Michigan Basketball: Tarris Reed commitment could have lasting effects

The recent verbal commitment of Tarris Reed Jr. to Michigan basketball will mean more in the long haul when it comes to recruiting.

For the ones welcomed into the world post-Cold War era, they’ll never have to experience living in fear of the communists overseas.

But for those who had to shuffle through history courses in secondary school, the term domino effect is engrained in the back of their minds.

A short lesson: The domino effect is a chain reaction where one thing or event happens and whatever follows is because of the aforementioned.

Addressing the elephant in the room that this website obviously doesn’t concentrate on American political ideology 50 years ago, instead of Michigan athletics, the idea of a domino effect still implies to the latest on the recruiting trail this week.

Michigan basketball just secured its second verbal commitment of the 2022 class in four-star big man Tarris Reed Jr., who announced his decision Thursday, following days of speculation.

Reed was once a lean to Ohio State but saw his future with the team in Ann Arbor after taking an official visit this past June. Michigan State and Purdue were also in the mix. Reed now joins Paul VI Catholic (VA) four-star point guard Dug McDaniel.

Reed, the 6-foot-9, 230-pound native of Missouri, ranks 71st overall nationally according to the 247 Sports Composite and 14th at the center position. Rivals.com has Reed rated 90th in the country.

As the reigning All-Metro Player of the Year for the city of St. Louis, Reed averaged 21.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in his junior season with Chaminade Prep School. He has since transferred to Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri, to finish out his high school career.

What Reed’s commitment could mean for the future

Now, this is where Reed verbally committing and moving to another prep academy could mean more than just one acquisition for Michigan basketball.

Link Year has grown to become one of the more feared national prep schools in recent memory. Producing talents like current Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard and 2020 Associated Press SEC Player of the Year Mason Jones, Link Year is the talk of The Ozarks in southwest Missouri.

According to its website, Link Year has produced 38 active Division I players and two professional athletes. Reed will be heading to Link Academy, one of the three programs on campus, along with PG National and PG Regional.

This summer, Reed has played for MOKAN Elite on the AAU circuit with the program’s 17U EBYL roster, teaming with fellow Link Academy players Aidan Shaw and Bryson Warren. Both are listed as top 100 prospects by 247Sports in the 2022 and 2023 classes respectively with the latter receiving interest from Michigan.

While Warren doesn’t hold an offer from the Wolverines among the 22 he already possesses in Arkansas, Kansas, Memphis, Seton Hall, and Tennessee, among others, to have a teammate in Reed who has already verbally committed carries plenty of weight for future considerations.

The combo guard from Little Rock, Arkansas, averaged 18 points and seven assists for MOKAN Elite this past spring. Warren took an unofficial visit to the Arkansas Razorbacks on August 1.

Another name on both the MOKAN Elite and Link Academy roster that has been offered by Michigan is 2023 consensus five-star Ohama Biliew. The power forward is a newcomer to the Link Academy roster as he previously announced back in June his intended transfer from Waukee Senior High (IA) to juggernaut Montverde Academy (FL) for his final two years of school.

The No. 2 ranked player overall nationally in the 2023 class by the 247Sports Composite and Rivals.com has since reunited with his AAU teammates in The Ozarks to play closer to his home state of Iowa.

Biliew is one of three 2023 recruits to be offered by the Wolverines, along with Kenwood Academy (IL) five-star small forward J.J. Taylor and Centerville (OH) point guard Gabe Cupps, who picked up the Michigan offer on August 3.

There’s not much to say on the importance of signing a player of Biliew’s caliber and what it could mean for a program’s success in 2023-24, other than what Billiew would bring given his size and athleticism.

At 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, Biliew can run in transition with ease, having no ill will against smaller and less efficient forwards on the offensive side of the glass. His dunks are made effortlessly and so is the rebounding on the money-making end of the court.

On the pick-and-roll, Billiew’s teammates can find him down low for the simple two-handed dunks, despite the usual double or triple-team action from opponents. Defensively, his long arms and vertical leap give him a huge advantage when it comes to shot-blocking.

Michigan finished the 2021 recruiting cycle first in the country and jumped to 13th overall in 2022 following the Reed commitment. Adding a player like Billiew would only lift the Wolverines back to the top.

Link Academy opens the 2021-22 campaign November 19-20 at the Blood, Sweat, and Tears Showcase in St. Louis and November 25-26 for the Kevin Durant National Hoopfest Series in Memphis, Tennessee.