On3: Why Jaelin Llewellyn's transfer to Michigan makes 'too much sense'

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome05/09/22

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Michigan men’s basketball is set to have its fourth different starting point guard in four seasons in 2022-23. It would have been the case if sophomore Frankie Collins stayed with the program. It is nearly etched in stone with Princeton’s Jaelin Llewellyn transferring to Ann Arbor.

Llewellyn picked the Wolverines on April 29 and was officially announced by the program on May 6. Collins entered the transfer portal and committed to Arizona State shortly thereafter.

On3.com’s Jamie Shaw took a look at five transfers that made perfect sense across college basketball, where Michigan’s newest addition cracked the list.

“Jaelin Llewellyn finished first-team All-Ivy League last season and finished top five in the league in points and field goal percentage,” Shaw said. “Michigan brought in DeVante’ Jones from the transfer portal last season. He started the season slow and ended up very solid. Llewellyn carries the same traits that Jones did; aggression and confidence.

“Llewellyn was one of two Ivy League players with a usage percentage over 25 and an offensive rating over 109 last season. He also added 64 threes at a 38.4-percent clip. Howard seems to prefer headstrong point guards who can create; Llewellyn fits that mold.”

Jaelin Llewellyn’s transfer portal story

Llewellyn (6-2, 185 pounds) was seeking a new opportunity given the Ivy League’s athletic eligibility extends only to undergrad students. This is what led to Michigan landing Mike Smith from Columbia two offseasons ago.

Llewellyn was a four-star recruit and top-100 prospect during his high school career, per ESPN. The Mississauga, Ontario native was North Pole Hoops’ No. 5 Canadian prospect and top point guard in the class of 2018.

He had a decorated career at Princeton, joining the program’s 1,000-point club this past season. Llewellyn was First Team All-Ivy League in 2022, averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. His three-point shooting increased every season at Princeton, which peaked this year at 38.6% from distance. Llewellin started all 76 games he played in his career with the Tigers. Princeton finished first in the Ivy League in the regular season and had a 23-7 record overall.

“It is not hard to draw a parallel between Smith and Llewellyn,” we wrote in a profile after his commitment. “Both were scorers at the Ivy League level and would have to transform into better distributors of the basketball in Big Ten play. Smith was much more of an offensive focal point at Columbia than Llewellyn was.”

Michigan is at the roster limit of 13 scholarships for the 2022-23 season. Forwards Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate are in the NBA Draft process and have until June 1 to make a final decision. One or both of them leaving would open up a roster spot for next season.

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