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Michigan basketball bringing in three freshmen who have ‘the right substance’

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6 months ago

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Michigan basketball bringing in three freshmen who have ‘the right substance’

Michigan basketball is going to look completely different next season after its spring makeover.

Six of the eight players who averaged at least 15 minutes per game from last year’s team are gone, including four starters. Nine new faces and a completely different coaching staff are coming in.

With a bunch of minutes and roles up for grabs, there’s no telling how things will shake out. But one thing is certain: Michigan’s group of incoming freshmen — guards Durral Brooks, Lorenzo Cason and Justin Pippen — will have a shot to play right away.

“Those guys have an opportunity to break into the rotation,” coach Dusty May said last month. “They have the right substance and DNA to them. We’re excited about all of them.

“Those three are going to represent this place well and they’ve got a bright future. I’m looking forward to seeing those three grow together because they’re all a little different.”

How quickly the freshmen get acclimated to the college level will determine how much they’ll be able to contribute during their first season. But with several experienced backcourt pieces on the roster, none of the three will be rushed, giving them time to develop.

According to assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr., Michigan’s staff wants recruits who still have room for growth in their game, from a skill and trajectory standpoint. The Wolverines are looking for high school players who they think can become one of the best in the class in three years; not prospects who have a high ranking but might’ve already peaked.

Pippen, the youngest son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, could fall into that category. He was a late riser who went from unranked to the top 100 in the 247Sports composite rankings thanks to a breakout senior campaign at Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon, where he averaged 16.5 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.

A 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard who can play on and off the ball, Pippen is the highest-rated recruit in Michigan’s three-man class. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 60 overall prospect in the nation.

“We see a lot of his development being his best basketball coming two years from now,” Boynton said. “Physically, he’s going to get stronger. He’s probably going to grow a little bit more. But he loves the game.

“Sometimes it’s hard for kids who have grown up with a famous Hall-of-Fame dad to really love the game (because) they don’t need the game and they’ve always been told, ‘This is what you have to do.’ Sometimes for those guys it’s hard to get committed to the work that it takes to become better. He’s gotten so much better over the last year and a half. He’s going to get so much better over the next year and a half.”

Assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen was involved in recruiting Pippen when he was on Georgia’s staff the past two seasons. Miskdeen said Pippen is mature for his age and noted he carries himself “like a professional” because he’s always working on his craft.

May sees Pippen on a similar path like his older brother Scotty Jr., who was also a late bloomer in high school. Scotty went on to become a “high-level player” at Vanderbilt before reaching the NBA.

“Justin Pippen was a guy that I fell in love with the first time I watched him play because of how he liked to be coached,” May said. “He’s got great pace and feel. He looked like the son of a Hall of Fame basketball player.”

Brooks might not have a famous last name or the same type of pedigree as Pippen. But his love and passion for the Wolverines is something that stood out to the coaching staff.

The Grand Rapids Catholic Central product and Michigan’s Mr. Basketball committed and signed to former coach Juwan Howard. But unlike former signees Christian Anderson Jr. and Khani Rooths, Brooks maintained his pledge after the coaching change.

“He’s a Michigan Man,” May said. “He came through the third day I was on the job, and I couldn’t have been more impressed with him as a person. He is likeable, charismatic and he’s driven to be really good at basketball.”

Despite battling through a knee injury his senior year, Brooks averaged 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, five assists and 2.9 steals, helped Catholic Central reach the Division 2 state quarterfinals and was named to the Detroit News’ Dream Team. May described Brooks as “a disruptor” and “an irritant” who just finds ways to win.

Assistant coach/general manager Kyle Church admitted he wasn’t familiar with Brooks (6-2, 180) until he watched some of his film this spring. When he did, he was enticed by Brooks’ physicality on defense and athleticism in the open court. And Church wasn’t the only one.

“He’s good defensively,” assistant coach Justin Joyner said. “He can get on the rim. He plays with an intensity, plays with a passion. He’s a winning player. I think he’s got a great chance to be a really good player here.”

While Brooks is the top-ranked player in Michigan by 247Sports, May said there were “a lot of people” who thought Cason was the best guard in the state of Florida, despite being rated a three-star recruit by most ranking services.

Every recruiting cycle, there are prospects who fall through the cracks and are overlooked. Church said that was the case with Florida Atlantic standout Johnell Davis, who Church argued could’ve played anywhere in the country. It could be a similar case with Cason.

“He’s dynamic with the ball. He’s quick. He’s one of those guys that’s hard to keep off the rim,” Joyner said. “He’s slithery. He’s slick around the rim. He can create. He’s a good passer. He can see the floor. He can make the obvious (pass). He can make the creative one.

“Really good guards can touch the paint, and he can really touch the paint. … Then from there, he can make really good decisions.”

Cason (6-2, 190) averaged 24.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists at Lakeland (Florida) Victory Christian Academy. He originally signed to play for May at Florida Atlantic before he was released from his NLI and followed him to Ann Arbor.

That decision showed May’s belief in Cason. The way Joyner put it, Cason wasn’t being recruited by FAU and May to play at a mid-major. He was being recruited to play in the Final Four.

“He’s such a great character kid and he puts the work in,” assistant coach/director of player development Drew Williamson said. “Whatever we put it in front of him when he gets here, he’s going to dominate it. It may take time to get to that point where he’s playing well on the floor next season. But it’s not going to be because of him not putting the work in. He’s going to do that part of it. The substance of him is so valuable to our staff, and one of the areas where I thought we really wanted him here.”

While Brooks, Cason and Pippen will have bumps in the road as freshmen, they’re not going to back down or be intimidated. They’ll push the older guys on the team and vice versa.

That’s part of the plan to help them become the best version of themselves and get their best years at Michigan.

“Where Coach May and our staff have done a really good job with these freshmen … you’re getting guys that their arrow is going up,” Joyner said. “A lot of guys, for whatever reason, they’re old seniors in high school, they’ve been held back twice, a lot of guys can plateau at that stage. But these guys are all (trending) up, and that’s important for us.”

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

@jamesbhawkins

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