Michigan Wolverines Basketball Recruiting: Scouting The Elite Camp's Best
New Michigan Wolverines basketball coach Juwan Howard and his staff held his first camp in Ann Arbor Saturday, and there were some big names in attendance. Here's a look at what we saw from the best of the best.
Smith visited unofficially last summer and was probably the best player at the camp based on performance. He already holds offers from Kansas, Baylor, Georgetown and others and it was easy to see why. He's got a nice jump shot with range, finishes from eight feet in with both hands and has an array of moves around the rim that allow him to play bigger than he is. He went head to head with 2021 standout Caleb Furst and held his own (and then some). He's also got great court vision and always has his head up, finding cutters and open shooters.
The Indiana native is a physical specimen who excels around the basket with his strength, but he also showed an ability to step out and shoot it. Butler, Cal, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue and Stanford have offered, and he told Rivals.com recently why.
"The main thing that a lot of coaches tell me is that they love my motor and the way I always run up and down the floor," he said. "The toughness that I play with and they like how I'm not afraid to do the dirty work that some others don't want to do."
Furst might be tough to get out of his home state, but he was on campus ... that's a start. He put up 16 points in the game we saw, though he missed the second of three free throws with no time remaining needing all three to fall to send his game into overtime. He and Smith really got after each other, and Smith got the better of him at times with his athleticism. Furst is made for the Big Ten, though, and will be outstanding.
Brooks is a bit of an enigma, a big body who is one of the strongest with the ball we've seen at his age. He got tied up on the way to the rim on one drive — to the point that it was called a jump ball — and still ripped the ball away and finished. He's built like former Illinois guard Demetri McCamey and has a solid handle, though relies too much on his jump shot. He's got a bit of a funky stroke, though he did make a couple. He's energetic and bears watching, having already visited Missouri.
Michigan and Michigan State, Northwestern, Stanford, Cal, Iowa, Purdue and several others are watching him. His four offers include Houston Baptist, Detroit, Duquesne, and Cleveland State.
We only saw a bit of Akins, but he can score it and is getting better and better with the ball, a nice passer. Missouri, Iowa, Western Michigan, Cleveland State, Toledo, and Houston Baptist have offered ... former Michigan head coach John Beilein started watching him in December. He's an outstanding shooter off the dribble and can make tough shots while contested. He'll be one to watch closely in the months to come.
Fletcher Loyer, Clarkston, Mich.
Brother of MSU guard Foster Loyer, the 2022 standout made some incredibly tough shots in the one-on-one segment and was aggressive during games, getting to the rim but not always finishing. He's 6-2 and pretty skilled and bears watching in the future. He averaged 17.1 points per game as a freshman and has a nice jump shot.
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