Shep, this is my stab at post of the month, so here it goes.

I thought it would be fun to give an in-depth look at Michigan’s roster. I did all of this research on my own, so take it for what it’s worth.

There’s a total of 9 guys who have seen the floor a considerable amount this season, but the top five dominate the majority of the teams production. Their starting five have scored 83% of the teams points this season and are a mix of three guys with a lot of size and length, and two smaller guards. There’s a reason why Michigan was projected to win the Big10 in the preseason, and be a top five team in the nation. But the fact that three of their top five players are all newcomers, and two of them are true freshmen, has made the reality of a 25-win season a lot harder than it looked like it would be on paper. Here’s my rundown of the roster.

Starting 5:

Hunter Dickinson, C – 7’1”, 260 lbs
The teams leading scorer, rebounder, shot blocker, leads the team in FG%, and is also a good FT shooter. Was a 4-star recruit out of DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland. The nation’s 43rd best player and 11th best center in the 2020 class. Had offers from many of the top programs around the country. He chose Michigan “because of the social life” and wanted to be around big crowds and attend games at the Big House. Definitely Michigan’s best player and one of the most productive centers in the Big10. He is projected to possibly go second round in the NBA draft, or may opt to wait until 2023 to declare. Hunter is only a Sophomore, playing in his second season as Michigan’s big man. He averages over 18 pts/game and over 8 rebounds. Even as a true freshmen he was averaging 14/7 and started in 23 games. He’s an excellent FT shooter for a big man, making nearly 80% of his attempts. He rarely fouls out of games (only once this season), but he reached the 4th foul in nine games this season, so he can be susceptible to getting into foul trouble. He averages two 3pt attempts per game and knocks them down at a 31% rate, just dangerous enough where we will have to body him up on the perimeter. However, he’s only 2/18 in his past 8 games, so has struggled form the arc lately. He’s a big dude who will throw his weight around down low and will work to establish position under the basket all game. Has a nice touch around the rim and can make a midrange jumper. Watch out for his nifty jump hook shot. He is left-handed, but can also score with his right. Downfalls are that he doesn’t have great speed and may tire out against a team like CSU who likes to play fast paced.

Eli Brooks, G – 6’1”, 185 lbs
Leads the team in minutes and is the second leading scorer this season. Is playing his 5th (COVID) season and has played in 156 games in his career at Michigan, which is a school record. His 100th start will be against CSU. Eli was a 3-star recruit out of Spring Grove, PA. He was not highly sought after and Michigan was his best offer, followed by Villanova, Kstate, and then a bunch of mid-majors. He leads the team in minutes at over 35 min/game and averages over 12 points/game. He is an excellent FT shooter, knocking down nearly 90% of his attempts this season compared to 91% last season. He takes care of the ball, rarely turning it over. He’s a good shooter, especially from long range, hitting 39% of this attempts. He is the true leader of the team and the guy everyone else relies on.

DeVante Jones, G – 6’1”, 200 lbs
Playing his first season at Michigan, DeVante is a grad transfer from Coastal Carolina, where he won Sun Belt Player of the Year last season, averaging over 19 pts/game. He played 3 of 4 years at CC, and transferred to Michigan this season. He should have one more COVID year left if he decides to return in 2022-23. Devante attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans and was not heavily recruited. He faced a lot of adversity at CC, including being ruled ineligible for academic reasons his first season, and then running into injuries, including a broken foot. He fought through the adversity and ended up becoming one of CC’s best players ever. He chose Michigan over offers from Memphis, Texas Tech, and Texas. He’s a strong guard who knows how to score. He started the season off a bit slow, but ended up contributing big down the stretch, including a 25 point game in a loss vs Illinois and 21 point game in a big win at Ohio State in their final game of the regular season. He is 1st on the team in assists, 3rd on the team in points, 3rd on the team in rebounds, shoots 79% from the FT line, and 33% from three. He is a talented guard who does a bit of everything.

Caleb Houstan, F – 6’8”, 205 lbs
True freshmen from Montverde Academy in Florida and originally from Ontario, Canada playing on their national teams, was heavily recruited in the 2021 class as the 11th best player in the country. A 5-star recruit who could’ve played anywhere he wanted, chose Michigan. Caleb is their highest-ranked recruit in many years, in a 2021 class that was #3 in the country and #1 in the Big10. He is an excellent scorer and amazing perimeter shooter. He will likely be a one-and-done at Michigan as he is pretty highly sought after by NBA scouts. He has been streaky all season, struggling to find his shot at times. He’s a guy who can put up 20 or go 0-10 like he did in their season finale against Ohio State. Will probably be the most talented and athletic player on the floor on Thursday, but is still a raw 19-year old basketball player who is trying to find his way and pave a path toward the NBA. He started in 30 games and shoots 39% from the floor, 36% from three, and 78% from the FT line. His length and versatility will be a challenge for the Rams.

Moussa Diabate, F – 6’11”, 210 lbs
Pronounced “moose-ah” “dee-ah-bah-tay”. Like Caleb, Moussa was a highly sought after 5-star recruit in the 2021 class. He attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, but is originally from Paris. Moussa was heavily recruited in the 2021 class as the 17th best player in the country and 5th best at the power forward position. As a true freshmen, he is an excellent rebounder and very aggressive under the rim. He is versatile, but also a bit thin, so can get pushed around by stronger opponents. He started in 22 games this season and did not disappoint on the floor, averaging 9 points, 6 rebounds, and shooting 55% from the floor. He grabs 2 ½ offensive rebounds per games, so the Rams will need to work hard to keep him off the boards.


Other contributors:

Terrance Williams II, F – 6’7”, 230 lbs
Arguably their best player off the bench, the Sophomore forward played in 27 games and averaged 15 minutes, 4.6 points, and 2.5 rebounds per game. He can fill in behind Houstan or Diabete when they need a breather. Terrance was a 4-star recruit in the 2020 class out of Washington DC. He had offers from a multitude of schools in all the major conferences. He’s a very versatile forward who can play inside and out, and is a very physical player.

Brandon Johns Jr., F – 6’8”, 240 lbs
Born a stones throw away from Michigan State, Brandon decided to attend the in-state archrival for college. He’s in his senior season at Michigan and can return for his COVID year next season if he chooses. He has played in 113 games during his career, but only started in 25 of them. Was a 4-star recruit in the 2018 class and the #2 recruit in the state of Michigan, but has never lived up to the hype. He did put on about 35 lbs of muscle since his freshmen year though, so he has the size to compete down low and also the ball skills to play outside. He averages 13 minutes, 3.6 points, and 2.1 rebounds per game. He is a very average shooter.

Kobe Bufkin, G – 6’4”, 175 lbs
His parents named him after THE Kobe Bryant. Another highly sought after recruit in the 2021 class, Kobe steps in as a very talented, but also young and inexperienced shooting guard. A “local”, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kobe was the 46th top recruit in the country and #2 in the state of Michigan. An excellent shooter and scorer, averaged 25 points/game his Senior year. He is still working on transitioning his game to the DI level and earning his minutes. He averages 10 minutes/game and will fill in for Brooks and Jones when needed.

Frankie, Collins, G – 6’1”, 180 lbs
Another true freshmen from Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada. Frankie has serious hops and his family has been friends with Juwan Howard for many years. Was a 4-star recruit in the 2021 class and #7 PG in the country. He’s played in 27 games, all off the bench, and averaged 9 minutes, 2.5 points, and 1.4 assists per game. He has struggled shooting the ball and transitioning to DI play.


[Post edited by Givemefletch at 03/14/2022 3:34PM]