The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1499505
JUNE/JULY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 2023 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Juwan Howard and his Michigan basketball staff have landed three players from the transfer portal and are still looking at other possibilities. The big fish remaining — Ten- nessee power forward Olivier Nkamhoua. The 6-9, 236-pounder has made no secret of the fact that he'd like to go pro sooner than later, if possible. Originally from Finland, he's spent the last four seasons with the Vol- unteers, improving each season. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists this year, including a 27-point outburst against Duke in the NCAA Tournament. For a while, it seemed Nkamhoua was a near-lock to join the program, but he received an invite to the NBA G-League combine set for May 13-14. His hope was to get an NBA Combine invite from there, reserved for a lucky few, but he did not. As of May 16, he has yet to announce a decision regarding a return to college. However, the Wolverines feel good about where they stand with him if he chooses to play college basketball next season, and Nkamhoua would appear to be a significant up- grade at the power forward spot over the last few seasons. While others like Florida State transfer and former U-M recruit Matthew Cleveland are off the board, more options continue to emerge. The latest — point guard Andrew Taylor of Marshall. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists last year and has one year of eligibility remaining. Taylor has spent four seasons with the Thundering Herd, totaling 107 appear- ances. He entered the transfer portal May 9 and has already heard from a slew of high-major programs. The 6-3, 194-pounder out of Corbin, Ky., has also received interest from Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Kansas State, Miami, Memphis, Xavier and several others, according to CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein. A first-team All-Sun Belt selection, Taylor has played point guard most of his career, but has also shown an ability to play off the ball. As of now, Michigan's guard rotation consists of sophomore Dug McDaniel, Jaelin Llewellyn (possibly — re- turning from injury) and North Carolina transfer Caleb Love. The Wolverines could use another body here, and Taylor is a proven scorer and playmaker at a competitive level of col- lege hoops. It remains to be seen how deep his conversations with Michigan have been, but he is on their radar. Finally, former Toledo guard RayJ Dennis was a surprise visitor May 12. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is currently rated as On3's third-best available player in the transfer portal and No 32 overall transfer in the current cycle. Michigan got an up-close look at him during the team's 90- 80 win over the Rockets in the NIT, in which Dennis scored 13 points and added 8 assists. The reigning MAC Player of the Year averaged 19.6 points and 5.8 assists on 36.5 percent shooting from three-point range. He started his career with two seasons at Boise State, spent his last two years at Toledo, declared for the NBA Draft and is now taking visits as a grad transfer. Illinois and Indiana are heavily involved, and he was also slated to visit Baylor after his Michigan trip. — Chris Balas Martelli and the others on staff have no choice but to continue what they've been doing — building relationships and expecting that the brand and the accomplishments over the last several years will continue to draw talent. This is, after all, a Michigan program that has had great success over the last few decades. "I also don't believe — and it could be I'm the old warhorse here — but I don't believe some of the numbers [money for NIL]," he said. "I think some of the numbers are made up. Compare it to back in the day to what they called 'lunch table recruiting.' If a kid is sit- ting at a lunch table saying — and no disrespect meant — he's being recruited by Monmouth, St. Peters and FDU. No. Kids in New Jersey are going to say they're being recruited by Rutgers, Se- ton Hall and Villanova." In short, they might embellish. Oth- ers might not, of course, leaving the coaches to decide who is looking for what. Michigan is still Michigan though, and that alone sells. They're banking on it while working diligently on this year's team and the rosters to come. ❏ Youssef 'Yo-Yo' Khayat saw limited game action as a freshman but the international player is one of several Wolverine bench contributors that the coaching staff will be counting on to step up their production next season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Michigan continues to recruit former Tennessee power forward Olivier Nkamhoua, who received an invite to the NBA G-League combine set for May 13-14 and will have to decide between going pro and returning to college. PHOTO COURTESY TENNESSEE Michigan Still Exploring Portal Possibilities For Next Season