Michigan basketball: 5 Wolverine targets to keep an eye on

The future of Michigan basketball is already being shaped by the Juwan Howard era. Here are five top guys who Howard is targeting to be the future for the Wolverines.

Is the future of Michigan basketball going to be crafted by those currently on the roster?

Could it be Franz Wagner?

Could it be 2020 commit Zeb Jackson?

Those are excellent candidates, but not ones personally selected by Juwan Howard or his staff. I’m sure Howard is ecstatic to have Jackson remain on board and he must have been thrilled to land Wagner, but it has become clear Juwan has a certain style of player that he wants on his team.

What kind of player does Juwan want?

Juwan wants big men who are ranked nationally in the top 50. This is in direct contrast to his predecessor who rarely landed guys in the top 50 and frequented those ranked outside of the top 100.

To prove my point further, let’s take a look at the guys in the 2020 class who have been offered by Juwan Howard (according to 247Sports).

First, outside of Zeb, there are exactly three prospects (out of 15) of the class under 6-foot-5-inches. And again, outside of Jackson, there are exactly four members who are not ranked in the top 50 and only two are ranked outside of the top 100.

As the days go by,  the recruiting strategy is coming into focus, target giants who are the best in the business and no one else. There is no insurance policy nor is there a consolation prize.

Juwan Howard knows what he wants and is doing everything he can to achieve it. He wants success, immediate success. Coach Howard isn’t going to sit around and hope he can outcoach coach K and he doesn’t want to compete against close rivals. Juwan wants to beat everyone and to do that he recognizes he must have the top ten percent. He must have the top dogs.

Here are five top dogs.