Michigan basketball recruiting: Papa Kante on campus, more

Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard is as big a U-M football fan as there is, and he said at today’s basketball media day he couldn’t wait for Saturday’s game against Penn State. He has even more reason to be excited, hosting one of the nation’s top senior big men for his second visit.

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Howard made South Kent (Conn.) power forward Papa Kante his priority early in the process, never letting up even when other programs turned up the heat. That went a long way with Kante, who loved the personal attention from a coach who played in the NBA and has already won championships at Michigan.

We spotted him at the Michigan basketball practice today following media day.

“I talk with Coach Juwan Howard. I have a great relationship with coach Howard; he’s texting me after every game and before games, good game or bad game,” Kante said in August. “I still talk to him now, even though I’m back home (in Senegal, Africa). I talked to [former Michigan big man] Moussa Diabaté on the phone during my visit there. He was at pre-draft and told me how Michigan helped him to get better Coach Howard played in the league for 20 years and knows what’s takes to get there.

“They say they’re going to play me like they did Moussa or like Bam Adebayo. They said they’re going to let me shoot it, and they keep telling me how they will put me in a great position to succeed in life.”

 On3 insider Jamie Shaw put the odds at 75 percent for Michigan. We’ll go even higher, and believe Kante will leave a Wolverine.

“Michigan head coach Juwan Howard made Kante a priority from the start,” Shaw wrote last week. “He took a personal interest in the big man, and it has made an impression. The visit went well, and the style of play and development intrigues Kante.”

We’ll see if he announces his pledge this weekend or waits. Either way, Michigan is in great shape.

Kante visited Rutgers in May and Maryland and Michigan in June, and he’s also shown interest in Memphis.

“He has really good upside since this will be his 4th year of playing organized basketball,” South Kent coach Raphael Chillious told ZAGSBLOG. “He has a sharp mind for the game and picks up information quickly and immediately applies it to his game.

“He’s still learning how to be a more effective scorer with his back to the basket as he is still most comfortable facing up. He plays incredibly hard and with true toughness. He’s an xcellent passer out of the post and has really nice footwork from being a former soccer player.”

We’ll keep you posted on this one throughout the weekend.

Howard was asked at Big Ten Media Day why the Wolverines had yet to sign anyone from the 2023 class.

“I don’t know who’s in a rush. Are you in a rush?” he said, noting there are two signing periods, one from Nov. 9-16 and the second that starts the second week of April. “There we go … that’s the timetable.”

He also said he doesn’t have a specific formula when it comes to recruiting between the transfer portal and the

“It’s always fluid,” Howard said about his roster construction. “I don’t have a formula.”

He’d rather not take too many from the portal, he added, even though he’s had great success with the high character kids he’s gotten.

“It’s nice to get the opportunity to build relationships with young men coming out of high school and getting to know their parents, and seeing that they want to enjoy the college experience,” Howard said. “I love that recruiting aspect of it. It’s fun, because I enjoy meeting people and understanding who fits and who wants to get a beautiful college degree at the University of Michigan.”

Other notes:

• Michigan hosted George Washington III last week, and the visit went well. The former Ohio State pledge still has Dayton (his dad is an assistant for the women’s team) and Louisville high on his list and could take other visits.

Wake Forest is up next, and the Chaminade Julienne standout shooting guard (No. 134 nationally in the On3 rankings) hopes to see Louisville, too. Virginia is also on his list.

Some compare the 6-2, 165-pounder to former Michigan guard Eli Brooks.

• Five-star point guard Isaiah Collier out of Georgia will decide and announce Nov. 16. Most believe USC will be the pick, though Michigan is still in it.