Michigan basketball gets Tennessee's Olivier Nkamhoua, one of nation's top transfers left

Earlier this week, it appeared as if Michigan basketball had missed on a few of its top transfer portal targets.

But the good news for the Wolverines is in college sports in 2023, nothing is over until it's over, and head coach Juwan Howard and company never stopped.

Former Tennessee wing Olivier Nkamhoua — one of the nation's top remaining available transfer candidates, who just days ago was said to be down to Baylor and West Virginia as his two finalists — committed to Michigan.

"It's a thrill to be able to bring in an efficient and skilled player like Olivier," Howard said in a statement released by the Wolverines. "He brings so many intangibles and experiences we know he will have an immediate impact for us...We are very excited for him to get to Ann Arbor."

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Nkamhoua, who took part in the G League Elite Camp this summer but did not get an NBA combine invitation and ultimately withdrew his name from the NBA draft on May 31 and took an official visit to Ann Arbor last weekend.

"Choosing Michigan is another step in my development, both now and for the future," Nkamhoua added in the release. "I know the staff, my new teammates and everyone in Ann Arbor are going to challenge me to keep getting better."

A 6-foot-9, 235-pound grad transfer, Nkamhoua is now the most experienced player on Michigan's roster, having played in 112 games with 58 starts. As a senior, he averaged 10.8 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game.

He shot 51.3% from the floor and 33.3% on 3-pointers (on a career-high 54 attempts) as Tennessee's second leading scorer. Immediately, Nkamhoua becomes a projected starter as the only player on the roster who has averaged in double figures for a Power Five team.

The Helsinki, Finland, native is naturally a power forward and figures to split time there with fellow transfer Tray Jackson (Seton Hall), who the Wolverines also picked up in the portal in the offseason (though no official announcement has been made).

Power forward was a weakness a season ago: Terrance Williams Jr. and Will Tschetter split time there but neither fully caught on. They could try to see if there is more of a fit on the wing, though Michigan addressed that spot in the transfer portal earlier this offseason with the addition of Alabama's Nimari Burnett (which has not been officially announced).

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Michigan lost its three top scorers — Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin to the NBA draft and Hunter Dickinson (Kansas) to the transfer portal — from a 2022-23 team that went 18-16 and missed the NCAA tournament for just the second time in 15 seasons.

U-M needs all the proven scorers it can get and Nkamhoua has shown he can be that, he scored a career-high 27 points in a second-round win over Duke in last year's NCAA tournament.

"His strength, rebounding, hustle, back-to-the-basket game as well as outside shooting are just a few of his skillset that fans notice right away," Howard said in the release. "However, what people don't realize is what a tremendous passer he is. He sees the floor and plays develop as good as anyone I have seen."

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The Wolverines still have two available scholarships, which could be used to find an experienced scoring guard (they missed on Toledo's RayJ Dennis, who transferred to Baylor, and UC Riverside's Zyon Pullin, who didn't put U-M on his list of finalists earlier this week).

They also need another true backup for Tarris Reed Jr., the only true center on the roster. Nkamhoua can give spot minutes at the five in a small-ball lineup.

"I also want to be a part of the U-M culture Coach Howard has created — family and that never-back-down attitude," Nkamhoua said in the release. "I look forward to being a part of a team full of guys that are hungry to prove themselves and everyone wrong."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball lands Tennessee Vols starter Olivier Nkamhoua