How Michigan basketball transfers are playing elsewhere this season
Michigan Wolverines basketball has had success with transfers in over the last few several years, and also lost some talented players to the transfer portal, which is customary in today’s college basketball landscape.
Here’s a look at how former Michigan players are performing elsewhere this season, breaking down Cole Bajema, Colin Castleton, Frankie Collins, David DeJulius, Zeb Jackson and Brandon Johns Jr.
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Cole Bajema (played at Michigan from 2019-20)
Career stats at Michigan: 10 games, 3.7 MPG, 2.6 PPG, 76.9 FG%, 57.1 3PT%
Bajema shot the ball well during head coach Juwan Howard‘s first season, but in very limited time on the floor. He moved on to Washington, where he’s made a much greater impact, averaging 15, 20 and now 32 minutes per game over the last three seasons, respectively.
Bajema is averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing from the wing position, shooting 41.9 percent overall and 37.6 percent from three-point range for 13-12 Washington. He’s scored in double figures 12 times.
Colin Castleton (2018-20), Florida
Career stats at Michigan: 44 games, 6 MPG, 2.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 54 FG%
Castleton never found a consistent heavy amount of playing time at Michigan, backing up big man Jon Teske and seeing the writing on the wall with Hunter Dickinson coming in as a freshman the following season.
He’s been a full-time starter at Florida over the last three seasons — and become a force in the SEC.
Castleton is leading Florida in points, rebounds, assists and blocks, averaging 15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.1 blocks per night. He also grades out in the 90th percentile nationally in defense, per Synergy. The high-usage, 6-foot-11, 250-pound big man ranks 10th in Kenpom.com‘s national player of the year rankings.
His season has been highlighted by a 20-point, 9-rebound and 3-assist performance in the Gators’ 67-54 win over Tennessee last week. That marked one of 11 instances where Kenpom has named him the MVP of the game this year.
Florida is 13-10 overall and just outside the NCAA Tournament picture but has marquee games coming up, including Wednesday at Alabama.
Frankie Collins (2021-22), Arizona State
Career stats at Michigan: 31 games (1 start), 11 MPG, 2.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 42.7 FG%, 16.7 3PT%
Collins entered the transfer portal just after Michigan added Princeton graduate transfer guard Jaelin Llewellyn, choosing to go to Arizona State, where he’d have less competition for playing time.
The Sun Devils got hot in non-conference play, including with an 87-62 blowout win over Michigan in Brooklyn Nov. 17, but have fallen off lately. They’ve lost five of their last six games.
Collins is the team’s highest-usage player, and averages 11.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game as the team’s starting point guard. He’s shooting 43.4 percent from inside the arc and 34.4 percent on three-pointers (21-of-61).
David DeJulius (2018-20), Cincinnati
Career stats at Michigan: 56 games (1 start), 13.3 MPG, 4.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 41.7 FG%, 36.1 3PT%
DeJulius was Michigan’s spark plug off the bench in 2020 but opted to transfer to the American in order to have an even larger role, which he’s held over the last three seasons.
This season has been his best year, averaging 15.5 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds per tilt, while shooting 45 percent overall and 40.4 percent on three-pointers.
He hit a dagger three to lift his Bearcats over UCF, 73-64, hitting the 1,000-point mark as a Bearcat on the late-game shot. He finished with 19 points and 7 assists in the big victory.
Cincinnati isn’t on the NCAA Tournament bubble at this time.
Zeb Jackson (2020-22), VCU
Career stats at Michigan: 20 games, 6 MPG, 1.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 27.8 FG%, 26.3 3PT%
Jackson committed and signed under former Michigan head coach John Beilein but stuck with the Wolverines through the transition to Howard, before leaving the team and entering the portal in the middle of the 2022 season.
The former Michigan guard has started five of 24 games at VCU this year, averaging 18.3 minutes per clash. He’s registering 5.6 points, 1.9 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 1 steal per game, and shooting 40.4 percent from the field, including a 20-percent mark on three-pointers (8-of-40).
VCU has a one-and-a-half game lead on the second-place teams in the Atlantic 10 and appears to be a favorite to earn an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Brandon Johns Jr. (2018-22), VCU
Career stats at Michigan: 117 games (25 starts), 12.7 MPG, 3.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 46.4 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
Johns spent four years at Michigan and decided to use his extra year of eligibility at VCU, joining Jackson. Johns saw a dip in production in the 2022 season with the Wolverines but has regained his form in the Atlantic 10, ranking second on the team with 12.3 points per game. The starter is adding 5.1 rebounds per outing and shooting 52.4 percent from the field, including 21.9 percent from three-point range.
