It was a hard, long, arduous Summer in Michigan, a state which saw double-digit players from a year ago deciding to continue their high school careers in various corners of the country. Most notably was junior guard/forward Josh Jackson to Justin-Sierra High School in California, a top three consensus player in the country for not only his age group, but youth basketball as a whole. So the question is, what’s next for Michigan? Who will pass on the proverbial torch they say to the future generations in the state?
Michigan is still well respected in various recruiting sites/services. Starting with the class of 2015, the two players in ESPN’s, Rivals’, and Scout’s top 100 seniors are Saginaw Arthur Hill’s guard Eric Davis, and Muskegon’s 6’11” big man Deyonta Davis. Deyonta, a defending Class A state champion and Michigan State commit, is ranked the 15th best overall prospect by ESPN, number 29 according to Scout, and 23 in Rivals. One of the country most coveted recruits, Eric is tabbed for 41 in ESPN, 45 in Scout, and 52 in Rivals. Both Davis’ figure to be playing at the Breslin Center in late March for a championship, and are both considered the front runners for Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award.
What was one of Michigan’s stronger classes, 2016, was hit particularly hard by the aforementioned transfers over the Summer. The only player from Michigan ranked services is University of Detroit Jesuit’s 6’1″ guard Cassius Winston. Winston is number 45 in ESPN, and number 35 overall prospect in the Rivals Class of 2016 150. A smooth moving true point guard, Winston currently holds offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, VCU, and Maryland just to name a few.
Winston’s AAU teammate, Saginaw Arthur Hill’s 2017 wing Brian Bowen, is the only member of Michigan’s sophomore class ranked nationally. Most recruiting services only have a top 25 ranking for sophomores, as does ESPN and Scout.com. In both of their 2017 rankings, Bowen is tabbed for number six and seven in both ESPN and Scout respectively. Bowen holds offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Missouri, NC State, Kansas, Boston College, Iowa and Iowa State.
What’s the next move for Michigan? It’s becoming increasingly difficult for in-state players to compete under the current rules for national recognition with players from across the country. There is no reason to speculate the rules can or will change soon. But the future is bright in Michigan, the Class of 2018 is off to a strong start with impressive performance at AAU tournaments during Summer time. However for the time being, let’s just sit back and enjoy the upcoming year of high school hoops.
The Prep Ball Report 
You have good penmanship and your view is penchant . Its excellent that you keep your subscribers abreast to the various student athletes. Great job Steve!