The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1371232
JUNE/JULY 2021 THE WOLVERINE 21 2021 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Commitment No. 4 came Aug. 19 in the form of 6-1, 175-pound point guard Collins, an incredible athlete whose work ethic matches his ability. The nation's No. 67 prospect accord- ing to Rivals — who awarded him his lowest ranking of the three ma- jor outlets — is an outstanding play- maker, Washington reported, and an improving shooter. "He's that quick, twitchy, shifty point guard with elite athleticism, especially for his size," he said. "He has the ability to really get in those seams and shrink a defense, and then has the presence to make the right play either for himself or dropping off to the bigs in the dunker spot or springing shooters on the perimeter." His Henderson (Nev.) Coronado team's season was canceled due to COVID-19, so he played with club team Air 'Nado instead in a dozen games. He was the best player on the floor, scoring 28 points against No. 1 2022 recruit Emoni Bates and Ypsilanti (Mich.) Prep Academy in January, earning praise from around the country. Martelli compared Collins to for- mer U-M point guard Zavier Simp- son in his approach to the game. "He has that edge to him," he said. "That edge Zavier brought, Frankie has that. He is a relentless down- hill player, and I think he's played against everybody." The highest-rated recruits came last, the gem being the 6-8, 200-pound Houstan. The No. 8 player in his class per Rivals — and a consensus top-11 prospect — helped lead Montverde to a national title with 16 points in the championship game, including four triples. A McDonald's All-American, Houstan pledged Oct. 30, followed by 6-10, 190-pound, four-star for- ward Moussa Diabate on Nov. 9. Both seemed to happen suddenly. "He is an elite shooter," Martelli said of Houstan. "The basketball he's played for Canada, the basket- ball he's played for Montverde is against elite competition. He's had elite coaching. "He's another with a smooth, ma- ture game, He lacks that entitlement. He's playing with great players at Montverde, and a number of them are going to be drafted after one year of college. He doesn't feel entitled to the ball, entitled to shots. He does not play the game to bring attention to himself … but boy, that stroke is really, really, really pretty." Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Diabate is raw, but he's extremely athletic. He's ranked a five-star pros- pect by ESPN and 247Sports, and at No. 26 he's the highest-ranked four- star recruit per Rivals. The French transplant is a "basket- ball encyclopedia," Washington said; both he and Martelli believe the Mc- Donald's All-American will provide instant help. "I think he's going to start out as that ultimate energy guy," Martelli said. "He's going to rebound, block shots, run the floor relentlessly. "One of the beauties is he looks like a runner and jumper to those on the outside. He had a conversation the other day with Juwan about how he thinks he favors his left shoul- der too much, so he really wanted to work on going over his right shoul- der. He understands the game and really wants to improve." The same could be said for all of them, one of the reasons the coaches are so bullish on the 2021 class. There's elite potential, great attitudes and — it appears — another group that will be the perfect fit to a winning culture. ❑ Michigan's 2021 Recruiting Class Outlet Stars Nat. Pos. G/F Isaiah Barnes, 6-7, Chicago Simeon Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 102 25 (SG) 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 106 21 (SF) ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 27 (SG) G Kobe Bufkin, 6-4, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 49 11 (SG) 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 40 4 (CG) ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 38 9 (SG) PG Frankie Collins, 6-1, Henderson (Nev.) Coronado Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 67 14 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 48 6 ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 36 6 PF Moussa Diabate, 6-10, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 26 6 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 12 5 ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 11 5 G/F Caleb Houstan, 6-8, Montverde (Fla.) Academy Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 8 2 (SF) 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 11 4 (PF) ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 6 1 (SF) PF Will Tschetter, 6-8, Stewartville (Minn.) High Rivals ✪ ✪ ✪ 133 22 247Sports ✪ ✪ ✪ — 34 ESPN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 22 Five-star Caleb Houstan (above) was one of Michigan's three signees to be named McDonald's All-Americans, along with forward Moussa Diabate and guard Kobe Bufkin. A U-M signee had not been named to the prestigious all-star team since 2002. PHOTO COURTESY CALEB HOUSTAN