The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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20 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2020 2 0 2 0 B A S K E T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G I S S U E ton (D.C.) Gonzaga four-star small forward Terrance Williams — still finished unanimously among the na- tion's top 20 hauls. "Michigan was in line for its best class of the Rivals.com era," Evans noted. "A string of days changed that in April, [before which] Michi- gan was thought to be a potential national title contender next year. "Last month altered that some, but I will say, Howard and his staff did a great job of reshaping their roster on the go." MIXING AND MATCHING The U-M staff had to get a bit cre- ative to do it. With senior Zavier Simpson leaving after setting a pro- gram record for wins, and guards David DeJulius and Cole Bajema opting to transfer to Cincinnati and Washington, respectively, Howard and company needed to add back- court depth. They beat an elite Gonzaga pro- gram, Arizona and others to land Columbia graduate transfer Mike Smith, a 5-11 point guard who led the Ivy League in scoring last year. The outstanding midrange shooter ranked No. 6 nationally with 22.8 points per game last year and plays with a chip on his shoulder. ESPN listed him as the No. 11 graduate transfer in the nation this offseason. Purdue guard Nojel Eastern stunned when, two days after he put his name in the transfer portal, he announced via Twitter he had com- mitted to Michigan. He would need a waiver to play immediately, and the prevailing thought is he'll likely keep his name in the NBA Draft (this year is the second in three seasons he's applied). On the seemingly off chance he does play at Michigan this fall — his mother has refused comment and U-M has not confirmed the trans- fer — he could provide a defensive spark. "He's a great defensive player … he's an elite defensive player," Gold- andBlack.com's Brian Neubert said of the 6-7, 225-pounder. "He's really good on the ball; he's really good off the ball. He's big and he's strong and he plays hard defensively, but he's quick enough and he can get low enough to get really, really up into somebody from a defensive perspective." He struggles offensively, however — he was 0 of 7 from long range the last two seasons as a starter, and posted clips of 4.9 points and 2.7 assists a game in 2019-20. Chances seem much better that Wake For- est transfer Chaundee Brown, who announced for Michigan via Twitter May 19, will end up in Ann Arbor. Many, including him, be- lieve he'll get a waiver to play imme- diately after Demon Deacons head coach Danny Manning was fired. ESPN listed Brown the No. 17 available sit-out transfer this off- season, while Eastern checked in at No. 34 on the list. Brown averaged 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during his junior season in the rugged ACC. "The first thing that strikes you about Chaundee is his physique, because he's a legit 6-5, 220, and is pretty chiseled and lean," The Win- ston-Salem Journal's Conor O'Neill said. "He uses it to his advantage, though you're sometimes left want- ing to see him use his body to get downhill and inside a little more. "Chaundee's best position on the court would be described as a wing." FRESHMEN OF IMPACT While the transfers will help, the backbone of the class — and the fu- ture of the program — remains the freshman foursome that signed out of high school. Howard secured Jackson's re-com- mitment last summer after the 6-4 combo guard, a consensus top-100 four-star prospect, went through an up-and-down season as a backup for a loaded Montverde squad. He signed in the fall and will battle se- nior Eli Brooks, junior Adrien Nunez, Smith and potentially the other trans- fers for time this season. In Dickinson (No. 37 in Rivals' rankings) and Williams (No. 103), Howard landed not only a pair of consensus four-stars who were both ranked among the top 103 prospects nationally by all three major recruit- ing services but also AAU team- mates who have played together since fourth grade and have great chemistry. MICHIGAN BASKETBALL ADDITIONS FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITS C Hunter Dickinson, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha, 7-2 Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 37 nationally No. 6 C 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 48 nationally No. 8 C ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 39 nationally No. 7 C G/F Jace Howard, Hollywood (Fla.) University School, 6-7 Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ — — 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ — No. 52 SF ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ — No. 66 SF G Zeb Jackson, Montverde (Fla.) Academy, 6-4 Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 88 nationally No. 21 SG 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 98 nationally No. 15 SG ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 75 nationally No. 14 SG F Terrance Williams, Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga, 6-7 Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 103 nationally No. 23 SF 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 103 nationally No. 19 PF ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 85 nationally No. 15 PF TRANSFERS (RANKINGS ARE OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL) G Chaundee Brown, Orlando (Fla.) First Academy/Wake Forest, 6-5 Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 38 nationally No. 9 SG 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 39 nationally No. 9 SG ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ No. 33 nationally No. 7 SG G Mike Smith, Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick/Columbia, 5-11 Smith was not ranked by any of the three major recruiting services out of high school, but he was dubbed the No. 11 graduate transfer available this offseason by ESPN.com. "Howard and his staff did a great job of reshaping their roster on the go." Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Corey Evans