The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1371232
JUNE/JULY 2021 THE WOLVERINE 37 2021 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE He does continue to maintain a strong relationship with Michigan. "It's gone very well. I'm still in contact with them a lot," he said. "I talk to Coach Howard probably twice a week, and Coach [Phil] Mar- telli texts me every day. "I really like their style of play. They are very point guard-oriented, let the point guard control a lot of things." McDaniel wants to see Michigan in person and also Florida, one of the favorites to land him. Slater: "I think his size could be a problem in the Big Ten unless he really improves his jump shot. He needs to become a better shooter. But he's a plus passer, so you appreciate that, and he's competitive. Those are his two most positive attributes." JADEN BRADLEY 6-3 • 170 • PG Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Rivals.com's No. 7 Junior Nationally Bradley scored 18 points and dished out six assists in a GEICO Nationals semifinal loss to Sunrise Christian Academy in early April. His team finished 21-3 overall. All the talk lately has been about Kentucky. Bradley and his father, Nate, have hit it off with Wildcats head coach John Calipari. "He just wanted to be sure Jaden understood that in his words, 'We want you. We want you to come here. When do you want to commit? Let us know,'" Nate Bradley said. "We were excited to hear that." They have a great relationship with U-M, too, but the Wolverines signed four-star point guard Frankie Collins in the 2021 class, and he's likely to be around a few years. Nate Bradley made it clear depth charts are im- portant. "It does fit into the equation, espe- cially with the transfer portal. All of the teams that are recruiting us are always trying to get better," he said. "If the transfer portal offers them a good option, I think they are going to take advantage of that. "One of the things we always say with Jaden is that it doesn't really matter who's there — you have to go in and compete." Slater: "He's really good with the ball, has really developed his shot. I think Michigan is probably in the top three there, but he could reclassify [to 2021] or go to the G-League with a great summer." JUSTICE WILLIAMS 6-4 • 175 • PG Montverde (Fla.) Academy Rivals.com's No. 31 Junior Nationally Williams has great po- tential, but he got lost a bit on a loaded team. "He's really smooth, can play on the ball or off the ball," AAU Team Final coach Wayne Jones said. "He has a wiry frame, but his work ethic is second to none. He's always in the gym, al- ways willing to learn, very coach- able. It's hard to say anything besides 'gym rat.' "He's a high-level IQ kid; a student of the game. The sky is the limit." Former Team Final AAU Coach DJ Irving recently joined the Miami staff, which could make the Hurri- canes the team to beat if Williams decides to play college ball. Slater: "He had a solid year, but he didn't get a lot of minutes with Montverde. He can play on or off the ball, but Montverde is going to try to use him next year in more of a scoring, [former U-M and NBA player] Jamal Crawford-style role. That's their pitch, because he can score and has got some confidence. He has some of that SEC athleticism Juwan Howard is looking to bring to the Big Ten. "He can score at all three levels, though his perimeter shot needs some work. Ultimately, he's best served if he can be a point guard." COLIN SMITH 6-8 • 200 • SF Dallas St. Mark's Rivals.com's No. 64 Junior Na- tionally Smith is a two-time Michigan camper and is more than willing to leave his home state. He averaged 19 points per game and is inter- ested in academics as much as ath- letics, one of the reasons he has U-M, Vanderbilt and Stanford high on his list. "Vanderbilt, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, Stanford, North Carolina, Ore- gon, Arkansas and Oklahoma State," he said when asked for a list. "Fit — how I'll be used or utilized [will be a deciding factor]. The relationship with the coaching staff. Those are the two biggest things, along with the academic piece." Though not overly athletic, he describes himself as an "all-around player." "I like to get my teammates in- volved. I like passing the ball. I like sharing the ball with my teammates," he said. "I think I'm a good scorer. I can shoot the ball from deep. If they close out on my shot, I can drive, and I pride myself on my defense. … I like to get into the passing lanes and lock up the best player on the other teams." Slater: "He's another hybrid guy. I think he very much projects as a modern stretch four because at 6-7- ish, that's sort of his best way of get- ting on the court. "He's much more of a cerebral player, like a lot of the St. Mark's guys. Michigan is in there, but his high school teammate, who he is in- credibly close with, is at Stanford. The other one to watch is Miami." TY RODGERS 6-5 • 175 • SF Grand Blanc (Mich.) High Rivals.com's No. 78 Junior Nationally Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State, Houston, Marquette, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio State, Rhode Is- land, Syracuse, Louisville and Tem- ple are among the schools that have offered the lanky wing. Rodgers led his team to a state championship re- cently with the best game of his ca- reer, 34 points in a 91-52 victory over Davison, and that raised his profile. Now competing for Tai Streets' MeanStreets AAU program, he's in no rush to make a decision. "I'm just taking it slow," Rodgers said. "I'm going to see how the sum- mer goes and maybe after this AAU season, I'll come out with a top five. Once they tell us that we can for sure do visits, I'm going to set some up and go from there." Though Rodgers is related to for- mer Michigan State great Jason Rich-