ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan basketball is off to a hot start this offseason under new head coach Dusty May, picking up five transfers in the span of four days.
Rubin Jones
It began Friday, with 6-foot-5 guard Rubin Jones breaking the ice by choosing Michigan after four seasons at North Texas.
Last year, as a full-time starter, Jones averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds for the Mean Green while shooting 41.6% from the three-point line and 77.3% from the free-throw line.
Jones has played in 111 college games but has one more year of eligibility thanks to the COVID season. He’s a strong defender, and his size will give Michigan versatility as it tries to fit all these new pieces into a rotation.
choose people over places and watch where you end up #GoBlue〽️ pic.twitter.com/cjSSnAKtxK
— Rubin ®️ (@rjcrossover15) April 19, 2024
Danny Wolf
On Saturday, Michigan received a pledge from former Yale center Danny Wolf, a 7-footer who has two more seasons of eligibility.
Wolf started 31 of 32 games for the Bulldogs last year and averaged 14.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He shot 34.5% from beyond the arc and 71.7% at the line.
He scored 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting and added five rebounds and three assists before fouling out in Yale’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Auburn. He added nine points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the second-round loss to San Diego State.
Dream come true, Go Blue〽️ pic.twitter.com/KW8g5K20PN
— Danny Wolf (@Daniel_Wolf6) April 20, 2024
Tre Donaldson
Former Auburn guard Tre Donaldson committed to Michigan on Sunday. The 6-foot-3 junior also has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Donaldson played in 35 games last season, starting 10 times and averaging 19.2 minutes. He scored 6.7 points and dished out 3.2 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from three and 78.4% from the line.
Donaldson played 27 points of Auburn’s first-round loss to Yale in the tournament, contributing five points, six boards, and four assists.
Roddy Gayle Jr.
Monday has been the most active day of the May era so far.
It started with a bang, as Roddy Gayle Jr. added some fuel to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry by jumping from the Buckeyes to the Wolverines.
Gayle is a 6-foot-4 junior who did a little bit of everything for Ohio State the last two seasons.
As a full-time starter this year, Gayle averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 28.4% from three and 83.2% from the line. Gayle shot 42.9% from beyond the arc as a freshman, so there should be room to grow in that regard.
He has two more seasons of eligibility.
Sam Walters
Michigan also picked up a commitment from 6-foot-10 sharpshooter Sam Walters, who spent his freshman season coming off the bench for Alabama.
Walters shot 39.4% from three-point range in 37 games and averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest. He was a four-star recruit and the No. 86 player nationally in last year’s class.
In Alabama’s march to the Final Four this season, Walters played 11.6 minutes per game, averaging 3.4 points. He made 3-of-10 three-pointers in the tournament.
He has three more seasons of eligibility.
Go Blue??? 〽️〽️〽️ #notcommitted pic.twitter.com/idyyRwgvRS
— Sam Walters (@SamWalters2023) April 21, 2024
Justin Pippin
May also picked up his first high school commitment over the weekend, landing four-star guard Justin Pippin on Friday.
Pippin, the son of NBA champion Scottie Pippin, is 6-foot-3 and the No. 62 player in the country, according to 247 Sports.
Returning players
With these six additions, Michigan’s basketball roster is finally starting to fill out.
Will Tschetter announced he will return for his senior year, and George Washington III pulled his name out of the transfer portal to stay at Michigan for a second season.
Durral Brooks, a 6-foot-2 guard and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Michigan, reaffirmed his commitment to the Wolverines after May was hired.
There are two additional question marks: Jace Howard and Nimari Burnett. Neither has made public their intentions to stay or enter the transfer portal, which is unusual in this era of college basketball.
Howard and Michigan would need to mutually agree on a return, since he has already used four seasons of eligibility (including the COVID season).
Burnett is going to be a fifth-year player with two seasons of eligibility remaining thanks to the COVID season and a medical redshirt in 2021-22. He’s coming off his first season at Michigan after one year at Texas Tech and two at Alabama.