2020 Duke men's basketball recruiting

[OZZIE4DUKE]

When in doubt, provide the link, my friend. I didn't appreciate having to hunt down this video. Brevity is more of a link-Nazi than me, but only barely.

And I'm still only 90% sure this is the video you referenced because your description was too vague.

Great interview and great link. I didn’t know about those guys/site. I’ll check them out!

[BD80]

Since when did snark deter pedantry?

(Posted as an occasionally repentant pedant.)

A recidivist pedant but occasionally repentant? How petulant.

[JasonEvans]

He has not been on Duke's radar for a while, but Zaire Williams has picked Stanford. Interesting choice by one of the top 5 players in the 2020 class to go to a team that loses no one of significance off of a top 50 team. I'm not saying they will be a top 10 club, but they might sneak their way into some Top 25s at the start of the season.

[brevity]

He has not been on Duke's radar for a while, but Zaire Williams has picked Stanford. Interesting choice by one of the top 5 players in the 2020 class to go to a team that loses no one of significance off of a top 50 team. I'm not saying they will be a top 10 club, but they might sneak their way into some Top 25s at the start of the season.

ESPN link. Between Sierra Canyon HS player Ziaire Williams choosing Stanford and Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz picking Notre Dame yesterday, UNC had a bad weekend recruiting the state of California.

Top-10 senior Ziaire Williams committed to Stanford on Sunday, becoming the Cardinal's highest-ranked recruit since at least 2007.

Williams picked Stanford over a final group that also included Arizona, USC, North Carolina and UCLA. He took his time throughout his recruitment, taking an official visit to USC last summer and following that up with trips to North Carolina and Arizona in the fall.

[UrinalCake]

He has not been on Duke's radar for a while, but Zaire Williams has picked Stanford.

All of the recruiting experts started picking Stanford over the past 24 hours. I know they're not perfect, but that type of movement is usually a really strong indicator. The funny thing is that UNC fans actually still thought they had a shot at him, even though nobody who actually follows recruiting was even included them in his final list.

[SavDukeGrad]

All of the recruiting experts started picking Stanford over the past 24 hours. I know they're not perfect, but that type of movement is usually a really strong indicator. The funny thing is that UNC fans actually still thought they had a shot at him, even though nobody who actually follows recruiting was even included them in his final list.

Even funnier, many UNC fans think Cole Anthony may come back, since he hasn’t announced that he is declaring for the draft yet.

But they do now have a free scholarship since Brandon Huffman is transferring. According to UNC fans, their choices to fill it are now ( in order): 1. Anthony returns 2. Ziaire Williams (that ship sailed) or 3. Kerwin Walton. (This was after Wertz committed to ND yesterday)

[brevity]

Duke-adjacent recruiting news: RSCI #10 Josh Christopher pulls a Bill Frieder and picks Arizona State over Michigan.

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops

BREAKING: Arizona State has landed Josh Christopher, a Top 10 player in the country. Talented wing out of California chose Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils over Michigan. Didn’t hurt that Christopher’s older brother, Caleb, was a frosh at ASU this past year.

10:27 PM · Apr 13, 2020


Jake @jakeweingarten

Josh Christopher has committed to Arizona State. I’m not surprised, this kid is destined to be a major impact and could legitimately compete for Pac-12 FOTY.

Major pickup for Bobby Hurley and has two five-stars in his 2020 class.

10:27 PM · Apr 13, 2020

(I assume the other 5-star is Marcus Bagley, even though 247 Sports and ESPN have him in the 4-star range.)

[CDu]

Rough break for Michigan missing out on Christopher.

[scottdude8]

Duke-adjacent recruiting news: RSCI #10 Josh Christopher pulls a Bill Frieder and picks Arizona State over Michigan.

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops

BREAKING: Arizona State has landed Josh Christopher, a Top 10 player in the country. Talented wing out of California chose Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils over Michigan. Didn’t hurt that Christopher’s older brother, Caleb, was a frosh at ASU this past year.

10:27 PM · Apr 13, 2020


Jake @jakeweingarten

Josh Christopher has committed to Arizona State. I’m not surprised, this kid is destined to be a major impact and could legitimately compete for Pac-12 FOTY.

Major pickup for Bobby Hurley and has two five-stars in his 2020 class.

10:27 PM · Apr 13, 2020

(I assume the other 5-star is Marcus Bagley, even though 247 Sports and ESPN have him in the 4-star range.)

Rough break for Michigan missing out on Christopher.

Yup, Michigan fans are shocked by this news... Michigan has 91% of the "crystal ball" predictions, and various Michigan writers/insiders had been describing Christopher as a "done-deal" who was just waiting to make it official for as long as a month. When David DeJulius chose to transfer, despite having a clear path to PT next year, most saw that as yet another indication of Christopher's impending decision. He's a west coast kid, so maybe the state of the world meant he wanted to stay closer to home, who knows.

Michigan fans will now be anxiously awaiting Isaiah Todd actually signing on the dotted line (again, he committed early but didn't sign his LOI and there's been speculation he wants to go overseas)... the tea leaves have been positive on that front, but then again they also were on Christopher. If Todd commits and Isaiah Livers comes back for his senior year (he's dipped a toe in the draft waters, much like Luka Garza... they've both explicitly said they'll only go pro if they know they'll get a guaranteed contract and neither is projected anywhere near that range), the Wolverines could put out two interesting starting lineups... a big one with freshman big Hunter Dickinson (who's 7-2, 255, and a former Duke target), Todd (who's a skilled/stretch 4 and may be as tall as 6-11 now), Livers, Franz Wagner (an NBA level talent himself, coming back for a sophomore year), and senior PG Eli Brooks. Or they could go for a more skilled/scoring lineup with Todd, Livers, Wagner, Brooks sliding over to the 2 (where he showed this season he's a bit more comfortable) and incoming grad transfer Mike Smith at the point. Either lineup could compete for the B1G title and be a national player.

The question now becomes where the depth on the outside comes from. Michigan had a ton of interior depth, with RS Senior Austin David returning to be the first big off the bench and the versatile Brandon Johns returning after being a solid bench contributor as a sophomore (he can easily play anywhere from the 3 to the 5). The exterior depth will now be a major question mark. As seen by the "small" lineup above, Livers and Wagner can both theoretically slot up a position, although that could cause defensive issues (Livers in particular was exposed in that regard this last year, but he'll also need to show he can guard the 3 to make it in the NBA so perhaps he'll be motivated to make that transition), but the bench will now be limited to Top 100 recruits Zeb Jackson (a PG) and Terrence Williams (a former Georgetown commit), and sophomore Cole Bajema (himself a Top 100 recruit with a sharp-shooter reputation, but he's rail-thin to the point he couldn't see the floor last year). With Christopher the depth would've been clear across the board, now it's a weakness outside.

If Todd and Livers are in Ann Arbor I still think Michigan is being undervalued in the "way too early" lists, even without Christopher. Not many teams have three seniors who will be major contributors (four if you count the grad transfer Smith) alongside a Top 5 recruiting class (not to mention a star returning sophomore). I'd put them right up there with Iowa and Wisconsin as the top-tier in the B1G (MSU could be there if Xavier Tillman returns but that is looking unlikely)... Iowa and Wisconsin will have the experience and more of a proven track record, but Michigan will have the superior NBA-caliber talent. This all assumes Juwan Howard's coaching can take a step forward in year 2 just like we expect players to improve after their first season.

[BD80]

... sophomore Cole Bajema (himself a Top 100 recruit with a sharp-shooter reputation, but he's rail-thin to the point he couldn't see the floor last year). ...

… This all assumes Juwan Howard's coaching can take a step forward in year 2 just like we expect players to improve after their first season.

Rail-thin to the point he couldn't see the floor last year? Or rail-thin to the point he couldn't be seen on the floor last year?


I think Howard will turn out to be a great coach. I always thought he was by far the most intelligent, well-spoken, coachable and cerebral player of the fab five. And this from a guy that attended Webber's announcement of his choice of colleges. Never thought much of Jackson or Rose. Rose has actually grown on me as he has matured as an "on air personality." Despite my disdain for the fab five (living in Michigan as a basketball fan was rough for those 2-3 years), I always respected Howard.

[jaywilliams22]

Isaiah Todd de-commits from Michigan...ouch. They lose out on 2 5-stars.

https://twitter.com/JasonJordanSI/st...625212930?s=20

[devildeac]

Isaiah Todd de-commits from Michigan...ouch. They lose out on 2 5-stars.

https://twitter.com/JasonJordanSI/st...625212930?s=20

He could always re-commit .

Sure hope the cheats don't land him.

[CDu]

He could always re-commit .

Sure hope the cheats don't land him.

He's going to go pro overseas.

[JasonEvans]

He's going to go pro overseas.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...ng/2989108001/

Playing professionally has been the choice of a select few prospects over the past decade, especially overseas. Todd becomes the latest blue-chip recruit to skip college basketball in hopes of kickstarting a professional career, and the latest megaprospect to spur Michigan.

Ranked No. 13 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Todd would've been the highest-ranked U-M signee in the recruiting rankings era and the first McDonald's All-American in nearly two decades. With Christopher picking Arizona State late Monday night, Todd was the crown jewel of the Wolverines' fourth-ranked recruiting class.

I am shocked that Michigan has not gotten a Mickie Dee in 2 decades. I mean, the Wolverines are a big time program in all sports. Whew, this really shows how Michigan State beats them like a worn out mule on the recruiting trail. We really are spoiled here at Duke

[House P]

I am shocked that Michigan has not gotten a Mickie Dee in 2 decades.

In a 2017 CBS Sports poll of more than 100 college coaches, John Beilein received the most votes in response to the following question:

"Who is the high major coach you genuinely believe does everything by the book and operates completely within the NCAA's rulebook".

These two pieces of information may or may not be related.


To be fair, it could be that Beilein's unwillingness to break rules puts him at a disadvantage with 5 start recruits. Alternatively, it could be that Beilein's lack of success with 5 star recruits creates the perception that he must not be cheating.

[scottdude8]

This is a major blow to Michigan, obviously, not only the Christopher news but now the salt in the wound that is Todd decommitting. As I've mentioned, all the tea leaves in recent days had been pointing to both being in Ann Arbor, so this is a great cautionary tale of why to keep your expectations low in the world of recruiting. Interesting side note: if you can view recruiting as having "upsets", Christopher not going to Michigan is apparently the "biggest upset" in the history of the 247 Crystal Ball.

People shouldn't be feeling too sad for the Wolverines, who still have a recruiting class with three consensus Top 100 players, including Dickinson who was a borderline 5*. That's a class most programs would kill for, and many Michigan fans would've pined for during the Beilein era (the common complaint was that Beilein instituted a hard ceiling on the program by only recruiting "his guys" rather than going after high-caliber talent). But now whether or not Michigan is even a Top 25 team going into next season hinges entirely on Livers returning for his senior year.

The biggest blow of all of this is that it damages the perception that Michigan under Juwan Howard can "recruit with the big boys" and get 5* talent... there's no second-place trophy's in recruiting. Todd was seen as an early "proof of principle" of Howard's recruiting potential, and Christopher was seen as the likely culmination of that potential. Now there's a big question mark about why Howard couldn't close the deal on either of them.

In the more immediate future, the Wolverines now have at least two open scholarships for next season. It wouldn't surprise me if Michigan tries to pull what Louisville did with Charles Minlead and get in late on someone in the transfer market. Someone to keep an eye on is DJ Carton, the 5* who left Ohio State midway through the season due to mental health concerns. Michigan was a heavy player in his recruitment out of high school, so there would be some similarity there, and Carton fits an immediate need (he'll probably apply for a waiver to get immediately eligible). Maybe Michigan also gets in on some of the "bigger name" transfers like Landers Nolley.

All in all, a tough day to be a Wolverine fan... but I'm still cautiously optimistic about the direction of the program. Maybe we just got our hopes up a little too high for just Year 2 under Howard.

[MChambers]

Duke-adjacent recruiting news: RSCI #10 Josh Christopher pulls a Bill Frieder and picks Arizona State over Michigan.

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops

BREAKING: Arizona State has landed Josh Christopher, a Top 10 player in the country. Talented wing out of California chose Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils over Michigan. Didn’t hurt that Christopher’s older brother, Caleb, was a frosh at ASU this past year.

10:27 PM · Apr 13, 2020


Jake @jakeweingarten

Josh Christopher has committed to Arizona State. I’m not surprised, this kid is destined to be a major impact and could legitimately compete for Pac-12 FOTY.

Major pickup for Bobby Hurley and has two five-stars in his 2020 class.

10:27 PM · Apr 13, 2020

(I assume the other 5-star is Marcus Bagley, even though 247 Sports and ESPN have him in the 4-star range.)

Not the first time Juwan Howard has lost to Bobby Hurley.

[Kedsy]

Not the first time Juwan Howard has lost to Bobby Hurley.

POTD.

[Indoor66]

Not the first time Juwan Howard has lost to Bobby Hurley.

Puts him at 0 for 5.

[roywhite]

Isaiah Todd de-commits from Michigan...ouch. They lose out on 2 5-stars.

https://twitter.com/JasonJordanSI/st...625212930?s=20

Oops, I posted this info in Other Teams Draft Decisions thread...should have realized it was probably picked up somewhere previously.
Condolences, scottdude8.