An article composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports breaking down the skillset of 2015 Michigan target Jaylen Brown. Brown is rated as a 5-star recruit and as a small forward.
Michigan basketball has been on the upswing for the past few years, but its recruiting has also been improving. Whether it was landing underrated point guard Trey Burke in 2011, 5* recruits Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III for the 2012 class or 5* recruit Zak Irvin in 2013, the Wolverines have been on the upswing in recruiting. The 2014 recruiting cycle has been in full swing for awhile, but Michigan has been looking deeply at many players in 2015 as well. Check out the list below and links to breakdowns on each target:
In early June each year, Michigan basketball begins offering the next cycle of recruits. This June, Beilein and his staff began offering the class of 2015 recruits. As of now, only a handful of recruits have received offers including Luke Kennard, Jalen Coleman, and Jalen Brunson. However, something that is incredibly important, but often gets swept under the radar, is the scholarship situation. Michigan has finished recruiting in the 2013 cycle, but the 2014 and 2015 cycles are in full swing, which makes this an interesting discussion. So let's take a look at where things stand:
2014 Cycle:
Currently, Michigan is set to have 10 scholarship players for 13 open spots for the 2014-2015 cycle. This means that the Wolverines can take up to 3 commits in the 2014 class. As of now, Michigan has 2 commits in the class (Austin Hatch & Ricky Doyle) and 1 open spot. With numerous offers out this begs the question of how Michigan will make room for potentially 2 or 3 recruits for 2014 class. The clearest answer can be found on the current roster. Mitch McGary and GR3 nearly left Ann Arbor following the 2012-2013 season for the NBA Draft. In all likelihood this will happen following the 2013-2014 season, which would give Michigan 5 open slots for the 2014 and beyond. With 2 recruits already committed, that means the Wolverines could add 3 recruits to its 2014 class assuming McGary and GR3 leave following the season as expected. However, I'm not completely convinced Michigan will max out the scholarship slots for 2014. Verdict: 4 member 2014 class
2015 Cycle:
As we get farther out in the predictions, things always become tougher to predict. There are some major questions about how the 2014 class will end, but there are even more about the 2015 class. If we continue using the verdict listed for the "2014 cycle" that means Michigan will start the 2014-2015 season 1 scholarship short. This team would feature a bunch of seniors and Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin as sophomores with an even bigger chance of a jump to the pros. It's hard to believe that the 2014-2015 season will end without at least one player jumping pro. This brings the scholarship numbers to roughly 10 out of the available 13 for the 2015-2016 season. It wouldn't be too difficult to imagine another person jumping pro or transferring, which would open up 4 slots for this class. Many of the players look committed now, but if they aren't getting playing time in roughly 2 seasons and Michigan lands some big 2014 recruits, they may start looking around for playing time. With this in mind, the class will probably end up around the same size. Verdict: 4 member 2015 class
2016 Cycle:
If predicting the 2015 class wasn't hard enough, for some reason I've taken the challenge of looking at 2016, which is nearly impossible. Using the predictions listed above for the 2014 and the 2015 classes (which will probably prove faulty), it would leave 3-4 open scholarship positions for the 2016 class. This depends on whether one of the older players transferred or one of Irvin or Walton jump pro as listed in the 2015 description. For this, we'll just assume that it was not a transfer and both Irvin and Walton jump pro. This would leave Donnal as the only person on the current roster left for the 2016-2017 season. This gives you an idea of how far we are looking into the future. Along with Donnal, there would be 4 scholarship players from 2014 and 4 scholarship players from 2015. So this leaves a class of 4 assuming none of the 2014 or 2015 recruits leave, which seems to be a virtual lock to occur. For instance, if Michigan lands Devin Booker, will he make it through 2 full seasons and not jump to the NBA? Seems unlikely. With this in mind, here's a way too early 2016 prediction. Verdict: 5 member 2016 class
Michigan continues to bring in some big prospects to tour campus and especially in the 2015 recruiting class. Michigan had been in talks to bring #1 national prospect Karl Towns, Jr. to campus, but things ultimately fell through. However, the #2 prospect in the class, Diamond Stone, has stated over Twitter that he will be visiting Michigan this weekend for the Wolverines' game against the Spartans. There's no need to state how big of a visit this could be for Michigan.
Stone has already received offers from schools including Indiana, UConn, Wisconsin, and UCLA. He has also received extensive interest from big name programs like Kentucky, UNC, and Duke. Stone is almost guaranteed to be one of the most sought after recruits in the 2015 class and could make an instant impact for any team and program.
In somewhat surprising news, one of the biggest recruits in the country will be visiting Michigan this weekend for the game against Air Force. Karl Towns, Jr., a 2015 recruit from New Jersey, is one of the most impressive players in the nation and has gotten rave ratings so far in his recruitment process. So impressive in fact, that multiple sites have already given him 5* status and ESPN has given him the coveted #1 spot on their ESPN25 list for the 2015 class. There's no need to express how impressive that accomplishment is for Towns.
There are a multitude of factors that make Towns an impressive athlete. First, he's already massive, standing at 6'11" and weighing 235 lbs. He could certainly add a little strength, but remember, he's only a sophomore in high school right now. Along with his size, he is an amazing shooter, especially for a big man. There are some great shooting big men out there and a few that are solid shooters on Michigan's current roster, but Towns can easily shoot up to 25 feet and from 3 pt range. He isn't afraid to use his shooting ability either and doesn't hesitate in his delivery. He also has decent speed and can run in transition. On the defensive side, he is a great rebounder and can also make an impact through his blocking. To be blunt, his only real weakness right now is some strength issues. He is a player that can make a massive impact on both sides of the court and change a team's dynamic.
There's no doubt that Hyron Edwards is a 2015 recruit that Michigan is pursuing, but the coaching staff has been all over Luke Kennard as well. He's another basketball recruit from Ohio and seems to be the latest target for Beilein in the Buckeye state. Michigan has not even secured one commitment in its 2014 class, but there's no reason to think the coaches aren't actively pursuing some key 2015 recruits. Kennard could very likely end up at Michigan and is one to watch for 2015.
Kennard has a very interesting skillset that would fit well in Beilein's system. He's very talented, can shoot the ball very well, and has the ability to create on his own, either off the dribble or simply with his great motor. Another interesting skill of Kennard is that he has the ability to use both hands when dribbling and shooting. For a freshman high school player, that's pretty impressive. Some of Michigan's best players, such as Darius Morris, hadn't even developed this skill during college. The two things he needs to improve on are size and strength. This should be no surprise, since he's just a freshman in high school right now, but he has plenty of time to work on that. He's also been cited as a little weaker on the left side, which is something he's still working to improve. Either way, he is an extremely impressive player, especially with his age.
Right now, 2013 and 2014 recruiting is all the talk, but 2015 recruiting has already been heating up for Michigan as well. No offers have been given out and they probably won't be given out until June 2013, but that doesn't mean that Michigan isn't pursuing recruits. One of the hottest on the list is Hyron Edwards from East Chicago, Indiana. He's been getting a ton of attention from many big-time college basketball programs and is definitely all over Beilein's radar at this point.
Standing at 5'11" and weighing 145 lbs, he's a pretty average sized point guard. However, being so young, I don't think there's any doubt that he will be much bigger when he gets to college. Whether it's just an inch or half a foot, he should be taller and I don't think there's any doubt that he will put on some weight as well. Edwards has been identified for his ball handling, passing, and ability to get around defenders. However, the major part of his game that drives these factors and takes him to the next level is his quickness. In reviewing some highlight videos, it seems as if he can get to the basketball at will by using his quickness. This advantage will obviously be smaller in college with better trained athletes, but he is very fast and I only expect this to be better used as he gets older and more experienced.
As we all know, the Detroit Sound Mind/Sound Body Camp was this past weekend and was loaded with top Midwest prospects, which included many Michigan commits. Among the participants were Shane Morris, David Dawson, Logan Tuley-Tillman, Khalid Hill, Jourdan Lewis, and Csont'e York. This camp was specially unique because coaches were actually able to be there and coach the prospects. Coach Hoke and his full staff were present, along with Ohio State, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan's staffs. It was a good chance for the coaches to get an extra look at commits and actually coach them up.
Shane Morris
Well not much that we need to go in depth as far as Shane goes. From what I'm hearing and reading he was the best quarterback there as was expected. Coach Borges coached him the whole day and clearly liked what he saw. As always, Shane threw hard, but ever since the Elite 11 in Dallas, he has improved significantly on his touch passes. This is a great sign with the national Elite 11 competiton coming at the end of the summer in Los Angeles.
David Dawson
Yet again Mr. Dawson shows up and dominates at camp. Easily the best offensive lineman on site and he showed why. He did get beat a few times, but he was spectacular for the most part. On the outside is where he got beat when he did but when the coaches moved him inside to guard, which is where he is expected to play in college, he won the matchups with ease. His technique was top notch, displaying great footwork and hand placement.
Logan Tuley-Tillman
Logan seemed to play well, but definitely not as well as Dawson. He weighed in at 315 so he's dropped some weight, but still needing to lose a bit more. Still has plenty of time before he arrives in Ann Arbor so he will without a doubt have time to get into better college shape. He got beat a few times in drills but Coach Funk was on site to help him out with footwork and technique. Logan will most likely play tackle at Michigan because of his size and it's definitely exciting to imagine Dawson and Logan playing alongside one another.
Jourdan Lewis
Jourdan's stock has began to rise with his recent dominance in camps. He has been playing very well on both sides of the ball, but the coaches have let him know he will play CB at Michigan. Lewis is 5'11" and has very good recovery speed. He also has phenomenal ball skills, which is what helps him to excel at WR. There's nothing wrong with a great two-way player, but I definitely think he's better on the defensive side of the ball and that's where we should all look to see him in Ann Arbor.
Khalid Hill
Khalid is rated as a 3* across the board, but is one of the lower rated players in Michigan's 2013 recruiting class. Khalid has good size and good skills when it comes to going up and getting the ball. As he showed at camp, he runs good routes and uses his body very well when it comes to going after the football. As he continues to play well in camps he may move up the rankings and get some more love from the scouting services. I'm not sure if he'll become a 4* by time he gets on campus, but he could be a decent pick-up for Michigan.
Csont'e York
C'sonte showed up late, so he didn't get a ton of time at the camp. When he did play he showed why he is largely considered the most underrated recruit in Michigan's class.
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The biggest story coming out of the day to me was 2014 Cass Tech WR/CB Damon Webb who received an Michigan offer. A couple weeks ago, he literally shut down touted 2013 WR Laquon Treadwell (who Michigan is recruiting hard). Now, I know Damon is very young and is just finishing up sophomore year, but he does go to Cass Tech and we know the quality of player that comes out of that school. Along with that, the school is essentially a Michigan pipeline. He's got great size, athletic ability and good speed.
Can't forget about 2015 Cass Tech QB Jayru Campbell. Kid is very good and already has some offers, but most notably received an offer from Alabama after his performance at the camp. Another Cass Tech player, Jayru did throw 3 interceptions, but all were off of drops so can't really blame him for those. He has been blowing up as of late and Michigan hasn't offered yet, but I expect they will very soon. At only finishing up freshmen year some argue its way too early to evaluate a kid and extend an offer but he is very good. He's definitely not the prototypical pocket passer and we know Michigan is looking to go back into the more pro style of offense so we will see how that plays into his recruitment. Jayru is very good and you should all get to know him because he will only improve as time comes.
Not only were the players there, but as I mentioned, all of the coaches. Brady Hoke got to speak to campers as well as evaluate top prospects, targets, and commits. Pretty neat to see the coaches get to be at the camp and with the recent restrictions on basketball recruiting being lifted as far as texting recruits 24/7, I think that football will begin to follow suit.
It was definitely a great showing at this camp from Michigan commits and prospects. The coaches extending an offer to Damon Webb shows a lot about him and how good he could be in the future. I'll be trying to get in contact with Damon to talk about his offer and where Michigan stands with him. Be sure to keep track on all of these prospects and pay attention to the Elite 11 next month to see how good Shane Morris performs.
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Michigan continues to bring in some big prospects to tour campus and especially in the 2015 recruiting class. Michigan had been in talks to bring #1 national prospect Karl Towns, Jr. to campus, but things ultimately fell through. However, the #2 prospect in the class, Diamond Stone, has stated over Twitter that he will be visiting Michigan this weekend for the Wolverines' game against the Spartans. There's no need to state how big of a visit this could be for Michigan.
Right now, 2013 and 2014 recruiting is all the talk, but 2015 recruiting has already been heating up for Michigan as well. No offers have been given out and they probably won't be given out until June 2013, but that doesn't mean that Michigan isn't pursuing recruits. One of the hottest on the list is Hyron Edwards from East Chicago, Indiana. He's been getting a ton of attention from many big-time college basketball programs and is definitely all over Beilein's radar at this point.
As we all know, the Detroit Sound Mind/Sound Body Camp was this past weekend and was loaded with top Midwest prospects, which included many Michigan commits. Among the participants were Shane Morris, David Dawson, Logan Tuley-Tillman, Khalid Hill, Jourdan Lewis, and Csont'e York. This camp was specially unique because coaches were actually able to be there and coach the prospects. Coach Hoke and his full staff were present, along with Ohio State, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan's staffs. It was a good chance for the coaches to get an extra look at commits and actually coach them up.