Michigan basketball officially adds Papa Kante, George Washington III

On3 imageby:Chris Balas11/10/22

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Michigan head coach Juwan Howard officially added two more players to the U-M basketball family Thursday. Four-star shooting guard George Washington III and four-star forward Papa Kante both signed National Letters of Intent for the 2023-24 season after committing to the Wolverines in the last several weeks.

Howard is now officially allowed to talk about his recruits, and he couldn’t be happier.

“Papa and George are tremendous young men who are going to fit into our team and culture with ease,” he said in a release. “They come from wonderful families, who we really had a chance to get to know during the recruitment process. Both have a mind, and love, for the game, developing skill sets and the work ethic we like to see with players in our program.”

George Washington was once an Ohio State pledge

Washington III, a 6-2 combo guard out Louisville, Ky., will play for Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, Ohio, this season. His family moved there when his father, George Jr., accepted an assistant coaching position with the Dayton women’s basketball program. Many expected the former Ohio State commitment to play for the Flyers, but he had Michigan on his mind after a great visit.

Washington III thrived the last two seasons at Christian Academy of Louisville. He scored 1,346 points (23.6 ppg), made 136 three-pointers, and shot 91.1 percent at the free-throw line (328-for-360) in two seasons with the Centurions. He scored 23.4 points per game last year while grabbing 6.8 rebounds to lead his team to a 20-12 overall record, shooting 52.5 percent (244-for-464) from the field with 65 three-point field goals.

The talented scorer notched six games of 30-plus points and one of 40-plus with his career-high 45 in an 81-79 win over Bardstown (Jan. 8, 2022).

“George comes from a basketball family,” Howard said. “He is a coach’s son. With all of that, he has grown up around the game. He has that certain mindset for it. We like that.

“He is crafty and is a gifted shooter and scorer. He has a well-rounded game, and we can’t wait to see him suit up.”

Washington III played on the EYBL circuit with All-Ohio Red over the summer, averaging 13.5 points over his 13 game schedule. He capped the summer with 19 points against Team CP3 and Kentucky signee Robert Dillingham.

Papa Kante expects to learn from Michigan coach Juwan Howard

Kante, meanwhile, visited Michigan twice, most recently after U-M’s media day to take in a practice. He didn’t wait long to pledge.

The 6-10 big man, On3.com’s No. 36 senior nationally, is the fourth international player Howard has signed in his tenure. He joins Franz Wagner (2019-20; Germany), Moussa Diabate’ (2021-22; France) and Youssef Khayat (2022-23; Beirut) as international Wolverines.

The skilled big man came to the U.S. in 2019 and has been a force at the South Kent Prep School in Kent, Conn. He earned All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class AAA honorable mention honors as a junior after averaging 15.2 points and helping the Cardinals reach the semifinal of the NESPAC playoffs. He’s notched 19 games with 10-plus points in his career and four games of 20-plus, enjoying six games with 15-plus rebounds.

“We are looking forward to bringing Papa into the fold,” Howard said. “He has size, broad shoulders and the ideal frame that could have an impact right away. He is a strong rebounder and loves to block shots.

“As he continues to add strength and works on all the little details, his offensive game will grow. Coach (Raphael) Chillious runs a great program and is well known for developing his players for that next step.”

Kante has a 7-4 wingspan and is ahead of the curve defensively. He played with the N.Y. Rens on the 2022 EYBL circuit and averaged 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 13 games this summer. He posted four double figure games with a summer-best 17 against LivOn-Fleur De Lis in May.

Meeting his parents was a thrill, Howard said Thursday.

“It was great getting an opportunity to speak with them this summer and getting to see them eye-to-eye, face-to-face, more on FaceTime,” he said. “I haven’t had an opportunity to go out to Senegal yet, but I’m looking forward to getting a chance to fly out and meet the parents in person.

“You figure out ways to communicate. It’s not that hard. Papa was helping in a lot of ways, on both sides … me communicating with the parents, and the parents communicating with me.”

They’ll get many more opportunities over the next few years.

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