The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 41 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan basketball coach Juwan Howard's search for a point guard in 2021 continued into mid- August with less targets to choose from and more offers having been ex- tended. The Wolverines have missed on several of the prospects on their board, but former head coach John Beilein made a living — and a pretty good one — on his "Plan B" recruits. Can Howard do the same? That will be the goal after top targets Jalen Warley (Rivals.com's No. 21 senior nationally) of Norristown (Pa.) West- town committed to Florida State, An- gelo Brizzi (No. 114) of Warrenton (Va.) Highland pledged to Villanova and Jaden Akins (No. 65) of Ypsilanti (Mich.) Prep Academy chose Michi- gan State. They followed a trend in which the top point guards were flying off the board faster than ever. "Twenty-two of the top 35 point guards in the 2021 class have al- ready found their college homes for next fall," Rivals national recruit- ing analyst Corey Evans noted — and that was before Akins pledged Aug. 13. "This is crazy to think about since it is just the middle of August and already programs have been forced to find alternatives for their alternatives." Losing Warley was a blow. Michi- gan was considered one of the top contenders in his recruitment given assistant coach Phil Martelli's ties to his family — Martelli coached both Warley's father and uncle at St. Jo- seph's — but in the end, Florida State and head coach Leonard Hamilton won out. These developments are why four-star Wolfeboro (N.H.) stand- out Carter Whitt (No. 62) and others have become such heavily discussed prospects in recent weeks, Evans added. The 6-4, 160-pound Whitt re- mained pretty open with his recruit- ment compared to most others after receiving a Michigan offer. He was considered a Florida lead until re- cently, when his offer list picked up quite a bit. Indiana, Virginia, Mary- land and others are chasing him. Meanwhile, Henderson (Nev.) Coronado 6-1, 175-pound four-star Frankie Collins (No. 69) put the Wol- verines in his top group even before receiving his offer in August. "I've known Juwan Howard since I was young," he told ZagsBlog.com. "I actually have a couple of pictures with him when I was little. I played against his son growing up, so I would al- ways see him around in the gym. "Then, when he got the coaching job at Michigan, coach Saddi Wash- ington hit me up and watched me play a couple times. We had a Zoom call that was about two hours long." New Mexico, Arizona State, USC, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Kansas round out his top eight. Collins was expected to announce his decision Aug. 18 and many had the Wolverines in the driver's seat. Another possibility that is a bit out- side the box that Howard and Co. are recruiting is Dallas St. Mark's five- star forward Harrison Ingram (No. 8) with the idea that he could play on the ball. Some believe that's intrigued the 6-7, 205-pounder and moved the Wolverines up a notch on his list. Stanford and Purdue have long been thought to be the teams to beat, but Ingram — a Michigan camper early in his high school career — hasn't tipped his hand. His list is a unique one. "A 6-7 wing-forward that can ar- guably play every position in the half-court offense outside of center, Ingram is the embodiment of a new- age prospect," Evans said. "He is coveted for his on-ball duties as a gi- ant playmaker that can make others better but also create his own offense. He has continued to improve as both an athlete and shot-maker and pos- sesses some of the best intangibles out of anyone in his class. "The Dallas native has already taken visits to Purdue, Stanford and UNC, three schools that are thought to be the top contenders for his com- mitment. However, Michigan has made a late run at things after offering earlier in the spring, which could also be said for Harvard and Howard. The BASKETBALL RECRUITING A Point Guard Still Wanted Henderson (Nev.) Coronado four-star Frankie Collins has emerged as a priority point guard target for Michigan, which he listed in his top group even before receiving his offer in August. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM