Michigan Basketball: Wolverines gaining ground with two 2021 five-stars

Michigan basketball hasn’t had years of building rapport with recruits, it had a year of contact, and yet many prospects are interested, including two five-stars.

Juwan Howard doesn’t have to scramble his recruiting efforts to scrounge together a class worthy of a Big Ten roster. Last year, Michigan basketball was doing its best with the time allotted and the Wolverines nearly pulled off a miracle haul.

Even with minor disappointment, U-M’s impressive 2020 class is envied by the rest of the conference.

The 2021 class is shaping up to be at the same level, or better.

Michigan basketball is gaining ground with two of the best basketball players in the country. The first is Harrison Ingram, the 16th best player for 2021, per the composite.

According to Rivals National Recruiting Analyst, Corey Evans, U-M isn’t leading the pack with Ingram, but they are making progress with constant contact.

"“No one has picked up more ground in Ingram’s recruitment this spring and summer than Michigan. Juwan Howard has practically talked or texted with Ingram every day since Michigan offered and, if things play out longer, Michigan could ascend into the top spot.”"

Before I scouted Harrison, I read a lot of evaluations and they identified him as a point forward. Within five minutes of tape, it’s easy to land on that description of his game.

Ingram is a versatile scorer that’s excellent at driving the land, hitting from 25 feet, and distributing to his teammates. When I first saw him, Harrison appeared that he was moving around at around 25% of his potential, but it’s just a ruse.

Ingram has a second gear that gets him past defenders in high school. That skill should carry forward at the next level. As Anthony Wright points out in his video review, the only downside of his game is his release, which is strangely low.

The other five-star is one I’ve covered in great detail and I believe Michigan has a legitmate chance to land. His name is Jalen Warley (No. 23 nationally), and he’s got strong connections to the school.

“One school that is definitely getting a lot of talk is Michigan.” Brian Snow and Josh Gershon wrote in their article National Hoops Recruiting Notebook. “Wolverine assistant coach Phil Martelli has a long-time connection to the family, and also Head Coach Juwan Howard has built a strong connection with Warley and his family.”

Another five-star with a low release. Another five-star with one minor issue with his game. Another five-star interested in the Wolverines.

I see Warley as a tall point guard on the 2021 team and not at the two if he picks U-M. He’s another guy, like Ingram, that can score from anywhere on the court. Down low, Jalen can absorb contact and still complete off-balance attempts or use his athleticism to create a short jumper. As I said, the only downside here is his low release, and maybe his lack of elite speed that could cause matchup issues on defense in college, but other than that he’s a complete player.