Michigan Basketball makes the top five for another 5-star recruit

Another week and another five-star that includes Michigan basketball in their final list cut. That’s what it’s starting to feel like as Michigan continues to try to wrap up the 2021 recruiting class.

Five-star shooting guard Bryce McGowens announced his top five schools Monday and Michigan basketball was on the list. Joining the Wolverines were Georgia, LSU, Nebraska, and Florida State.

McGowens decommitted from Florida State last week and immediately became one of the top available prospects in the class. Juwan Howard reached out to McGowens right away and even had a zoom call with him yesterday.

McGowens was committed to Florida State for over eight months so the decommitment came as a shock to Seminole fans and coaches. He told 247Sports “I committed early in February so I want to make sure I make the right decision.”

The recruiting board for Michigan basketball for the 2021 class continues to be ever changing. Bryce McGowens will now join Caleb Houstan and Efton Reid as Michigan’s top remaining priorities for the class. They also remain involved with Bryce Hopkins and Chet Holmgren but those feel like long shots to me.

As it sits right now, Juwan Howard will likely only have two remaining spots open for the 2021 class. They already have four guys committed and are looking to close out the class with a bang. The current members of their 2021 class are:

Frankie Collins: 4-star, 60th overall

Kobe Bufkin: 4-star, 65th overall

Isaiah Barnes: 4-star, 121st overall

Will Tschetter: 3-star, 154th overall

Michigan basketball’s top remaining needs for the class are a scorer and a center. McGowens would fill that scorer need very well.

He has a tall and lengthy body for a shooting guard and loves to get to the basket and be a slasher. He also has a more than capable jump shot that will only get better with time.

Despite making the top-five, I’m still a bit skeptical about Michigan’s chances in this recruitment. Michigan basketball is sitting very good with Houstan and Reid right now and have a realistic chance at closing out this class with those two five-stars.

If that’s the case, there just won’t be much room left. The Wolverines would have their center and they would have their scorer. Howard continues to pursue top talent even when they are in solid position with several 2021 prospects.

If last year’s Josh Christopher debacle has taught Juwan Howard anything, it’s you cant take anything for granted in recruiting. Keep pursuing top talent until your class is officially full.

He has done a nice job of that in this class.