Michigan Basketball: Evaluating Wolverines chances with 5-stars in 2020

Nimari Burnett

Michigan basketball had an interest in Nimari Burnett even before Howard became the head coach but the fact that Burnett and Howard are both from Chicago and have known each other for about the last 10 years only seemed to give the Wolverines a better chance.

Recruiting is about relationships after all and if you can build those with players, you are going to get them in your program. Not every kid is going to come just because he has a great relationship with the coach, but given everything else Michigan has to offer, it’s not a tough sell.

Burnett is a 6-foot-3 combo guard that is listed as No. 23 overall in 2020 according to the 247 sports composite rankings. He’s a skilled shooter and would be a great fit alongside Zeb Jackson, the Wolverines lone 2020 commit.

There are a lot of connections between Burnett and Howard and that’s probably one of the reasons why Michigan was included in his top 12. But right now, he is only scheduled to visit Alabama and with 12 teams still in it, there is a long way to go.

Teams like Louisville, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, Auburn, Illinois and Stanford are just some of the contenders but there is no one like Duke, North Carolina or Kentucky, which means it’s a wide-open race that the Wolverines could have a real shot to win.