Michigan Basketball: Phil Martelli is crushing it, plus new 2021 offers

Here’s some of the latest buzz on Michigan basketball recruiting and how assistant Phil Martelli is killing it on the trail.

Every great head coach has great assistant coaches and when Juwan Howard became the man at Michigan basketball, one of his best decisions was hiring Phil Martelli to be an assistant.

The move certainly paid off for Howard last season as he learned the ropes coaching college basketball after nearly two decades of playing and coaching in the NBA. Martelli proved to be an invaluable resource on the sidelines and he’s starting to become an asset on the recruiting trail too.

The former St. Joesph’s head coach, who once coached the Hawks to the Elite 8, a one-loss regular season and the No. 1 ranking, was key in Michigan basketball offering rising guard Angelo Brizzi, but top-30 recruits Jalen Warley and Efton Reid have also praised him. Here’s what Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider wrote on Martelli’s impact ($):

"“Based upon the frequency of his name being mentioned by high caliber targets, it appears the veteran coach has gotten pretty comfortable. Rising point guard Angelo Brizzi and top 30 guard Jalen Warley both credited Martelli with piquing their interests in the Wolverines. Now the no. 26 player in the country, Richmond (Va.) Steward center Efton Reid, is doing the same.”"

Reid said his relationship with Martelli was established when the Michigan assistant came to one of his practices last season and here’s what he said directly about Martelli ($):

"“First of all, (Martelli) is a really great coach,” Reid told The Michigan Insider. “(Based on) all the years he has coached; he has tremendous knowledge in this game. It’s just fun to be around that type of dude because you just want to learn so much from him. And he is such a smart intellectual individual. His vibe is really good. My mom is always telling me to surround (yourself) with people that are smarter than you so you can learn from them.”"

The Wolverines have been pushing for the 6-foot-11 center ever since. Martelli’s connection here should help, along with Howard’s history of developing bigs in the NBA. It helped Michigan land Hunter Dickinson and could be a game-changer here too.

Either way, about a year later, the hiring of Martelli seems like a very good move.

Michigan basketball offers two new 2021 wings

It’s been a busy few days for Howard and the Wolverines. Earlier this week, Michigan basketball offered five-star Peyton Watson, a kid U-M should have a real shot at, and then, the Wolverines extended two more offers Friday.

One of those offers went out to top-50 recruit Quincy Allen. Allen is a 6-foot-7 wing that ranks 46th in the 247 sports composite rankings and 39th in the 247 specific rankings.

Allen is an interesting player and looks like a true small forward in the mold of Charles Matthews, a long, lanky wing. At least that sort of body type, although he will need to add some strength. He’s a shooter and his film shows a nice ability to spot up, as well as some impressive athleticism. The four-star prospect needs to improve as a defender but shows a nice ability to get into the passing lanes and disrupt things.

The other offer from Howard on Friday was to Brandon Weston, a player Howard should know well since he played on the Mac Irvin Fire with Jace Howard.

Weston looks like your traditional two-guard to and he’s a kid out of Chicago, which could give Howard an edge, along with the familiarity with Jace. The 6-foot-5 guard is ranked 76th overall in the 247 sports composite and Illinois is another school that’s listed as warm on his 247 profile.

He’s a strong kid who can attack the bucket. He’s also a solid shooter and the kind of player you could see starting possibly in year two. The thing both Allen and Weston have in common is their shooting ability, which could get them on the floor sooner than later if they end up committing.