The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1508023
OCTOBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 43 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan men's basketball is look- ing to gain momentum on the re- cruiting trail among all classes, and head coach Juwan Howard and Co. appear to be making progress in getting some of the nation's top recruits on campus. The Wolverines hosted five-star 2025 wing Koa Peat Sept. 9 during the UNLV football weekend, and it appeared to go well. The competition is stiff there — Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, North Car- olina, Michigan State and Arizona are others involved with him — but getting him on campus was a must to have a shot. Peat, who stands 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, is the No. 3 junior overall in the On3.com Industry Ranking. He won Arizona's Gatorade Player of the Year award after averaging 19.7 points and 9.1 rebounds last season while helping lift Gilbert Perry High to its second con- secutive state championship. Five-star junior and Detroit prod- uct Darius Acuff was in town, too. The nation's No. 1 2025 point guard (No. 9 player overall) has said he grew up a Michigan fan, but the Wolverines will have a lot of competition for him, too. He's headed to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy this year and will visit Ken- tucky Oct. 14 for Big Blue Madness. Michigan State and others are heavily involved here, as well. In the 2024 class, Michigan was sup- posed to host four-star wing Khani Rooths (6-8, 195) the same weekend, but he's going to reschedule. He's also now at IMG Academy, and he has a top seven of Michigan, Georgia, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech. The Washington, D.C., native has of- ficially visited three of his finalists — Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Georgia. He's scheduled to visit Florida State Sept. 22 and Miami Sept. 28. He says he doesn't have a commitment date in mind yet but is aiming for a November decision. "Michigan is a great school and Coach Juwan is a big reason they are in the running, especially having two wings drafted," Rooths said. Four-star center Patrick Ngongba, a 6-foot-10, 235-pounder out of Chantilly (Va.) Paul VI Catholic (Michigan sopho- more point guard Dug McDaniel's school) did make it in Sept. 8, however. Kentucky and Duke will get second visits after U-M, and they're strong with him. In- diana, Kansas, Kansas State, Providence and UConn are also on his list. Ngongba is the No. 26 overall prospect and No. 2 center in the 2024 class. "I want to go to a school that can de- velop me," he said. "I want to get to the next level, so a program and a coach that can get me there [are important]. Also, I want to go somewhere that has a family environment … a place I can bond with the players, play video games and hang out. How the coaches play, how they look to use me in their system will definitely be a factor and something I look at, but it won't be the biggest thing for me." MICHIGAN MAKES TOP FIVE FOR FOUR-STAR CENTER Glendale (Ariz.) Dream City Christian four-star center Emmanuel Stephen re- cently cut his list to five, and Michigan made the cut. The 7-foot, 215-pounder has Arizona, Kansas, Miami and USC on his list in addition to Michigan, and he will visit Arizona Sept. 28 and Kansas Oct. 6. Stephen, the No. 93 overall prospect and No. 11 center in the 2024 class, had been keeping an eye on Michigan for a while. "Juwan Howard has a lot of history in the NBA," Stephen said. "He was a great player, and he's a good coach … a big's coach. They had [center] Hunter Dick- inson last year, one of the best bigs in the country." MICHIGAN STILL WAITING ON ARGENTINA STANDOUT LEE AALIYA Michigan got a commitment from class of 2023 Argentinian big man Lee Aaliya Aug. 26, a late addition to this year's team and a potential candidate for backup center minutes. Aaliya had yet to make it to campus as of Sept. 18, and with classes having begun, it remains to be seen if he'll join the team this se- mester or possibly next. There's been no word on what's causing the holdup. Aaliya is an athletic big, but he's not exactly a shooter. He averaged 17.7 points in seven games (21 minutes per game) for Argentina in the U19 FIBA World Cup. He blocked 2.1 shots per game and hauled in 9 rebounds per con- test. At the same time, while he made 4 of 12 triples, he connected on only 8-of-26 from the free throw line. ❏ The Wolverines hosted five-star 2025 wing Koa Peat Sept. 9 during the UNLV football weekend. PHOTO BY JAMIE SHAW/COURTESY ON3.COM ❱ BASKETBALL RECRUITING Top Prospects Make It To Ann Arbor For Football Weekends