U-M 5-Star Pledge Isaiah Todd Decommits, Will Play Professionally Overseas
Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy five-star power forward Isaiah Todd has decommitted from the Michigan Wolverines' basketball program and head coach Juwan Howard, he told Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated this morning.
Todd next plans on hiring an agent and playing professionally overseas, a scenario that was heavily expected to eventually occur by many close to his recruitment ever since he committed to the Maize and Blue on Oct. 17.
“This was a tough decision for him, but he just feels like this is what’s best for him and his development,” his mother, Marlene Venable, said to SportsIllustrated. “We love Michigan and Juwan [Howard], but, at the end of the day, he has to make the best decision for him.”
“My dream has always been to play in the NBA,” Todd said. “I just feel like this route will help my game grow even more. I want to be as prepared as possible when the times comes. This was a no-brainer for me.
“Other than this, I’m not going to do interviews about this right now. I know some people won’t understand it, but this is the decision I’ve made. I love Coach Howard and I love Michigan, but I feel like this was the best decision for me.”
Todd committed to Michigan over Kansas on Oct. 17, but speculation regarding whether or not he'd ever make it to Ann Arbor was already swirling back then.
The fact that he chose not to sign with the Wolverines during November's early signing period reinforced the notion that he'd never play in Ann Arbor, with many believing a signature wasn't likely to come from him this week either (the NCAA's late signing period for high school basketball prospects starts tomorrow).
The five-star also removed everything Michigan-related from his social media accounts last week, further cementing the argument that Ann Arbor would not be the place he'd be next season.
The Maize and Blue's 2020 recruiting class had sat at No. 6 nationally with Todd in the fold (behind Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Tennessee), but will now undoubtedly drop a few spots.
Michigan is now also scheduled to have just 11 players on scholarship next season following the transfers of sophomore guard David DeJulius and sophomore center Colin Castleton; that number is assuming junior forward Isaiah Livers returns for his senior year and incoming three-star freshman small forward Jace Howard (Juwan's son) comes in as a walk-on, as it was recently stated he would.
---
• 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