Crootin’!! Is Thor a kid that Michigan can be expected to have a legitimate shot with?
Verily!!!
Didn’t expect this. Kid is an absolute monster. Plays his ass off and competes non stop. I struggle to find 5 players better than him. A top 5-7 player in the country easy and I’ll look at you funny if you drop him below that.
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What are the chances we see jace Howard I’m the 2020 class?
I think it depends in part on how the 2019 class finishes. If you have Franz and Jalen Wilson, I’m not sure there’s going to be room for Jace Howard, who I believe has been considered more of a mid-major prospect.
Now if Jace or Wade’s kid are willing to walk-on and provide depth (and take a scholarship if one becomes available) until they develop into contributors, I think they’ll be much more likely to be in the class. As walk-ons, they could redshirt, work to graduate in three years, and then have two years to play somewhere else if they don’t earn rotation spots in those first three years.
I say all that as someone who likes Jace as a prospect, so I wouldn’t be upset if he’s a member of the class. He looks like he could fill out, and if he grows into a solid 6-8/6-9, I think he could become a pretty nice power forward. He’s not super explosive, but if he really develops a deep understanding of the game, he can become a pretty good college player. Those kinds of players are great to have as juniors and seniors, especially if they can be rotation guys as freshmen or sophomores, like MAAR, who is one of my all-time favorites in the Beilein era. Scooby Johnson is a top prospect in that category, IMO, of guys who could play 3-4 years.
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Anyone know if Jace were to walk on whether he would be able to get discounted or free tuition based on his dad being a University employee? Is that allowed?
dont we have a projected 5-6 open scholarships/would he really walk on? feels like he would rather be a scholarship player somewhere
He’s not going to walk-on. That literally never happens - it’s not the case with Fran McCaffery’s kids, Tubby Smith’s kid, Steve Alford’s kid…it doesn’t happen.
Didnt Mcaffery do this with his son at Iowa?
It happened with Doug McDermott at Creighton
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I do not think there is any set standard, more of a school by school basis. Pretty sure Michigan offers a 25% discount on in State tuition to children of employees.
Anyone else have more details?
He has a scholarship. It was even “scandalous”.
McDermott had a scholarship for three years and relinquished it in order to give it to a teammate who had unexpectedly been given an extra year of eligibility.
McDermott also did not get a tuition discount (there is a NYT article specifically on the McDermott situation that suggests discounted tuition in that case would be an NCAA violation).
Jace and Zaire are interesting test cases. I certainly don’t want Juwan handing out scholarships to undeserving players, and he needs to aim higher than low three-stars, which currently describes those two. Ultimately though, as long as everybody on scholarship earns their minutes, right? If there’s room for guys like Davis and Brooks on the roster as scholarship players, there’s room for a guy like Jace. You have 13 scholarships and 7-9 rotation players. The balance are going to be youngsters expected to grow into major roles, but one or two are going to be third-string types. There’s a usefulness in having one of those guys be the coach’s son, I’m sure.
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Calipari’s kid isn’t on scholarship, is he?
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Considering that this class will be a minimum of 5, with a possibility of 6 or 7, I think there’s room for Jace and/or Zaire. Getting 6 top 100 players is near impossible if you aren’t Duke/UK, add in the fact that we are playing from behind a bit on the class of 2020. If Jace and Zaire are willing to wait it out and realize they aren’t top priority, then there could be spots for them.
How was it scandalous?
Davis and Brooks were more top 200ish ranked prospects. Jace and Zaire are both unranked right now, and 247 only reports two scholarship offers for each of them (Wade: Depaul and Nebraska; Jace: Dayton and SD State).
If the choice is between Wade being the 6th/7th scholarship in the class and a grad transfer who can help for a year, I’d prefer the immediate impact guy leaving an extra scholarship for a class of 2021 guy.
Agree with the gist of kturnup’s comment that Jace and Zaire are more fall-back options. Seeing those guys as scholarship guys is tougher if you try to think through how you’d like to see the scholarships allocated. For example:
- Zeb Jackson
- a second top 50ish guard, see Adam Miller, Steward, Joshua Christoper as priorities
- A SF/SG type like Jabri Abdur Rahim
- An elite one-and-done SF like Scottie Barnes or an unidentified top 50/100 SF/PF
- Scooby Johnson (he might be that top 50/100 combo forward type)
- A center to replace Teske and/or backup Castleton
- An immediate impact grad transfer if you feel like you have a hole
They’re fine prospects, but I can think of more important priorities.
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I put it in quotes to indicate I didn’t agree. Lots of Hawkeye fans thought the scholarship was nepotism.
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Regardless, I do not think the NCAA allows a school to offer a walk-on player discounted tuition - even if they are entitled to it via University (non-athletic) policy.