Michigan basketball reaches out to St. John's transfer guard
Michigan basketball landed a guard via the transfer portal on Thursday in former Alabama player Nimari Burnett, but it might not be done in the portal. According to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com, the Wolverines have made contact with St. John’s guard AJ Storr.
Stanley started 17 games this past season for the Red Storm in 33 appearances, and could potentially fill a big void on the wing for the Wolverines. Storr, a 6-foot-6 guard, started the last 17 games this season, finishing the year with an average 8.8 points while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc.
Schools in contact include Oklahoma State, Memphis, Arizona State, Florida, BYU, Georgia, Cincinnati, Butler, Miami, DePaul, LSU, Indiana, Michigan, UConn, Georgetown, Wisconsin, Auburn, Gonzaga, Creighton, Xavier and others.
• RELATED: Alabama guard transfer Nimari Burnett commits to Michigan
St. John’s is currently undergoing a roster overhaul under new head coach Rick Pitino, who seems dedicated to starting from scratch with his ingredients. It could be Michigan’s gain for a player like Storr.
Storr is a former four-star recruit and On3 top-100 high school player. He was the No. 106 player in the 2022 On3 Industry Ranking. The On3 Industry is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services.
The Wolverines have one scholarship open for next season after the departures of freshman wing Jett Howard (NBA Draft) and sophomore guard Isaiah Barnes (transfer portal) and the addition of Burnett. They could look to bring back veteran guard Jaelin Llewellyn and wing Joey Baker for sixth collegiate seasons. There still seems to be some roster churn, whether from sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin and/or junior center Hunter Dickinson deciding to move on or other transfers.
The Wolverines have been putting feelers out in the transfer portal since the season ended, reaching out also to Wofford forward/center B.J. Mack, Harvard forward Chris Ledlum and Pittsburgh center John Hugley IV. Michigan recently made the top 10 for Mack along with Arkansas, Butler, Florida, Iowa, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Xavier.
Whatever happens, Michigan knows it needs to get better across the board this offseason. The Wolverines missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and had a frustrating 18-16 campaign. The work starts with head coach Juwan Howard.
“This summer, including me, we all have to get better,” Howard told reporters after the NIT. “We have to get better on all levels when it comes to what we want to do to help serve our team to give us the best chance.”
