Is Papa Kante’s decision date a good sign for Michigan Basketball?

Michigan basketball is finally going to get a decision from one of its top recruiting targets in 2023 as four-star center Papa Kante is announcing on Thursday. Here’s what it means. 

Back in the spring and the early part of the summer, Michigan basketball established itself as the favorite in the recruitment of four-star center Papa Kante.

The 6-foot-10 center is one of the top big men in the 2023 recruiting class and his stock has continued to rise. He also decided to take a little longer to make a decision than originally expected.

Kante was supposed to commit soon after his official visit to Michigan basketball. He went back home to Senegal this summer and was supposed to decide after the Peach Jam.

However, that didn’t happen and at one point, it looked like Rutgers, Pittsburgh, or Memphis could steal his commitment and while they still could, all signs are pointing toward his commitment being for Michigan basketball on Thursday night. 

Why the timeline favors Michigan basketball

The timing of Kante’s commitment has to be viewed as good news for the Michigan basketball team. Not only have the Wolverines received multiple expert projections for Kante in recent weeks, including from On3’s leading college basketball recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw, but he was also in Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit during the Penn State football game.

Generally, if a recruit visits your school and said school is one of the favorites, then it’s usually a pretty good sign. Prior to this announcement, there has only been one crystal ball projection from 247 sports and it’s from an Indiana reporter, but the dude has 100-percent career accuracy.

However, Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider put in a projection for the Wolverines, which is always a good sign. Two Maryland insiders also predicted Kante to commit to Michigan.

We’ll see if more experts join over the next few days, but it’s clear right now that Michigan basketball is the clear favorite for the No. 76 overall prospect in the On3 consensus and a kid that ranks 32nd overall in the On3 specific rankings.

Kante would be a really good get and it looks like Juwan Howard is once again showing why he’s viewed as one of the best recruiters in college basketball.