Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has landed his first 2020 pledge, and it's a big one. Five-star big man Isaiah Todd announced for U-M Thursday night at a press conference at his school.
Todd chose U-M over Kansas, his other finalist, despite getting a last ditch in-home Tuesday night from Jayhawks head coach Bill Self and his staff. He played a video at his school during a live videocast before pulling out a maize Michigan shirt and shouting, "Go Blue, baby!"
Todd said in the days leading up to his pledge that Michigan felt like home following a recent visit.
“The new coaching staff with Juwan Howard, him being a former coach and player in the NBA, that was obviously appealing," he said. "The guys and the team there, they treated me great and they love Juwan and you feel that they are a family there. That visit just changed my whole view of Michigan.”
Todd is a skilled face-up four man with great length. He's not the elitist of athletes but he moves extremely well laterally and has an array of moves. He can go inside but generally plays on the perimeter, where he boasts range out to the three-point line and knocks his jumper down with consistency.
Todd is also an honor student who has excelled in the classroom.
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi predicted the pledge to Michigan following last weekend's event at USA Basketball, where Todd was telling many of the other participants U-M would be his pick.
"Great size, plenty of skill and versatility are the name of Todd's game, and it would certainly be a major win and something to feel great about," he said. "Also, Michigan remains very much in the mix with top 50 guard Moses Moody while five-stars NImari Burnett, Josh Christopher and Jaden Springer have them among their finalists, as well."
The next step — getting Todd on campus. The likely one-and-done is a serious threat to play overseas, though he has backed off that stance recently and said he feels a year in college might be a better option for him.
Watch for more on Todd's pledge in the hours and days to come.
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