Michigan Basketball: Breaking down mixed results of sophomore class

The 2018 recruiting class was one of Beilein’s best at Michigan basketball and here is a look at how the sophomores are faring so far in 2020-21.

What turned out to be John Beilein’s last recruiting class for Michigan basketball was a doozy. The five-man class included Brazdeikis, Johns, Castleton, Dejulius, and Nunez. The class ranked 6th nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten according to 247 sports.

The highest-rated of the bunch, Brazdeikis, spent one season with the Wolverines before entering the NBA draft. He was a big part of the success that Michigan had last season. He was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, by the New York Knicks.

The rest of the bunch saw limited minutes during their freshman seasons as they learned Beilein’s playbook and got acclimated to the rigors of college basketball. Just when they were getting their feet under them, Beilein left for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Johns and company had to have felt a little lost after hearing the news. They just finished their freshman years and were going to have a new coach, heading into their sophomore season.

None of the four transferred after the news which they easily could have. They are now in their second season and playing for Juwan Howard. Some things are just meant to work out and Howard to Michigan was one of those things.

The class came in with big expectations and rightfully so. With three key departures from last year’s team, Matthews, Poole, and Brazdeikis opportunity has been aplenty. Let’s take a closer look at the four remaining members and how they are doing during their second season in Ann Arbor.