INSIDE THE FORT, Part I: Michigan basketball recruiting

Another portal entry has emerged, and this one also has strong ties to Michigan … this time, to new assistant Justin Joyner. Will St. Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney follow Joyner to Michigan? And what’s the latest with Connor Essegian and other potential visitors?

First things first — we still believe big man Vladislav Goldin is very likely to join Dusty May at Michigan, and so does everyone else. So … what’s the hold up?

We’re not sure, but there’s likely a number (“salary”) they need to hit to make it work. We know Michigan has been playing from behind with NIL in football, so it stands to reason there’s probably more work to do for hoops. But May isn’t making excuses … just the opposite, in fact. During the dead period, he took at least four separate trips not for recruiting, but to meet donors and try to round up NIL cash.

That’s how committed he is to this, and how badly he wants to win in year one. He’s assembled an outstanding cast of recruiters to join him — guys with ties to players in the portal now and who have been in the game a long time with others — and we believe it will pay off.

Some, for example, believe St. Mary’s guard Mahaney, a recent portal addition, will follow new assistant Joyner to Michigan. Mahaney started 60 games in two seasons and averaged 2.3 3-point field goals per game on 37.5 percent shooting, averaging 13.4 points per game as a First-Team All-WCC selection.

Mahaney had worked with Joyner since middle school before joining him at St. Mary’s. May is being selective, however — he recently canceled a few other targets’ visits — and the source who broke the Mahaney to the portal news told us, “I don’t think Mahaney is done. Other schools are going to throw a bunch of money at him to try to turn his head.”

We’ll see where it leads, but we’d expect Michigan to be heavily involved, at the very least.

We do know Oakland U.’s Trey Townsend enjoyed his Michigan visit “very much,” and that he thinks very highly of May. He’s got other visits scheduled, but it’s clear U-M is a major player here — ditto late 2024 signee Justin Pippen, who would join the program this summer if he signed. May has said he wants a mix of preps and portal, and he’s working hard to make that happen. Former pledge Khani Rooths is another he’s put in the work with, and they’ve made progress.

One who won’t be at Michigan this fall — Wisconsin’s Essegian. Michigan has different priorities at this point, May informed him, and is proceeding with the understanding that he is very (very, very) strong with some other prospects at the position.

Watch for more on these and other potential developments in the days and weeks to come …

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