The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1499505
JUNE/JULY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 41 2023 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE MARCUS ALLEN 6-6 • 190 • SF Chandler (Ariz.) Compass Prep On3 Industry Ranking: No. 43 A "bulldog" on the court, Allen continues to rise. On3's analysts rate him higher than the industry, at No. 25 in their own rankings. He's visited his home- town team the Miami Hurricanes along with Mis- souri, and other top programs are pursuing him. "I don't have any more visits set up yet; I still have to talk with my mom and find time to set those up," Allen told On3. "I would say right now, I'm hearing the most from Michigan, Stanford, Ohio State, Villanova and Arkansas of the other schools who have offered. Miami and Missouri are still on me hard." He is planning a summer trip to Michigan. ASA NEWELL 6-9 • 205 • PF Montverde (Fla.) Academy On3 Industry Ranking: No. 11 An Athens, Ga. native, Newell has been rumored to be a Georgia lean for some time since his brother, Jaden, is a sophomore on the team. The nation's No. 1 power forward in the On3 Industry Ranking has officially visited Georgia and Indiana. A few months back he said that Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana, Florida and Texas were recruiting him the hardest. In short, Michigan would have some work to do. "Asa Newell is a lengthy forward with a project- able frame," On3 's Jamie Shaw reported. "The frame is what you notice from the second he walks on the floor. The lefty has soft touch with range that extends beyond the three-point line, espe- cially off the catch." SOMTO CYRIL 6-10 • 250 • C Overtime Elite On3 Industry Ranking: No. 29 Originally from Nigeria, Cyril chose to play the 2022-23 season in the Overtime Elite League, a pro- fessional basketball league for 16- to 20-year-olds based in Atlanta. He turned down a scholarship to maintain his college eligibility and holds offers from Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Indiana, Cincinnati, Memphis and others in addition to Michigan. Cyril has visited Indiana, Cincinnati and Providence, and he is a candidate to reclassify to the 2023 class, according to analysts. Michigan, though, doesn't seem to have a lot of traction here. AIDEN SHERRELL 6-11 • 220 • PF Gilbert (Ariz.) Hillcrest Prep On3 Industry Ranking: No. 32 Sherrell is a Detroit native, but Michigan State seems to be the local school with the most trac- tion at this point. Alabama is pushing, and he's also visited UNLV. "I'm talking with Ohio State, Michigan and Okla- homa about possible upcoming visits," Sherrell told On3's Jamie Shaw. "I have a great relationship with Coach Howard. He sees me being a key player in their program. He could really help me grow as a player if I went there." Sherrell averaged 14.5 points and shot 53.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three during session one with Vegas Elite on Nike's EYBL Circuit. He's also been in touch with the NBA G-League and is open to both options. He plans to pledge in July. FLORY BIDUNGA 6-9 • 210 • C Kokomo (Ind.) High On3 Industry Ranking: No. 3 Bidunga came to the United States from Kinshasha in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021, and he first visited Michigan last fall. Word is he's planning on visiting campus again at the end of May. He's now the top-ranked center and No. 3 overall player nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking for the 2024 class. There have been rumblings that he could reclassify to 2023, although he's stated recently that wasn't his plan. Head coach Juwan Howard watched Bidunga at the recent Adidas 3SSB event. On3's Joe Tipton rated Bidunga the No. 2 player in attendance. "Flory Bidunga is an absolute monster in the paint, that's no secret," he wrote. "His sheer size, athleti- cism, and motor were all on display as he attacked the rim." Bidunga has unofficially visited Purdue, Cincinnati, Butler, Indiana and Michigan State in addition to U-M. He's also been on official visits to Auburn and Florida. "It was pretty good," he said of his Michigan of- ficial visit. "I like the coach, the coaching staff. I like the players." KHANI ROOTHS 6-8 • 195 • PF Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy On3 Industry Ranking: No. 34 Rooths, who hails from Washington, D.C., was the latest to receive a Michigan offer, and it was a big one for him. He's averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals with 36.0 percent shooting from three- point range with the New World program on this year's Adidas 3SSB Circuit. "Michigan was my most recent offer," Rooths said. "I plan on taking a visit to Georgia soon and don't have anything else set yet. "That [U-M] offer meant a lot. They have had a lot of tough players that went there, and they are a winning program. Coach Howard is a great coach. It's just unreal." Alabama, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and West Virginia are also recruiting him. He wants to commit before his senior year. QIN PANG 6-9 • 230 • PF Middle Village (N.Y.) Christ The King On3 Industry Ranking: No. 128 Originally from China, Pang picked up more than a dozen offers last fall from programs including Michi- gan, Rutgers, Illinois, Missouri, Seton Hall and Or- egon. Schools seem to have cooled on him a bit, but he's still a legit 6-foot-9 shooter. It will be interesting to see where this one goes. ❏ Khani Rooths, a 6-8, 195-pounder at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, is listed as the No. 5 power forward and No. 34 overall player in the On3 Industry Ranking. PHOTO BY JAMIE SHAW/ON3