Michigan basketball scholarship distribution after transfer portal additions
Division I basketball teams are allowed to have 13 full-ride scholarship players on the roster.
Each team goes through attrition, although some go through more than others. It feels like Michigan basketball has gone through more in the past two seasons than it usually does. The maize and blue lost players to the transfer portal and two players to the NBA draft, but Juwan Howard has a few new faces coming into the fold for the 2023-2024 season.
Michigan has the 39th-ranked recruiting class for the 2023 cycle, according to 247Sports composite. While coach Howard has just two commits in the class, he has an intriguing transfer class coming in. The Wolverines have the No. 2 incoming transfer class according to the composite.
We are going to show you which players left, who’s back and what the scholarship situation looks like for the maize and blue.
Who's gone?
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The following players have left the program:
C Hunter Dickinson (transfer)
G Kobe Bufkin (declared for NBA draft)
G Jett Howard (declared for NBA draft)
F Joey Baker (hired an agent to pursue professional basketball)
G Isaiah Barnes (transfer)
Michigan has lost five players from this past season. It’s possible another name is added to the list if Jaelin Llewellyn doesn’t get another year added to his eligibility after playing just eight games this season before suffering a season-ending injury.
It was a foregone conclusion Bufkin and Howard would enter the draft, but it was a complete shock when Dickinson entered his name into the transfer portal. The Wolverines lost their top three scorers from this past season: Dickinson, Howard and Bufkin.
Incoming talent
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G George Washington III (HS senior)
C Papa Kante (HS senior)
G Caleb Love (incoming transfer from North Carolina)
G Nimari Burnett (incoming transfer from Alabama)
F Tray Jackson (incoming transfer from Seton Hall)
Michigan lost five players, but the Wolverines get five in return. It may take time for the two high school players to find their way into the rotation, but both are four-star prospects with a high ceiling.
Caleb Love was a five-star recruit when he came out of high school and Burnett and Jackson were both four-stars. Burnett and Jackson have struggled to produce in college, but Love has shined and has the ability to put up a ton of points.
Scholarship count
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Guard | George Washington | Freshman |
Center | Papa Kante | Freshman |
Guard | Dug McDaniel | Sophomore |
Center | Tarris Reed Jr. | Sophomore |
Forward | Gregg Glenn | Sophomore |
Forward | Youssef Khayat | Sophomore |
Forward | Will Tschetter | Redshirt-Sophomore |
Guard | Nimari Burnett | Junior |
Forward | Jace Howard | Junior (COVID rule) |
Forward | Terrance Williams | Senior |
Guard | Caleb Love | Senior |
Forward | Tray Jackson | Graduate Transfer |
One spot left: What to do?
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Michigan has 12 scholarships secured for the 2023-2024 season, but the Wolverines have one open spot. So what should Juwan Howard and the maize and blue do with it?
Option 1: The most logical option is to get Jaelin Llewellyn back for next season. Howard brought him in from Princeton to run the offense and be a 3 -and-D player. If Michigan could get him back for one last ride, he would add valued depth for the Wolverines by being able to play both the 1 or 2 position behind Dug McDaniel and Caleb Love.
While option one is the most logical, option two seems to be a home run.
Option 2: You hardly ever see a player enter the transfer portal and then return to that team, but stranger things have happened. With the addition of Caleb Love, Michigan has a threat in the backcourt to team with McDaniel. But Michigan is still clearly missing a down-low threat. Tarris Reed has the ability to be really good, but he still may be one year away from being an offensive threat.
So how about going to get Hunter Dickinson back? Dickinson is one of the best players in the conference and has been for the past two seasons. He was an All-American and teams had to double him most of the time. Yeah, the offense can get stagnant trying to force-feed the big man, but having a legit offensive threat in the back court (Love) it may free Dickinson up — or the offense in general.
Option three: The other option would be to go find some more help via the portal. If Michigan is happy with Reed filling out the starting lineup as the starting center, then the Wolverines badly need to find a starting caliber 4.
Michigan tried multiple lineups last season but the weak spot was always the 4 position. Terrance Williams nor Will Tschetter looked the part. Both would probably do fine in a reserve role, but unless something changes this offseason, Michigan needs to figure that part out.
Maybe someone like Gregg Glenn or Youssef Khayat will be ready, but I think Howard should go out and grab someone like Harrison Ingram out of Stanford. The Wolverines wanted him out of high school and now he is in the portal looking for a new home. He is 6-foot-7 and can play multiple positions — like the 4.
