Elite 2021 Guard Jalen Warley Talks Michigan Virtual Visit
Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Juwan Howard has been putting out offers in the last few weeks, concentrating on the 2021 class. One of his latest received a virtual tour Wednesday and came away extremely impressed.
Jalen Warley, Rivals.com's No. 28 junior nationally, has been on the Wolverines' radar for over a year. The Pennsylvania native is from assistant coach Phil Martelli territory, and the two have been talking for a while.
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It just so happens that Warley's become one of the nation's faster rising prospects after a junior season in which he earned class AAA All-State honors. He can put it on the floor, shoot it and lead an offense if asked, and he's learned a lot about Michigan in the last several weeks.
"We were limited with what we could do over the computer, but I got a good idea of campus, a great feeling about it," Warley said. "It was really good.
"I hadn't seen [Howard] face to face before. I had chatted over the phone a couple times with him, but it was good just to be able to see him visually, put faces with names, see the campus."
Warley has long said a trustworthy coaching staff, a challenging schedule, a welcoming school community and a challenging academic environment would be high on his list of priorities, and U-M fits the bill.
It doesn't hurt, either, that his father and uncle both played with Martelli at St. Joseph, while his uncle coached with him there, as well.
"Most of what I heard about him wasn't even related to basketball, but the kind of guy he is," Warley praised. "My uncle said that was why he coached because with him; he knows what type of guy he is.
"Things like that are definitely going to factor in [when I decide] ... things like loyalty, stuff like that, connection with the coaching staff. That's what I'll be harping on."
Local schools like Penn State, Pitt, Temple and others have been on him for a long time, but his recruitment has now gone national. Memphis, NC State, Marquette, Creighton, Miami, Louisville and Oregon have all emerged on his list, and there will be others.
U-M, though, has made a great impression.
"I've definitely watched them during the Juwan Howard era, been keeping tabs, and I watched the run with Nik Stauskas and Trey Burke a few years back," he said, noting he plans to see Ann Arbor when COVID-19 concerns are alleviated. "I definitely got a good virtual idea, but there's nothing like being on campus."
Warley plans to weight his options before making a decision as early as this summer.
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