players to graduation, but three players transferred out in David DeJulius (Cincinnati), Colin Castleton (Florida) and Cole Bajema (Washington). But Michigan did bring in Mike Smith as a grad transfer from Columbia and are pending with Nojel Eastern from Purdue — though there seems to be some consternation as to whether or not that will actually happen.
Regardless, the maize and blue stayed active this offseason toward bringing in more high-end talent to Ann Arbor, and that persistence paid off on Tuesday with the commitment of former Wake Forest guard Chaundee Brown.
— ⭕️Chaundee️⚠️Brown (@cbrownballin935) May 19, 2020
As a recruit, Brown was a former four-star from Orlando (FL) The First Academy, rated No. 36 overall in the 2017 247Sports Composite rankings. He was the fifth-best player in the state of Florida and No. 6 shooting guard in the country via those same metrics.
He’s played all three seasons for the Demon Deacons, with 84 games under his belt, averaging 10.4 points-per-game, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists. However, his numbers were significantly better in 2019-20 than the previous two, as he managed 12.1 points-per-game and 6.5 rebounds. And he’s had multiple games where he’s went off, including a 24 point showing in an double-overtime win against No. 7 Duke this past February — just two points short of the career high of 26 he marked against No. 23 Xavier in December.
Brown is 6-foot-5, 220-pounds and gives Michigan yet another option at shooting guard. It’s unknown at the time of this writing whether or not he’ll be able to play immediately as a grad transfer or if he’ll have to sit out a season.
In-state guard Pierre Brooks has Michigan, Michigan State, Xavier, Missouri, Northwestern, Alabama and Arizona State at the top of his list.
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Pierre Brooks has been on Michigan’s radar since he was a 14-year-old in the eighth grade.
Assistant coach Saddi Washington first made contact in 2017 during his introductory season working under former coach John Beilein. He kept on Brooks and bridged the recruiting gap from Beilein’s departure to the NBA to first-year coach Juwan Howard.
Three years after Brooks first heard from the Wolverines, the Detroit (Mich.) Douglass Academy 2021 four-star shooting guard picked up the highly coveted offer Jan. 6 after Howard watched him practice.
“I think me and coach Howard have a connection, talking more and stuff like that,” Brooks said. “At first, it was a little confusing in my head, but I now see where they’re going with it.
“I just didn’t know if they were still interested.”
(Isaiah Hole / WolverinesWire)
Michigan is most definitely interested, and Howard solidified himself in a race against Michigan State – led by coach Tom Izzo – for one of the top-ranked recruits in the state.
“Michigan has been recruiting me hard, but Michigan State has a different level of recruiting,” Brooks said. “Michigan and Michigan State are both recruiting me hard.”
Brooks is rated No. 119 in his class, No. 25 at his position and No. 3 in Michigan, according to the 247Sports composite.
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard has trimmed his top list to Michigan, Michigan State, Xavier, Missouri, Northwestern, Alabama and Arizona State.
Those are the programs Brooks will decide between when it comes time to take his five official visits. The junior said he will commit before his 2020-21 senior season.
“The schools I’m considering the most is where I’ll take official visits my senior year,” he said.
(Pierre Brooks / Twitter)
The Spartans seem to be the frontrunner for Brooks, as they’ve impressed him with on-court intensity from an offensive and defensive standpoint along with maintaining a relationship off the court.
“I feel like they’ve been doing a great job of keeping in contact with me and making sure they keep me like family in their program,” Brooks said. “Every time I’m up there, they treat me like family.”
Brooks compares himself as a combination between former Michigan guard Jordan Poole and forward Charles Matthews. The self-proclaimed all-around athlete prides himself on his abilities to post-up smaller guards and make jump shots, something that was once considered a negative aspect of his game.
In the offseason, after averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore, Brooks focused on his effectiveness on the perimeter.
And he’s become a better shooter because of it.
“My pros are getting to the basket, facilitating and finding open teammates, finishing through contact and posting up smaller guards,” Brooks said. “My cons are pick-and-roll defense and slowing the pace down to control the tempo in a game.”
(Isaiah Hole / WolverinesWire)
More than anything, Brooks enjoys being able to play without limitations.
The NBA-style Howard has brought to Michigan features a fast-paced offense that breaks down defenses by hustling in transition. While there are still reads and certain sets, Howard allows his players to use their natural abilities.
“I really like the playstyle, and the coaching staff has stayed in contact with me,” Brooks said. “But I like Michigan’s style, the way they let you play a little bit and go if you can really play.”
The Wolverines operate with a specific pace under the 10-year NBA veteran, member of the Fab Five from 1991-94 and new head coach.
And Brooks loves everything about Howard – even extending beyond the hardwood.
“Coach is a legend, and he’s a great guy,” Brooks said. “What he’s doing with the guys now is incredible. Nobody expected him to come in and do what he’s doing now with the program. From what I’ve seen, he’s a great guy, and I really respect him a lot.”
Brooks has been to Michigan six times, most recently for the football game Sept. 15 against SMU. He plans to make a return to watch a basketball game at Crisler Center when his schedule permits.
“I’m going to talk to the coaching staff about it, but I’d definitely like to go,” he said. “It’s a priority of mine.”
The Detroit native hopes to improve his relationship with Michigan’s coaching staff and figure out where he’d fit within the system.
Brooks is already close with Washington, as they’ve known each other for three years, but he wants to grow toward Howard and assistant coaches Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley.
“Coach Saddi, since the eighth grade, has always been recruiting me hard,” Brooks said. “He’s stayed in contact with me, asked family questions and is a relationship guy. He’s always been there.”
The parallel between Brooks and the entire coaching staff as well as giving the young prospect a future role are points of emphasis Howard needs to accomplish if he has plans of landing Brooks over Izzo at Michigan State.
Looks like Michigan will have to wait a few more months until the prized jewel of the 2020 class makes it official.
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When Michigan got the commitment of five-star Isaiah Todd, fans were through the roof with excitement. As was, of course, new head coach Juwan Howard.
But the security of the five-star signing his letter of intent in the early signing period now looks like it won’t happen.
Despite Detroit Free Press writer Orion Sang posting on Twitter on Monday that the expectation was that Todd would sign once the early signing period opened on Wednesday, it now appears Todd will not be formally committing at this juncture, as we will instead be waiting until spring, according to USA TODAY Sports’ Jason Jordan.
Michigan commit Isaiah Todd to wait until the spring
Todd is the highest ranked (No. 8 in the Chosen 25) committed recruit that does not plan to sign during the Early Period. Todd, a forward at Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, North Carolina), said he “can’t wait” to play at Michigan next season, but isn’t ready to sign.
Certainly, that will have the maize and blue faithful on eggshells until that time, with the traditional signing period starting on April 15.
Meanwhile, the other commit of the 2020 class, Ohio’s Zeb Jackson did make his commitment official on Wednesday, as Michigan announced his signing of a national letter of intent.
