The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1212135
MARCH 2020 THE WOLVERINE 87 BASKETBALL RECRUITING all those games for a reason," he said. "If [senior center] Jon Teske picks it up, they can be a Final Four Team." Dickinson, a true back-to-the-bas- ket player, will have a great opportu- nity to play Teske's role inside next year. He's averaging 19 points per game and even posted 40 in a win over Washington (D.C.) St. John's High Feb. 11. He finished 16 of 22 from the floor and 3 of 5 from long range, and added nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists to be- come the first DeMatha player to hit 40 in 22 years. Eleven-year NBA vet Keith Bogans was the last. Dickinson scored 20 points in the first quarter alone. "I just came out there and the ball was just coming to me. My team- mates were just putting me in posi- tion where I could score really eas- ily," he told reporters after the game. "I came out with three threes. That really sparked my big quarter. "I think my teammates are just finding me in good spots. I'm start- ing to pop a little bit more on the ball screens and stuff like that. My team- mates are finding me, and I'm just knocking them down." As for Brown … never say never, Rivals.com national recruiting ana- lyst Corey Evans said. Brown had a great visit, according to his father, Greg Brown Sr. They came to see what the crowd was like and were pleasantly surprised. "We had a great time," he said. "We really enjoyed the visit." Texas, Memphis, Kentucky and others are very much in play here, but Brown Jr. is enamored with How- ard. "He's a legend," the younger Brown told Sports Illustrated. "He's a really cool guy. I saw the 'Fab Five' documentary a while ago, so it will be cool to get to know him and see what's possible." Brown is averaging 28 points, 13 re- bounds, three assists and two steals a game. He plans to commit "around April," close to the late signing period. "Regarding Greg Brown and his visit to Michigan, while it was a great win for the Wolverines, a single vic- tory is not going to turn the tide with the five-star prospect," Evans said. "Michigan did a phenomenal job of even getting a visit out of Brown, but the Wolverines are still behind. "Brown is nowhere near a deci- sion. He will take his recruitment into the spring just as many blue- chip prospects do that decide against signing early. He will wait out vari- ous coaching changes and monitor his finalists' rosters before deciding. I would bet on the field compared to the Wolverines." IN-STATE SHOOTING GUARD EARNS MICHIGAN OFFER Michigan head coach Juwan How- ard offered in-state junior small for- ward Pierre Brooks (6-5, Rivals.com's No. 113 junior nationally) of Detroit Douglass in late January. He didn't wait much longer to extend an offer to another. Farmington (Mich.) High four- star Jaden Akins (6-3, No. 109) has been on the rise for the last several months, turning a great summer into a host of offers. The standout junior wing visited for Michigan's win over Michigan State and left with an offer. "It was a great environment. It was really loud in there, so I love that," Akins said. "It was good just to be on campus again, and see the game against an arch rival. It was a good experience. "[The offer] definitely means a lot. I was really excited to earn that, and the game was fun. It was cool seeing that atmosphere." Akins was in Ann Arbor for an un- official during football season, but he'd never been to a Michigan bas- ketball game before. He didn't know much about Howard prior to meet- ing him, but he's becoming more fa- miliar with him. "It just impressed me just how the game went for them, and their style of play. I like the way they play," Akins said. "Coach Howard and I talked, but I hadn't really been in contact with him [before that] through the phone or anything. I usually talk to an assistant coach, Saddi Washington. We [Juwan and I] talked face to face after the game yesterday, and that's when he told me he wanted to offer me. "I knew that [Howard] was part of the Fab Five and played with the Heat … that's about it. But our rela- tionship is in the early stages. I feel like he is a good coach and a players' coach. He wants the best for all his players and is really big on develop- ment, so that's really big for me." That's exactly what he's looking for. He likes to play fast and "get up and down" the floor, thinks of him- self as a good playmaker for himself and others, and is starting to become a good defender. Though he didn't get a chance to mingle with the Michigan players and other recruits on the trip, he did get to talk to some of the play- ers from Michigan. He added he'd be watching them closely the rest of the year to see how he could fit with their style. He's nowhere near a decision, still doing homework. "It's really just up in the air right now. Michigan State talks to me a lot. Missouri talks to me a lot. North- western talks to me a lot," the four- star recruit said. "There are other schools that are recruiting me and are doing a good job. I've just got to take it one day at a time. "I just [want] a school that gives the best fit for my play style and gives the best balance for academics and athletics … whatever the situ- ation that would put me in the best possible position to be successful." ELITE JUNIOR POINT GUARD ENJOYS U-M VISIT Michigan had already offered Eads (Tenn.) Briarcrest Christian's Kennedy Chandler before the 6-0 standout (Rivals.com's No. 1 point guard and No. 10 junior nationally) set foot on campus, but it didn't Farmington (Mich.) High four-star Jaden Akins visited for Michigan's 77-68 win over Michigan State Feb. 8 and left with an offer from the Wolverines. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM