An Amateur Scouting Report for the 2023 Big Ten Basketball Class: Part 4 (Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin & Michigan State)

The Floor Slap is releasing a scouting report for every Freshmen player coming into the Big Ten. We are going to break down each player, project their first year impact, and categorize each school’s class from 1 to 5. In Part Four we have Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska & Wisconsin.

Michigan

1 Commit – 10th Ranked Class in the Big Ten

George Washington III

6’2” G
Chaminade Julienne (Dayton, OH)
Originally Committed to Ohio State before decommitting and signing with rival Wolverines
Right handed but will drive left frequently
Still finishes with Right hand everytime
Navigates the lane well. Splits defenders, stops and starts, gets shoulder around defender, etc.
Finishes around the basket in a variety of ways
Confident three point shooter. Will nail wing or corner threes.
Has a good jump stop & stepback game to get off mid range jumpers and threes
GWIII is going to score a lot of points in College

First Year Impact: Washington III is a pure scorer. He can put the ball through the hoop with the ball in his hands or when playing off the ball. I think that skill will be needed for Michigan next year. I’m guessing GWIII will come off the bench to start the season, but I would not be surprised if he earns more minutes as the season goes on due to his scoring prowess. He could even steal a starting job.

Overall Class Excitement Level: 2

I really like GWIII, but he is the only recruit. Michigan lost Papa Kante to Pitt in the summer and now they have one recruit and three transfers. This is very different after Michigan fans were super excited for a crop of recruits the past two seasons. GWIII will likely be a great player, but this class is tame in comparison to the Top 10 ranked ‘21 and ‘22 classes.

Michigan State

4 Commits – Top Ranked Class in the Big Ten

Xavier Booker

6’11” Big
Cathedral High School (Indianapolis, IN)
I wrote a whole feature about Xavier Booker that you can read here.
Booker has all the potential in the world.
He almost certainly will be a one and done player. Could be a top 5 type of pick.
He is 6 ’11 ” big but his tape shows his versatility.
He can lead the break in transition, drill pull up jumpers, catch lobs from anywhere, do back to the basket stuff, etc.
The more you watch Booker the more you love what he could be.
With his length and vertical he could be a Jaren Jackson Jr. level rim protector
He can no doubt be an excellent rim running lob threat
His ability to put the ball on the floor and his jumper will be what elevates him as a prospect.

First Year Impact: Booker will start in Year one. He might be the only Freshman in this vaunted Spartan recruiting class who will start. Izzo will have to figure out what frontcourt makes sense but Booker will start due to talent alone. Whether he starts at 4 or they go smaller with him at 5 will be interesting to watch. Booker has a real shot to be Freshman of the year and an outside shot to make an All Big Ten team if Hoggard and Walker don’t steal all the shine.

Jeremy Fears Jr.

6’ PG
Joliet West (Joliet, IL)
Was AAU teammates with Illinois Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn.
Fears is potentially the next great Izzo PG
Fears is a probing guard who skillfully dribbles and finishes with either hand.
He keeps his head up at all times and will find open teammates in halfcourt, transition, outlets, etc.
Gamer.
Stops and starts, blows by, spins through or does whatever to get past defenders.
Shoots well off the dribble and in catch and shoot.
Has some bad habits with his form. Kicks out his feet or flails in weird ways. Will need to hone this.
Has a couple of blocks in his reel. Seems to jump better on blocks than when finishing.

First Year Impact: Fears Jr. will be riding the bench in year one. AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker will occupy the starting backcourt. Coach Izzo usually brings along his guards slowly. Year one will be for him to learn behind Hoggard and Walker. Fears will compete with Sophomore Tre Holloman and Jaden Akins for the reserve minutes. There won’t be much opportunity for him to earn more minutes unless there is an injury or Izzo wants to go super small.

Coen Carr

6’7” F
Legacy Early College (Greenville, SC)
High School Slam Dunk Champion
Carr might be the best athlete in the entirety of the ‘23 class.
Fittingly he has explosive potential just like his hops.
Carr will earn his minutes and potential role in the NBA from his defense.
His speed, leaping talent, height and length are a combination built to be a lockdown wing stopper.
He has a build everybody is always looking for.
Check out the clip below starting at 1:15 and watch him run the floor back on defense, turn & run all the way to throw down an alley oop all in 10 seconds.
Or check out 5:59, where Carr turns the ball over on a cross court pass and runs the length of the floor for a chasedown block in 3 seconds.
Jesus, this guy.
He is a lefty. Usually drives left. Will finish right handed if needed.
His jumper looks good but the release is definitely on the slower side.
Great potential as a rebounder.
If the jumper is real and consistent this man will be a perfect complimentary player and a terror on defense.

First Year Impact: Carr is the toughest projection for me. Watching his highlight tape you would think he would be the Top 10 overall 5 star recruit. Izzo will have a summer and fall full of practices to figure out his frontcourt. I think MSU’s best lineup (not in Big Ten play, but overall) could be a small one with Booker at 5 and Carr at 4 with Hoggard, Walker & Akins rounding out the backcourt. He could be a defensive anchor for next year’s team. If Carr can shoot the three well, I can see him stealing a starting spot from Malik Hall, Jaxon Kohler, or Mady Sissoko.

Gehrig Normand

6’6” Wing
Birdville (North Richland Hills, TX)
For the fourth ranked kid in the class Normand is still very talented.
Normand is a wing with real slashing skill and true shooting form.
Gehrig has vertical ability and is unafraid both on offense and defense to use it.
His handle is a little unrefined. If you dig deeper into tape he often dribbles into traffic out of control and turns the ball over.
His shooting form is strong in both catch and shoot opportunities and turnaround midrange jumpers.
On his AAU team Normand was asked to do more than he will for Sparty. His athleticism, cutting, and long range shooting will be what Izzo needs from him.

First Year Impact: Normand is coming off the bench as a freshman but he has an opportunity to earn a major role. Malik Hall, Jaden Akins, Jaxon Kohler, Booker, Carr, and Normand will all be battling for the minutes at the 3 and 4. When MSU goes small it will be between Hall, Carr and Normand for the 4 spot. The minutes might go on a game by game basis to whoever is contributing the most with their shooting, defense, and rebounding. Normand will have a chance this season, and he is set up to have a long career in East Lansing.

Overall Class Excitement Level: 5

Michigan State is the only 5 out of all 14 teams, and it is deserved. Put Normand on Minnesota, and he would be the most exciting recruit in their class. In this one, he is almost an afterthought. Carr is an electric athlete. Fears is a stud who will barely get minutes. Booker is a lottery pick level talent. This class elevates the Spartans to be a true National Championship contender again. That is level 5 excitement.

Nebraska

1 Commit – 13th Ranked Class in Big Ten

Eli Rice

6’7” Wing
IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
Originally from Hendersonville Beech, TN
Lefty!
Smooth shooter. Off the move, Catch and shoot, deep range, good at all of it.
His release takes some time.
Rice has an effective handle with both hands. Will finish with his right when needed.
Has some lift to his game. Throws down a handful of dunks and an occasional block.
His height, long arms, and skills will allow him to shift between different positions on the court.

First Year Impact: Eli Rice has the right makeup to fit into some of the 5-out, positionless ball Coach Hoiberg wants to play. Nebraska grabbed a couple of really good transfers who will likely eat up open starting spots. Rice will have his shot off the bench, and if he can play good defense and make shots he will earn some run. Players who do those things always do.

Overall Class Excitement Level: 1

Rice will technically be joined by redshirt Freshman- Ramel Lloyd Jr. Combined those two will be fun players for Nebraska. However, Coach Hoiberg prioritized getting old in the offseason. Grabbing vets like Brice Williams, Josiah Allick, and Rienk Mast will bolster the experienced returning players like Keisei Tominaga and CJ Wilcher. For now, the focus is on the transfers, not the recruits. In a few years, I might look back at this and feel stupid if Rice and Lloyd pop.

Wisconsin

3 Commits – 6th Ranked Class in Big Ten

Gus Yalden

6’8” F
La Lumiere School (La Porte, IN)
Yalden is a big body forward who is a utility knife of a player.
He is skilled with his back to the basket, can stretch the floor with three point range, and can put it on the floor when given space.
His skill set perfectly blends into the Wisconsin mold for their 4s
He seals his man extremely well when posting up
Crafty finisher around the basket.
Not the most athletic so he uses the rim to his advantage and does a lot of reverse layups to prevent block attempts.
Knows how to move off pick and rolls. Smart cutter.
Absolutely a threat as a pick and pop player. Loves the top of the key threes.
Worth noting Yalden has already noticeably dropped weight since this highlight tape.

First Year Impact: The “GusBus” is in a good spot to contribute in year one. He won’t start as Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl have the frontcourt locked up. He should get plenty of minutes as a reserve forward. I can easily see him packing a scoring punch for the Badgers off the bench.

Nolan Winter

6’10” big
Lakeville North (Lakeville, MN)
Long, lean and agile big
Runs up and down the floor well
Good hands on both rebounds and passes.
Will knockdown the midrange jumper
Good high release point and quick.
Shows potential to extend it to 3pt range
Can dribble a few times when needed. More of a three dribble type of player.
Is probably more comfortable weaving through the lane off a roll or a dribble than traditional back to basket stuff.
Shows some playmaking chops.
His arms are long enough that he should be a decent rim protector

First Year Impact: Winter fits that mold of a Wisconsin center. He is a tall white guy who is okay at most things and can shoot the three slightly below average. He will be great behind Steven Crowl!

John Blackwell

6’3” G
Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
I like Blackwell a lot.
He can do everything.
He is a strong and physical driver in one clip, and a carful probing driver in others.
Dribbles well with either hand.
Almost always goes right and definitely finishes with his right hand every time.
Very comfortable in pick and roll. Will use footwork, timing, and spacing to find lanes.
If one doesn’t open up, he can nail a midranger off the dribble.
His tape shows that he can knock down threes, but most of them are when he has time to set his feet, locate the hoop, catch and shoot.
Might not have as much time at the next level.
His basketball IQ pops. He knows how common sets/situations play out and waits until the right moment.

First Year Impact: Blackwell has a lot of competition in the backcourt. Chucky Hepburn, Connor Essegian, and Max Klesmit should be the starters. AJ Storr figures to either steal a spot or get heavy minutes as the 6th man. That leaves Blackwell to compete with Kamari McGee and Isaac Lindsey for what is left. I think Blackwell could still make an impact. His feel in pick and roll and penetration could be something that elevates him into a stable bench roll. Most likely Blackwell will see some action in the non-conference and then be out of the rotation by Big Ten play.

Overall Class Excitement Level: 3

This is a solid class for Wisconsin. Gard is sort of stealthily recruiting well. It might be the last year for Crowl and Wahl and in come Yalden and Winter as reinforcements ready to learn Wisconsin basketball. Blackwell fits into a talented and young future backcourt of Essegian and Storr. None of these guys are crazy exciting and the score reflects that, but it is the Badgers. All of these guys will turn into productive Big Ten players and they will help Wisconsin to finish in the top 4 over and over again. As is tradition.