Michigan Basketball: Gonzaga coming on as contender for Jose Perez

Before Michigan basketball fans get too excited about the possible addition of Jose Perez, Gonzaga is also expected to get a visit and is gaining steam. 

Throughout the transfer portal recruitment of Jose Perez, I’ve felt like the biggest threat to Michigan basketball was Gonzaga.

The reasons are obvious. Gonzaga is an elite program and is going to be seriously in the mix for most players that the Bulldogs are interested in.

Michigan basketball is scheduled to host Perez for an official visit on July 28-30. That’s a good sign for the Wolverines, especially since it’s the earliest time that Perez can visit. If he takes the visit, the word scheduled in Trilly Donovan’s tweet has me worried.

But if Gonzaga is also going to get a visit, it means the on-campus decision some were hoping for probably isn’t going to happen.

Michigan could surely do enough to end it. But that’s hard if you don’t have a big-time NIL program and I don’t see Gonzaga cheaping out when it comes to NIL.

We’ll see what happens but according to Trilly Donovan, Perez will visit Gonzaga and if that visit happens after Michigan basketball, it might not be great for the Wolverines, so the objective should be close on the July 28-30 official visit.

If that’s who the Wolverines want.

Another possible target for 2023-24.

There’s been a pattern of recruits asking out of their national letters of intent and the latest to do this was Marcus Adams of Kansas.

Adams signed with the Jayhawks after getting ranked as a top-50 overall recruit in the 2023 class according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.

Adams is a 6-foot-8 wing and ranked 48th overall. Davis Moseley, a program insider, also tweeted that he expects Michigan basketball to pursue.

They would be insane if they didn’t and surely many others will be after him too as part of the 2023 class.

Adams averaged 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists playing in California as a senior in high school. He also shoots the heck out of the ball and to illustrate it, here’s a quote from Kansas head coach Bill Self:

"“He’s 6-foot-8 and can shoot the basketball. He had two games this year, one in which he made 11 threes and the other in which he made 13 threes. He’s good with the ball in his hands and can make plays for others as well. We think he is very underrated and a youngster that can find immediate minutes with the departure of our tall wings from last year.”"

A 6-foot-8 wing that had double-digit 3-point makes in multiple games? Sign me up. It would fill a positional need for Michigan basketball, as well as a need for perimeter shooting.

I’m sure there will be plenty of suitors but if Michigan basketball can get Adams, I’d take him over Perez. He could be a multi-year guy and he’s a guy that’s going to have a good shot to get drafted especially at Michigan where he could probably start at the three this season.

Jett Howard and Caleb Houstan each started as freshmen and were drafted into the NBA. That would be my selling point to Adams and I’m sure Juwan will be pitching that too.

It certainly adds another wrinkle to Michigan’s final attempts to build the roster, especially as the Wolverines have potential interest in a backup big man too.