The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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42 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2023 2023 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS W hile Michigan men's bas- ketball is still recruiting the transfer portal for 2023 and hitting the trail hard for the class of 2024, the Wolverine coaches al- ready have extended many offers to 2025 rising juniors as well. Here is where U-M stands with the cream of the crop of the 2025 class head- ing into the summer travel season. Trey McKenney, Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary (6-5, SG, No. 23 prospect nationally in the On3 In- dustry Ranking): McKenney earned the Associated Press Michigan Division 1 Player of the Year award after averaging 25.4 points and 11.1 rebounds for the season. He's playing up in age on the 17U Nike EYBL Circuit with the Meanstreets program and averaged 16.3 points while shooting 57.4 percent from beyond the arc in session one. McKenney grew up a U-M fan. "It's a school that I've been really looking at since I was young," he said. Darius Acuff Jr., Detroit Cass Tech (6-2, PG): Michigan was the first to offer Acuff March 29. Several more schools got on board after he averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game during Nike EYBL play in April, includ- ing Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Pitt and others. Acuff led Cass Tech to a 27-1 record and the pro- gram's first Division 1 state championship last year, averaging 21.4 points and 5.7 assists per game. He is not yet ranked by the recruiting services, but that should change this summer. Jeremiah Fears, Joliet (Ill.) West (6-1, PG): Fears averaged 12.8 points and 3.3 assists on 55 percent shooting from three-point range during the first ses- sion of Nike's EYBL season. He's visited Oregon, Michi- gan and Iowa unofficially. He is the younger brother of Michigan State signee Jeremy Fears and is ranked the No. 40 prospect overall and No. 7 point guard by On3's analysts. Jalen Haralson, Anderson (Ind.) Fishers (6-7, SG, No. 7): A five-star guard who can score at all three levels, Haralson has visited Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. "When I went on my visit there, they compared me to Franz Wagner with the Orlando Magic," he said of U-M. "They said I'm a big guard who has skills." On3 ranks Haralson as the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 2 shooting guard nationally in the class as well as the No. 1 player in Indiana. Darryn Peterson, Canton (Ohio) Cuyahoga Valley Christian (6-5, SG, No. 8): Peterson was voted as the SBLive national player of the year as a sophomore while averaging 31.5 points per game last season. On3's No. 1 prospect in Ohio, Peterson has taken vis- its to Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Xavier and is talking to Indiana and others. Kansas was his latest offer. Cameron Boozer, Miami Columbus (6-8, PF, No. 1): Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Florida State, Memphis, Florida, Arkansas, and his father Carlos' alma mater — Duke — have already offered the elite five-star for- ward. In short, he'd be a tough get for the Wolverines. Boozer, the unanimous No. 1 player in the 2025 class across all four recruiting media services, tied for tops in the 16U division scoring category at 28.3 per game at Nike EYBL session one in April, shooting 78.0 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. Cooper Flagg, Montverde (Fla.) Academy (6-7, SF, No. 2): Flagg is the top-ranked small forward in the class, according to On3. He put up 52 points in his first game in Nike EYBL session one play, tying Boozer with 28.3 points over the four-game weekend. Juwan How- ard was courtside to watch him, along with Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. Michigan is one of a long list of offers, but one currently stands out — Duke. "Dream school, obviously," Flagg said. "But there are still so many options that I want to look into." Meleek Thomas, Pittsburgh Lincoln Park Perform- ing Arts (6-3, SG, No. 4): Another five-star prospect, Thomas reported Michigan, UConn, Villanova and Xavier as his most recent offers. Playing up an age group to the 17Us, he averaged 14.5 points and shot 36.4 percent from three-point range for New Heights Lightning during session one of the EYBL Circuit. "I watched Michigan growing up, so I'm familiar with the history," he said. "They play a fast pace, a Jor- dan Poole type of style, and I like that style of play." Mikel Brown Jr., Wichita (Kan.) Sunrise Christian (6-0, PG, No. 14): Florida, Indiana, Texas A&M and Kansas seem to have taken an early lead here, but Brown is still open. He's smaller but can fill it up. "He is a fearless scorer and can get you a bucket whenever you need it," On3's Joe Tipton reported. "He exudes confidence." RJ Greer, Springboro, Ohio (6-3, SG, No. 80): Greer has taken trips to Cincinnati, Xavier and UCF, but oth- ers are on the way … including U-M. "I'm looking to get on some more visits this sum- mer, see some more places," Greer said. "Michigan is definitely one." On3's scouts rank him No. 72 overall and the No. 18 shooting guard nationally. Spencer Ahrens, Mississauga (Ontario, Canada) St. Martin (6-9, PF): Ahrens, a fall visitor, holds offers from Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska. "Michigan was a great visit," he said. "We were there for the Michigan State vs. Michi- gan football game. It was in the Big House. It was a pretty crazy atmosphere. We came back in January to watch the Purdue vs. Michigan bas- ketball game, which was also a crazy atmosphere." On3 has him ranked as the No. 7 power forward in his class, but the other three services have not yet rated him. Koa Peat, Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry (6-7, SF, No. 3): Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Baylor, Indiana, Illinois, LSU and several others have all offered. Peat is the younger brother of Nebraska defensive tackle Todd Peat Jr. and likes the school, but he's open. Peat was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore last season. He averaged 19.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Malachi Moreno, Georgetown (Ky.) Great Crossing (6-11, C, No. 45): Moreno is hearing from Purdue, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier, Michigan, Notre Dame, Mizzou and Indiana, along with others. He's a back-to-the-basket post looking to expand his game. Michigan is playing from behind in this one. On3's scouts have him ranked higher than the industry average, at No. 31 nationally. Dante Allen, Miami Riviera (6-3, PG, No. 58): Allen plays for the NightRydas AAU Program that produced former Wolverine Jett Howard. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game on 52 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from three in EYBL session one. His father, Malik Allen, is a former Villanova player. The Wildcats and Michigan have both offered. ❏ Trey McKenney, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary, is ranked the No. 23 prospect in the 2025 class and No. 1 in Michigan in the On3 Industry Ranking. PHOTO BY ZACH LIBBY FOURTEEN FOR '25 Michigan Basketball Has Offered Many Of The Nation's Top Juniors