With Hunter Dickinson back for his junior season, the need for a portal big in 2022-23 becomes much less pressing even though we still await the stay/go decision from Moussa Diabate. All that said, its difficult to imagine any situation where either of current Wolverine bigs are around for the 2023-2024 season. Assuming that to be true, 2022 signee Tarris Reed would be the only true scholarship center on the roster. Signing a big in 2023 is a priority, so let's take a look at the board coming off the second live evaluation period. Papa Kante Height/Weight: Listed at 6'10 and 225 pounds. Probably closer to a legit 6'8.5 - 6'9 and 215 - 220lbs. High School/AAU: South Kent School (CT)/Nike EYBL New York Renaissance (NY) Weekend Performance: 7.8ppg, 6.8reb, 1blk, 48% FG, 82% FT in four games Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/125 - 135 Overall EM Ranking/Evaluation: Projects to have the impact of a 70 - 100 level prospect based on what I've viewed live so far. Superb defender with good agility and length that is switchable on the perimeter. As you can see from the clip above, Papa was matched up against top-10 overall prospect GG Jackson and essentially shut him down on multiple possessions. While Jackson is a big, Kante also locked up legit wings in 4-stars Eric Dailey and Jelani Hamilton. He may not possess the same level of agility as Moussa Diabate at the same stage of development, so I'm not sure switching to athletic guards on an island like Diabate does is in the cards. Discipline is where Papa is more advanced in relation to Moussa at the same stage. Look at the possession starting at the :13 mark above. He realizes he's not going to block the shot, so he basically just walls up vertically against Jackson and is content with merely altering the shot. Far too often in the first half of the season, Diabate would pick up fouls on possessions just like that. Fast forward to the :50 mark and watch Kante close-out under control, then flip his hips to beat the defender to the spot and force a wild running hook. At times, Moussa was prone to out-of-control close-outs, particularly during the first half of the season. Offensively, Papa is relatively raw. With the NY Rens, he's basically limited to finishes as a roll-man and putbacks from offensive rebounds. His handle isn't close to where Moussa was at the same stage of development, so he doesn't have that sort of face-up/playmaking ability right now. He struggled to finish in traffic at times as well. I only witnessed him attempt one jumper and the mechanics weren't broken, even if the release point was a bit late/on the way down. It's worth mentioning that Kante has a much bigger offensive role for South Kent. Offensive limitations considered, Papa makes winning basketball plays on a fairly consistent basis as seen below. I absolutely love the possession starting at the :12 mark below. Kante gives multiple efforts, covers 20 feet of ground to corral an offensive rebound that results in a made triple for a teammate. He's an extra possession magnet and those kind of players have a lot of value in terms of impact and setting the standard for competitive edge. Recruitment: I'm told that Papa is set to visit Michigan officially on June 14th, along with 2023 wing offer Gavin Griffiths. I probably wouldn't have allocated as much detail to my evaluation above if this recruitment wasn't serious. Based on where things stand now, I'd put in a low-confidence crystal ball for Kante to Michigan. If the OV goes well, which it seemingly always does with Juwan Howard, this recruitment could potentially be over shortly after the visit. [After THE JUMP: High + Booker]
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Oklahoma , United States , Wake Forest , North Carolina , Ann Arbor , Michigan , Alabama , Texas , Indianapolis , Indiana , Colorado , Kansas , Jajuan Johnson , Tarris Reed , Eric Dailey , Kyle Filipowski , Hunter Dickinson , Moussa Diabate , Papa Kante , Mo Wagner , Gavin Griffiths , Xavier Booker , Juwan Howard , High School , Kent School Ct Nike , With Hunter Dickinson , South Kent School , York Renaissance , San Antonio Smithson Valley , Coach Howard , Texas Tech , Kansas State , Indianapolis Cathedral , Independent George Hill All , Michigan State ,
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