The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 37 2022 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan coach Juwan How- ard and his staff might still have to hit the transfer portal for 2022 recruits, depending on what happens with freshmen Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan. Both entered the NBA Draft and have until June 1 to pull out, and each seems to be considering leaving U-M after a year. Until the U-M staff knows what they need, then, it's hard to really go after the 2023 recruits. They've made some offers, though, and there are some certainties. They'll need a big man and a wing for sure in that class, and it just so happens that two such players are visiting campus to- gether June 14. Papa Kante and Gavin Griffiths also happen to be close friends who are both high school stars in Connecticut. The two have discussed playing together at the next level. Though package deals don't often play out, no matter how close kids get on the AAU circuit, this one is intriguing. "Every time I talk to Gavin — and ev- ery time I talk to Papa, too — they both bring each other up in their interviews," On3 national basketball recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw said. "They have talked about playing to- gether. They haven't talked about it with Michigan, but in the past Providence and some of those other schools in the East. "But every time I talk to Gavin, Michi- gan is the first school he brings up. Papa, I haven't talked to since February or so, so I'm not entirely sure." When he did, Kante told him Howard texted him words of encouragement after every game he played. Michigan was re- cruiting him harder than anyone, he said, noting, "Coach Howard loves my playing style and how hard I play. He wants me to look at Moussa Diabate and Hunter Dick- inson and how they play them. "They are looking at me as a four and a five," he continued. "He lets his fresh- men play and make mistakes. They also play through their bigs and throw the ball inside. He was also a four and a five, and he has played in the NBA." Kante has since told reporters every- where he's enamored with Michigan, to the point that some now believe U-M might be a leader. The South Kent (Conn.) School 6-foot- 10, 225-pounder is On3's No. 85 player in his class and the No. 8 center in the nation. Like Diabate, he hasn't been play- ing the game long. Also like the Michigan frosh, he never takes a play off and is eager to improve. That's where the comparisons stop, Shaw said. Diabate has more upside, he insisted. At the same time, while Kante's ceiling isn't as high, he's got a very high floor. "He's just a guy that will come in and you know what you'll get from him. There's very little 'bust factor' with Papa Kante," Shaw said. "He works his butt off, plays hard … has a great motor. He's a good rebounder, a keen defender and very vocal at that end of the floor. He'll be out there diving for 50-50 balls. "He plays great at center, and he's starting to shoot it a little bit. He prob- ably needs to tighten up a bit. But he's got legit size, strength and length. He's just a good big." Griffiths (6-7, 185), meanwhile, is a "stud," Shaw said. The West Hartford (Conn.) Kingswood-Oxford School wing is No. 15 in the On3 rankings — dozens of spots higher than most other services have him — and it's because "he's really got some stuff to him," Shaw said. On3 also rates Griffiths as the No. 1 shooting guard in the nation. He was named the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class B Player of the Year after averaging 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists last season. "He's like Nik Stauskas," Shaw said of the former Michigan guard. "He's got that type of mentality to him that Stauskas had — that 'it' factor. He might not be the most athletic, but it's 'just give me the ball and I'll make something happen.' Griffiths (left), a wing from West Hartford (Conn.) Kingswood-Oxford School, is rated the No. 15 player in the class of 2023 by On3. He could be joined on the same college team by his good friend Papa Kante (No. 85), who plays for South Kent (Conn.) School. PHOTOS COURTESY ON3.COM PACKAGE DEAL Big Man Papa Kante, Wing Gavin Griffiths Are Friends Who Talk Of Playing Together In College In 2023