U of M Basketball Recruiting Discussion

[*JD*]

All the Crystal Balls (11) are now in for Christopher to Michigan. Two more were added today and the UCLA pick has disappeared.

[WM Wolverine]

Next years roster:

C: Todd, Castleton, Davis, Dickinson
PF: Johns, Williams
SF: Livers, Wagner, Howard
SG: Bajema, Christopher, Nunez
PG: DDJ/Brooks, Jackson

There will be attrition while Todd could play overseas.

[hack]

There's going to have to be attrition. There's no way to fit Livers, Johns, Wagner and Todd on a roster. The only way is if Christopher is your PG and you slide Wagner to SG, which I'm not sure is a great idea but could work.

Frankly, given what Todd looks like he'll be, and IF Christopher is coming, I'm not sure I prefer his one-and-done season to what any one of other three would very likely bring.

[Cody_Russell]

[*JD*]

Next years roster:

C: Todd, Castleton, Davis, Dickinson
PF: Johns, Williams
SF: Livers, Wagner, Howard
SG: Bajema, Christopher, Nunez
PG: DDJ/Brooks, Jackson

There will be attrition while Todd could play overseas.

Were you just going alphabetically here? There's maybe a 1% chance that Bajema would start over Christopher. Looking at some of your other position listings, I'm guessing this wasn't what you project as the starting line-up. There really will be quite a log jam if Christopher comes. I guess they could go small at C with Todd. They could just go with their best 5, which might be Dickinson/Todd/Livers/Wagner/Christopher. That may be a little shy on ball-handling but it would be interesting. There are definitely going to be some great battles for earning a starting spot!

I'm trying to think if there was a Kentucky team a while back that brought in a 2nd unit of five players all at once. I feel like there was. That seems to be the kind of depth we'll be looking at next season.

I do wonder if Jace will be a preferred walk-on. That would help the scholarship situation a lot. It's not like his parents can't easily afford the tuition but there may be a sense of pride taken away without having a full scholarship. I don't know how important that is to Jace (probably not very) but I would guess most players ranked in the top-200 (if not top-500) would want the label of being a scholarship player. I also don't know if you can redshirt, if you're not on full scholarship. I would guess you could but I don't know for sure. If he can be a RS, I would guess that's the way to go. One year to adjust and an extra year of (likely) playing with his brother.

[WM Wolverine]

Order is meaningless and even the positions are fluid. Williams is listed at PF but I see him as more of a 3 that you can get away with playing at the 4 for stretches. I don't think he's a factor for next season unless there is more than a lil attrition.

Agree, Christopher looks like someone who will start at SG as a true freshman... elite scorer/creator/finisher, good ball handler though unsure on his passing and creating for others. 3pt shooting is another question that I think he'll grow into as a college player...

Wagner could take a big step forward next season, can't see him not starting. He's ideally a 3, his ball handing, creating for others is his biggest question mark. His defense is underrated and very good rebounder.

Brandon Johns should be starting next season too, he'll be ready with another off season. Livers returning takes away his minutes the most.

[*JD*]

Two more 2022 offers are being reported:
Jalen Duran, a 6'9" center, the #2 player in the class, and his teammate Justice Williams. Williams is a 6'3" guard who is ranked #25. They're from Philly. We shall see if the Phil Martelli connections work to our advantage here.

[hack]

Incredible logjam on the wings, but we are going to have to see who transfers. Somebody is going to transfer, probably whether or not Livers leaves. I don't know if I'm ready to have Franz at the 2. Situational on-ball guarding of Winston at the top of the key is impressive, so he can use his length against smaller/quicker, but he's not going to be chasing shooters around screens.

[Hannibal]

I can't imagine Nunez staying. If Brooks can earn his degree before next year, maybe he leaves too for playing time? Castleton doesn't appear to have much potential for minutes and Bajema already isn't getting any for some reason. Lots of transfer candidates on the roster. Hopefully, we'll keep everyone that we need.

[WM Wolverine]

I don't see room for both Bajema and Nunez... Maybe either with the incoming talent. Said the same about Davis or Castleton above, no room for both if Todd signs.

[WM Wolverine]

First world problems.

[iam416]

With the way Juwan is recruiting, is it any wonder this thread is about 100x more active than football recruiting?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Uh, yeah. Football recruiting is fun to talk about when your team is recruiting top 250s even more fun for top 100s. To my knowledge, M isn't in on too many of those players.

I'm not following it that closely though because I'm just not plugged in to that and mgo doesn't seem to be following it either - BB is the thing right now, for sure. Not surprising.

[Jeff Buchanan]

...... somewhat related, there was a thread at mgoboard about declining seat license renewals and season ticket sales. It's happening at most programs including the blue bloods from what I read but the major reason seems to be rising costs of going to games in the face of widely available TV coverage. A shitty game day experience is contributing - sitting around in the cold or heat for nearly an hour of frequent 2 minute and 30 second media time outs combined with long delays associated with replay. Oh, and Michigan football kinda suck right now....... promises, promises.

[hack]

Not in the basketball thread please, Jeff.