Five-Stars Put Michigan In Top Ten
Sussex (Wis.) Hamilton five-star small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. recently put the Wolverines in his top ten along with Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, North Carolina, Northwestern, UCLA, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Baldwin's father, Pat, played for Northwestern and is the head coach at Milwaukee, which explains the Wildcats and Panthers being in the five-star's top group. It's highly unlikely that the No. 3 player in the country within the 2021 class ends up at one of those programs, but they're in the mix given the connections.
The Wolverines also made the cut for Dallas St. Mark's five-star small forward Harrison Ingram.
The 6-6, 210-pounder put the Wolverines in his top group alongside Arkansas, Baylor, Louisville, Memphis, North Carolina, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas A&M. This development is noteworthy because Michigan only offered Ingram three days before making his top group.
"Michigan has been one of my favorite schools since I can remember," Ingram said. "On my meeting with Coach Howard, he showed me how they planned on using me. They love my versatility and I can’t wait to continue to build a relationship with them."
Ingram is considered the No. 17 overall player in the country and definitely has the size and build to play two, maybe three, positions at the next level.
Juwan Howard, again, is getting into the mix with elite guys almost at will. Now it's about closing. Howard missed out on five stars Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd late in the 2020 cycle, but he's right back in there and is now positioning himself to make a run at some of the top players in the 2021 cycle.
Neither Baldwin Jr. nor Ingram seem close to a decision, but you have to have a seat at the table for a chance to land them, and Howard has one.
