Michigan basketball: The latest on 2023 recruiting

Michigan is trending in a positive direction for one of its top 2023 targets and still very much in it for another. The Wolverines will be hosting visitors this weekend and in upcoming weekends, as well.

The latest …

Starting with Papa Kante, who is at four schools and closing in on a decision. Michigan took a strong lead here at one point, but other schools closed the gap before he went back home to Senegal, Africa to talk things over with his family.

The Wolverines are trending back in the right direction, however. The South Kent (Conn.) school big man, On3’s No. 32 big man nationally, is tight with Michigan coach Juwan Howard.

“Relationships and trust go a long with Kante,” On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote. “The four-star told On3 that his trip home last month was the first time he had been back to Senegal in a couple of years. Each of the schools on his list has built a good relationship with Kante.

“In speaking with Kante, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard has been very present for a long while. Kante told On3 in February that Howard was one of the only coaches, at one point, to make the trip to his high school to see Kante. Howard made that trip multiple times. The four-star also told On3 that Howard texted with Kante a lot after his games to talk about his performances; Michigan was probably recruiting him the hardest at that time.”

Memphis made a move thanks to his former assistant joining the staff. Maryland, too, has moved up his list. But Shaw has put in a pick in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Kante to Michigan with a 70 percent confidence level.

The news isn’t as good for point guard Isaiah Collier. On3’s No. 2 player overall out of Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler is down to Michigan, UCLA, USC, and Cincinnati. As reported in last week’s INSIDE THE FORT, he’s likely headed to USC.

They’re definitely getting a lot of good players, and I like their play style. They got so many national championships out there; they’re a program that likes to win,” he said. “And it’s California, a really great experience out there.”

The latter has always been one of the top reasons USC was at or near the top of his list.

From Shaw:

“Behind closed doors, Southern California has long been the presumed leader. Collier has family out west and spends a lot of time in California. His mom is from California. However, Michigan made a big push on his visit.

“As things stand, this one is looking like a one-team race, Southern California, with Michigan pushing hard. With the intel gathered from around this recruitment, when pressing ‘publish’ on this article (9/25).”

Michigan is still right there for 4-star forward Zayden High, the No. 55 player in the On3 Consensus He’s down to five schools: Michigan, Villanova, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas.

“The reason I put Michigan in my top five is because of the way Juwan Howard and his coaching staff went out of their way to take care of my family, my little sister, and to just make us feel at home while we were there,” High said. “Their facilities were top tier and their football program is obviously top tier. They have a good thing going over there, and it’s only going up.

“Coach Juwan showed me that they have had a lot of guys like me in their offense before and what he could do to improve my game and get me to the next level. What kind of stood out to me was them going out of their way to take care of my family first.”

This one bears watching. He’ll visit Arkansas before he decides, but he has no timetable and probably won’t sign early.

Three-star guard and former Ohio State pledge George Washington III is slated to visit this weekend. Dayton and Louisville are thought to be the leaders here — his dad is a women’s assistant at Dayton — but you never know.

“A lot of it falls down to Coach (Juwan) Howard,” he told ZagsBlog of his Michigan interest. “The craziest thing is that when I was playing AAU in Austin, I played for a team, Ray Jackson Rising Stars. Ray Jackson, who was a part of that Fab Five team coached me in AAU for a little bit when I was younger.

“I’ve always been a fan of the Fab Five. Coach Howard really brings that different kind of style and feel back with his coaching. He’s an NBA guy, an NBA coach and they run a pro system that’s really different from a lot of teams in the league. I feel like that’s a place I could come into and make a difference.”

Finally, expect a visit from recent offeree Baye Ndongo at some point. Michigan offered the three-star in September, and there’s strong mutual interest. Colorado and Arizona State are among the competition for the Denver Colorado Prep 6-10 big man.