Michigan Basketball: Wolverines pursuing talented 4-star in 2022

Last week, arguably the top 2021 target for Michigan basketball, Harrison Ingram, chose to commit to Stanford over Michigan.  Now, Juwan Howard’s attention will turn to Ingram’s high school teammate, 2022 four-star Colin Smith.

Colin Smith is one of Juwan Howard’s top priorities in the 2022 recruiting class. The relationship between Smith and Michigan goes all the way back to before Smith’s freshman year when he visited a Michigan basketball when John Beilein was still head coach.

He has also visited Michigan two other times. Smith was in attendance for a Michigan basketball camp the summer before his sophomore year and he also visited Michigan at Crisler Arena during the Michigan State game last year.

Smith is currently ranked as a four-star and as the 104th player in the 2022 247Sports Composite rankings. But if you take one look at his film, it’s evident that he will climb up those rankings over the next year.

He’s a really big wing at 6’8 but possesses guard skills as well. I think he’s an extremely underrated prospect right now that will end up in the top-60 in the class as scouts and coaches continue to gather film on him.

As a matter of fact, Smith already ranks 59th according to the 2022 Rivals rankings.

I caught up with Smith’s coach Greg Guiler and he spoke extremely highly of Smith’s game.

“Colin is a fantastic kid and a great player. He has the game to be a great two-way player and thrive on both ends of the floor. Him and Harrison (Ingram) have a lot of the same skills on the court. They can both handle the ball and make plays for others. They are both extremely unselfish.”

But it’s not just Smith’s on court game that Coach Guiler raved about. He talked about Smith off the court and how important his attitude is to the team.

“Colin is tremendous off the court as well. He really has a sense for when the team is down. Or when the team is having a stale day. He senses that and is so good at infusing life into the gym and picking everyone up.”

When I asked Smith to describe his own game and tell me some NBA comps that he had for himself, he said this.

“My biggest strength is that I’m a two-way player that makes teammates better. I have PG ability, that’s a part of the game I’ve really worked on. I have a game similar to Paul George and Jayson Tatum.”

Contenders and Timeline

I spoke to Colin Smith this past weekend and I asked him which schools are pursuing him the hardest at this point. He said right now it’s Michigan, Arkansas, Illinois, UNC, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, and Auburn.

Smith told me that he doesn’t have a leader and he’s just trying to get acquainted with different programs at this time and lay the foundation of those relationships.

As far as a decision, Smith isn’t even close to that yet. He told me the earliest that he would do a list cut would be after his basketball season.

There’s no question that Michigan basketball is in a good place to potentially land Smith down the road. Smith has already visited three times and he has a great relationship with the staff.

“I like Michigan and the entire staff a lot. Our relationship has really grown. We talk on a weekly basis. From Coach Howard, Coach Washington, and Coach Eisely.”

The 2022 class for Michigan basketball should be pretty small. I’d expect only 3-4 guys in it. With Jett Howard likely joining the Wolverines and Michigan being the presumed leader for PG Dug McDaniel, Colin Smith would be a great versatile piece to the class.

We will keep you updated on Michigan’s entire 2022 recruiting class and targets as it develops.