Inside the Numbers: Impact of Franz Wagner's Commitment

Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Click here to get your 30-day free trial!

On Saturday, Michigan revealed that it had received wonderful news that may significantly shift the trajectory of Juwan Howard’s men’s basketball program upward for next season and beyond.

The Wolverines announced that 2019 German wing prospect Franz Wagner, the younger brother of former Wolverine Moritz Wagner, had committed to play for the Maize and Blue. Wagner, who would be considered a top-40 or -50 recruit if he resided in North America, had been contemplating signing a professional contract with Alba Berlin, for whom he played rotation minutes last season as a 17-year-old, or following his brother’s footsteps to Ann Arbor.

If Wagner had decided to stick with professional basketball, there would have been a reasonable possibility that Howard’s debut season may have ended without an NCAA Tournament berth.

However, with Wagner’s decision to become a Wolverine, Michigan should be in a much more comfortable position to appear in the NCAA Tournament and progress as a program thereafter.