The Wolverine

March 2020 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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88 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2020   BASKETBALL RECRUITING mean a whole lot given he'd never seen campus. Though many believe Chandler is likely headed elsewhere — Duke, for one, has made him a priority, while he also has visits set up to Louisville and Kentucky — he left Ann Arbor with plenty to think about. Chandler saw the Wolverines han- dle Michigan State 77-68 and admit- ted he was very excited about ev- erything Michigan had to offer. He stopped short of saying he could see himself in maize and blue, but U-M improved its stock with the five-star. "I'm not going to lie — I was very impressed," Chandler said. "I had a really nice time. I was really im- pressed with the way Michigan was. It was a nice visit and I had fun." Chandler spent time with U-M's players and recruits, and got to see the locker room celebration first- hand. "It was a really good game," Chan- dler said. "The environment was crazy. Michigan came out with the win. We were able to come in the locker room, and they were really hype about that one." U-M's formula for success on of- fense seems to suit his game, Chan- dler continued. "The style of play that they run, it's just perfect," he said. "It really fits with me. On Sunday [a day later], [Howard] was showing me [even more of] the style they play." Chandler's relationship with How- ard and his family is a big reason for the Michigan interest. Chandler and Howard's youngest son, Jett Howard — a four-star 2022 point guard re- cruit out of Hollywood (Fla.) Univer- sity — played together back in fifth grade, so there's already a familiarity between the families. "Just my connection with [Juwan Howard] and the relationship," Chandler said, when asked what made him interested in potentially playing for Howard down the road. "I have a good connection with him and his two sons [Jett and older brother Jace, a 2020 U-M commit]. "Juwan is a great guy. He talked a lot about why he wants me to come there. I just had a great time." Having a relationship that has been formed for quite some time bodes well for U-M's chances with the standout. "I'm going to go where I feel com- fortable," Chandler said. "[I'm try- ing to find] a great fit and a great relationship with the whole coaching staff." Chandler also got to spend time with current U-M players over the visit weekend and was able to inter- act with 2020 four-star center pledge Hunter Dickinson of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha, who was there for the game, and 2020 five-star Texan Greg Brown, who was also on his official visit. "I was really with Greg Brown the whole night, and hanging with the team the whole night," Chandler said. "I really had fun." He doesn't have a timeline on when he'd like to make a decision by, but Chandler has whittled the schools he's considering down to a top 10 that includes Duke, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee and USC. He'll be keeping an eye on U-M throughout his recruitment, he said, especially after an impressive official visit. CLASS OF 2022 STANDOUT VISITS AGAIN Michigan's big visit weekend Feb. 7 for the Michigan State rivalry contest wasn't limited to juniors and seniors. Head coach Juwan Howard and his staff also brought in one of the nation's top sophomores, Colin Smith of Dallas St. Mark's. Smith impressed at the Michigan camp the last two years and had been recruited by former coach John Beilein. "We wanted to take an unofficial look at it, catch a game, see what the atmosphere was like. It was crazy," Smith's father, Lee, said. "It was a lot better than what I thought it would be. "The two previous times we were there it was kind of summertime, warm and Texas-like. We wanted to get a feel for the temperature … and it wasn't too bad. It wasn't Minne- sota-like or anything." Rivals.com's No. 57 sophomore na- tionally, a 6-7 small forward with a sweet stroke, Smith recently visited Stanford (his sister is also there) and the Big 12 schools are all over him. He's averaging 21 points per game and continues to hone his game. ❏ Eads (Tenn.) Briarcrest Christian five-star standout Kennedy Chandler, the nation's No. 1 point guard and No. 10 overall recruit, knows head coach Juwan Howard's sons and has U-M among his top 10. PHOTO BY JON LOPEZ/NIKE

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