The Wolverine

January 2020

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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JANUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 53   BASKETBALL RECRUITING Signing them is the next step, of course, but there's no question How- ard's hire has made a splash. But it's his personality more than anything that has garnered the attention of re- cruits and their parents nationwide. "Howard did a great job of hiring a strong staff, but it's his NBA back- ground and humility that has en- deared him to the very best within the high school sport," Evans said. "Todd was the first to say yes to the Wolver- ines, but he will not be the last." He added he likes where Michigan sits with Dickinson and Williams. Add in Jackson and three-star Jace Howard (6-7, 210, three-star by Rivals), Juwan's son and a Hollywood (Fla.) Univer- sity High standout, and the Wolver- ines would boast "a top-10 recruiting class," according to Evans. FOUR-STAR 2020 TEAMMATES NEARING DECISIONS Four-star Hunter Dickinson's plan this summer was to sign in the early period in November. Then, his inten- tion was to commit in November but wait until April to sign. Neither one of those happened, and Dickinson remained uncommitted and unsigned as of Dec. 16. The 7-1 Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha product, Rivals.com's No. 38 senior na- tionally, has always played his recruit- ment close to the vest, but he finally opened up in December. "The reason why I didn't sign early is because, if I did sign, it would have been a rush," he said Dec. 10. "I think giving it another few weeks was really beneficial for me, and now I feel like I am pretty close to a decision. I am hop- ing within the month." Duke, Michigan, Florida State and Notre Dame are still on his list, and he's visited each of those programs. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, a DeMatha grad, coached Dickinson's high school coach, and he likes the way FSU has used its bigs under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Duke under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, of course, is one of the best programs in the country. There's something about Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, however, that seems to have resonated with him. "Coach Howard, I really like his love for Michigan and for big men," Dick- inson said. "He just says how much he wants to coach me. The school and the players … there's a lot of stuff that I like about them off of the basketball court as well." Rivals' Corey Evans believes Dick- inson will choose between FSU and U-M, though he added "no one has recruited Dickinson for a longer time than Notre Dame, and Mike Brey's ties to the area and DeMatha Catho- lic should not be understated … and neither should Florida State's chances. "The Seminoles have had great suc- cess in recent years with big men of his ilk. But the Wolverines may have caught Dickinson's eye the greatest thanks to Juwan Howard's NBA back- ground and early success in Ann Ar- bor." Whoever lands him will be getting an immediate plug-in from 15-feet and in that should lead a highly productive college career beginning next fall. Interestingly, Evans also heard dur- ing his trip to the East Coast that Dick- inson had been recruiting his AAU teammate, four-star Terrance Williams of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga, to po- tentially join him at Michigan. The na- tion's No. 94 prospect decommitted from Georgetown after choosing the Hoyas over Michigan and Notre Dame this summer, but is now looking at U-M again. Howard visited him Dec. 8 at his home and will likely get a visit from Williams in the near future. "The Wolverines have made major moves with Williams already," Evans reported days after his recruitment opened back up. "Michigan is also selling the idea of having both Wil- liams and his travel teammate, Hunter Dickinson, join up as Wolverines next season. "Notre Dame is making a similar pitch as the Fighting Irish remain a fi- nalist for Dickinson and should have a chance with Williams seeing that they were a finalist for him the first time around. DePaul could receive a visit from Williams, too, as could UCLA, while Alabama is expected in to see him." HOWARD AND ROSE WATCH 2022 STANDOUT EMONI BATES Rule changes will eventually allow high school players to go directly to the NBA, and Ypsilanti (Mich.) Lin- coln's Emoni Bates will be a candidate depending on the timing. The sopho- more, ranked as Rivals' No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022, might even be the top player in the nation regardless of class. Michigan head coach Juwan How- ard brought former teammate and Fab Fiver Jalen Rose to watch Bates in his season opener, a 63-53 loss to River Rouge Dec. 10 at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center. "For as good as Emoni Bates is — and many in the industry believe that he has the potential to be the best prospect we have seen in a decade — one would automatically assume that he would lead one of the more pres- sure-packed, national recruitments," Rivals.com analyst Corey Evans wrote. "That wasn't necessarily true until now. This time last year, the ex- pectation was that the one-and-done rule would no longer be in place by the time the 2022 NBA Draft arrived. "Seeing that Bates is the elite of the elite, chances were that he would sur- pass college entirely and jump directly to the league. However, here we are a year later, and the feeling is that if the one-and-done were to be erased it would not be until after 2022. "This all means that college could be a legitimate avenue that Bates takes in three years. His recruitment, once practically non-existent, has now picked up." Bates struggled throughout the loss, notching 24 points on 6-of-21 shooting, including an 0-of-6 performance from three-point range, but he averaged 28.5 points and 10.2 rebounds last year in more than proving his worth as an elite prospect. ❑ Ypsilanti (Mich.) Lincoln sophomore Emoni Bates is ranked as Rivals' No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022, and might even be the top player in the nation regardless of class. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL

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