Michigan Basketball: 7 top prospects warming up to Wolverines

Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Coach’s kids are just different than the rest. Have you ever seen a former college quarterback turned coach with his son on the team? The fundamentals have been ingrained in that kid since he before he could walk. Perfect spirals, seamless dropbacks, and flawless handoffs. They make it look natural, the way it’s supposed to look.

The same thing goes in basketball. It’s why Zavier Simpson was, for the most part, so fundamentally sound on the court and why he had complete trust from both John Beilein and later with Juwan Howard. Zavier’s dad, Quincy, is the Lima High School head coach, and I’m sure he had his son doing unique basketball drills his whole life in preparation for a career in hoops.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. is no different, albeit a little more heralded than X. As the No. 3 recruit for the 2021 class, Baldwin has an offer from just about every school and it’s not just his deadly threes that have earned him such admiration.

Patrick was breed to play basketball. His mom, Shawn, was well-known for her volleyball skills and she’s 6-foot-2-inches tall, and his dad played for Northwestern before transitioning into coaching. He’s now the head coach at UW-Milwaukee.

That lineage, mixed with his natural ability, caused Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to label Patrick as the “Perfect recruit.”

Here’s the evaluation from 247 sports:

"“Has great length and an excellent frame to add weight. At 6-foot-8, can play either forward spot and he has the ability to be a weapon from beyond the arc. There aren’t many prospects who have the combination of skill, basketball IQ, size, and athleticism. Has gotten significantly better off the dribble, and it is easy to see why he is one of the premier prospects in the class of 2021. From an NBA perspective he has not only significant 3 and D potential as a forward, but his athleticism is getting better – which could mean future star status if everything continues to come together. Add in that he is a son of a coach who has been around the game his whole life, and Baldwin checks nearly every box you could want out of a prospect. Looks like he will develop into an NBA lottery pick.”"

Baldwin has, allegedly, a Duke lean, but U-M is still holding on. Back in May, Patrick dropped his top ten, and the Wolverines made the cut.

https://twitter.com/_pbaldwin23/status/1259273575439241218