Michigan Basketball: Wolverines after Bryce Aiken, Mike Smith and Joshua Christopher

Michigan Basketball is showing interest in grad transfers Bryce Aiken and Mike Smith as well as top 2020 recruit Josh Christopher.

Michigan Basketball is coming off an up-and-down 2019-20 campaign, and it does not look like that the NCAA is going to extend a waiver to basketball players, as previously discussed. If that is the case, it would mean the end of the road for Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske. Simpson and Teske were arguably the Wolverines top performers this past season and primarily carried the club when Isaiah Livers missed time as a result of injuries. Simpson, who led the team in scoring eight times, produced a team-high 12.9 points to go along with a Big Ten best 7.9 dimes a contest while  Teske averaged a career-high 11.6 points to go along with 6.7 boards.

Michigan began the season unranked but moved up as high as No. 4 in the Associated Press poll as they ran off seven straight wins, which included upset wins over sixth-ranked UNC and eighth-ranked Gonzaga, to open the campaign. The Wolverines then closed the season by winning eight of their last 12 contests to finish the season at 19-12 and 10-10 in conference play.

Michigan opens the offseason with high expectations for next season, with nine of the 11 players on scholarship expected to return. While having an uneven season, mainly as a result of injuries, Livers demonstrated that he is a quality scorer and was outstanding from long-distance. Plus, Franz Wagner came on strong late in the season while David DeJulius, Eli Brooks, and Brandon Johns made significant strides in their development. Perhaps, more importantly, Juwan Howard showed that he could coach.

Not only did Howard have a strong season on the court, but he also got off to an excellent start on the recruiting trail by securing the fourth best-recruiting class in 2020 according to 247Sports Composite and the fifth-best in Rivals rankings. UM currently has five players from the class committed; however, three-star point guard Zeb Jackson is the only player who has signed a Letter of Intent. Five-star Isaiah Todd, along with four-stars Terrence Williams and Hunter Dickinson as well as Jace Howard, the coach’s son, are the players who have committed to the team, but they have yet to sign.

There could still be more roster shakeup. U-M has been long-linked to five-star 2020 recruit Joshua Christopher, and it has recently been reported that the Wolverines are interested in a trio grad transfers, including former Ivy League MVP Seth Towns.

Wolverines show interest in Mike Smith and Bryce Aiken

With Simpson gone, the biggest concern for the Wolverines going into next year will be point guard. Brooks and DeJulius have demonstrated the ability to play the point. Still, if U-M is serious about being a national contender, they may need to bring an established lead guard, such as Columbia’s Mike Smith or Harvard’s Bryce Aiken.

Smith, who the Wolverines reportedly have interest in, is a grad transfer and is coming off a career year with the Lions. The 5-11 guard tallied 22.8 points along with 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 3-pointers, and 1.5 steals in 2019-20. He closed the season in fine fashion by scoring at least 20 points in each of his last seven contests and scored in double-figures in all 30 games, including 22 outings of 20 or more points. Smith has drawn plenty of interest with Seton Hall, Gonzaga, and Arizona being among the teams showing him some love.

Andrew Kahn of MLive.com is reporting that the Wolverines are also interested in Aiken, who is expected to receive a medical redshirt after appearing in just seven games last year as a result of a foot injury. The 6-0 guard averaged 16.7 points along with nearly two triples a game on 41.2% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc last year. Maryland, Seton Hall, and Iowa State are among the teams that have also reached out to Aiken.

Michigan “cautiously optimistic” about securing Joshua Christopher’s commitment

Orien Sang of Detroit Free Press

is reporting that the Wolverines are “cautiously optimistic” about securing a commitment from five-star combo guard Josh Christopher. Christopher, who is a consensus top-11 player in the class of 2020, has been recruited by the Wolverines since Howard took over the program. In fact, the 6-5 guard was the first player to receive a scholarship from Howard. Christopher is ranked as the 10th best prospect by ESPN and 247Sports Composite. Meanwhile, Rivals has him at No. 11 in their rankings, and 247Sports puts the McDonald’s All-American at No.7 in their rankings.

Christopher is a long and strong as well as a terrific playmaker though he is more of a scorer than a distributor. He is also a good rebounder and a solid defender who has the potential to be a lot better on that end. The Lakewood (CA) native averaged 29.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks this past season at Mayfield High School.

Christopher is expected to make his decision soon though the next NCAA signing period is not until April 15. He is also considering Arizona State, UCLA, and Missouri.

Will Michigan bring another recruit to its 2020 class?

The fact that four of the recruits have not officially signed with the team currently gives some flexibility as had they all signed the Wolverines would be over the scholarship limit. Granted, Jace Howard will unlikely take up a scholarship, but that would s still put U-M at 13 scholarships. But it appears that the Wolverines are intent in bringing in someone else with Christopher being the most likely of the players listed here.