Michigan Basketball: Latest on Franz Wagner, Walker Kessler and more

Michigan basketball didn’t really have any big news break over the weekend but there was some positive chatter on Franz Wagner, Walker Kessler and others.

While much of the focus on recruiting has been on the football program this weekend, Juwan Howard and the Michigan basketball team were also busy on the recruiting trail.

The first news to report was that Howard extended an offer to another five-star last Friday in 2021 power forward Moussa Diabate. The 6-foot-9 big man ranks 11th nationally for 2021 and is the fifth prospect from the class to get an offer from the Wolverines.

Diabate is a five-star just like the other four players to get offers in 2021, however, Howard has a connection to the Daytona Beach, Florida product through his son. Jett Howard, a 2022 recruit, plays high school basketball with Diabate, likely giving Michigan basketball’s coach some intimate knowledge of what the forward can do.

If the two have a relationship that always helps and with some of the top competitors right now being Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Miami, Oklahoma State and Pitt, the Wolverines are in a good spot.

Another player that seems to have taken notice of Howard is 2020 five-star center, Walker Kessler. The 15th-ranked player in 2020 and the No. 4 center said he liked the hiring of Howard and also told 247 sports Saturday that the Wolverines were among his top five.

“Right now, I think I got a top five or top six,” Kessler said to 247 sports. “It’s more of schools that I feel like are heavily recruiting me: Michigan, Gonzaga, Auburn, Duke, UNC, I think that’s it.”

Kessler resides from Georgia so the fact that he said the Bulldogs weren’t a good fit is significant. The 6-foot-10 center was interested in the Wolverines when John Beilein was still the head coach but it appears that Howard is giving UM a shot.

Howard was also on the road to watch key 2020 target Jabri Abdur-Rahim, a wing that would fit perfectly in Ann Arbor alongside current commit Zeb Jackson. He’s getting a lot of attention from the coaches and that has resulted in at least one crystal ball prediction going to Michigan.

Much of the focus has been on the pivotal 2020 class and even 2021, however, there is also reason to believe a player from the 2019 class could still be added. That someone is potentially Franz Wagner, the German wing that is the younger brother of Moritz Wagner.

His professional team, Alba Berlin has been defeated in the German playoffs and the season is now over. That means Wagner is free to make his decision, which Evans Daniels reported was between Michigan and Alba Berlin.

Yet, there have been whispers about Michigan basketball adding someone for next year’s team and with just about every Michigan media outlet doing a story about Wagner, it just feels like there is a lot of chatter about him.

There was even a rumor that he missed a practice during the playoffs to take his SAT. I have no idea if it’s true, my point is mostly, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. At least we hope there is in this case.

Howard’s team is desperate for shooting and even though Wagner is 6-foot-7, he shoots the ball well enough where he could still play the two. Defense isn’t his strength but he’s not terrible. He moves well without the ball and is a tremendous spot-up shooter. He’s built to play next to Zavier Simpson.

If he doesn’t come, there are still some grad transfers available, such as D.J. Williams of George Washington, but the options are dwindling fast.

Wagner is probably the last impact recruit available, as some have guessed he might even be a top-50 player in 2020 if he was American, so keep your fingers crossed, because he’s needed in Ann Arbor desperately.