The phrase recruiting philosophy is thrown around a ton in college basketball.

Fans and media members alike love trying to decipher what a coaching staff's recruiting

philosophy is, especially like head coach Joanne Howard, someone who comes from the NBA,

no previous college experience, getting his first chance to recruit a class.

We all followed along last season as Coach Howard worked from behind in a really

impressive way, wooing four strong freshmen, including three top 100 recruits, to

Ann Arbor for that initial class.

But due to a couple of other high-profile near misses, the perception of the class to some felt hollow, at least a lot

hollower than it was thought to be at times. But that process, recruiting for legit freshmen

and getting close on many others, even beyond the big two that Michigan missed out on, all that

foreshadowed what we saw get finalized last week.

Juan Howard and the staff he brought in have big time recruiting Accumen.

When asked, Coach Howard hasn't really given a firm answer on what his quote unquote philosophy is when recruiting, because ultimately that's not what matters.

Accumann is what resonates.

Results are what resonate, knowing how to

appeal to young adults and their families as they are making their most important decision to that

point. It's easy to get caught up in the rankings, in the stars, and in the broad philosophy of recruiting.

But the reality is, each recruiting process, each recruit, each individual is its own story.

And from all accounts, Joanne Howard has used the core principles he preaches on the court

and off in this program, family, culture, Michigan, to bring in some highly regarded young men.

Now, of course, we don't know how the careers of these six signies, along with this year's four

freshmen, will turn out, but recruiting is an incredibly vital part of college basketball.

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