Michigan Basketball: Wolverines gaining with Jalen Warley, others in 2021

Michigan basketball made the top 10 list of four-star guard Jalen Warley in 2021, but the Wolverines are actually one of the true contenders.

In the last few weeks, Michigan basketball has started to gain some momentum in key recruiting battles and one in the 2021 class is that of four-star combo guard Jalen Warley.

Over the weekend, Warley trimmed his list of teams down to the 10 and as expected, Michigan basketball was one of them along with Florida State, Oregon, Louisville, Virginia, Ohio State, Memphis, LSU, Miami and Maryland.

Yet, according to Brian Snow of 247 sports ($), if the list was narrowed down much further, Michigan basketball would still be among the favorites as the two teams standing out the most are the Wolverines and Oregon.

It does feel like Michigan has a legitimate chance in this recruitment which is huge since Warley not only fills a position of need as a true combo guard, who could play the one or the two, but he’d be a great centerpiece for this class as the 27th player overall in 247’s composite rankings.

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One thing that has aided the Wolverines with Warley are the ties between him and assistant coach Phil Martelli. There’s a connection there and Juwan Howard seems to have made a solid impression too.

Another attractive thing Michigan can sell to Warley is the chance to play right away, because it’s very real. If Chaundee Brown is eligible to play in 2020-21, three of Michigan’s top four guards will be seniors.

It’s possible that Nojel Eastern could be on the roster for the 2021-22 season, too, but that’s a big unknown and even if he is, Warley’s all-around game would definitely get him on the floor.

In addition to Warley, Michigan also seems to be making headway with another top-50 recruit and that’s Quincy Allen. Allen is 45th overall in the 247 composite rankings and is a very talented shooter. He and Warley, while not five-star prospects, would be the ideal building blocks for the 2021 class.

With Howard, the Wolverines will be in the mix for some five-star recruits and they should pursue those guys, but this 25-50 range seems to be where the Wolverines can legitimately land kids and that seems to be best way to use their resources.

Michigan basketball eyes versatile big man

Another player Michigan has gained traction with recently is three-star forward Will Tschetter. The kid from Stewartsville, Minnesota isn’t ranked yet by 247 sports but is listed as three-star recruit by Rivals.

In an interview with Chris Balas of Rivals recently, Tschetter said some interesting things. For starters, he said he would take a visit to Ann Arbor in the fall, which is key. He also said good things about Howard and the program, and talked about his willingness to leave Minnesota.

"“Michigan has a pretty good rep when it comes to being a well-respected program. I feel like it’s kind of the big thing with Minnesota kids where everyone obviously wants them to stay at the hometown school, but I’m open to leaving the state, for sure.”"

Tschetter is a 6-foot-8 power forward who is likely to take a jump in the rankings at some point. He averaged 33 points a game last season in high school and nearly 11 rebounds. Watching his highlights, he simply overwhelms the competition, but also shows a nice shooting touch.

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It’s funny because Tschetter is exactly the kind of kid John Beilein would have recruited and alongside a class sure to be filled with 2-3 guards/wings, his shooting, size and versatility would be a great fit.

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