Michigan Basketball: Predicting commitments for Wolverines in 2021

The five star and a center

Juwan Howard traveled to the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area and brought back two of the best players from the Nike EYBL squad Team Takeover with Hunter Dickinson and Terrance Williams. Juwan’s not afraid to walk into enemy territory and grab a couple of kids that would otherwise have stayed local.

The next Team Takeover member to Michigan basketball will be five-star Trevor Keels, establishing the pipeline of Virginia stars to Ann Arbor. If the Wolverines can grab Keels and Brizzi, 2021’s crew will feature four starters from the DMV.

Trevor’s coach, Keith Stevens, feels like the Wolverines have done a fantastic job recruiting Keels.

“I think Michigan has done a great job of coming in and building the relationship with the kid and the family… of showing them the way he could come in and be part of something special,” Stevens said. “And just showing that they’ve put the right staff together to develop the kid and help him get to the level that he wants to eventually get to.”

Ranking:

247 sports: 17 NATL, 3 SG, 1 VA

Rivals: 14 NATL, 3 SG

ESPN: 14 NATL, 4 SG, 1 VA

Here’s the evaluation from 247 sports Jerry Meyer:

"Tremendous physical strength for a shooting guard. Has length as well. Plays a power game but can score from all three levels. Solid ball handler. Good passer. Has strength to be a better rebounder. Adequate defender."

A center

Michigan basketball is making headway with a couple of five-star centers in Chet Holmgren and Efton Reid, but it’s a pipedream that the Wolverines will land either. Both are top 30 nationally (Chet is 2nd, Reid is 28th) and both are prime candidates for the G League, or anywhere they can get paid (including other NCAA programs cough Duke, Kentucky, LSU, UNC cough) before getting drafted as future first-round picks.

The important thing to remember is that after this season, Austin Davis is gone leaving just Hunter Dickinson at center. Brandon Johns could fit in the backup role, although that would create a very short lineup that sees 6-foot-6 Williams at the four.

Matt’s musings

As each year passes, we see different levels of attrition, and the offseason following 2020 could open up additional scholarships for more 2021 recruits. If the Wolverines do find themselves with an additional two openings, Jalen Warley and Kobe Bufkin are candidates to fill those. Both have interest in the Wolverines, and Warley has family ties with associate head coach Phil Martelli.

There’s also Harrison Ingram, who’s ranked 18th for his class (15th composite). The staff has spent a lot of time on him, and even though he’s got a (weak) crystal ball for Stanford, UM is still a strong candidate for his services.