Auburn point guard transfer Tre Donaldson commits to Michigan basketball
Michigan Wolverines basketball has scored a commitment from Auburn point guard transfer Tre Donaldson, he told On3’s Joe Tipton. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder took an official visit to Michigan over the weekend.
Donaldson spent two seasons with the Tigers and has two years of eligibility remaining. He’s the third transfer pledge head coach Dusty May and Co. have landed in recent days, joining guard Rubin Jones (North Texas) and forward Danny Wolf (Yale).
The Tallahassee, Fla., native started 10 of 35 games this past season, averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per contest. He split time with point guard Aden Holloway, who’s also in the NCAA transfer portal.
Donaldson shot 50.4 percent on twos (61-of-121), 41.2 percent on threes (28-of-68) and 78.4 percent at the free throw line (29-of-37). His 26.5-percent assist rate during SEC play led the conference.
According to Synergy, 26 of Donaldson’s 89 made field goals in 2023-24 came in transition. Additionally, Donaldson ranked in the 78th percentile in the country in ball-screen situations (including passes), generating 0.990 points per possession. Donaldson posted a 63.1 effective field goal percentage on jumpers and made 62.5 percent of his shots at the rim.
Auburn finished the season with a 27-8 overall record and SEC Tournament championship. The Tigers earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament but were bounced in the first round by No. 13 seed Yale, 78-76.Donaldson recorded 5 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
“You could argue [Donaldson] is maybe the most improved freshman to sophomore perimeter [player] that I’ve studied thus in far the league,” Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams said after his team lost to Auburn Jan. 9.
“He’s worked really hard to put himself in a position where he and Aden, a McDonald’s All-American and one of the best freshman point guards in the country, are basically sharing time,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said in January. “There was nobody that helped teach Aden his position more than Tre, while, at the same, trying to compete with Aden for playing time.
“I think Tre’s attitude, just his leadership, I honestly think it’s something that God’s blessed. Give God a chance to bless you by doing the right things. That’s what Tre has done.”
The Michigan commit played much more sparingly as a freshman, averaging 10.5 minutes per game in 32 appearances off the bench. He registered 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 36.6 percent on twos (15-of-41), 40.6 percent on threes (13-of-32) and 55 percent on free throws (11-of-20).
A four-star recruit in the 2022 class, Donaldson attended Tallahassee (Fla.) Florida State University School. He excelled on the gridiron, as well, originally committing to play both football (defensive back) and basketball at Auburn. He decided in spring of 2022 before arriving on campus that he would play only basketball.
