Last year, Juwan Howard and the Michigan basketball coaching staff struck gold when they landed former Columbia guard Mike Smith from the graduate transfer market.
This year, they’ll look to do the same.
On Saturday afternoon, the Wolverines’ staff landed a commitment from Coastal Carolina graduate transfer DeVante’ Jones. The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year averaged 19.3 points on 49% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season. He chose Michigan over Memphis, Texas and Texas Tech.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound New Orleans native plays almost exclusively below the rim. His 2.8 steals per game last season allowed him to show off crafty finishing moves in transition, where his strength and stocky stature made a big difference around the rim.