First Michigan basketball player enters the transfer portal

The new Michigan basketball head coach will have to rebuild the roster for the Wolverines and the makeover started on Sunday with the departure of George Washington III.

The guard from Ohio signed with the Wolverines as a four-star guard in the 2023 class. He was ranked No. 141 overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings but didn’t make much of an impact in his only season in Ann Arbor.

Washington made just 5-of-27 field-goal attempts. He was also 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. There were a few promising moments on the defensive end of the floor. However, there was a small sample size.

Michigan lost freshman guard George Washington III to the transfer portal on Sunday night.

In his first and only year in Ann Arbor, Washington III shot 5-27 from the floor and 4-18 from beyond the arc.

More:https://t.co/5zWQDZkI2o

— Brock Heilig (@brockheilig) March 17, 2024

Breaking down the first transfer portal departure for Michigan basketball

Washington played double-digit minutes just six times during the season. He reached double figures as a scorer just once with 10 points in a loss to Purdue. It would have been nice for him to get more minutes and with so many blowout losses, it doesn’t make sense that he played so little. It seems like a prime opportunity to develop a player for the future.

Looking back at Kobe Bufkin, his numbers weren’t great after the first season. As poorly as Washington’s look, when you play just 6.6 minutes per game, it’s hard to judge what you can do, especially as a freshman. The former blue-chip recruit from Ohio State will enter the transfer portal when it opens on Monday.

It will be interesting to see who else follows, although it probably won’t surprise anyone if Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed are two of the entrants. Hell, the entire team could be gone. That’s just the new world of college basketball.

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