Former Michigan basketball center Tarris Reed Jr. transferring to UConn

After missing the NCAA tournament in each of his two seasons with Michigan basketball, Tarris Reed Jr. wanted to do everything he could to try and assure himself that wouldn't happen a third time.

That's why he pledged to join the two-time defending national champions on Wednesday; Reed. Jr posted on social media that he had decided to transfer to the University of Connecticut

"God got me…I ain’t stressin #Committed," Reed posted with an image posing in a UConn jersey.

Reed averaged 9.0 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game in his first season as a starter this past year, however, it was far from what the former four-star recruit pictured when he committed to Juwan Howard out of high school as Michigan went a program worst 8-24 this past year which included a 2-17 finish across the final 19 games of the year.

A top-40 recruit, Reed served as the understudy behind Hunter Dickinson as a freshman.

Though his minutes were limited, he flashed potential both rebounding and on the defensive side of the ball, as he played in 34 games where he averaged 3.4 points and 3.9 rebounds across 12.5 minutes per game.

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Last offseason, Dickinson left for Kansas, and Reed stepped into the starting role. He played in 32 games (31 starts) where he finished in double figures 13 times, scored 15 points or more three times, grabbed five-plus rebounds 25 times and hauled in 10 or more boards six times.

The 6-foot-10, 265-pound center would figure to take the place of UConn's dominant center Donovan Clingan, a 7-foot-2, 280-pound All-American for the Huskies last season who averaged 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds is now a projected top-5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball center Tarris Reed Jr. announces transfer to UConn