Former Michigan basketball guard Isaiah Barnes commits to Tulsa
Michigan Wolverines basketball redshirt freshman guard Isaiah Barnes left the team for the transfer portal a day after the season ended. He now has his transfer destination, committing to Tulsa Thursday night.
On3’s Joe Tipton was the first to report the news.
Barnes and junior center Hunter Dickinson, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, are the two Michigan players to have entered their information into the portal this offseason. Two others, guards Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin, have declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. Michigan has filled one of those roster spots already, bringing in former Alabama and Texas Tech guard Nimari Burnett.
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Tulsa struggled this past season, going 5-25 overall as part of the American Athletic Conference under first-year head coach Eric Konkol. The Golden Hurricane lost their final 12 games, including to Wichita State in the first round of the conference tournament. The program’s last win came Jan. 21.
Tulsa hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since it faced Michigan in the 2016 First Four, losing 67-62. The Maize and Blue advanced to the round of 64 and lost to Notre Dame in Brooklyn.
Barnes appeared in 15 games this past season, averaging 6.1 minutes per contest. The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder has totaled 16 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 3 turnovers, shooting 5-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-9 from three-point range.
The Chicago Simeon product appeared in two games as a freshman in 2021-22, totaling 6 minutes, but received a redshirt waiver from the NCAA. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Ultimately, Barnes didn’t make the most of his limited opportunity at Michigan this season. He did not play in the team’s final 13 clashes. He was out with a leg injury for the Vanderbilt game, per the program.
He played 14 minutes Jan. 7 at Michigan State, going 0-for-1 shooting from the field.
The most notable playing time came in an all-important home clash with then-No. 1 Purdue Jan. 26. Michigan was without freshman guard Jett Howard, who was out with a left ankle injury, stressing the rotation. Barnes played 6 first-half minutes but struggled mightily, making 1 of his 4 shots from the field — his 3 misses weren’t close to going in — with 2 rebounds. He also had a big defensive lapse in transition.
Barnes was a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 103 overall prospect in the 2021 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He was one of six members in the Maize and Blue’s 2021 haul, which ranked third in the country.
