Michigan Basketball: Is a commitment from Will Tschetter imminent?

Another five-star offered

Juwan Howard knows how much talent there is within the city of Chicago and the surrounding areas. That’s where he grew up, and that’s precisely where he’s going back to fill his roster.

Look at the players he’s targeted. Mike Smith was an unknown coming out of Oak Park, Illinois. He didn’t have the high major offers, and he ended up at Columbia, where he became an unstoppable force.

Juwan snatched him up and moved on to future classes. Immediately, he discovered Isaiah Barnes, who’s from the same city. Barnes, like Smith, is criminally underrated, and even the major recruiting sites have acknowledged it.

Now, Juwan has found his latest target from Chi-town in A.J.Casey.

A.J. is ranked 24th nationally, the fifth-best PF, and No. 1 from Illinois with five stars, per the 247 sports composite. Internally, 247 sports has Casey at 36th nationally, the No. 6 PF, and No. 1 from IL, with four stars.

Rivals has Casey as a four-star and 21st nationally while ESPN has A.J. as a five-star, 18th nationally, sixth positionally, and No. 1 in-state.

A.J. recently transferred high schools, and Scott Phillips from NBC Sports explained why the move is good for him and intertwined a scouting report.

"“From a basketball perspective, Casey has the skill level and size to be an All-Area player as early as this season for Tinley Park,” Phillips said in his article. “On Sunday the sophomore was one of the best players on the floor at the annual Pangos Frosh/Soph All-Midwest Camp in La Grange. Among a loaded group of underclass prospects from all over the region with many future Division I prospects on the floor in the camp’s All-Star game, Casey was one of the camp’s top players as he made plays all over. “More limited to an interior role with Simeon during his freshman season on a veteran team that didn’t need to run consistent offense through him, Casey flourished in the open floor of the camp setting with the ball in his hands. Handling the ball and scoring, Casey looked comfortable in the post or facing up. Casey’s overall versatility at forward shined through as his development on the perimeter will be fascinating to watch this season.”"

Matt’s musings

When it comes to Will Tschetter, he’s an intriguing prospect, and most have attributed his low ranking to his limited exposure. Most of his tape comes from high school games, and they can be deceiving. But I don’t think so in this case.

When it comes to Casey, it’s still too early to tell who the leaders are, but we know Juwan will get the attention of any recruit, especially those from his hometown.