The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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36 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 That's when he picked up his offer. "Hopefully we can start taking vis- its again sometime soon," Brizzi said. "Michigan will definitely be on the list." CHARLES BEDIAKO 6-10 • 220 • C Willoughby (Ohio) Andrews Osborne Academy Rivals' No. 23 2021 prospect Some believe Michigan State was an early favorite for Bediako, but Howard was able to have a vir- tual meeting with the lanky forward in May and offered him. "The leap he has made and continues to make is beyond impressive," Evans said in May. "While he still has much more room for growth, Bediako is the epitome of a rim runner [and pro- tector] and hard roller off the ball screen." Alabama, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Memphis and Ohio State are on his expanding list. Evans said in April he thought MSU led, but later clarified there's still plenty of time to recruit Bediako before he decides. "His recruitment is relatively wide open as a 2021 prospect," the analyst said. "He's a throwback post that is a premier shot blocker. He has really improved over the past 12 months." Though he's not a great athlete, Ev- ans noted, "he's one of the best true centers in America." Michigan has work to do in order to land him. ISAIAH BARNES 6-6 • 180 • SG Oak Park (Ill.) River Forest Rivals' No. 150 2021 prospect Barnes will likely earn a fourth star at some point in the near future, the absence of a spring AAU season de- laying the inevitable. He scored 18.0 points per game and also hauled in 7.0 rebounds per contest as a junior. He picked up an early Illinois offer, and he has since earned scholarships from Kansas, TCU, Maryland, Iowa, St. Louis and Wis- consin. Michigan was added to the list in late April following a Zoom call with Howard. "Over this past season, a lot of the stuff that I did and a lot of my achieve- ments were not talked about," Barnes said in April. "After coaches saw me or watched my film and talked to me, I began to start receiving offers." Illinois and Kansas seem to have gotten a head start for the standout, but the Wolverines are in the mix and Howard has ties in the state. Barnes has announced he will transfer high schools for the second time for his senior season, though he has yet to disclose his destination. PEYTON WATSON 6-6 • 185 • SF Long Beach (Calif.) Poly Rivals' No. 18 2021 prospect A late bloomer, Watson picked up early offers from Arizona, Arkansas, Maryland, Oregon, UCLA and USC, and will likely start getting them from the "blue- bloods" soon, Evans said. He broke out as a national-level type of prospect last July at the USA Basketball minicamp, then averaged 23.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this year at Poly. "He is all that a program looks for in a high-level wing-forward," Evans said. "He possesses great length, ball skills for his size, the ability to play three different positions and he has great character. "However … some programs haven't had the chance to get a great look at since his emergence." Watson may also be one of those players that is hurt by the coronavi- rus travel ban, Evans added, noting he would likely have earned more high-profile offers on the spring AAU circuit. "Unless he commits before the summer wraps up, I would be sur- prised if more national suitors don't line up for Watson sooner rather than later," Evans said. Watson tweeted he was "blessed" to receive a Michigan offer in mid- May after a call with Howard, but the Wolverines are playing from behind a bit. It's also hard to pull a kid from the West Coast. "I think it's possible," Evans said. "But they'd really have to put in some work." The Longer Shots These 2021s have offers, but How- ard and Co. have a lot of work ahead to land them: MAX CHRISTIE 6-5 • 170 • SG Rolling Meadows (Ill.) High Rivals' No. 16 2021 prospect Christie has had virtual Zoom calls with Villanova, Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan State a n d N o r t h w e s t e r n . H i s m o m w e n t t o N o r t h w e s t e r n , a n d U-M seems to have faded after offering last summer. " F o r m y re c ru i t - ment, I plan to commit before my high school season starts next year," he said. "I plan to go into that with- out having any of the pressure and that I can just represent the school that I committed to whenever that time comes." He noted there are some schools he wanted to see before deciding. "Most of the schools that have con- tacted me like Villanova, Virginia, Duke; and I still want to keep going to Michigan State, along with North- western and Ohio State," he said. TREVOR KEELS 6-5 • 210 • SG Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Rivals' No. 15 2021 prospect Keels has already taken official vis- its to Ohio State and Virginia, and Michi- gan is playing from behind. Evans said Villanova and Virginia are the perceived lead- ers — he has already taken an official visit to UVA, and also took one to Ohio State in the fall. "It is never a smart thing to un- derestimate the chances of Duke or North Carolina," Evans said. "How- ever, if someone like Michigan wants to enter the race, I can see Keels being willing to hear what Howard and his staff have to say. It might only help their cause further that Keels will have two AAU teammates, Hunter Dickinson and Terrance Williams, that will soon enroll at the Big Ten program. "I am not willing to bet against