Michigan Basketball: Eli Brooks still deciding, what his return would mean

A decision from Michigan basketball’s Eli Brooks on his future is expected to come soon, but it hasn’t happened yet.

According to Chris Balas of The Wolverine (subscription required), Brooks was supposed to meet with Juwan Howard early this week and will then be making his final decision.

It does seem like Brooks will return and that’s what Balas thinks right now, but no one really knows until Eli meets with Juwan and makes up his mind.

From the beginning, Brooks was the first senior mentioned among those who could possibly return. There was certainly some smoke to a possible return from Chaundee Brown, but that quickly lost momentum and he made his announcement last Saturday.

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It would have been great for Brown to return, yet in the end, there are only so many minutes to go around and while some fans are likely wanting Michigan basketball to push for some of the guys in the transfer portal right now, unless Brooks leaves, the need isn’t that urgent.

Zeb Jackson didn’t get to play a ton last season but he will be much improved. His athleticism was off the charts and he did finally hit a couple of 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament.

With Jackson and Brooks, two guys who can be described as combo guards, along with freshman point guard Frankie Collins and McDonald’s All-American guard Kobe Bufkin, the Wolverines aren’t short on backcourt talent.

Short on experience? Yes. But getting Brooks back would help a lot. He’s capable of running the team and even when he’s not running the point, the offense runs much smoother with him. He’s a solid passer, ball-handler, and just an all-around smart player, as well as an elite defender on top of being a pretty solid 3-pointer shooter

So keep your fingers crossed. If Brooks does return, Michigan basketball can look to add a big or the best player it can get. Otherwise, a guard with experience will top the list of needs.

It’s hard to imagine Michigan going into next season without some sort of veteran experience at point guard, so if Brooks doesn’t decide to return, a veteran guard would have to be the No. 1 focus in the transfer portal.

So, the sooner Eli decides the better, because the needs of the team will be drastically different based on which way he goes.