Tag: Michigan basktball

Jett Howard, Kobe Bufkin receive NBA draft green room invites

Awesome that they both will be attendance on a special night!

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported on Tuesday there were 19 players who received invites to attend the NBA draft green room. Which means players will be in attendance for the 2023 NBA draft on June 22.

Two of the players invited are Michigan basketball players, Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard. The 19 players invited are the top 19 projected picks in the draft  in June. While it’s never a guaranteed thing, chances are high for both Bufkin and Howard to be first-round selections in the draft.

Bufkin left school after his breakout sophomore campaign last season. He averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 2022. Bufkin became a go-to scorer for the maize and blue down the stretch.

Howard was a one-and-done player at Michigan. The freshman averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and two assists per game with the Wolverines. Howard played in 29 games due to injuries hampering him.

Each player is allowed to invite 10 people to sit with them in the green room.

The 19 players invited to the green room:

Victor Wembanyama

Brandon Miller

Scoot Henderson

Amen Thompson

Ausar Thompson

Cameron Whitmore

Jarace Walker

Anthony Black

Taylor Hendricks

Gradey Dick

Bilal Coulibaly

Cason Wallace

Nick Smith

Dereck Lively II

Kobe Bufkin

Jalen Hood-Schifino

Jett Howard

Jordan Hawkins

Keyonte George

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A top 2024 Michigan basketball target set to make college decision on Saturday

Let’s get him!

The situation was looking bad for Michigan basketball.

Not only did the Wolverines lose their top three scorers from a season ago, but the maize and blue also lost their biggest transfer acquisition, Caleb Love, a few weeks ago after there was an issue with admissions. To top it off, it sounded as if the Wolverines were going to miss on Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua when he reportedly eliminated Michigan from contention.

But the Wolverines ended up landing the Finland native in shocking fashion when Nkamhoua announced his commitment to Michigan as a graduate transfer.

Could more good basketball news be on the way for the maize and blue this weekend?

On3’s Joe Tipton reported on Thursday that top Michigan target, John Bol plans to announce his college decision at noon ET on Saturday.

Bol has been considering Wake Forest, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Texas, UConn, USC and the G League. He has visited three schools in person: Michigan, Missouri and Florida for visits.

The 7-foot-2 center is listed as the 23rd-ranked player in the country according to 247Sports composite. He is a high four-star recruit and the third-best center in the 2024 cycle.

Michigan has two point guards committed in the 2024 class, so Bol would be a big get for Howard and Michigan.

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Could Michigan basketball land another former five-star recruit?

Would be a HUGE get! #GoBlue

Michigan basketball continues to fill out its roster for next season.

The Wolverines have already landed three transfers. One of which is Caleb Love, a combo guard from North Carolina. Love is a former five-star prospect who has the ability to create his own shot while getting others involved.

Apparently, Juwan Howard is trying to find more scoring options via the transfer portal.

On Tuesday, a former five-star and a top-25 player out of the 2021 recruiting class entered the transfer portal. Junior Matthew Cleveland entered the portal after spending two seasons with Florida State.

Michigan was a finalist to land Matthew in 2021, but he signed with the ‘Noles.

Joe Tipton tweeted that Michigan, along with several other schools, has already reached out to the 6-foot-7 wing.

Cleveland led FSU in scoring last season with 13.8 points per game. He also brought down 7.4 rebounds and tallied 1.8 assists per game in 2022-23. The former five-star has the ability to knock down 3s as well after shooting 35% from deep this past season.

There is a possibility Hunter Dickinson could come back to Michigan, and the Wolverines were trying to get guard Jaelin Llewellyn back for another year, but coach Howard is looking at all of his options for next season.

We will continue to update you when something new appears on the basketball front.

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Twitter reacts to Michigan basketball landing former five-star Caleb Love

Some good ones here! #GoBlue

Michigan basketball landed a pair of transfers on Friday afternoon.

One was a low-key addition. Tray Jackson, a former Missouri and Seton Hall forward, committed to Juwan Howard and Michigan. He averaged a little over six points per game last season with the Pirates.

Then the fireworks happened.

Former five-star guard Caleb Love committed to play for the Wolverines. Love played for the Tar Heels the past three seasons and was arguably the best player at UNC. Love averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. He shot 29.9% from 3, but two seasons ago he shot well and averaged nearly 40% from deep.

The Wolverines lost their top three scorers from this past season. Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin declared for the NBA draft, and Michigan shockingly lost Hunter Dickinson to the transfer portal.

But Michigan received great news on Friday, and Twitter reacted to the addition of Love.

Here are the best Twitter reactions.