Michigan basketball: Papa Kante ready to announce, and an international visitor
Michigan basketball is still looking for its first class of 2023 pledge, but it could be coming soon. South Kent (Conn.) big man Papa Kante, On3.com’s No. 32 ranked senior nationally, is set to announce Thursday at 6 p.m. after an outstanding weekend visit.
RELATED: Michigan basketball recruiting – Papa Kante on campus, more
Howard made Kante his priority early in the process, never letting up even when other programs turned up the heat. That went a long way with Kante, who loved the personal attention from a coach who played in the NBA and has already won championships at Michigan.
We spotted him at the Michigan basketball practice following media day.
“I talk with Coach Juwan Howard. I have a great relationship with coach Howard; he’s texting me after every game and before games, good game or bad game,” Kante said in August. “I still talk to him now, even though I’m back home (in Senegal, Africa). I talked to [former Michigan big man] Moussa Diabaté on the phone during my visit there. He was at pre-draft and told me how Michigan helped him to get better Coach Howard played in the league for 20 years and knows what’s takes to get there.
“They say they’re going to play me like they did Moussa or like Bam Adebayo. They said they’re going to let me shoot it, and they keep telling me how they will put me in a great position to succeed in life.”
On3 insider Jamie Shaw put the odds at 75 percent for Michigan. We’ll go even higher, and believe Kante will leave a Wolverine.
“Michigan head coach Juwan Howard made Kante a priority from the start,” Shaw wrote last week. “He took a personal interest in the big man, and it has made an impression. The visit went well, and the style of play and development intrigues Kante.”
Michigan to host 2023 Australian
Michigan is going international again in search of more talent to add to its roster. Australian Alex Toohey, a 6-8 forward with interest from Gonzaga and others, will visit Oct. 20, we’ve confirmed.
From GonzagaBulletin.com:
Toohey has also received interest from schools like Duke, Villanova, Michigan, Florida, Illinois and West Coast Conference (WCC) rival Saint Mary’s.
Seeing the Gaels in the mix is no surprise, considering 21-year head coach Randy Bennett is a well-known international recruiter. Not to mention, Toohey knows a few players on Saint Mary’s from attending the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pounder recently played at the 2022 Australian Under 20 Championships where he helped the Australian Capital Territory achieve a fourth-place finish. He averaged 16.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.3 assist and 4.0 steals for his team.
Toohey led the tournament in assists as he served in more of a playmaking role than a typical forward. He also displayed an ability to score efficiently, making 47% of his shots.
We’ll have more on Toohey and Michigan recruiting later this week.
