Michigan Basketball adds ‘Fearless’ Frankie Collins to 2021 class

Michigan basketball has added it’s four scholarship member to the 2021 class after Frankie Collins announced his intention to join the Wolverines.

Frankie Collins began his high school basketball career in Nevada and is headed back there following a stint down in Arizona.  His return trip to Henderson, Nevada will be his third school in three years and this time around he will hit the court with one of the most sought after recruits in the world, five-star fellow Michigan basketball target Jaden Hardy.

The Wolverines have been after both prospects for some time now and while it doesn’t seem like Hardy will be picking his college destination anytime soon, Frankie Collins has made his choice. Michigan basketball just got a whole lot better.

U-M was in dire need of a point guard for next season and they have found their man. The 6-foot-1 point man has the talent to play right away with nearly any squad in college as he’s ranked 57th overall and the ninth-best point guard for his cycle.

If you want to know who Michigan is getting with Frankie Collins, look no further. A week ago, Frankie’s future coach, Jeff Kaufman, gave an exclusive interview to GBMWolverine about both Jaden Hardy and Frankie Collins. You can read the complete article by clicking or pressing here.

Below is the Q&A regarding Frankie:

Q: Point guard Frankie Collins left Nevada for Arizona and is back again, this time on your roster. What do you expect from him during his first year under your tutelage?

A: “I have had the pleasure of knowing Frankie for several years.  Frankie plays a power-point guard position and is way above the rim.  He always wants to be on the court and just by watching him play, you can see the joy he gets from the game.   My biggest expectation for Frankie is that he become the best leader he can be.  I want to see him motivate his teammates and be a role model, especially for the younger guys.  In terms of performance, I would expect nothing less than for Frankie to average a double-double in scoring and assists this year, and I would certainly not be surprised with quite a few triple-double games.”

Q: I know he wasn’t on your team last season, but surely, you’ve seen plenty of Frankie’s tape. What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of his game?

A: “I have watched Frankie play for years.  His biggest strength is his heart!  Frankie is fearless, regardless of whether he is trying to dunk in traffic or defend the other team’s best player.  Frankie has so many weapons that it is hard to categorize him.   Frankie plays 100% every minute of every game and practice.  Of course, he is a great passer and shooter and does all of the little things right, but as a coach, watching his intensity is very satisfying.

“What I intend to try and guide Frankie with this year is to get him to trust his teammates.  Frankie puts the weight of the world on his shoulders and willing to burden all of the responsibility.  There are times in a game as well as in life that you have to count on others to come thru for you, and as Frankie matures, he will understand this, only furthering his talent as a guard.”

Matt’s musings

Michigan’s class was ranked eighth nationally and third in the Big Ten with 54.52 points. With Collins, the Wolverines have the fifth-highest class overall and second in the conference behind Michigan State (MSU 62.52 points/UM 61.71 points).

While it’s still early for the class, Juwan and Co. have put together a stellar recruiting plan and are executing it almost flawlessly. They still have one scholarship left, and I believe they will fill it with one of two five star centers in Efton Reid and Charles Bediako, or with a transfer in the offseason.