Michigan Basketball: Ideal roster movement for 2020-21 season

Michigan basketball has surpassed its capacity for scholarship players for the 2020-21 season. Here is the ideal scenario for the best roster possible.

Life has its ups and downs. When Isaiah Todd committed to Michigan basketball, Wolverine fans across the country cheered head coach Juwan Howard’s recruiting efforts, and it didn’t stop there. Hunter Dickinson, Terrance Williams, and Jace Howard all pledged to play for Juwan, which is excellent, but, as they said in the 1995 movie Apollo 13: Houston, we have a problem.

There are only 13 scholarships available, per NCAA regulations, and with four coming in and only two expected to depart, Michigan will have to find a way to gently nudge at least one more out the door.

Ups and downs.

Luckily, Juwan has several options. I’m not going to get into the minutiae of college scholarships, albeit where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you want someone to leave and you’re dedicated to the cause, you’ll figure out a way to make it happen.

This is not to say that Juwan is going to be handing out pink slips at the culmination of the tournament in April. It doesn’t quite work like that. Sometimes people can be guided away from the program by informing them of the best decision for their career.

Attrition

For Austin Davis, Adrien Nunez, and Colin Castleton, minutes could dwindle from the limited number they’re already receiving. Juwan isn’t attaching guys who intend on playing four years; these are, for the most part, one-and-done athletes who were previously designated as first-round draft picks.

In the long run, it may be more advantageous for the Wolverines to retain Colin, as he has two more years remaining with the team compared to Davis, who has the option of immediate eligibility as a grad transfer. Austin, however, has been the more dominant presence and has moved ahead of Colin on the depth chart.

On the flip side, Howard will have ample opportunity to find another big man to back up the 7-foot-2 Dickinson in the offseason, which would negate the previous point. And as he’s shown so far, Juwan has no trouble snagging the pick of the litter.

Is Juwan done yet?

Rumors are always swirling around college sports, and it’s no different for Michigan as many are anticipating that Juwan’s historic recruiting haul isn’t over. There’s Joshua Christopher, who not only has experts believing he’s a future Michigan man but also a tweet from Isaiah Todd could be interpreted as Christopher being a lock for UM.

"Twitter user @daves_joint wrote: Definitely look forward to seeing @umichbball at the @EmpireClassicBB next season with their incoming freshman class of @zaytodd. @jaceh0ward, Hunter Dickinson, Zeb Jackson and Terrance Williams.Todd retweeted @daves_joint and said: And Josh ???"

There’s also Shareef O’Neal – yes, Shaq’s son – who some believe is a package deal with Christopher, although ‘package deals’ rarely work.

Finally, Greg Brown, ranked ninth in the county, is a long shot, but he will be making an official visit to Ann Arbor on February 7th, potentially staying for the matchup with Michigan State.

What’s your point?

Determining what’s best for the team lands almost solely on Howard’s shoulders, however, if it were up to me (thankfully it’s not), Michigan would continue to attract the cream of the crop while simultaneously preparing its current athletes for careers elsewhere. Bring in Christopher, O’Neal, and others and dispatch those underperforming.

And while no one wants to see a Michigan man walk away without finishing what they started, as Jim Harbaugh says, without some attrition, the new age Fab Five (as it stands today), or six, or seven will never come to fruition.