Michigan lands top international recruit Goodman
-
Jonathan Givony, ESPN
Top international basketball prospect Oscar Goodman has committed to the Michigan Wolverines, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-8, 17-year-old power forward from Opunake, New Zealand, has been developing at the NBA Global Academy in Australia, where he has built a reputation as one of the most coveted international players committing to the college route in the class of 2025.
Goodman burst onto NBA radars at this past summer’s FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, where he led New Zealand to a historic fourth-place finish, losing to the USA in the semifinals. He was named to the All-Tournament First-Team after averaging 17.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Goodman was also named MVP of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in 2023.
Goodman’s combination of skill, feel for the game, physicality, and versatility operating inside and out should allow him to play different roles for Michigan head coach Dusty May, who was hired from Florida Atlantic last March. Goodman marks Michigan’s first major foray back into the international recruiting market since German wing Franz Wagner committed to Juwan Howard in 2019.
“I chose Michigan because of how Coach May saw me fitting into their play style,” Goodman told ESPN. “I really liked the ‘we do everything for each other’ environment. I was big on having great team chemistry and could tell all the guys enjoyed being around each other.”
Goodman says he plans on representing New Zealand again this summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland.
This is Michigan’s second commitment in the class of 2025, after 6-foot-7 Prolific Prep wing Winters Grady, one of the best shooters in the class, announced he selected the Wolverines last week.
The NBA Academy program has become a hot spot for draft prospects in recent years, with the likes of Josh Giddey (No. 6 pick, 2021 NBA draft), Bennedict Mathurin (No. 6 pick, 2022), Dyson Daniels (No. 8 pick, 2022) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper going through the program, as well as projected top-10 pick Khaman Maluach, who is currently enrolled at Duke.
