The University of Michigan parted ways with head coach and favored son Juwan Howard and now we’re starting to see some of the immediate repercussions.
The Wolverines lost freshman guard George Washington III to the transfer portal on Sunday but a bigger domino fell on Monday afternoon.
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The team leader in points and assists, point guard Dug McDaniel was (mostly) a bright spot on a bad team that set the program record in losses, having gone 8-24 in 2023-24. Before even waiting to see who his new head coach may be, McDaniel decided it’s time for a change of scenery, as it was revealed he’s entering the transfer portal.
NEWS: Michigan guard Dug McDaniel has entered the transfer portal, per @JamieShaw5. ⁰⁰The 5-11 sophomore averaged 16.3 PTS & 4.7 AST this season. https://t.co/rzZr73gGuq pic.twitter.com/EizHXMPcCy
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 18, 2024
McDaniel, as noted, led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game, and in assists with 4.7 points per game. He did, however, find himself in some hot water this year as he got into some academic trouble, which led to him being suspended for road games for the bulk of the latter half of the season. While he climbed out of it and ended up starting on the road in the final two games away from Crisler Center, certainly that could have played a role in his departure.
McDaniel has two years of eligibility remaining after being thrown to the wolves in his freshman year. With incumbent starter Frankie Collins transferring to Arizona State following his own freshman campaign, the presumed starter at point guard was Princeton transfer Jaelin Llewellyn, who ended up having an early-season-ending injury which thrust McDaniel into the starting role. He thrived in spots, but also struggled mightily with turning the ball over.
As of yet, Michigan has no head coaches lined up for interviews and will likely see more attrition before things get settled.