Michigan basketball: Breaking down contact with 2022 recruits

Life has changed, but life on the recruiting trail hasn’t, and the Michigan basketball staff is working overtime, reaching out to 2022 prospects.

2022 recruits could contact the Michigan basketball coaches, but not the other way around, at least not until last night. At midnight, coaches were given the go-ahead to make contact, and Juwan Howard didn’t sleep, he was on the phone with several recruits, some high profile, and some still waiting their turn for a rating.

First off, there’s Fletcher Loyer, the younger brother of Foster, Michigan State’s backup guard. Both attended Clarkston High School, and Fletcher will likely follow in his brother’s footsteps, but Juwan still wants to tango with Tom Izzo for the services of the younger Loyer, who is quite possibly better than his brother, at least in some aspects.

“Foster was more of a point guard,” said Tom Wasilk, the head coach at Clarkston. “More of a floor general. But Fletcher’s more of a shooting guard and a little bit lengthier. He can shoot the crap out of the ball.”

While it’s too early for the recruiting services to provide a rating for Fletcher, he’s one of the few 2022 prospects in Michigan to receive high major offers this early, which should give you an indication about his abilities on the court.

Next, there’s four-star Colin Smith (three-star on 247 sports) from Dallas, Texas. Colin is a teammate of five-star 2021 recruit Harrison Ingram, a top target for the Wolverine staff.

Even though Smith isn’t the main attraction on his squad, he still managed 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals as an underclassman. That’s incredible and a primary reason why the coaches reached out early, but it’s not their first contact with Colin.

Before the statewide shutdown of nearly all activities, Smith was able to watch Michigan basketball perform in person and not during an off night. When Smith came to town, U-M was the underdog to MSU, and we all know how that turned out.