Michigan offers fast-rising 2023 four-star PF Zayden High after impressive weekend performance

Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines have been hot on the recruiting, with their latest offer going to 2023 four-star power forward Zayden High.

High played incredible during a couple Nike EYBL games in Orlando last weekend, putting up 31 points in one game and 27 points in another for JL3 Elite Basketball.

Hailing from Spring Branch, Texas, and playing high school ball at Smithson Valley High School, High is not yet ranked on the 247Sports composite, but he’ll likely be there at some point in the near future.

A top-150 recruit coming in as the 13th ranked recruit in his class, High has secured a number of offers from solid D1 programs, including Alabama, Arkansas, Houston, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

“I want to go to a school where I can work hard and fit in,” High said to Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports last month. “I want to play for a good coaching staff who is going to stay on me. Obviously, I want to be a winner so I feel that is part of what it would take to win.”

At 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds, High can handle the ball and shoot like a guard, while also providing length and energy on defense. He has the versatility to play multiple positions well in Ann Arbor.

He’s incredibly skilled on the offensive end and seems okay with playing a number of roles. He can be a spot-up shooter and make threes off the catch, or make a quick move and make a nice mid-range shot with a smooth shooting stroke.

You can tell by the way he plays he likely grew up being a guard and went through a recent growth spurt. He has the vision of a guard with a nice handle and does a great job finding guards who cut off him, especially when he’s pivoting near the free throw line.

High plays with great energy on the defensive end and, showed in the video above, can protect the rim with good instincts and great length to challenge guys at the rim.

He has proved when he needs to take over the game at the high school level, he can. In this close district game below, with knuckleheads in the student section harassing him the entire time, he stayed calm, finding the open man, before driving to the cup and finishing through contact to secure the victory for his squad.

His versatility, three-point stroke and passing ability alone make him a great fit at Michigan. Kobe Bufkin could be an excellent cutter off of him, he could play a great inside-out game with Tarris Reed and if Michigan wanted to go small and space the floor, him and Will Tschetter could give the Wolverines a frontcourt that’s proficient from behind the arc.

High’s stock is only going to get higher — pun very much intended — as this summer goes along and he plays against more talented prospects. If he picks to come to Ann Arbor, he could at the very least be a good stretch 4 off the bench with the potential to grow into one of Michigan’s best players in a few short years.