Christian Anderson’s decision to leave Michigan basketball.
One advantage for new Michigan basketball coach Dusty May is that he will not have to worry about the scholarship limit. That became even more obvious on Friday, when various reports surfaced that four-star point guard signee Christian Anderson will reconsider his pledge. Anderson joined with the Wolverines under Juwan Howard and has been committed since November 2023.
You can understand why Anderson might be ready to move on. Dusty May was able to meet with Durral Brooks and persuaded him to continue his commitment to Michigan basketball. But, other from Brooks, no other player has committed to the 2024-25 season. The Wolverines have four scholarship players who have yet to enter the transfer portal. However, none of them are guaranteed a spot on the roster. Ideally, May and Michigan basketball would keep a few returning players to avoid turning over the entire roster.
Anderson, who is ranked No. 110 in the 2024 class by the 247 Sports Composite, seems to be a good fit for May’s system, which emphasises shooting, ball-handling, and playmaking. However, it is understandable that the 5-foot-11 guard would want to explore what other programmes are interested. What does this mean for Michigan Basketball? Anderson was unlikely to be an impact player next season, but he could have been a good long-term option as well as someone who could have played important minutes off the bench. Despite his ranking, Anderson has been dominant in the EYBL and is a top scorer.
Nonetheless, May has been active in the portal, and if possibilities emerge, I’m sure he’ll try to land some other 2024 recruits in addition to acquiring younger players through the transfer site. You don’t want to drastically change the roster this offseason, so May will need to strike a fine balance between players who can help Michigan basketball next season and multi-year players who may not contribute as much right away.
It’ll be fascinating to see how that plays out, but Anderson is definitely a loss.
