The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2022 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan is still looking for its first rising senior pledge after signing a talented five-man class in 2022, and there are several outstanding candidates still on the board. The Wolverines are still in a fight for their most likely pledge in the class, big man Papa Kante (6-foot-10, On3's No. 32 player in its updated national rankings and No. 89 in the On3 Consen- sus) out of South Kent (Conn.) School. Kante went back to Senegal in Africa in the late summer to weigh his decision with his family, a choice that appears to be harder than expected. A talented big man who continues to evolve offensively, Kante averaged 10 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on the Nike Elite Youth Basket- ball (EYBL) circuit this summer. Sev- eral teams offered, but he appears to be down to four … or maybe five. "I took four official visits — Michi- gan, Maryland, Rutgers and Pittsburgh," Kante said. "I'm not sure if I'll take any more visits when I come back. I may visit all four again to know them more, but I'm not for sure yet. "All four schools have great facili- ties. I really loved all of them. They are a family." Two analysts we've spoken with off the record believe Michigan leads, but not by much. The Wolverines seemed to be the choice after a great visit in June, but Rutgers and others have closed the gap. Still, U-M seems pretty comfort- able with its standing heading toward Kante's decision. "I talk with coach Juwan Howard. I have a great relationship with Coach Howard," Kante said. "He's texting me after every game and before games, good game or bad game. I still talk to him now, even though I'm back home [in Senegal]. "I talked to [former Michigan big man] Moussa Diabate on the phone dur- ing my visit there. He was at pre-draft workouts and told me how Michigan helped him to get better. "Coach Howard played in the league for 20 years and knows what it takes to get there. They say they're going to play me like they did Moussa or like [Miami Heat big man] Bam Adebayo. They said they're going to let me shoot it, and they keep telling me how they will put me in a great position to succeed in life." Rutgers, Pitt and Maryland are also in the mix. Rutgers received a pledge from Kante's good friend and former Michigan wing target Gavin Griffiths, and they're also heavily recruiting some of his other friends. Maryland, with new head coach Kevin Willard, sees him "playing a lot as a freshman," as does Pitt, where assistant coach Gilbert Brown is working on him. He was an assistant coach at South Kent school his first year there and went to Pittsburgh last year. Keep an eye on Memphis, too. Kante's former AAU coach with the New York Rens was recently hired there, and they could try to reach out. "I don't have a top four schools yet," Kante said. "Any school can still jump in at any time because I'm looking for a place to help me get better and reach my goals. "I will be looking for a family where I can call home because I'm an interna- tional student. I'll look at where they can develop me and help me to get bet- ter on and off the court. The relation- ship with the coaching staff will be big." He gave no timetable, but it seems to be winding up. "My family and I are very far along into our decision, but I'll discuss every- thing with my family to see what's best for me," he said. Two other Michigan prospects, elite point guard Isaiah Collier of Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler and forward Zayden High of Spring Branch (Texas) High, visited campus in late July. The 6-2, 190-pound Collier (an On3 Consensus five-star and the No. 1 point guard in the nation) had a great visit, by all accounts, but seems to be leaning to- ward staying in the west. Some believe USC will be the pick. He was averaging 15.1 point a game, shooting 44.8 percent from long range, Papa Kante, a 6-foot-10 big man from South Kent (Conn.) School, is now No. 32 in On3's updated rankings. Michigan was among his four official visits thus far, along with Maryland, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. PHOTO BY JAMIE SHAW/ON3.COM BASKETBALL RECRUITING Headed Down The Home Stretch With 2023 Recruits