Michigan Basketball: Making sense of Wolverines scholarship situation

Turnover of personnel is expected with a new administration, but Michigan basketball is doing it much faster than before. Here’s a look at the numbers.

When John Beilein took over, the personnel change was gradual, in terms of the athletes on the court. Michigan basketball had only two commits for John’s first class, which is, minus Jalen Wilson, who decommited post-coaching change, the same number of recruits Juwan Howard brought in during his first shortened offseason.

But year two is entirely different for the two coaches.

The truncated season came with uncertainly that saw the departure of two highly sought after members of the roster in David DeJulius and Colin Castleton, and Juwan filled the void with a massive haul of talent from the 2020 cycle and with transfers.

Six total basketball players were brought in to form the team into what coach Howard sees as the future – four recruits and two transfers.

The commits are already on campus. Big man Hunter Dickinson is joined by classmates Zeb Jackson, Jace Howard, and Hunter’s former/current teammate Terrance Williams. Mike Smith, the transfer from Columbia, is the leading candidate to take over as the floor general, and he’s accompanied by Chaundee Brown, the Wake Forrest transfer that doesn’t know if he will play in 2020.

Brown’s status will directly impact the situation for Michigan basketball, no matter if he’s eligible right away or not.

Looking ahead, the number of scholarships that will be open next year could be massive, anywhere between five to nine.

As it stands, three of those spots are filled with the big-time recruits Howard has already gathered.

Isaiah Barnes, the dynamic wing from the Chicago area, was the first intriguing prospect to join the class, and he was followed by Will Tschetter, the scoring forward that could also play the wing or as a pick and pop big for the Wolverines. Finally, a highly coveted in-state prospect became the latest to the third-best class in the country. Kobe Bufkin is a welcomed addition as a four-star and top 100 for his class.

Those are the guys we know about, but what about the other two scholarships, and how will more open up?

Breaking it down, you could, potentially, have nine slots if the following happens:

1. Isaiah Livers stays in the draft making Brandon Johns Jr the stater. He has a great season causing him to head to the NBA.
2. Hunter Dickinson dominates and joins Johns.
3. Franz came back, but there’s a slim to no chance he sticks around for a third year.
4. Lastly, someone transfers out.

In that instance, there are no centers on the team, and the starting four would be mostly freshman or walk-ons.

The good news is, there is no reason to worry. The staff is already forming a top-class with guys that will fit the system Juwan has instituted. Guys that can, with limited instruction and a less systematic style of play, take to the hardwood and score with ease while locking down defenders on the other end of the court.

Nine seems like a big number, but at the end of the day, it’s just more opportunity for the administration to formulate a team in their vision and not one of their predecessors.