The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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64 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2019 COMMITMENT PROFILE N ew Michigan head coach Juwan Howard won- dered aloud at Big Ten Media Day Oct. 2: "Who's going to be first?" He was talking about re- cruiting and that first recruit- ing "domino" behind which others would follow, the way the rest of the Fab Five did when he took the plunge in the early 1990s. He got his answer Oct. 17 when Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy big man Isa- iah Todd pledged to the Wol- verines. The five-star, ranked as the nation's No. 10 overall prospect by Rivals, chose U-M over Kansas, his other final- ist, despite getting a last ditch in-home visit Oct. 15 from Jayhawks head coach Bill Self and his staff. The Todd played a video at his school during a live vid- eocast before pulling out a maize Michigan shirt and shouting, "Go Blue, baby!" The skilled 6-10 star said in the days leading up to his pledge that Michigan felt like home following his early fall official visit. "The new coaching staff with Ju- wan Howard, him being a former coach and player in the NBA, that was obviously appealing," he said. "The guys and the team there, they treated me great and they love Ju- wan. You feel that they are a fam- ily there. That visit just changed my whole view of Michigan." Todd is a skilled face-up four man with great length. He's not the most elite athlete, but moves extremely well laterally and has an array of moves. He can go inside but generally plays on the perimeter, where he boasts range out to the three-point line and knocks his jumper down with con- sistency. He is also an honor student who has excelled in the classroom. Rivals' Eric Bossi predicted the pledge to Michigan following an Oct. 12 weekend event at USA Bas- ketball, where Todd was telling many of the other participants U-M would be his pick. He said the five-star 's impact couldn't be overstated. "I think it's big. Clearly, we've seen them involved with several big-name guys," Bossi said. "The question was whether or not Juwan could get one of these five-star guys to go ahead and commit, and now he's done it. "To get a guy with size is even bigger. Add it to his ability to get [2020 pledge] Zeb Jackson [6-3, Ri- vals' No. 58 overall recruit] of Mont- verde (Fla.) Academy to stick with him. … Now, you're always looking for more. You're finding more and more high-level kids want to play with others like them." And Todd is about as high level as it gets. He not only boasts great length, but he can score in a number of dif- ferent ways. He averaged 17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League summer circuit. "He's a face-up four, likes to stretch the floor, can shoot the jump shot with legitimate three-point range," Bossi said. "Sometimes he might even hunt it too much. He's got a nice handle, is a long athlete; a new-age four man. He has an inside game but wants to face up a little more. "That's where I think Ju- wan can teach him to use his length, skill and quickness … use his skills a little more than to play outside. He's not a freak athlete, but he is 6-10 with a long wingspan. How high do you have to jump with that? He moves well laterally, gets to top speed quickly and has a long, grace- ful stride. "The biggest key for him will be not relying too much on hunting perimeter jump shots and playing with more physicality on a regular basis." In short, he "looks like he was designed to play basketball," Bossi concluded. He plays the game with great emotion, too, and has become a leader among the players in his class. "I think he's pretty well-liked," Bossi added. "He was with guys at USA Basketball last weekend hang- ing out, always smiling. "I think some misperceived him ear- lier in his career as a surly dude, which he's not. He's very outgoing, and he wears his emotions on his sleeve. But he is fun loving and well-liked." The big question now is whether he will ever suit up for the Wolver- ines. Playing overseas is still very much on the table, and while he's saying all the right things — he's gone on record to say he thinks a year in college could be better for him — it remains a possibility. Bossi believes it's worth the risk. "Obviously, everybody is talking about him playing overseas. He says as of now that's not what his mind is on, that he wants to play college ball, and I think he can benefit from that," he said. "Can things change, or could it be a situation where he doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag? Certainly. But I think you have to take him at his word for now and see how it plays out." — Chris Balas Five-Star Isaiah Todd Pledges To Michigan Todd, a 6-10 forward from Word of God Academy in Raleigh, N.C., is rated as the No. 10 overall player in the senior class by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY USABASKETBALL Todd "The guys and the team there, they treated me great and they love Juwan [Howard]. You feel that they are a family there. That visit just changed my whole view of Michigan."