Michigan Basketball: 7 top prospects warming up to Wolverines

Jalen Warley

Just like with Will Tschetter, we at GBMWolverine have covered Jalen Warley in-depth here and here. Michigan basketball is in excellent shape with Jalen from all accounts based mostly on his relationship with coach Phil Martelli, who’s legend remains in Pennsylvania – the home state of Warley.

Jaden Akins

Have you ever watched an Olympic long jumper? They can cover a distance that seems impossible for most and yet they defy gravity and land upwards of 25 feet from where they originally began their takeoff.

Jaden Akins performed a similar feat by jumping from 105th to the 66th overall recruit for the 2021 class, according to Rivals. As a borderline top-100 basketball player, some analysts have spoken out that the existing ranking was too low. Still, to make such a massive leap without basketball being played is insane.

But with the ability to nail a shot from anywhere on the court, it appears to be a warranted leap. And the skip to 66th was foreshadowed by Rivals own Corey Evans.

“He’s much better than what we have him at right now,” Evans said. “He’s a super quick-twitch guard that can play multiple spots, he can make shots, he’s athletic, he can defend a variety of positions. There aren’t many glaring holes in his game.”

Michigan State appears to be the favorite in the race for Jaden, who plays at Farmington High School in Farmington, MI, and for the AAU team The Family. But then again, Jaden isn’t in any hurry to chose a suitor.

“I’m not in any rush right now,” Akins said. “I’m waiting until (the pandemic is) all over because I want to be able to get back on campuses again before I make my decision. It’s definitely crazy. I’ve just been dreaming about this point in my life for a long time. I’m just enjoying it and taking it one day at a time.”

While MSU might lead with crystal balls, there are no “lead experts” weighing in, and Jaden was in attendance at Crisler when Michigan basketball defeated the Spartans.