The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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50 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 BASKETBALL RECRUITING FIVE-STARS AND OTHERS ENJOY GREAT VISITS U-M hosted a pair of five-stars in big man Walker Kessler (7-0, 235, Ri- vals' No. 20 senior nationally) of Col- lege Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy and shooting guard Jaden Springer (6-6, 200, No. 15 player in the coun- try) of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Acad- emy during the Aug. 31 weekend, and both visits went very well. Each raved about new head coach Juwan Howard and his down-to-earth approach. One source close to Springer's re- cruitment said the visit "went well," noting the coaching staff, business school, campus and support Mich- igan has for student-athletes reso- nated with his mother. However, The Athletic reported Sept. 13 Springer 's recruitment would come down to Memphis and Tennessee. Springer officially visited the Tigers for the Sept. 13 weekend. "Springer has trimmed his list to three — Memphis, Michigan and Tennessee — but his recruitment will come down to the two schools on opposite sides of the state," The Ath- letic's John Martin reported. "With Springer figuring as a heavy lean to the Volunteers, there was thought as recently as early this week that Memphis would be wasting its time and a visit by hosting Springer this weekend. "But sources close to Springer 's recruitment now believe there is mo- mentum and a visit to Memphis, if all goes well, could sway the 6-foot-6 guard's decision in the Tigers' favor." As for Kessler, he told Rivals' Dan McDonald he had a "great visit." "He really liked Juwan Howard and the staff he hired," he reported. "He likes that he's connected with NBA decision-makers." It's going to be tough to overcome distance from home and, to a much lesser extent, weather, but some be- lieve it's at least a small possibility. "His Duke and UNC visits coming up will be big," McDonald said. Kessler reportedly had a great visit to Duke and was slated to see North Carolina and Gonzaga before deciding. Four-star Lance Ware (6-9, 205, No. 32 talent in the land per Ri- vals) of Camden (N.J.) Big Picture Learning Academy, meanwhile, en- joyed his Sept. 7 weekend visit, but Kentucky head coach John Calipari locked him up and got his commit- ment the following Monday (Sept. 9). He made it public Sept. 12. Thoughts on the remaining 2020 offerees and upcoming visitors: • Moses Moody (6-5, 185, Rivals' No. 50 prospect nationally): The Montverde (Fla.) Academy standout, a teammate of U-M pledge Zeb Jack- son (who visited officially Sept. 7), will visit U-M the Sept. 27 weekend. The Arkansas native has a final seven of Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and U-M, and he visited Ohio State for the Aug. 31 weekend. "After a bit of an up and down junior year where he never seemed fully healthy, Moody came on strong at the end of the summer and was particularly good at USA Basketball where he showed versatility on both sides of the ball," Rivals' Corey Ev- ans reported. • Isaiah Todd (6-10, 210, Rivals' No. 10 player in the country): The Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Chris- tian Academy standout hosted Ken- tucky for an in-home and is thought to be a U-K lean if he doesn't skip college altogether to play profession- ally. He plans to take all five visits and will start with U-M Sept. 27. "I'm ready to get to the campuses and see the place that I'd be calling home and get a feel for everything that comes with it," Todd told USA Today. • Jaemyn Brakefield (6-9, 215, Rivals' No. 36 player in the nation): Huntington (W.Va.) Prep's Brake- field is tentatively slated to visit for the Oct. 5 weekend when the Wol- verines' football team hosts Iowa, and he will see Louisville over the Sept. 27 weekend. Auburn might be the team to beat, though, after his outstanding Sept. 8 visit. "After this visit, I am real heavy on Auburn right now," he said. "I'll definitely be going back to school and thinking about it a lot. It's a great fit for me. It's a family atmosphere. I'm from down south, so it was great coming back and feeling the atmo- sphere, how great the fans are and how great the family is." • Mark Williams (7-0, 225, Rivals' No. 38 prospect in the country): Wil- liams, a Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Acad- emy standout, added U-M to his final five of Duke, Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford and UCLA. He has already visited UCLA, and will see U-M Oct. 25 and Duke Nov. 10. "While the Blue Devils will still likely end up with the talented big man, if there is a program out there that can pull him away, it is UCLA," Evans reported at the end of August. • Hunter Dickinson (7-1, 260, Rivals' No. 37 recruit in the senior class): Dickinson visited for the Sept. 7 weekend, but the Wolverines appear to be playing from behind. Purdue, Notre Dame and North Car- olina are also high on his list. He has gone silent in recent weeks. • Henry Coleman (6-7, 220, Rivals' No. 44 player nationally): Coleman's dad was a football captain at Vir- ginia Tech in the early 1990s, and he recently visited the Blacksburg, Va., campus. "Ohio State is already out, so that leaves four," Rivals' Evans said. "He may get to Michigan and NC State, but I could also see Virginia Tech be- ing his last trip. I think this is a direct battle between the Hokies and Duke. "He already visited Duke and after this [Sept. 13] weekend, I wouldn't be surprised if he would be ready to make his college decision." ❑ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan basketball recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com. Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy 6-6, 200- pound shooting guard Jaden Springer — Rivals' No. 15 overall player in the country — had a good visit to Ann Arbor during the Aug. 31 weekend. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL