Brandon McCoy Jr. is already forcing Michigan to think bigger about what this season can look like.
The five-star guard, the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Michigan men’s basketball this century, is expected to have a “big role” as a true freshman, Mike Boynton Jr. said Tuesday. That’s a notable lane for a newcomer on a roster that still has established pieces, but McCoy’s profile makes the idea easy to buy.
“He's probably different - in terms of the collective skill and athleticism that he has - than anybody we've had the last two years, to be honest,” Boynton Jr. said of McCoy. “Just the size.
He's 6-6. He's got a seven-foot wingspan.
He rebounds it as well as anybody that we've probably coached here other than Morez in the last two years. But he's a guard, so it'll look different.
He's really smart; he's competitive; he's unselfish; and he's a winner - he's a three-time gold medalist already at his young age. So he's going to bring some pop and some experience to us.”
McCoy, a combo guard from Chatsworth, Calif., has built that reputation on more than just recruiting buzz. He owns gold medals with U.S. youth teams at the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship, the FIBA Under-17 World Cup and the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Earlier this summer, he climbed four spots to No. 10 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, which made him the highest-rated high school recruit Michigan has signed in the 21st century.
The scouting report matches the hype. 247Sports analyst Adam Finkelstein wrote that “McCoy has evolved into one of the most physically imposing guards in the class.” Finkelstein pointed to McCoy’s size, strength and length, along with the way he gets downhill.
“He has good size at just under 6-foot-5, a now powerful build after putting on notable muscle mass within the last year, long arms with an almost 6-foot-10 wingspan, and a combination of speed and power with the basketball that allows him to attack the rim violently in the open floor.”
Finkelstein also highlighted McCoy’s defense.
“McCoy is also one of the very best defenders in the class. His size, length, and strength are all assets but most of all he's competitive with a high-motor. He can guard multiple positions and simultaneously pressure the ball, but is also a playmaker off the ball.”
Michigan beat out Duke, Alabama, Arkansas and Miami for McCoy, who became the centerpiece of the Wolverines’ fourth-ranked high school recruiting class. That group also includes fellow McDonald’s All-American Quinn Costello, along with Lincoln Cosby, Joseph Hartman, Malachi Brown and 7-foot-3 Danish prospect Marcus Moller.
Even with starting point guard Elliot Cadeau back and rising sophomore Trey McKenney in line for a larger role, McCoy should still carve out real minutes. Boynton Jr. said it’s too early to map the rotation in detail, and Michigan could still add another guard, but the freshman’s path will start to become clearer during the team’s three overseas exhibition games in Lithuania and Croatia.
Michigan plans to use that trip to test combinations and see which lineups click behind a projected top four of Cadeau, McKenney, Tennessee transfer forward J.P. Estrella and Cincinnati transfer center Moustapha Thiam.
“Those four guys give you a lot of confidence, at least, that you're going to have a really competitive top end of the roster,” Boynton Jr. said. “And then the other guys just haven't proven it yet.
We believe in them. We believe in Oscar Goodman, who's been in our program for two years.
We believe in Ricky Liburd, who's been here a year, working his butt off learning our system. We believe in the guys who haven't yet practiced with us, and McCoy and Costello, even the guys who probably aren't expected to do as much at this point. ...
The trip to Europe, which we'll take in about a month, will give us a little bit more of a peek into what they can do under the lights.”
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