Wolverine Digest

Recruiting: Four-star center has Michigan basketball in 'Top 4' finalists

Dusty May and the Wolverines are hard at work on the recruiting trail as the 2024-25 season approaches...

Matt Lounsberry

U-M athletic director Warde Manuel presents a jersey to new men's basketball head coach Dusty May during an introductory press conference for Dusty May at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
U-M athletic director Warde Manuel presents a jersey to new men's basketball head coach Dusty May during an introductory press conference for Dusty May at Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Just under two months from the start of college basketball season, Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines remain active on the recruiting trail as the head coach's rebuild in Ann Arbor is set to begin.

May has already rebuilt the Wolverines' roster for the 2024-25 season, adding a plethora of transfers to form a group many believe can compete for an NCAA Tournament berth. However, the long-term success of May's regime will be determine by his ability to land high school talent.

On Wednesday, Michigan was included in another final group for a talented H.S. prospect, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy center Kareem Stagg. The Wolverines sit alongside Houston, Oklahoma State and Georgia in the battle for this 6-foot-8, 220-pounder.

Stagg is considered the No. 107 overall prospect, No. 18 center and No. 18 player from the state of Florida in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He's received 20 scholarship offers, with West Virginia, Missouri, Maryland, Georgetown and others involved, outside of his 'Top 4'. Here's what 247Sports' director of scouting Adam Finkelstein had to say about Stagg:

"Stagg's rate of improvement over the last year has been off the charts. He's blossomed from a burly big man to an inside-out threat. He is now cut-up and defined, but still powerful, and much more explosive athletically because of it. He's still broad and strong, but not so much that it limits his mobility. Stagg is an emphatic finisher, especially when he has a step to elevate, and also an increasingly effective rim protector who blocked 1.8 shots per game in the recent EYBL season. He runs the floor with similarly powerful strides, has soft hands, and a solid left hand as well.

"While Stagg has made great physical strides, his face-up skill set has also started to evolve in a significant way. He's now starting to show potential both as a rhythm shooter and when he puts the ball on the floor. The key here though is being able to expand his game without becoming less efficient. He clearly wants to play facing the basket now and has moments where he can try to do too much. Similarly, Stagg can settle for fade-aways and find himself off balance more than a player with his body type should.

"Defensively, Stagg is active, plays with a motor, and has versatile potential. He can body up with bigger players inside and is effective in sliding his feet laterally, but can still find himself slightly out of position at times. While he rates as a very good rim protector, his defensive rebounding numbers weren't quite as high-volume as expected, both in the EYBL Scholastic and EYBL seasons.

"Stagg is very young for his grade, and won't turn 18 until the end of August 2025. Given that and his rapid rate of improvement, it's very likely that his best basketball is still far in front of him. He's a physical specimen who could blossom into a highly versatile two-way force."

Michigan men's basketball will open its 2024-25 season on Nov. 4 when the Wolverines host Cleveland State at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

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Matt Lounsberry
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