Another talented recruit has shown interest in joining the Michigan Wolverines basketball program, as 2022 four-star small forward and Grand Blanc native Ty Rodgers named Michigan in his top nine list in a recent tweet.
— Ty Rodgers (@Ty_rodgers20) September 2, 2021
247Sports’ Crystal Ball projected Rodgers to come to Ann Arbor, as the talented recruit is ranked 15th among small forwards, 51st among all recruits, and has amassed offers from Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan.
Rodgers helped lead Grand Blanc to the state championship last season, averaging close to a double-double (17.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game) in the 2020-21 season.
In a video made after his sophomore year, Ant Wright compared Rodgers to Jayson Tatum, which makes more sense every time you watch him. Not only do they both rock some gnarly side burns, but both Tatum and Rodgers make quick moves to the basket without much flash, finish through contact and can make defenders pay with a quick pull-up.
Rodgers has pro potential written all over him, as he is always in control when you watch him; he’s dictating the pace, he’s talking on defense, he’s finding the open man in transition.
As talented of a scorer as he is, he can be unselfish on offense, as at Grand Blanc he has shown he’s willing to be a cog in the offensive scheme. When he has the ball, he makes one quick move—usually a crossover—before attacking the middle of the paint and finishing with either hand through contact.
Rodgers has incredible hops, finishing off one or two feet and making the highlight play after being on the finishing end of alley-oops.
Rodgers also shows a commitment to defense, using his athleticism and quick feet to stop defenders from getting to where they want to go. A perfect example of this is in the clip below, from the 10-second mark to the 26-second mark.
Rodgers creates a turnover simply by moving his feet and reading the hips of his defender, staying in a stance for 15 seconds, reading the screen and not letting the ball handler breath before creating getting his team the ball.
He has a smooth jumper and shows a decent pull-up at Grand Blanc. Like many high school prospects, his release is a little low and close to his face, but it goes in and he gets it off quickly.
Rodgers is extremely talented, and would be a great fit with the Wolverines. He could excel in transition with Frankie Collins or Kobe Bufkin running the point, and I’d love to see how he looks navigating a pick-and-roll with fellow 2022 recruit Tarris Reed Jr.
As he has shown in high school, he can dominate the ball and take command of the pace, but can also go with the flow and use his vision and high basketball I.Q. to help find his teammates.
If Rodgers continues to gradually improve, he has the potential to be a lottery pick sooner than later. Michigan fans should hope the four-star recruit decides to stay close to home and comes to Ann Arbor.