Michigan Basketball: Wolverines targeting pair of 2022 forwards

To get top players to commit, the Michigan basketball staff understands it’s best to play the long game. Here’s the latest contact with 2022 recruits.

Those within the Michigan basketball program were shocked – just like everyone else – when Joshua Christopher didn’t commit to the Wolverines, according to several reports.

It’s a tough lesson to learn and while I’m sure The Godfather, Phil Martelli, did his best to temper expectations, it’s certainly a hard pill to swallow, no matter how much you tell yourself it won’t matter what the five-star does, the team must march forward, right?

One takeaway from that experience is the longer you spend attending practices, sitting in the first row during games, and charming the family, the better chance you have of sealing the deal.

Take Emoni Bates, for example. While you can argue that he may never spend a second of his basketball career on a college court, you can’t argue Michigan State’s unrivaled courtship of the No. 1 kid from the 2022 cycle.

Izzo brought his whole team to a game and made Bates feel special, even more so than any ranking. It wasn’t a month of talking back and forth, it was constant and overwhelming conversations.

Now that Juwan has a year of experience under his belt, he recognizes what needs to be done to bring in the best players each year: Time and patience.

The 2020 season isn’t even underway and yet coach Howard is in constant contact with several 2022 recruits, and the staff has recently reached out to two new, very talented recruits.

Two highly coveted forwards.

The first is a five-star recruit from Gary, Indiana. Jalen Washington, the 6-foot-8 PF that plays for West Side High School.

Jalen has a very raw and natural talent that will require a lot of structure and honing in before he can compete at the next level. Of course, Washington will have the next two years to tweak his style and build muscle, so there’s no need to worry about that.

In an interview, Jalen said he was concentrating on getting bigger and stronger, but that’s not what someone close to the program said was holding him back from being No. 1 in his class.

“His confidence is what he needs to work on as far as being able to shoot a lot of shots and not being worried about missing,” Chris Buggs, Jalen’s high school coach, said. “You know, he’s a guy who likes perfection and doesn’t like missing a lot, so just trying to help him play with more confidence. I think that’ll really help him moving forward.”

247 sports ranks Jalen as ninth in his class, internally. Although, the composite has Washington at 17th in the country, the No. 4 PF, and like the internal rankings, No. 1 in-state.

The second call went out to a lesser-known prospect in Christian Watson, out of Washington, D.C. An area that Juwan has already established as a pipeline for Michigan basketball.

Per the composite, Christian is ranked 104th in the 2022 class, 33rd at SF, and No. 2 from D.C.

If you doubt Christians’ ability, read his scouting report from Endlessmotorsports:

“A lengthy 6’7 perimeter shotmaker that can generate offense off the dribble with good athleticism is a valuable commodity in modern basketball.  Watson’s defensive versatility is very intriguing, as he has the size and mobility to defend multiple positions. We fully expect him to have a big Summer on the EYBL circuit and become one of the most coveted 2022s in the nation.“