The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 67 COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan men's basketball head coach Juwan Howard has been on a roll on the recruiting trail, landing a pair of 2022 pledges in power forward Gregg Glenn and wing Jett Howard in the last few weeks. He and his staff have turned their attention to the 2023 class (and beyond), and it didn't take them long to make an impact there, too. Atlanta Lovett's Christian Ander- son, one of the top point guards in the 2024 class, pledged to Michigan Oct. 6, less than two weeks after visiting for a football weekend. He was offered this summer and didn't wait for other schools to tender before deciding to end his recruitment. "I chose Michigan because of the re- lationship I made with Coach Juwan," Anderson told On3.com. "His staff is great, and the school felt like a family. "I really like the campus and the whole atmosphere at Michigan. They also have a great reputation — not just their sports, but their academics too. I think I fit their culture perfectly." A 5-8, 140-pounder with incred- ible shooting range, Anderson averaged 15 points in 30 minutes per game as a freshman. He put up huge numbers on the AAU circuit playing in the U-15 and U-16 leagues, often going for more than 30, even 40 points in games. Some analysts have questioned his size, but he's expected to continue to grow. Even now, Rivals.com's Jamie Shaw said, the guard has plenty of game. "He's a killer, man," Shaw said. "He can shoot it. … The kid can play. He can shoot it, has a lot of toughness to him. He can get to a spot and score." Shaw saw Anderson this summer, his first glimpse of the diminutive sniper, and was more than a little intrigued. Despite the small stature, Anderson was able to take over games with his shoot- ing ability off the dribble and his quick- ness. "When surveying the court to start a game, you may overlook Anderson due to his size," Shaw reported. "However, from the first play moving forward, the Atlanta product is hard to miss. He has a certain air about him on the floor that makes it hard to take your eyes off him, and his teammates follow suit. "Anderson has a tight handle, great court vision and a smooth jump shot from deep — deep — range. Despite his small stature, he plays with a major confidence in his game, and he has the skill set that allows him to back it up. "After the game, you then see him walk up to his dad, who stands about 6-foot-5 and realize there could be some growth still to go here." Therein lies the rub — there needs to be for him to succeed in the Big Ten, most likely. At the same time, there's tremendous upside. "He's super small for sure, though his dad is obviously bigger," Shaw said. "But the kid has got a lot of 'it' factor. I wouldn't say it's a risky take. If you're comfortable enough with it, go ahead. He's a talented player, for sure, multiple 30-, 40-point games on the circuit this summer. "It's his toughness … his mental toughness. He's got a good skill set to go with it too. Most of his stuff comes off the jump shot. He can get to that shot too. He's got great footwork and all that stuff." In pledging early, Anderson hopes the Michigan staff can use his commitment as a springboard to land other recruits … to "build around" him and put the pieces together on another outstanding class. Though he's not yet ranked, An- derson figures to be a top-100 (at least) recruit even at his current size, and his upside is tremendous. Time will tell exactly what he be- comes, but this is a high-reward pledge that's brought smiles to many analysts' faces, knowing Howard might well have pulled off a recruiting coup. Shaw loves the direction under the Michigan coach, especially his recruiting strategy, and believes Anderson fits perfectly in the culture Howard continues to develop. — Chris Balas Class Of 2024 Point Guard Christian Anderson Commits To Michigan Anderson — a 5-8, 140-pounder with incredible range — averaged 15 points in 30 minutes per game as a freshman and is an elite shooter. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw on Anderson "He's a killer, man. He can shoot it. … The kid can play. He can shoot it, has a lot of toughness to him. He can get to a spot and score."