Lebanese standout Youssef Khayat commits to Michigan
Michigan coach Juwan Howard has landed another huge piece to his 2022-23 squad. After losing Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate to the NBA, the U-M coach added 6-7 wing Youssef Khayat to join transfer portal addition Joey Baker (Duke).
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The Wolverines’ roster is now full for the upcoming season with 13 scholarship players.
Khayat, of the French Limoges CSP program, averaged 17.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and nearly two assists per game in one of Europe’s top youth leagues. He also played with the Lebanon national team and moved to France, where Michigan has been watching him.
A wing/power forward, Khayat recently picked up his game and added to his scoring. Howard has been watching him closely while Xavier, Wake Forest and DePaul were also after the 19-year-old. He wasn’t been able to visit Michigan or others and had to pick a school sight unseen.
The Michigan reputation helped in that respect, as did Howard’s personal recruitment of the talented wing.
His game, meanwhile, seems perfect for what Michigan had been missing from the roster. From Eurohoops.net:
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“Khayat is a 6’8 forward with a plus-2 wingspan. He possesses good fluidity and coordination which allow him to move well around the court and get to his spots. He’s not extremely vertical but he’s quick and explosive to get up. As a matter of fact, it’s not rare to see him dunk with authority when finishing.
“Offensively, Youssef can’t be considered a shot creator at this point. Instead, he scores the majority of his points by running hard in the open court and cutting with great intensity and timing. He displays constant motion off the ball and good reads when taking advantage of defensive mistakes. He also showcased an improved and refined finishing package in the paint, flashing a promising floater.
“Moreover, Khayat has tremendous defensive upside thanks to his motor, willingness to sit in a stance, lateral movements and instincts. He projects as someone who could potentially guard both forwards positions at the high major D-1 level and switch onto guards out on the perimeter. He’s not afraid of diving for loose balls and regularly makes winning plays.”
Watch for more on this Michigan basketball development in the hours and days to come.
