Michigan Basketball: Why latest 2022 offer could be signigicant

Michigan basketball is ramping up its recruiting efforts with other center targets in 2022 and on Saturday, a new offer went out.

It was disappointing for Michigan basketball when the Wolverines missed out on four-star prospect Donovan Clingan, who committed to UConn.

There’s no question it was a setback for the Wolverines, as was being left out of Jalen Duren’s top five around the same time. Yet, Juwan Howard and company aren’t resting on their laurels.

Michigan hosted Tarris Reed, another four-star center prospect, who is from the Midwest and is close to making a decision. Ohio State, Purdue, and Michigan State are the other teams in the mix, but Michigan basketball made a solid impression when it hosted Reed.

And on the recruiting trail, it’s clear that Reed has become a priority. Over the weekend, Howard watched him play multiple times. Reed is 6-foot-10 and out of Branson, Missouri. He’s ranked 73rd overall in the 247 sports composite rankings for 2022.

Here’s what a coach of Reed’s told Chris Balas of Rivals about his visit to Ann Arbor:

"“He really liked his visit,” Mokan Elite AAU program director Matt Suther said. “They’re definitely in the mix when it comes to being the school he picks. He’s going through the process, has visited four schools, is going thru the pros and cons of each, trying to figure it out.”"

Michigan seems to be trending in the right direction with Reed, who has yet to receive any crystal ball predictions.

New offer to 2022 big

However, one thing to watch is a new offer that went out in the 2022 recruiting class — one we predicted would come last week — to fast-rising big man Ernest Udeh Jr.

Udeh is out of Orlando, Florida and just took a massive jump in the recent rankings update by 247 sports. He’s now listed as a five-star recruit and 22nd overall by 247, as well as 58th overall.

The 10th-ranked center in 2022 according to the composite has seen his offer list expand, with tons of offers (16 total) coming in June and July. Michigan basketball joined the fray on Saturday, as did UCLA in what should be a fascinating recruitment.

Juwan Howard has had great success recruiting bigs in his first two recruiting classes in Ann Arbor and you would have to give Michigan a decent shot here with Udeh.

The question is what happens with Reed? If Reed is ready to commit and wants to choose Michigan, the Wolverines would surely take his commitment, which could take them out of the running for Udeh.

At any rate, landing a quality big is probably the top priority right now in 2022 and things should come to a head soon with Reed, which will offer more clarity on the situation.