Michigan Basketball is a finalist for transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands

Michigan basketball might be the destination for the talented transfer from Depaul, Jalen Coleman-Lands. He named his top five, and UM was included.

Juwan Howard had a scholarship problem until he didn’t. Michigan basketball fans were, just months ago, wondering how it would all shake out, and then the bottom fell out. The Wolverines were left with two open spots for 2020.

Does Juwan save them for 2021? Does he seek a high school star that hasn’t made his decision? Does he find someone in the transfer portal?

Last month, Jalen Coleman-Lands didn’t know if he would be able to play another year of college basketball. Then, the NCAA declared Jalen would be eligible for his sixth season. Michigan basketball is interested, and the feeling is mutual.

A month after the life-altering decision, Coleman-Lands announced his top-five, and U-M was one of those schools, as well as USC, Iowa State, NC State, and Cal.

Way back in 2015, when Jalen was bouncing around the court for La Lumiere School in Indianapolis, Indiana, he was one of the top-rated guards in the country and one of the top-rated overall. 247 Sports had Coleman-Lands at 37th overall, and the No. 9 PG.

Rivals rated Jalen as a shooting guard and dropped him to 39th overall with no further rankings. ESPN was the only site to provide a scouting report ($):

"Strengths:Coleman is a true shooting guard with a terrific offensive feel and knack for scoring. He gets to the rim on the break and on straight line drives in the halfcourt set where he is a crafty finisher. Coleman has a smooth mid range pull up jumper. He also can knock down the three off the catch and on the move. Coleman also does a good job of seeing the floor when he helps at the point. Coleman is an excellent play maker that can score in a variety of ways.Weaknesses:Coleman will need to continue to add strength, become a better perimeter rebounder and continue to hone his point guard skills when he is asked to help run the team and play on the ball.Bottom Line:Coleman is a shooting guard that is a talented and gifted offensive player that can score in a variety of ways and make plays with the ball in his hands. He is a high major shooting guard with great upside including the ability to help at the point in the future with the right development."

Matt’s Musings

Initially beginning his college career in Illinois, Jalen is keenly aware of the strength and skill it takes to compete with some of the best in basketball. He played against some of the guys still on the roster and would become an asset if he chooses Michigan over the other suitors.

The issue here is, does he fit? The Wolverines already enlisted the services of Columbia’s scoring guard Mike Smith who should start at PG, and Eli Brooks is back for another year and will likely earn the SG spot. With Cole Bajema in the portal, it would make sense to bring in another shooter to add depth, but as a sixth-year grad transfer, Coleman-Lands isn’t looking to add depth, he’s looking to be a key piece, a catalyst for success.

During his two years at Illinois, Jalen showed he can be a sniper from deep, including the game against Michigan, where he hit back-to-back three’s.

Shooting 42 percent from deep his freshman season and 38 percent during his sophomore campaign, Coleman-Lands would certainly add range to the offense, although he’s only proven himself to be a one-trick pony.

When Jalen Left the Illini and headed for DePaul for what he thought would be his final two seasons, he didn’t improve much despite the downgrade in competition in the Big East.

Averaging 9.6 and 11.1 points-per-game per-season, respectively, Coleman-Lands doesn’t seem ready for a move back to the Big Ten, however, the Michigan staff believes so and if Jalen is willing to compete with Eli Brooks, Zeb Jackson, Adrien Nunez and Mike Smith for playing time, I’m all about landing Lands.