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Publication: Michigan Daily, , University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI
As the dust settled following Monday morning’s news that John Beilein would leave Michigan to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wolverines’ recruits waited for a phone call.
They — like the rest of the basketball world, and according to reports, those in and around the program — had no idea this was coming.
“I was just shocked,” Jalen Wilson, a 2019 commit, told The Daily. “Right now I’m just evaluating everything. I haven’t asked for a release or anything like that. I’m just looking at the situation and seeing how everything’s gonna fall out.”
Wilson, a four-star forward and top-50 player per 247Sports’ composite ranking, affirmed his commitment to Michigan, saying assistant coaches Luke Yaklich and Saddi Washington both called him for reassurance on Monday afternoon. He also talked with Cole Bajema, the Wolverines’ other 2019 commit, who he said has no plans to back out as of now.
Still, that may ultimately depend on who Michigan ends up hiring — a question whose answer seems uncertain as the aftershocks hit Ann Arbor. Yaklich and Washington can affirm Wilson’s commitment for now, but, though both have been floated as potential candidates for the job, neither know what their own futures hold. Wilson, for his part, said he wants the Wolverines to hire, “Someone who I know, at least. Having a random head coach is not an ideal...