Michigan Basketball: Analyzing fit of transfer guard Sam Sessoms

Michigan basketball is a finalist for Penn State transfer guard Sam Sessoms and here’s a look at how he could fit with the Wolverines. 

Even though the college basketball season isn’t even completely over yet, action in the transfer portal has picked up and Michigan basketball is in the mix for at least one target.

Sam Sessoms is a name that is familiar to Big Ten fans after he played the last two seasons at Penn State. He’s listed at 6-foot, 187 pounds, and last season, he averaged 11.6 points, mostly off the bench for the Nittany Lions while shooting 44 percent overall and 42 percent from 3-point range.

Even though Sessoms didn’t start, he averaged 27 minutes a game, so he’s played nearly starter-level minutes and he made more than one 3-pointer a game. He also averaged 2.6 assists but also averaged 2.2 turnovers.

Throughout his career — he played at Binghamton before Penn State — he was a high turnover guy and averages three turnovers a game for his college career.

Michigan basketball did reach out to Sessoms soon after he entered the transfer portal and on Friday, the Wolverines made his final six which also includes Minnesota, Mississippi State, Coppin State, UTEP, and George Mason.

https://twitter.com/samuel_sessoms/status/1509969250269769736

Breaking down Michigan’s chances and the fit

When I look at the other teams on that list, I think Michigan has a really good shot to get Sessoms if it wants him. Surely, he wants to win and wants to play.

The other Big Ten team is Minnesota and it sounds like he wants to stick in a major conference.  Here’s what he told 247 sports about Michigan following his top six announcement:

"“I have a real good relationship with Phil Martelli who coached at St. Joes and I’ve always looked up to him growing up. Coach Juwan Howard likes my game and told me that after the game when we played Michigan. Really at the end of the day it’s Michigan. It’s the Big 10 and I know I can play at that level so now it just comes down to building on the relationship with the coaching staff.”"

The in with Martelli helps, although he has also ties to Mississippi State and said really positive things about Minnesota too. However, there’s only one blue blood in that group and that’s Michigan. The question is, would the Wolverines take Sessoms?

Offensively, he’s not a bad fit just because he can shoot the ball. However, the high-turnover rate worries me, especially because it’s not something that just happened at Penn State. He struggled to protect the ball at Binghamton which doesn’t sell me on him being an upgrade at point guard.

However, if Sessoms was coming off the bench in relief of Frankie Collins, I can buy this addition. At the very least, let the two guys compete and if Sessoms does win the job, the Wolverines could make the transition a little slower.

Michigan basketball does need guard help and it needs a guard who can shoot. However, Sessoms isn’t a great defender either and his defensive ratings for each season are over 104.9.

Collins is a plus defender but he’s a poor shooter. That skill can be improved but that’s where he’s at right now. But, he can get to the bucket as he showed in the NCAA Tournament.

Could a combination of Collins/Sessoms be the ideal pairing to get Michigan basketball through the 2022 season at point guard, especially as Dug McDaniel learns? Can the Wolverines get by with Sessoms playing the two for stretches?

That doesn’t seem likely because it would be such a defensive liability. Sessoms is shorter than Eli Brooks and even his height caused problems at times and he was an elite defender.

The Wolverines have also been in contact with Jaelin Llewellyn of Princeton and he seems like a better fit as more of a combo guard.

As with Sessoms, there is mutual interest but since Michigan basketball currently doesn’t have a scholarship available as it waits for players to make NBA draft decisions, there are still a lot of moving parts.

Either could wind up in Ann Arbor but the Wolverines are in a holding pattern at the moment and we’ll see if they are still available when it’s over.