5 Takeaways on Michigan Basketball’s top-ranked recruiting class

Howard’s change of strategy paid off

This recruiting class was a big achievement and will remain that way even if another program overtakes the Wolverines for the No. 1 spot.

But one of the best things about this class, was that it showed the way Howard was quickly able to adapt. When he first came to Michigan, five-star recruits were more of the priority and he seemingly offered each one.

And it wasn’t a bad strategy. Even this cycle, the Wolverines have made the cut for a bunch of the elite level kids, but prioritizing those recruits early isn’t the best investment of time.

So this cycle, after getting burned by some burned by some other five stars in 2020, Howard and U-M really built this class from the ground up. Tschetter and Barnes, the two lowest-ranked prospects were the first to commit.

Both have tons of upside and should be multi-year players in the Big Ten. Then, you add Collins and Bufkin and the only real need left was a defensive-minded big man, which is Diabate, although he is that and much, much more.

Filling those needs early and locking in those guys allowed Juwan to chase after five-star kids to close out the class and he was able to reel in two, all thanks to a change in strategy.