Michigan Basketball Recruiting: Caleb Houstan, Other Signees Shine
Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy played Montverde (Fla.) Sunday night on national television, and several Michigan targets shined.
Caleb Houstan is the one who really stood out. The smooth shooter's 72 percent eFG percentage is incredible for a player whose production is primarily on the perimeter ... he scored 16 points on six shots.
Houstan's huge triple with four minutes remaining stopped an IMG run and pushed the lead back to six points.
Houstan also went to the free throw line 11 times, making eight.
Moussa Diabate didn't score a lot, missing jumpers, but he had some rim-rattling dunks and stood out with his athleticism, especially as a rim protector. He's raw, however, and needs a lot of work on the offensive end.
His quickness and footwork, though, should allow him to guard a number of positions on defense, and he'll be an asset immediately on that end.
Class of 2022 standout Jett Howard will be a Wolverine, we predict, and while Juwan's son struggled Sunday night, he's had some great games this season.
Howard was strong to the hole for his four points, but he only made two of eight shots and missed all four of his triples. But he's got a beautiful shooting stroke, as evidenced by previous performances.
Class of 2022 point guard Dug McDaniel, meanwhile, remains one to watch closely.
The diminutive point guard gets anywhere he wants to on the floor and is an incredible playmaker. He notched 8 points and 9 assists in a loss to Sunrise Christian and 15 points and 9 assists in a win over Houston High at the same event that featured the Bradenton - IMG game.
Michigan 2022 target Jarace Walker scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the game. He's an absolute stud, and while U-M isn't the favorite here, Howard is putting in the work.
Walker told reporters Auburn, Michigan and North Carolina as the three teams really recruiting him hardest.
Neither Isaiah Barnes (season canceled) nor Kobe Bufkin, both U-M 2021 signees, have played, but big man Will Tschetter has. He notched 35 points and 13 rebounds in his Stewartville team's win over Kenyon-Wanamingo, the first game of the year.
Tschetter made a trio of three pointers in showing his range in an 81-58 win.
Finally, Michigan's 2021 class remains Rivals.com's top-ranked group after the revised rankings came out this week.
From Rivals:
Saying things are good in Ann Arbor feels like a bit of an understatement these days. Not only does third-year head coach Juwan Howard have the Wolverines undefeated on the season, he also is the architect of the country’s top recruiting class. Things certainly seem to be snowballing in a positive direction on every front, as Howard has announced himself as a certified recruiting force.
The six-member class Howard has assembled is headlined by five-star forward Caleb Houstan, who ranks eighth in the class and is the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Michigan since Glenn Robinson III in 2012. The depth of the haul, however, is what sets the Wolverines apart. Four-star prospects Moussa Diabate, Frankie Collins, Kobe Bufkin and Isaiah Barnes give Howard an incredible base for his future roster, so it appears UM isn’t going anywhere as a power on the conference or national level.
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