Michigan has already landed a pair of 2021 Rivals150 prospects from Big Ten country. Could they be on their way to landing a third? Covid-19 hasn’t slowed down recruiting for one of 2022’s best and a Georgia guard on the rise in today’s Three-Point-Play.
1. IS BUFKIN NEXT FOR MICHIGAN?
Juwan Howard and Michigan have gone to work on Big Ten region targets from the class of 2021 over the past few weeks.
In late June the Wolverines added Rivals150 wing Isaiah Barnes out of Illinois and on Monday they added Rivals150 power forward Will Tschetter out of Minnesota. The way things are looking, I don’t think they are done and I believe that they could be landing their highest-ranked pledge and an important in-state target Kobe Bufkin in the relatively near future.
A skilled and versatile guard who can play both on or off the ball, Bufkin is a rangy rising senior who still needs to add bulk to his lean frame. But, he can shoot some, he has some burst at the rim and shows wiggle off the dribble.
Now, Bufkin hasn’t been the easiest to track down from a media perspective and hasn’t announced any finalists or decision plans. But, there’s lots of back channel talk that the Wolverines are in great shape here and for that reason I’ve cast a FutureCast in their favor with the expectation that it shouldn’t be too much longer before he pops.
Michigan’s class 2021 ranks No. 20 overall at the moment, but the addition of Bufkin would move them to No. 4 based on current standings.
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2. ZION CRUZ IS AMONG HOTTEST IN 2022
Ranked No. 24 overall in the class of 2022, combo guard Zion Cruz isn’t exactly an under the radar guy.
Thanks to outstanding play in the summer with the PSA Cardinals, appearances with USA Basketball and tremendous play at Hudson (N.J.) Catholic, he’s built a reputation with coaches as one of the top rising juniors in America. He’s explosive to the rim, he is a tremendous option to help run a team and he holds big time potential on the defensive end.
But, out of sight can often mean out of mind when it comes to recruiting and that makes his popularity with college coaches all that more impressive. Since college coaches could directly contact members of the class of 2022 in mid-June, Cruz has added offers from Alabama, Baylor, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland and Ohio State. Prior to that others like Auburn, Bryant, DePaul, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse, UCLA and UConn had offered.
Headed to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill for his junior season, Cruz has seen Seton Hall and Syracuse unofficially and only figures to see his recruitment pick up even more.
“Zion has proven himself to be one of the best two guards in his class,” PSA Cardinals program director and coach Munch Williams told Rivals.com. “Everywhere he has been, he’s led his teams to the winner circle. His work ethic and desire to stay in the gym to strengthen his individual game makes me feel comfortable that he will step onto a college campus and be prepared to play heavy minutes right away. Long term, he has a shot at being the best point guard in the class and solely needs for more people to see him at this point.”
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3. MYLES RICE MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN ATLANTA
The good thing about events being streamed online during the summer of COVID-19 is that evaluators like myself and coaches at least have somewhere to watch players. The downside is that the events are very regionalized which makes it tough to get a good gauge for how players may compare against those from all around the country.
That being said, rising senior point guard Myles Rice of the Atlanta Celtics and Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek High has looked pretty dang good playing against Atlanta and Georgia area talent over the past few weekends. Given the level of talent that there is in his hometown, I also feel pretty comfortable saying that he would be impressing regardless of who he has played against.
Playing alongside well-known stars like 2021’s No. 5 and No. 25 ranked players Jabari Smith and Matthew Cleveland I’ve been very impressed by Rice. He knocks down shots from deep, he’s clever in using changes of pace and hesitations to get into the lane and he’s very steady on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-2 he’s got pretty good size for a point guard and he just plays with a confidence and ease that has schools looking for more info.
The three-star floor general isn’t exactly an unknown as he already has offers from Belmont, Bucknell, Georgia State and Pacific. However, I expect those schools to get more company soon. I’ve have a few high major programs reach out for information and wouldn’t be surprised to see some ACC and SEC types start ramping up the interest.
