Michigan Wolverines Basketball Notebook: U-M Still Has An Outstanding Class
Michigan received bad news on a pair of five-star targets earlier this week, but the Wolverines still have one of the Big Ten's best roster returning. Assuming no more additions, next year's roster looks like this:
Projected 2020-21 Michigan Basketball Roster (as of April 15)
1: Austin Davis, 6-10 5th-Sr. C
2: Mike Smith, 5-11 Gr.-Sr. PG
3: Eli Brooks, 6-1 Sr. PG/SG
4: Isaiah Livers, 6-8 Sr. PF
5: Brandon Johns, 6-8 Jr. PF
6: Adrien Nunez, 6-5 Jr. SG
7: Cole Bajema, 6-7 So. SG
8: Franz Wagner, 6-8 So. SF
9: Zeb Jackson, 6-3 Fr. PG
10: Hunter Dickinson, 7-1 Fr. C
11: Terrance Williams, 6-6 Fr. SF
12: Open
13: Open
14: Jace Howard, 6-7 Fr. SF (Walk-on)
There's room now for Jace Howard to receive a scholarship, and we hope he does. That would still leave one spot, and while we don't expect another grad transfer beyond former Columbia point guard Mike Smith, five-star Greg Brown is still on the table. Brown will announce April 24, and U-M remains a longshot behind Texas, Memphis and others.
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There was hope from a segment of the fan base that David DeJulius would reconsider his transfer and return for his junior year, but that pretty much ended today.
So that leaves the class of Dickinson, Williams, Jackson, Howard and grad transfer Smith, plus the roster above, assuming Livers and Wagner return (which is expected at this point). That's still a solid group, even after missing on five-stars Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd.
"It's a blow that they should be pretty well prepared to handle," Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said. "The strength of the program for the 2020-21 season should be in the frontcourt, so long as Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers, Austin Davis and Brandon Johns are all back and ready to roll. Not to mention, they are still adding top-35 center Hunter Dickinson and four-star forward Terrance Williams can help out some in the frontcourt. It is actually a group with a very nice mix of size, skill and versatility in terms of how they can be used together.
"To be clear, that doesn't minimize losing out on Isaiah Todd and they would surely be a much more talented team with him than they are going to be without him. However, missing out on Josh Christopher is likely the more damaging blow than Todd going pro.
"With Todd out, the Wolverines class still has Dickinson, Williams, four-star guard Zeb Jackson and Howard's son, three-star forward Jace Howard. Previously ranked No. 6 in the 2020 team rankings, the group drops to No. 14 with the loss of Todd."
Which, as of now, still ranks as the Big Ten's best at No. 13 nationally, two spots ahead of Illinois.
"I still think this Is a solid class when you take a step back and look at things," Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Corey Evans said. "Hunter Dickinson is arguably the most refined back to the basket prospect in the 2020 class. Zeb Jackson is a great punch of versatility and athleticism to Michigan's backcourt, while Terrance Williams has the tools to be one of the best glue guys at the highest level in the coming years.
"All three should make for an immediate impact on the program, along with Jace Howard. It's a strong collection of individuals that are culture guys that should all lead a quality, multi-year stay at Michigan."
Added Bossi: "Even though this week wasn't particularly kind to Michigan's recruiting class, it is still a really solid first effort for Juwan Howard and his staff. For a head coach without any college experience to come in and land a top-15 class is impressive no matter who he is or where he is coaching.
"I really like Hunter Dickinson as a centerpiece, and even though he had a pretty quiet senior year, I still feel Zeb Jackson is a guy with a lot of upside and the ability to play either point or shooting guard. Terrance Williams arrives with a winnner's résumé and the ability to play the three or the four while Howard's son Jace is a guy they can work to develop."
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