Michigan Basketball: 3 thoughts on the commitment of Tarris Reed

Michigan basketball struck again on Thursday, landing a four-star big man in Tarris Reed out of Missouri. Here’s what it means and what’s next. 

Every Michigan basketball fan knew the commitment of Tarris Reed was coming on Thursday but it was still a significant win for the Wolverines who beat out a bunch of rivals in the process.

At one point in time, Reed was viewed as a Michigan State lean. He was also thought to be an Ohio State lean at one time too. That was, however, until he paid a visit to Michigan basketball.

That’s when Juwan Howard and the Wolverines really sealed the deal. They felt like the leader coming out of that visit and in the next live evaluation period, Howard was in the front row watching Reed, who wasn’t even at a big national event.

Howard did that to show Reed just how big of a priority he was. Then, after tearing it up at the Peach Jam and looking every bit like a top-50 recruit in the process, the 6-foot-10 big man from Branson, Missouri officially committed on Thursday to Juwan and U-M.

https://twitter.com/TarrisReedJr/status/1423454205600096263

What does it mean for Michigan basketball?

It means that Juwan landed a top target and one of the best big men in the 2022 class. Reed is ranked 71st overall in the 247 sports composite rankings but that will go up.

Reed is a classic Big Ten big man, which is probably why you saw his final list consist of Michigan, Purdue, MSU, and Ohio State, although Kentucky showed interest at the end.

However, as Dylan Burkhardt of UMHoops.com notes in his breakdown, Reed is a pretty skilled big guy. He can score down low, has a jump shot, and is a very solid rebounder. He’s not an incredible athlete but Camp Sanderson will do wonders for him down the road.

He will also give Michigan a legit option inside in 2022-23 assuming Hunter Dickinson has left for the NBA. However, this addition is about more than one season.