Michigan Basketball: Best Transfers In And Out

The portal has taken transfers to a new level, but there have always been players coming and going in college basketball.

Over the years, transfers have become more and more popular in college sports. They've never been as prevalent as they are now, but new faces have impacted teams for decades.

At Michigan, a few names come to mind when you think of incoming transfers making a big difference and most of them are pretty recent. The same goes for former Wolverines who decided to finish their playing careers elsewhere. John Gasaway of ESPN recently penned an article identifying the best transfers in and out of each Big Ten school, and his picks for Michigan seem pretty accurate.

Best transfer in:

Duncan Robinson, 2015-18

Robinson is the best of a robust group of in-transfers that includes Mike Smith (who came to Michigan via Columbia), Charles Matthews (Kentucky) and DeVante' Jones (Coastal Carolina), to name a few. None of the others, however, can match the sheer scale of Robinson's remarkable ascent. Eight years ago he was playing for Williams College in Division III. Today Robinson has just completed his third full season as a starter for the Miami Heat. In between he made 237 three-pointers over three seasons at Michigan.

Most significant transfer out:

Colin Castleton, 2018-20

Castleton played a total of just 264 minutes over two seasons at Michigan behind Jon Teske. He then transferred to Florida, where he has started 49 games and was one of nine players selected for the 2021-22 All-SEC first team. Castleton's success as the Gators' leading scorer makes him the best of a distinguished group of U-M out-transfers that also includes Aubrey Dawkins, Ekpe Udoh, Kameron Chatman, Max Bielfeldt and Spike Albrecht.

Robinson sure did come a long way while at U-M and continues to do so in the NBA, and a guy like Castleton flashed promising signs while at U-M but transferred out before truly reaching his potential. The 6-11 big man would've really helped Michigan last year and would be an even bigger help this year. He recently announced that he'd be returning to Florida for a fifth year and will go for three straight seasons as an All-SEC performer. Thinking about him on a team that desperately needs big-man help is intriguing, but he's long gone these days.