4-Star Michigan Basketball Target Chooses Ohio State Over Wolverines

Dusty May and the Wolverines swung big at one of the top prospects in the state of the Ohio, but the hometown Buckeyes won out in the end...

Matt Lounsberry | Jul 2, 2024

U-M's new men's basketball head coach Dusty May speaks during introductory press conference at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Michigan Wolverines

New Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May has brought excitement back to the hardwood in Ann Arbor after being hired on March 23, quickly flipping much of the Wolverines' roster in preparation for the 2024-25 season.

As May's rebuild continues, however, Michigan is still seeking its first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class after missing out on one of its top targets. On Monday, Cleveland (Ohio) Richmond Heights shooting guard Dorian Jones, the No. 72 overall prospect in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings, gave his verbal commitment to Ohio State, choosing the home-state Buckeyes over fellow finalists Michigan, Rutgers and Missouri. At 6-foot-4 and 160 pounds, Jones is considered the No. 12 shooting guard and No. 2 player from the state of Ohio in the 2025 class.

After May was able to land former Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr. out of the transfer portal this offseason, it would have been another coup had the head coach stolen one of the top 2025 prospects in the Buckeye State from under OSU's nose. Alas, it was not meant to be, and the Wolverines will have to turn their attention to other top targets which include five-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy point guard Darius Acuff Jr., five-star Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry small forward Koa Peat, five-star Atlanta (Ga.) point guard Meleek Thomas and four-star Greenfield (Ind.) Central shooting guard Braylon Mullins, among others.

May was hired by Michigan following a disastrous finish to the Juwan Howard era in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines went 8-24 in 2023-24, the worst win-loss record in program history. May comes to U-M after six seasons as head coach at Florida Atlantic. The 47-year-old led the Owls to the Final Four in 2022-23, and back to the NCAA Tournament last season where they suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Northwestern.

After arriving in Ann Arbor, May went to work on Michigan's roster. The Wolverines added guards Durral Brooks, Lorenzo Cason and Justin Pippen from the 2024 recruiting class, while digging into the portal to land five more players in addition to Gayle — guards Tre Donaldson (Auburn) and Rubin Jones (North Texas), forward Sam Walters (Alabama) and centers Danny Wolf (Yale) and Vladislav Goldin (Florida Atlantic). Michigan also returns a pair of veterans in guard Nimari Burnett and forward Will Tschetter from last year's squad.

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