The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1504445
50 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2023 BY CHRIS BALAS M i c h i g a n b a s k e t b a l l coach Juwan Howard has done a stellar job putting a team together after los- ing three key pieces in cen- ter Hunter Dickinson, who transferred to Kansas, and guards Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin, both of whom were NBA Draft picks. He's already added wing Nimari Burnett (Alabama), forward Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee) and forward Tray Jackson (Seton Hall), and he's looking for another player or two, as well. The future, though, will need to include players other than portal transfers, and Howard and his staff have made headway with some elite talents. They've already landed a pair of 2024 guards in three- star Christian Anderson (5-11, 155) from Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy and three-star Durral Brooks (6-2, 180) from Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central. In ad- dition, U-M has received visits from five-star center Flory Bidunga (6-9, 215) of Kokomo (Ind.) High by way of Kinsha- sha, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and five-star point guard Boogie Fland (6-3, 175) of Harlem (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac. Several other top prospects also have expressed interest in U-M. But two of the elite national talents in the 2025 class are in the Wolverines' backyard, and both grew up following Michigan basketball in some of its glory years. Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's Trey McKenney, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound shooting guard originally from Flint, is listed as the No. 9 player in the 2025 class by On3 and No. 12 in On3's Indus- try Ranking, a weighted average from all four major recruiting media compa- nies. Point guard Darius Acuff Jr. (6-2, Detroit Cass Tech) is No. 19 by On3 and No. 11 in the On3 Industry Ranking. McKenney, playing with The Family AAU program, finished fifth in scoring during Nike's EYBL 17U Circuit regu- lar season, averaging 19.9 points while playing up a level. "I'm tough," McKenney told On3's Jamie Shaw. "I can score on all three levels, and I bring the same toughness and intensity on the other end of the floor too. I watch a lot of [Phoenix Suns guard] Devin Booker and bigger guards like NBA All-Star Joe Johnson." He's currently talking with UCLA, Stanford and USC, and plans on see- ing those schools in the fall. Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa are all on him hard, he added. MSU texts him all the time, and Howard has been recruiting him intensely for U-M. "Coach Howard has played and coached at the highest level; he's been there," McKenney said. "He's been teaching me things, calling me, talking with me, helping me out like that. I'll be looking at the relationship the coaches build with not only me but my family, too. I'm going to look at how I fit on the team, both on and off the floor. And I'll see how big of a priority I am for the coaches and the program." The last part has many layers. Part of it is attention, and building relation- ships is important. But as assistant Phil Martelli told us a few months ago, there are times that's become secondary to NIL and what a kid can make financially. That's not about to change. In that area, Michigan needs to step up its game. Howard said as much at the beginning of last season. He's since seen his All-America center poached by Kansas and has lost several recruit- ments to the almighty dollar. Michigan's collectives and M Power, an in-house NIL initiative, are foot- ball focused, and the U-M basketball coaches have had to do a lot of the heavy lifting on their own. Kids like McKenney and Acuff are go- ing to be in high demand. Other pro- grams are going to pull out all the stops, and "staying home" doesn't have the pull it once did. In the past, Michigan would have had a much better chance for a kid like Acuff, who loves the program — now, the Wolverines need to bring more to the table. "I always watched Michigan," Acuff said. "As I got older, it was Kentucky and Michigan State … all of them. It was a lot of schools. It's been an experience. I'm building a good relationship with every college coach." Kentucky, Indiana, Houston, Michi- gan and Michigan State are the schools he listed when KSR.com (On3's Ken- tucky site) talked to him recently. This fall, he'll take visits to all of those schools and possibly more, adding it's too early to know whether he'll stay close to home. "I don't know yet," Acuff said. "In another year or two, I'll figure it out. As of right now, I'm young … "I'm looking for a great culture. Building relationships with coaches and your recruiter — that's important. I'm looking for a family. … A family envi- ronment, but also a coach that's going to keep it 100 [percent real] with me. Not just sugarcoating everything I do right, but also telling me everything I do Darius Acuff Jr., a 6-foot-2 point guard at Detroit Cass Tech, is the No. 11 player nationally in the class of 2025 according to the On3 Industry Ranking. PHOTO BY ARI ROSENFELD/ELITE HIGH SCHOOL SCOUTING ❱ BASKETBALL RECRUITING Class Of 2025 Elites Are In Michigan's Backyard