The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547256
58 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2026 BY CHRIS BALAS O ne-time Michigan basketball commitment Christian Ander- son, now in the NBA after a fantastic career at Texas Tech, will go down as "the one who got away" after com- mitting to Juwan Howard as a high school freshman before de-commit- ting when Dusty May arrived. The Wolverines did okay without him, of course, but Anderson went on to become an outstanding player. U-M men's basketball head coach Mike Boynton Jr. and his staff hope his brother, Lucai Anderson, follows suit after they secured his commit- ment in mid-October. Anderson, the No. 90 overall recruit in the 2027 class according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, will play his high school ball this season at IMG Academy in Bra- denton, Fla., after transferring from Lubbock (Texas) Trinity Christian. Anderson, a four-star talent who ranks No. 23 nationally at his point guard position, chose Michigan over of- fers from USC, Georgia Tech and UCF, the others high on his list. Alabama, Butler, Villanova, Texas Tech, and oth- ers had also offered. Though listed as a point guard in his recruiting profile, many believe Ander- son is better suited off the ball … at least for now. "At the college level, Anderson proj- ects as a combo guard who can play ei- ther backcourt spot depending on how his frame fills out, with the shot-cre- ation to be a featured scorer if his out- side shooting continues to develop," Prep Radar writers said in their scouting re- port of the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder. "His pro ceiling depends heavily on adding strength and tightening up the defensive consistency, but the size-skill combi- nation gives him a realistic pathway if everything comes together. "Right now, he profiles as a high-major prospect with room to climb rankings as more people see him play." Anderson averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 re- bounds and 2.9 assists per game for the Lions, and now he'll get an opportunity to play with and against top competition at IMG Academy under its new coach, Jackson Johnson (who coached Michigan freshman Quinn Costello at The Newman School in Boston). Anderson also has been tabbed to play for Germany's U18 national team the same way his brother did, pro- viding more valuable international ex- perience. He's already played overseas in FIBA U18 EuroBasket, the Adidas Next- Gen Tournament and Adidas EuroCamp, among others, in which he's gone up against older players. NBABigBoard.com's Rafael Barlowe, who saw Anderson at the Basketball Without Borders event in Turkey this August, said the rising senior has signifi- cant upside. "After watching Anderson throughout the tournament, I'm a little higher on him than I was after my previous scouting trips," Barlowe reported. "His game has improved since the first time I saw him play in Belgrade earlier this season where he showed flashes but was mostly up and down with his play. "Stylistically, he still reminds me a lot of his older brother, Christian, but at this stage, Lucai is already a little bigger. … His best performance came against Lithuania, where he finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists." The biggest takeaway for Barlowe after watching Anderson in action was his shooting. "Anderson showed that he can re- ally make shots when his feet are set, connecting on 37 percent of his catch and shoot 3s," he said. "I expect him to develop into a very good shooter both off the catch and off the drib- ble. His rebounding, competitive- ness and scoring instincts are already positives. "The next step is becoming a more efficient offensive player by improv- ing his shot selection and limiting the turnovers. He is always going to be wired to score, but if he can prove that he is a scoring point guard who also takes care of the basketball, I think he is going to become one of the more intriguing names to watch over the next couple of years." There was another player who might have fit that bill, too, and Michigan was plenty interested in LaPorte (Ind.) La Lumiere School four-star shooting guard Devin Cleveland (6-3, 175). But the No. 32 overall recruit and No. 5 shooting guard chose Missouri over Michigan and TCU, having also received offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Marquette, Syracuse and others. U-M got a visit from him in early Oc- tober, but it wasn't enough. "I know there have been coaching changes recently, but Coach Akeem [Miskdeen] — another Chicago guy who I've been building a connection for the past three years — reached out to reas- sure me that they are still confident in the coaching staff and the team's ability to compete at the highest level," Cleve- land said before his pledge. Cleveland added that he would be watching Boynton and staff closely through the season. Now that Cleveland is off the board, U-M will move on to other prospects. ❑ ❱ BASKETBALL RECRUITING Michigan Basketball Lands One Four-Star 2027 Guard, Misses On Another Four-star 2027 prospect Lucai Anderson, who committed to U-M in mid-October, has transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season. PHOTO COURTESY LUCAI ANDERSON