While Michigan football is going to take the headlines for at least the next four months Michigan basketball is entering an important time of the season as they prepare for their overseas trip to Spain. The European excursion is not the only exciting thing happening, however, as a new 2019 has verbally committed to the program.
Second 2019 Commit:
Earlier today, Cole Bajema announced his commitment to the University of Michigan via Twitter. The wing who resides in Washington but lived in Grand Haven for a brief period in his childhood and grew up with Michigan-fan parents made the very quick decision to commit the the Wolverines upon receiving the offer from Coach Beilein. The story of Bajema is another tale of a rather unheralded recruit (one who does not have a 247Sports ranking, even) being spotted by Beilein who took a liking to what he saw from the 6'7" prospect.
Even as bigger offers came in, from the likes of Washington and Oregon State before a massive one, Virginia, it remains apparent that Michigan was the ultimate destination. As the increase in offers show, Bajema had a stellar summer period and drew a lot of attention to himself as someone described by many as a 'late, high riser' in the recruiting boards and surely will be fast-tracked onto top-100 lists upon the next update to any given recruiting site.
As people read this, they may be (understandably) unfamiliar with Bajema's game. Having watched some highlight reels -- you can check out Bajema's own highlight tape on YouTube from last year -- a lot of what makes him appealing to these high-majors does indeed seem to be clear, so let's break it down.
Of course, Bajema can shoot. That is a given when looking at twos and threes in the Michigan offense, and Cole has a great shot that looks silky smooth. At 6'7" at listed by Verbal Commits as a shooting guard, he is going to be able to elevate over smaller players on this shot. Bajema joining the roster marks another bigger wing player earmarked to play the two as Adrien Nunez stands at a listed 6'6" according to the recently updated Michigan roster. Bajema could always hit a growth spurt as well and with Charles Matthews almost certainly leaving after next season we could very well see Cole play a bit of small forward himself.
When getting to the rim, Bajema is very fluid in his motion with a nice first step and plenty of moves to take it to the hole. Even in his highlight video showing footage from over a year ago, something that stands out to me is how easy to watch he is as a player. He is, in a word, "smooth." Getting to the rim is no problem, but at the same time he can stroke it from a long distance away. Something else you may find is his above-average athleticism which will allow him to cover players that may be smaller than him and perhaps even a bit quicker too.
Bajema has taken such strides this summer that even evaluating him on videos from a year-or-so ago is tough to do. His senior year will be one to watch on the high school level as you expect his Lynden Christian side, the defending state champions, to make another run through the state, perhaps with even less resistance as a result of the newly-improved Washington Class 1A Player of the Year, Cole Bajema.
More Recruiting Notes:
Not to be lost in the shuffle of Bajema's commitment are a few other noteworthy recruiting notes. Drew Timme, recruited briefly by Michigan, has listed a top-ten that does not include the University of Michigan. The top-50 recruit has listed Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois, among a plethora of other schools and is taking an unofficial visit to one of them, Texas A&M, today. Timme stands 6'9" and seems a likely power forward for the sides he is being recruited by with a strong three-point shot that makes him a valuable stretch four. His athleticism is also very good as he can score off the dribble, off an offensive rebound, but can also create well for a power forward. I expect him to land somewhere that will allow him to play a key role in the offense and he will be a player whose commitment should be followed.
One player who did include Michigan in their top-ten list is another wing from Texas, Samuell Williamson. The 6'6" wing-man's full list includes one other Big Ten school, Ohio State, local schools in Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, and SMU, fellow Big 12 members Kansas and Oklahoma, then also Louisville. Despite the top-ten, Williamson indicated in July to ZagsBlog here that the three schools most interested in him are Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M. Williamson is an AAU teammate of Timme, who shares Louisville, A&M, Tech, and Oklahoma with him in their respective top-tens.
In terms of play, Williamson is an athletic 6'6" who can jump out of the gym. Not only does he impress with athletic ability, but he has a nice jumper that he can shoot quickly or off a spot-up, but he also has a nice deep-two move that he hits consistently. The 51st-ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports has a lot of attributes to his game that I like, but he skill set just seems a bit redundant to me with Jalen Wilson, whom he has squared off with in high school coming away with a tight loss, and Bajema already committed to the 2019 cast of Wolverines. Combined with reported serious interest elsewhere, I would expect the talented Williamson to end up somewhere closer to home than Ann Arbor.
We've talked about three 2019 recruits, but how about a 2020? Ethan Morton seems to be the man with the most buzz around him with confirmation that he will be taking an unofficial visit to Michigan on Monday. Morton's received multiple high-major offers, the most recent one from Creighton, and is a rare player. Standing 6'4", Morton appears to me to function best as a pass-first point guard who is strong on transition but really highlights his ability passing the ball. He is so ambidextrous I had to rewind his highlight footage on Hudl multiple times to make sure I was indeed watching the same person. He has a good shot and drives to the hoop strong, making him a great shooting guard, but I am personally most blown away by his ball-handling and passing ability and I think he'd make a great point guard despite having the height of a two-guard. Out of the out-of-state 2020s, and even counting the in-staters too, Morton is one who I think is most intriguing.
To Europe, Away!:
August 17th is the start date for Michigan's trip overseas to Spain. With trips to Madrid and Barcelona, the Wolverines will play three games before returning home on the 26th, before fall classes. Not a bad place to spend a week or so before class resumes.
I have already discussed their trip plans last month in a previous article however Michigan basketball's Twitter account released a quick 30 second clip of practice here to see how preparations are going. Not too much to take from the clip, but something to note that, given the jump ball implications, Jon Teske and Austin Davis look likely to be the top two centers in the pecking order very, very, VERY early on in the season. Other than that, the summer sessions will be a fun way for Michigan fans to (game footage coming out permitting) gauge how their favorite players are doing as dreams of glory dance in their heads.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more Michigan basketball coverage, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
Second 2019 Commit:
Earlier today, Cole Bajema announced his commitment to the University of Michigan via Twitter. The wing who resides in Washington but lived in Grand Haven for a brief period in his childhood and grew up with Michigan-fan parents made the very quick decision to commit the the Wolverines upon receiving the offer from Coach Beilein. The story of Bajema is another tale of a rather unheralded recruit (one who does not have a 247Sports ranking, even) being spotted by Beilein who took a liking to what he saw from the 6'7" prospect.
Even as bigger offers came in, from the likes of Washington and Oregon State before a massive one, Virginia, it remains apparent that Michigan was the ultimate destination. As the increase in offers show, Bajema had a stellar summer period and drew a lot of attention to himself as someone described by many as a 'late, high riser' in the recruiting boards and surely will be fast-tracked onto top-100 lists upon the next update to any given recruiting site.
As people read this, they may be (understandably) unfamiliar with Bajema's game. Having watched some highlight reels -- you can check out Bajema's own highlight tape on YouTube from last year -- a lot of what makes him appealing to these high-majors does indeed seem to be clear, so let's break it down.
Of course, Bajema can shoot. That is a given when looking at twos and threes in the Michigan offense, and Cole has a great shot that looks silky smooth. At 6'7" at listed by Verbal Commits as a shooting guard, he is going to be able to elevate over smaller players on this shot. Bajema joining the roster marks another bigger wing player earmarked to play the two as Adrien Nunez stands at a listed 6'6" according to the recently updated Michigan roster. Bajema could always hit a growth spurt as well and with Charles Matthews almost certainly leaving after next season we could very well see Cole play a bit of small forward himself.
When getting to the rim, Bajema is very fluid in his motion with a nice first step and plenty of moves to take it to the hole. Even in his highlight video showing footage from over a year ago, something that stands out to me is how easy to watch he is as a player. He is, in a word, "smooth." Getting to the rim is no problem, but at the same time he can stroke it from a long distance away. Something else you may find is his above-average athleticism which will allow him to cover players that may be smaller than him and perhaps even a bit quicker too.
Bajema has taken such strides this summer that even evaluating him on videos from a year-or-so ago is tough to do. His senior year will be one to watch on the high school level as you expect his Lynden Christian side, the defending state champions, to make another run through the state, perhaps with even less resistance as a result of the newly-improved Washington Class 1A Player of the Year, Cole Bajema.
More Recruiting Notes:
Not to be lost in the shuffle of Bajema's commitment are a few other noteworthy recruiting notes. Drew Timme, recruited briefly by Michigan, has listed a top-ten that does not include the University of Michigan. The top-50 recruit has listed Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois, among a plethora of other schools and is taking an unofficial visit to one of them, Texas A&M, today. Timme stands 6'9" and seems a likely power forward for the sides he is being recruited by with a strong three-point shot that makes him a valuable stretch four. His athleticism is also very good as he can score off the dribble, off an offensive rebound, but can also create well for a power forward. I expect him to land somewhere that will allow him to play a key role in the offense and he will be a player whose commitment should be followed.
One player who did include Michigan in their top-ten list is another wing from Texas, Samuell Williamson. The 6'6" wing-man's full list includes one other Big Ten school, Ohio State, local schools in Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, and SMU, fellow Big 12 members Kansas and Oklahoma, then also Louisville. Despite the top-ten, Williamson indicated in July to ZagsBlog here that the three schools most interested in him are Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M. Williamson is an AAU teammate of Timme, who shares Louisville, A&M, Tech, and Oklahoma with him in their respective top-tens.
In terms of play, Williamson is an athletic 6'6" who can jump out of the gym. Not only does he impress with athletic ability, but he has a nice jumper that he can shoot quickly or off a spot-up, but he also has a nice deep-two move that he hits consistently. The 51st-ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports has a lot of attributes to his game that I like, but he skill set just seems a bit redundant to me with Jalen Wilson, whom he has squared off with in high school coming away with a tight loss, and Bajema already committed to the 2019 cast of Wolverines. Combined with reported serious interest elsewhere, I would expect the talented Williamson to end up somewhere closer to home than Ann Arbor.
We've talked about three 2019 recruits, but how about a 2020? Ethan Morton seems to be the man with the most buzz around him with confirmation that he will be taking an unofficial visit to Michigan on Monday. Morton's received multiple high-major offers, the most recent one from Creighton, and is a rare player. Standing 6'4", Morton appears to me to function best as a pass-first point guard who is strong on transition but really highlights his ability passing the ball. He is so ambidextrous I had to rewind his highlight footage on Hudl multiple times to make sure I was indeed watching the same person. He has a good shot and drives to the hoop strong, making him a great shooting guard, but I am personally most blown away by his ball-handling and passing ability and I think he'd make a great point guard despite having the height of a two-guard. Out of the out-of-state 2020s, and even counting the in-staters too, Morton is one who I think is most intriguing.
To Europe, Away!:
August 17th is the start date for Michigan's trip overseas to Spain. With trips to Madrid and Barcelona, the Wolverines will play three games before returning home on the 26th, before fall classes. Not a bad place to spend a week or so before class resumes.
I have already discussed their trip plans last month in a previous article however Michigan basketball's Twitter account released a quick 30 second clip of practice here to see how preparations are going. Not too much to take from the clip, but something to note that, given the jump ball implications, Jon Teske and Austin Davis look likely to be the top two centers in the pecking order very, very, VERY early on in the season. Other than that, the summer sessions will be a fun way for Michigan fans to (game footage coming out permitting) gauge how their favorite players are doing as dreams of glory dance in their heads.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty more Michigan basketball coverage, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Liverpool FC coverage as well!
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