Michigan Basketball: 3 Highly-rated prospects with interest in Wolverines
Joshua Christopher
There hasn’t been a California native on the Wolverine roster since D.J. Wilson left in 2017, and judging from his body of work, stealing talent from the Golden State pays off.
During his junior year, D.J. averaged 11 points, 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 37% from three on a roster that including three other future NBA players in Moe Wagner, Derrick Walton, and Duncan Robinson. Several others are in the G League system while a couple – Teske and Simpson – remain on the current roster.
D.J.’s performance in the Big Ten Championship and the NCAA tournament helped put him on the map and earned him a first-round draft selection.
It’s been a few years since California handed the Wolverines their next star, but it might not be much longer as Joshua Christopher is thought to be leaning towards a Michigan commitment, at least according to Rivals Corey Evans, who changed his commitment prediction from UCLA to the Wolverines on January 3rd.
Christopher is ranked 11th in the country from both ESPN and 247 sports, which would make him the highest-rated player on the Wolverines roster should he choose Michigan basketball over UCLA.
Scouting and analysis
Jerry Meyer from 247 sports wrote that Josh “Has potential to be an outstanding, versatile defender. Has a high floor as a prospect.”
An unnamed ESPN analyst said, “Josh is a player. He has been steadily improving over the last year and is now an elite-level prospect.”
At 6-foot-5, Josh has the size to play shooting guard or at the wing, although it won’t really matter in Howard’s positionless basketball philosophy. Regardless, there is very little difference between Christopher and those ranked ahead of him, and his pledge to the Wolverines would create a virtual all-star squad for Juwan.
And if you haven’t heard what Laron Christopher – Josh’s dad – had to say about the Michigan basketball staff and their visit, you’re missing out.
"“I think that (Josh) just had such an amazing conversation with Coach Juwan Howard that (it) sparked the interest. I just think that the conversation that he had with Coach Howard was amazing and it connected. Juwan is relatable. It’s one of these situations where Juwan has done all of these things, and he’s not blowing smoke. “If you go and look at Juwan Howard’s life, I have not spoken to anybody that has said anything crazy about him. It has all been words of grace, integrity, and accountability. And he’s got kids too. He has EYBL kids… (sons) that are playing basketball. He’s going to be hands-on and he’s going to be a mentor and a sound mind for these kids to believe that they can be something that other people don’t believe (they can be). It’s a beautiful story, really. For us to even just grace the campus with a visit has been amazing for us.”"