Michigan Wolverines Basketball Recruiting: Class Of 2020 Updates
Michigan continues to pursue a number of targets in the junior class. Here’s how many have fared recently ...
Pledge Zeb Jackson scored 14 points to lead Toledo (Ohio) Maumee Valley to a 61-53 victory Friday against Toledo Christian in a Division IV boys basketball district final. The Hawks (18-7) will play Columbus Grove at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday in a regional semifinal.
From the Toledo Blade:
Toledo Christian held a 25-21 lead at halftime, but Maumee Valley scored 17 in the third quarter to take a 38-32 lead. The game was tied at 30, then Jackson hit a 3-pointer to put his team ahead for good.
To the offerees …
Benton Harbor and Carlos “Scooby” Johnson have been eliminated from the postseason and will not defend their Michigan Class B state crown.
Johnson scored Benton Harbor’s final 10 points in a 63-59 victory over previously unbeaten Otsego in a Division 2 boys basketball regional semifinal on Tuesday, Mlive.com reported, and finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
“He’s got such a good skill set,” Otsego coach Matt Dennis said. “He’s tough to handle, inside and outside both. He caused a lot of mismatch problems. I think we did as best as we could trying to stop him, and he hit the free throws down the stretch they needed to put it away.”
Johnson scored 21 points in the next game, a regional final loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian.
"I thought we did it as a team," Christian coach Scott Soodsma said of defending Johnson. "We were switching on him all night long; it wasn't one man's responsibility, and that I think was the key.
"They were coming off the screens, and we had another kid waiting for him. We didn't assign one kid to him; all five of us were going to get a crack."
Johnson notched 25 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks to lead Benton Harbor to a 54-43 victory over the host Lakeshore in a Division 2 district final the previous Friday.
In Georgia, Woodward Academy’s Walker Kessler, a five-star, scored 26 points (four triples) and grabbed 10 rebounds, but his team lost to Carver in the Class AAAA Final Four.
From Rivals:
Walker Kessler has become a really popular name in recruiting circles lately. Offers from Dukeand North Carolina have come within the past few months. Those offers, combined with interest from other top programs, have created a buzz around him. There is also the question of whether he comes out in 2019 or stays in the 2020 class.
Now that his junior season is over, I expect some decisions to come out soon regarding his future. I expect by the end of the month he will make a decision on which class he will be a part of, although that decision may not become public right away.
Handicapping his recruitment is a little harder to do without knowing which class he will be in. If he graduates and comes out early in the 2019 class, I would expect he chooses between Duke, Michigan, Virginia and Vanderbilt. I know he and people around him view Michigan as a perfect fit from a basketball and academic standpoint, but I think it will be tough for him to go that far away from home for school. If he comes out in 2019, my personal prediction would be Duke signs him.
If he stays in the 2020 class, all the schools already mentioned remain in play, and Auburn, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee become realistic options. North Carolina could be the one that benefits most from Kessler sticking in the 2020 class. Given how close he is with his family, Auburn’s proximity to home (about 40 minutes) will keep the Tigers in the game. Virginia’s pull is the culture within the program and his relationship with Tony Bennett.
Finally, Butler (Pa.) standout Ethan Morton scored 32 points in the quarterfinals against Upper St. Clair, then led a 70-68 upset of No. 1 Pine-Richland in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals March 6.
Morton’s 40 points tied the third-most ever scored in a WPIAL playoff game in the largest classification.
Indiana Hoosiers coach Archie Miller was sitting in the front row. Per the Post-Gazette, Morton got to the basket at will and made 13 of 22 shots. He also was 14 of 18 from the free-throw line
Morton notched 20 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a PIAA Class 6A first round, 56-42 win over Chambersburg March 8.
Northwestern, Marquette, Stanford, Pitt, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State, Iowa and Michigan are the schools recruiting him hardest. He plans to visit U-M again after his season.
Finally, Micah Peavy, another offeree, and Duncanville (Texas) captured the Texas Class 6A state title.
Peavy notched 22 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
Peavy notched 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Duncanville past Michigan signee Jalen Wilson and Guyer in the semifinals. Video below.
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