Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Video, Scouting Report On Each 2020 Recruit
Michigan Wolverines basketball coach Juwan Howard's first recruiting class is turning out to be a monster, already fifth nationally and set to go higher. Here's the latest video on each with Rivals.com experts' scouting reports.
RELATED
From Eric Bossi, reporting from the John Wall Holiday Invitational in late December:
Assuming he makes it to Ann Arbor, Todd has a chance to be a huge boost and an impact guy in the Big Ten. There were a few stretches on Thursday where Todd posted hard but his Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God teammates couldn't get him the ball. He seemed frustrated and roamed some to the perimeter for a little but it didn't take long for him to quit waiting for the game to come to him and he used his athleticism to impose his will on the game.
Todd finished with several highlight dunks and had the crowd going wild. Sure, big guys dunk but not many are as graceful in the open floor, laterally quick and explosive to the rim in any setting.
When he does shoot from mid range and deep, Todd has a very good looking stroke and he's dangerous when he catches and fires in rhythm. Todd's future coach Howard has been where Todd wants to go and was a skilled big man himself, a year or two learning from a guy that could be invaluable to Todd's long term future. In a 19 point and nine rebound effort, Todd proved why he's long been considered one of the most talented prospects in the class of 2020.
University School head coach Ron Oliver:
“The good thing for Jace … the game of basketball has changed so much, and people are looking for kids who want to do the hard things, talking about defending, diving on the floor, making winning basketball plays,” he said. “That for whatever reason is deteriorating in our game. It’s very difficult to find kids willing to do those things.
“Jace is more than willing to do those things. Those are things that help you win. Of course, I follow the Big Ten very closely, and they’re always battling Michigan State. The reality is, they have been able to sustain their success because they constantly have kids willing to do that. I think a lot of people have decided to match that by getting more and more skill players. The way I see it is you also have to match it by getting similar type players willing to do those types of things.”
From Evans:
“He's an [automatic] bucket. He’s tough as hell, the kind of guy who just knows what he is. He’s not sexy, not this high-leaping, explosive athlete, not dynamic off the bounce, but he’s tough minded. He n make shots with confidence and consistency, can score off the bounce off his right hand and for not being a great athlete, he’s a great rebounder of the basketball, which is the most impressive part of it all.
“His shot has gotten better progressively throughout the years, realizing he’s a smart ball player … he’s not going to be quicker than other people, but he can definitely outshoot people. His EYBL numbers were consistent. Whenever his feet are set, you’ll see how well he can shoot.
“You know what he’s going to do. If he puts the ball on the ground, you know he’ll attack off the right hand. He doesn’t have a great left hand, but he’s got the wide shoulders, has the width to get the right angle on his guy, and it’s kind of crazy … he throws up shots knowing it's not going in to get the rebound and the ball back to put it in.
“He’s a very smart and heady basketball player. He has a nose for scoring, knows how to put the ball in the bucket.”
From Evans:
Jackson has continued to round out his skillset as a capable combo guard that can pass, shoot and now, finish with theatrics at the basket. His athleticism has really taken off and so has the confidence that Jackson now plays with.
There are questions about Michigan’s backcourt next year with the upcoming graduation of Zavier Simpson but Jackson could be the X-Factor. He is on the proper progression path that makes you believe that early opportunities could be allotted to him thanks to his three-level scoring, defensive versatility and hidden playmaking skills as a secondary ballhandler.
From Evans, on Dickinson's McDonald's All-American snub:
Dickinson has had one of the most prestigious high school careers that we have seen over the past 10 years. He first broke out as a freshman by earning quality minutes at the famed Nike Peach Jam with the Team Takeover brigade. The following year he was starting for the travel team that lost just one game all summer leading up to the famed event’s championship.
An integral member of the DeMatha program since his high school career began, Dickinson is not a fleet-of-foot prospect, but he is fundamentally sound to the nth degree and will be a major reason why Michigan wins next year and beyond.
STILL ON THE RADAR BUT NOT COMMITTED
Monsoons coach Tony Davis early in the season proclaimed Christopher the best player he’s had in his 13 seasons at Mayfair and, perhaps, the best the school has ever had. That was saying a lot because Josh Childress, who played eight seasons in the NBA, toiled at Mayfair pre-Davis.
“I think last year was a spectacular year, not only for him as an individual, but as part of a championship team,” said Davis, whose Monsoons won the CIF-SS Division 2AA title in Christopher’s junior year.
The Monsoons narrowly lost to top-seeded Windward in this season’s Division 1 quarterfinals.
“This year I feel like he performed even better on both ends of the floor,” Davis added, “and he gave us a chance to win another CIF championship. I know we lost in the quarters, but we lost by a couple of points (67-65) to the team that eventually ended up winning it.”
From Rivals TexasHoops site this winter:
Simply put an elite talent and star whenever he plays. He packed the gym in Frisco as people stayed around to see his game and he didn't disappoint. He quickly took a loose ball in the open court and finished with a windmill through the legs dunk only to follow that up with three straight triples from long range. Foul trouble slowed down his game, but overall a typical elite performance.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook