*** I spent Sunday night and part of today at the prestigious Pangos basketball camp in Las Vegas. The players went through individual instruction and also play full court AAU-ruled 5v5. The biggest headliner at the camp was five-star Monteverde (Fla.) Academy big man Jalen Duren. Duren wasn't necessarily head and shoulders above everyone else, but he was one of the best players if not the best player I saw at the event. Duren did his usual damage in the pain, but he did a great job of getting open off screens and hitting mid-range shots. He has a great fade away and a variety of creative post moves. He handles the ball extremely well for a big man and is also a gifted passer. I would have liked to have seen Duren have little more Alpha mentality like some of the five-stars I covered back in the day i.e. Trae Young and Emmanuel Mudiay, but he's ranked the No. 1 overall recruit in the country for a reason. His skillset at that size is very, very, very impressive.
*** Obviously, some expect Duren to go pro, which makes sense. But if he does elect to go the college route, Michigan remains a contender in his recruitment. Right now, Duren has official visits planned to Miami, Memphis and Kentucky and is in the process of mapping out his final two. Miami is considered the favorite since the Hurricanes recently hired his former high school coach. However, Duren told me wants to take a methodical approach to the process and made it clear that Michigan is a favorite to get one of his final two trips. U-M head coach Juwan Howard just had a Zoom call with Duren last week, and assistant Phil Martelli messages with him on a daily basis. This one is going to be a tough battle, but the Wolverines are still going full court press.
*** Five-star center Dereck Lively was really fun to watch. He's listed at 6-foot-11, but he looks like a true 7-footer. Lively was an intimidating force in the paint. He has super long arms and uses them to disrupt passing lanes as well as swat away what are supposed to be high percentage shots. Driving to the basket with Lively in the middle is a daunting task. Lively is also a great rebounder and plays with a ton of energy. He reminded me a bit of Joakim Noah. Lively can also get it done on the offensive end of the floor. He's so tall and long that he basically had his way around the rim at camp,. Regardless of how many defenders were around Lively, he found a way to score. If he can develop his mid-range, he's going to be a force as a freshman at the next level.
*** Michigan just entered the mix for Lively last month and there is still work to do. He has official visits scheduled to Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina, and those three schools appear to be the frontrunners at this time. However, Lively has been learning more and more about Michigan and is keeping in regular contact with Howard and the staff. Lively also made it clear that Michigan along with UCLA and USC are in the running for one of his final two official visits. Lively added that Howard has really preached development over several Zoom calls, which is appealing to him. Lively does not have an exact decision timeline at this time.
*** Four-star power forward Eric Dailey was up and down throughout the camp. While he's listed as a four, Dailey played more of a three role during the 5v5 games. He was erratic when handling the ball and needs to keep improving his shot. I did like the explosiveness he showed as well as his hustle and defense. I'm not exactly sure what he's going to be at the next level. I don't love him as a wing or a four. He's more of a tweener. With that said, I do think Michigan is in a strong spot if he doesn't head overseas and the Wolverines push for him. Dailey has known Howard since he was a kid, and the two still talk on a regular basis. He has not scheduled any official visits but told me U-M would definitely receive one. He listed Virginia Tech, Miami and Dayton as some other possibilities.
*** Very quickly, four-star point guard Justice Williams was the least impressive Michigan target I saw at the camp, so I'm not surprised Michigan has cooled on him. He has four official visits set and told me that he hasn't talked to Howard in a while.
*** Obviously, some expect Duren to go pro, which makes sense. But if he does elect to go the college route, Michigan remains a contender in his recruitment. Right now, Duren has official visits planned to Miami, Memphis and Kentucky and is in the process of mapping out his final two. Miami is considered the favorite since the Hurricanes recently hired his former high school coach. However, Duren told me wants to take a methodical approach to the process and made it clear that Michigan is a favorite to get one of his final two trips. U-M head coach Juwan Howard just had a Zoom call with Duren last week, and assistant Phil Martelli messages with him on a daily basis. This one is going to be a tough battle, but the Wolverines are still going full court press.
*** Five-star center Dereck Lively was really fun to watch. He's listed at 6-foot-11, but he looks like a true 7-footer. Lively was an intimidating force in the paint. He has super long arms and uses them to disrupt passing lanes as well as swat away what are supposed to be high percentage shots. Driving to the basket with Lively in the middle is a daunting task. Lively is also a great rebounder and plays with a ton of energy. He reminded me a bit of Joakim Noah. Lively can also get it done on the offensive end of the floor. He's so tall and long that he basically had his way around the rim at camp,. Regardless of how many defenders were around Lively, he found a way to score. If he can develop his mid-range, he's going to be a force as a freshman at the next level.
*** Michigan just entered the mix for Lively last month and there is still work to do. He has official visits scheduled to Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina, and those three schools appear to be the frontrunners at this time. However, Lively has been learning more and more about Michigan and is keeping in regular contact with Howard and the staff. Lively also made it clear that Michigan along with UCLA and USC are in the running for one of his final two official visits. Lively added that Howard has really preached development over several Zoom calls, which is appealing to him. Lively does not have an exact decision timeline at this time.
*** Four-star power forward Eric Dailey was up and down throughout the camp. While he's listed as a four, Dailey played more of a three role during the 5v5 games. He was erratic when handling the ball and needs to keep improving his shot. I did like the explosiveness he showed as well as his hustle and defense. I'm not exactly sure what he's going to be at the next level. I don't love him as a wing or a four. He's more of a tweener. With that said, I do think Michigan is in a strong spot if he doesn't head overseas and the Wolverines push for him. Dailey has known Howard since he was a kid, and the two still talk on a regular basis. He has not scheduled any official visits but told me U-M would definitely receive one. He listed Virginia Tech, Miami and Dayton as some other possibilities.
*** Very quickly, four-star point guard Justice Williams was the least impressive Michigan target I saw at the camp, so I'm not surprised Michigan has cooled on him. He has four official visits set and told me that he hasn't talked to Howard in a while.
