Michigan Basketball: Josh Christopher commits to ASU in devastating blow

Josh Christopher broke the hearts of Michigan basketball fans everywhere as he chose to commit to Arizona State.

As a Michigan basketball fan, you have learned to expect disappointment and so it probably wasn’t a huge shock when five-star Josh Christopher chose Arizona State over the Wolverines.

Despite the fact that all the experts from 247 sports and most of them from Rivals and other outlets said he was going to go to Michigan basketball, at the last moment, he didn’t.

After making fans wait for months, Christopher finally announced a few days ago that he would make his decision known Monday. Then, after rumors about the time of his decision swirled, it became known that he would announce at 8:24 PST, to honor Kobe Bryant.

Christopher posted a one-minute video of him in an Arizona State uniform in a crushing blow to Michigan basketball and its fans.

It’s hard to say how much the loss of Christopher, a legit five-star will hurt the Wolverines. He was going to be the missing piece, the ball-dominant guard that U-M was missing last season.

Instead, Christopher chose to play with his brother at Arizona State. Maybe the fact that he chose his father’s birthday to make the announcement should have been a clue.

Either way, it’s a decision that could knock Michigan out of national title contention before the season even begins. Just like the last offseason, the Wolverines now have a huge hole at the two-guard that will end up being filled by Eli Brooks.

Michigan is still going to be a really good team, especially if Isaiah Todd actually signs with the Wolverines. He is the lone five-star commitment in the 2020 class for the Wolverines, which is still ranked fourth overall according to 247 sports.

But if Todd, for some reason, doesn’t come to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines will have some of the same limitations they did in Juwan Howard’s first year as head coach.

The good news is that Mike Smith of Columbia committed earlier this week, which could give Howard another guard to pair with Brooks in the backcourt unless they are willing to give Franz Wagner a shot at the two.

The bigger issue is that even if Isaiah Livers returns from the NBA draft process, Michigan will still have an open scholarship. There could be some graduate transfers out there, but as of right now, there aren’t many options left.

The fact that Christopher chose Arizona State is devastating. There are no other words for it.