Tag: michigan-basketball

Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin get selected in USA TODAY NBA mock draft

Will be interesting to see where both end up. #GoBlue

Michigan basketball took a massive hit to its roster this spring.

The Wolverines lost both Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin to the NBA draft, and Michigan somehow lost Hunter Dickinson to the transfer portal.

Juwan Howard and Co. have done a good job landing players via the portal though. The Wolverines have landed three players, one being former five-star guard Caleb Love who left North Carolina.

While the departures of all three players could be debated, it’s hard to tell both Howard and Bufkin not to go into the draft if they both get selected in the first round for a guaranteed contract.

USA TODAY came out with its first mock draft on Friday, and both Howard and Bufkin were listed in the first round. In the article, Jeff Zillgitt has players listed 1-30 with no teams, in particular, picking the players.

He has Howard going 14th, the last selection in the lottery. Bufkin goes late in the first round, 26th.

Howard played one season in Ann Arbor and averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and two assists per game last season. Bufkin played two seasons at Michigan, but he really impressed this past season as a sophomore. He averaged nine points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2022.

Time will tell, and mocks will keep coming out before the NBA draft happens. Stay tuned.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f1jz1vgtfhzk6ner image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Michigan basketball lands second transfer commit on Friday

Some needed depth and experience.

Friday brought joy to the Michigan basketball fan base.

The big get for the maize and blue was North Carolina transfer Caleb Love. The former five-star guard selected Michigan over Missouri.

The Wolverines have solid guard choices going into next season with Dug McDaniel and Love at the helm. It’s still possible the Wolverines get Jaelin Llewellyn back, too.

The Love commitment may have overshadowed another transfer commitment headed to Ann Arbor.

Former Seton Hall forward Tray Jackson committed to Michigan on Friday, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. Jackson is coming to Ann Arbor as a graduate transfer.

Jackson is a Detroit native who began his college career at Missouri. He  transferred from the Tigers and played the last three seasons with Seton Hall.

The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds last season for the Pirates. According to the On3 transfer portal rankings, Jackson was listed as a three-star and the 191st-ranked player in the portal.

Jackson figures to battle for backup minutes this winter for the maize and blue.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Michigan basketball gets giant transfer from former 5-star

This is HUGE! #GoBlue

Juwan Howard has tended to be rather active in the NCAA transfer portal.

Not long after he arrived in 2019, Howard was in need of finding a point guard replacement for Zavier Simpson, and that’s brought in Columbia point guard Mike Smith. The following year, again in need of a point guard, Howard brought in Coastal Carolina guard DeVante’ Jones last year, in the same predicament, he sought out, Princeton, Jaelin Llewellyn.

This off-season, they’ve already seen a slew of departures, thus Howard has been active in the portal once again. He brought in former high profile target, Nimari Burnett, who is on his third school now after originally committing to Texas Tech, and then transferring to Alabama.

Now Howard has gotten a real big fish via the portal, again bringing in a man running the show. Announcing on his Twitter account, former five-star in North Carolina point guard Caleb Love has committed to Michigan.

As a recruit, Love was rated the No. 7 prospect in the country according to 247Sports, and the top-rated point guard in the 2020 class. While Llewellyn has yet to announce his intention, Michigan at least now has a couple options at point guard between Love And Dug McDaniel, who started much of the 2022–23 season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=1391]

Michigan basketball guard selects transfer destination

Best of luck to him.

His Michigan career didn’t go as planned for former four-star guard Isaiah Barnes.

After arriving as part of the 2021 class, the shooting guard played in 17  games (two in 2021-22 and 15 in 2022-23). Unlike some of his peers, he never became even a rotation piece. Thus, Barnes decided to look for greener pastures elsewhere.

After averaging 1.1 points in 6.1 minutes per game with Michigan, Barnes opted not to stay in the Power Five. According to his Instagram, Barnes has committed to transfer to Tulsa, where he’ll have three years of eligibility with the Golden Hurricane.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqtuiLTt110/?igshid=ZjE2NGZiNDQ=

Barnes is one of many departures from this past season’s Michigan basketball team. Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin are departing for the NBA draft. Barnes and star center Hunter Dickinson are leaving via the NCAA transfer portal.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=1391]

Michigan basketball in the mix for former five-star in transfer portal

This would be huge! #GoBlue

Juwan Howard is generally quite aggressive in the NCAA transfer portal, and he already brought in one relatively big name this cycle. Combo guard Nimari Burnett, a former four-star, came aboard from Alabama via Texas Tech. Could another big name be in the mix?

Having entered the NCAA transfer portal from North Carolina, point guard Caleb Love is a hot commodity on the open market. Originally in the class of 2020, Love was rated the No. 14 prospect in the class. He was a five-star, the No. 2 point guard nationally and the top player from the state of Missouri.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Michigan basketball is in the mix for Love, along with hometown school Mizzou.

Point guard is one position Michigan basketball has been particularly aggressive for in the portal under Howard. After spending his first year with incumbent starter Zavier Simpson, Howard brought in Mike Smith from Columbia to lead the charge for a season. In 2021-22, he relied on former Coastal Carolina point guard De’Vante Jones for a season. This past season, he nabbed Princeton transfer Jaelin Llewellyn, but Llellyn suffered a season-ending injury early in the year.

In 2022-23, Love averaged 16.7 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Having a player of his caliber who could score would be a big boon as Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin both entered the NBA draft (though either could potentially return to the team) while star center Hunter Dickinson entered into the NCAA transfer portal.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=1391]

Kobe Bufkin makes NBA draft decision

Man, Michigan is losing a ton.

It may have been a telling sign when Hunter Dickinson shockingly entered the transfer portal on Friday, but the Wolverines lost another star on Sunday afternoon.

Sophomore Kobe Bufkin announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility at Michigan and declare for the NBA draft.

Bufkin had a solid year for Michigan, averaging 14 points per game and becoming a solid go-to scorer for the maize and blue down the stretch.

The maize and blue already lost freshman Jett Howard, who entered the draft. With the loss of both Dickinson and Bufkin, Michigan will be without a significant chunk of its offense for next session.

Michigan has added Alabama transfer Nimari Burnett, who started his career at Texas Tech. Even after adding the former top-40 prospect, Juwan Howard has a great deal of work ahead of him to field a competitive team next season.

The Wolverines are also actively looking in the transfer portal and hoping to get Jaelin Llewelyn and Joey Baker back next season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Juwan Howard reacts to Hunter Dickinson entering NCAA transfer portal

Such a bummer. #GoBlue

Michigan basketball received unexpected bad news on Friday, one day after getting great news.

With it appearing that shooting guard Kobe Bufkin is NBA draft-bound, the Wolverines brought in Nimari Burnett. The combo guard was ranked No. 34 nationally in his recruiting class and was once upon a time the maize and blue’s top recruiting target. He originally spurned Michigan for Texas Tech before transferring to Alabama.

With Burnett in the fold, it appeared Michigan was on solid footing entering the 2023-24 season — if everything else remained the same.

That optimism didn’t last long.

In a shock, star center Hunter Dickinson, the team’s centerpiece the past three seasons, entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard issued a statement lamenting the news while remembering the good times Dickinson brought to Ann Arbor.

“Today is bittersweet,” Howard said. “While Hunter Dickinson’s departure is unfortunate, there are so many reasons to be thankful for and celebrate. This young man has accomplished so much in his three seasons. Statistics aside, Hunter helped us to a Big Ten title, back-to-back Sweet 16s, as well as a memorable Elite Eight run. These are memories that will last a lifetime. What I love most is he was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, twice. That says so much about his character and maturity. As much as I tried to instill in him, he was a guide and inspiration for me. We wish Hunter and his family all the best in the future.”

With Dickinson gone, Michigan will either stand pat with Tarris Reed taking over his role or seek more depth in the transfer portal.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Michigan basketball player makes shocking entry into transfer portal

What???

We knew it was going to be a crazy offseason for Michigan basketball.

The Wolverines already lost Jett Howard to the NBA draft and there is plenty of speculation that Kobe Bufkin may follow him. That may ring even more true after startling news on Friday.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Hunter Dickinson has entered the transfer portal. While nobody knows the reason for this shocking development just yet, he may not want to play on a rebuilding team for his senior year. If Bufkin leaves with Howard, then Michigan would lose two of its top three players from a year ago.

Dickinson played three seasons in Ann Arbor and absolutely dominated the Big Ten. He averaged over 18 points per game the past two seasons and was an All-American in 2021.

Michigan has some work to do in the transfer portal, and it may want to try to get Dickinson to reconsider.

We will update you when more information comes our way.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

Michigan basketball gets high-profile commitment from transfer

It took awhile, but #Michigan finally got him! #GoBlue

If at first you don’t succeed, try again. And again.

Such is the case for Michigan basketball who lost out on a prized recruit in the 2020 cycle, the first full cycle where Juwan Howard was the head coach. Chicago (Ill.) Prolific Prep four-star combo guard Nimari Burnett was long looked at as a Wolverines lean, yet he opted for Texas Tech, which was coming off of an incredible season in its own right. He later transferred to Alabama, but entered the NCAA transfer portal.

This time around, Howard got his man, as the former No. 34 player in the country announced he will be finishing his career in Ann Arbor.

Burnett’s commitment certainly softens the blow on shooting guard Kobe Bufkin’s expected departure for the NBA draft.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jett Howard makes his NBA decision

Bummer. Best of luck to him in the NBA!

Jett Howard, the son of Juwan Howard, was a big get for Michigan basketball in 2022. Howard was a four-star recruit out of IMG Academy and was the 43rd-ranked prospect in the country.

Michigan was hoping to keep the trio of Hunter Dickinson, Kobe Bufkin, and Howard intact for next season, but it appears the Wolverines will be losing at least one.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Howard has announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility at Michgian and head to the NBA after one season. 

Howard, like most of the Wolverines, had their ups and downs this past season. He averaged 14.2 points per game and was Michigan’s second-leading scorer behind Hunter Dickinson. What NBA scouts love about Howard is his knockdown shooting ability from 3. While he can be streaky, when Howard gets hot — he’s on. He shot 36% from 3 this past season.

Howard is the 16th-ranked NBA prospect according to ESPN and he said this year was what he needed. Plus, his dad helped him make his decision a little easier without putting pressure on him.

“This was a great learning year for me,” Howard told ESPN. “It’s what I needed. It taught me how to play within a pro style offense and be effective, to get out of my comfort zone, and play with other good players.

“He said it without saying it; it might be time for you to go,” Howard said (on his father). “This was easy, for him to let go. He asked around and came to the consensus that I should leave.

Howard is still rehabbing the ankle injury that sidelined him for some of the season, but he should make a full recovery to conduct training sessions with NBA teams.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]