Michigan basketball interested in Oklahoma point guard transfer Javian McCollum
Head coach Dusty May has Michigan Wolverines basketball in the mix for Oklahoma point guard transfer Javian McCollum, according to The Portal Report.
McCollum, who entered the NCAA transfer portal April 2, has also received interest from Kentucky, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, USC, Vanderbilt, VCU, Georgia, Texas A&M and Florida.
The 6-foot-2, 160-pounder spent his first two seasons at Siena (2021-23), before transferring to Oklahoma (2023-24). He has one year of eligibility remaining.
McCollum started all 30 games in which he appeared for the 20-12 Sooners in 2023-24 under head coach Porter Moser, missing two of the final three contests with a shoulder injury. He averaged team-bests in points (13.3) and assists (3.4) 3.4 per game, adding 2.6 rebounds in 31.2 minutes. He shot 50.3 percent on twos (78-of-155), 31.4 percent on threes (54-of-172) and 94.3 percent on free throws (82-of-87).
McCollum hit a game-winning three at the buzzer to beat in-state rival Oklahoma State, 84-82, in overtime Feb. 24 in Stillwater.
“He’s an elite free throw shooter, he’s our best shot-maker,” Moser said of going to McCollum on the final play. “I thought they guarded it well. They leveled him off, and that’s hard to do with Javian because he’s so quick — and then Javian made a great shot. … That’s who we wanted with the ball at the end of the half. In practices and all year, he has that ability to make tough shots.”
McCollum ranked in the 95th percentile in the country in ball-screen possessions last season, generating 0.910 points per play in those situations (60th percentile). He had a 51.9 effective field goal percentage on jump shots off the dribble, slotting in the 89th percentile in the sport. He made 40 percent of his runners and 57.3 percent of his attempts at the rim.
McCollum drove an offense that ranked 50th in the country in Kenpom’s adjusted efficiency metric. The Sooners missed the NCAA Tournament — losing six of their final eight games — after being on the bubble much of the season.
The Fort Myers, Fla., native appeared in 27 games with 25 starts at Siena in 2022-23, averaging 15.9 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. He shot 43 percent overall and 35.6 percent on 146 three-point attempts.
As a freshman the previous seasons, McCollum started two of 24 outings. He registered 6.7 points, 1.8 assists and 0.9 rebounds per game.
An unranked recruit in the 2021 class, the Michigan transfer target attended Fort Myers (Fla.) High.
