The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1178918
62 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2019 BY CHRIS BALAS F irst-year Michigan head coach Ju- wan Howard has had some early recruiting success, keeping 2019 shooting guard signee Cole Bajema and 2020 point guard Zeb Jackson (6-3, Rivals' No. 58 overall player na- tionally) of Montverde (Fla.) Acad- emy in the fold. He has also added German fresh- man Franz Wagner (6-9, Rivals four- star prospect) to the roster and re- ceived a pledge from five-star Isaiah Todd (6-10, Rivals' No. 10 overall prospect in the country) of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy. He is showing no signs of being content. A handful of the nation's top 2020 prospects are still considering the Wolverines, and some are closing in on decisions. One — Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha center Hunter Dickinson (7-1, Rivals' No. 37 overall player in the country) — was slated to visit Duke during the weekend of Oct. 18-20. The Blue Devils were expected to put on the full-court press and could certainly change the trajectory of a recruitment that had been trending toward U-M. Many experts believed Purdue led at one point, but Dickinson surpris- ingly dropped the Boilermakers from his list in September. He was down to a final four of Michigan, Florida State, Duke and Notre Dame, and told PrepCircuit.com he really liked a lot about U-M. "Coach Juwan Howard basically played my position, so I couldn't learn from a better person in college basketball in terms of what I am and who's done what I've done," Dick- inson said. "Probably he and Patrick Ewing are the only two that I could think of that have done what I'm do- ing right now and can help me de- velop. I really like that. "Also, just his passion for coaching and passion for Michigan — you can really tell that he's super happy to be there. He just loves Michigan; he just wants to bring a national champion- ship there. "I just really like how I can do bas- ketball and academics there. I really like him as a coach. I feel like I vibe with the team really well." Dickinson likes the fit at Florida State, too, and its track record of developing big men, he said, while Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is a "DeMatha guy" who coached Dickinson's own coach. Duke's success speaks for itself, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski has made an impression. "Coach K is a legendary coach, so it's pretty hard to not listen to what he has to say," Dickinson said. "He's coached pretty much every great bas- ketball player. "To hear him talk about how he liked my game and how he wants to coach me is pretty exciting." Dickinson's friend Jeremy Roach plays for the Blue Devils, too, giving Duke another advantage. Dickinson is planning to decide in early November. "It's going to come down to a gut feeling of where I feel like I fit in best," he said. "I think all these schools, any one of the four, I could go to and be successful. The gut de- cision will probably be the biggest factor." Of the other visitors to have made it to Ann Arbor this fall, Montverde (Fla.) Academy's Moses Moody (6-5, Rivals' No. 50 overall prospect in the nation) might be the best bet to join the pledges. Moody, a teammate of Jackson's, remains a priority and is very interested in U-M. "I really liked the visit, and I really liked Coach Howard. He is a players' coach and really personable, and the whole coaching staff is that way," Moody said. "He said he hasn't been a head coach, so you have to see how that goes, but he is not some random guy off the street coming to coach a college team. He has actually coached in the league and has done player development. "He brought on Coach [Phil] Mar- telli, who has endless amounts of experience. Having that behind you brings that experience factor up." Oregon and Kansas are in the mix, while Virginia is making a late push. "They picked up lately. I know they had a player leave, so that opened BASKETBALL RECRUITING Several 2020 Basketball Targets Are Nearing Decisions Michigan target Moses Moody, a 6-5 small forward from Montverde (Fla.) Academy and the No. 50 overall prospect in the senior class according to Rivals, is a teammate of U-M commit- ment Zeb Jackson. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM