Michigan basketball received its first high school commitment under new coach Dusty May, and it comes from the son of an NBA legend.
Justin Pippen, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, Calif., pledged to the Wolverines on Friday, becoming the second member of Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class.
He is the youngest son of Scottie Pippen, a Hall of Famer who helped the Chicago Bulls win six championships during a 17-year NBA career that included stops in Portland and Houston. Justin is also the younger brother of Scotty Pippen Jr., a second-year guard with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Pippen made his college decision after visiting Ann Arbor last weekend and quickly developing a relationship with Michigan’s staff. His other finalists were Cal, Florida, Stanford and Texas A&M.
“I loved it,” Pippen said on the 247Sports’ YouTube channel of his visit. “The coaches were great to me. They showed me a lot of hospitality. They gave me really good pitches. They see me coming in as a player that can impact the floor right away. I’m excited to get to work.”
Much like his father and brother, Justin Pippen was a late bloomer who emerged late in high school. He went from being an unranked prospect to one of the fastest-rising recruits in the nation during a breakout senior season.
“They both told me to keep working, keep my head down, focus on the main thing and eventually it’ll all pay off,” said Pippen, who credited weightlifting and becoming more mature on the court for the leap in his game.
Pippen is rated a four-star prospect and a top-110 recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings. 247Sports, though, has him ranked as the No. 62 overall recruit and No. 9 combo guard in the nation.
Pippen joins Michigan’s Mr. Basketball Durral Brooks in the Wolverines’ incoming class, which took a hit over the last month. Two 2024 prospects — four-star point guard Christian Anderson Jr. and four-star wing Khani Rooths — decommitted from Michigan and reopened their recruitments after the firing of Juwan Howard and hiring of May.
Scottie Pippen through the years
But less than four weeks into his tenure, May made his first roster addition and sealed the deal with Pippen.
“I like to get my teammates involved. I’m a playmaker,” Pippen said. “I shoot the ball really well. I’m definitely a two-way player and I take pride on the defensive end.
“I’m a winner … and I’m going to push my teammates to be the best that they can be.”
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