Michigan Basketball: Olivier Nkamhoua is becoming even more important

After Michigan basketball missed out on two other transfer portal targets this weekend, it makes the pursuit of Olivier Nkamhoua even more important. 

It’s hard to tell if Michigan basketball should be worried about the recruitment of transfer portal power forward Olivier Nkamhoua, but I was hoping there would be a commitment by now.

Surely, I’m not alone. Michigan basketball has been talked about as the favorite for former Tennessee forward. But things have continued to drag on. It might have to do with Hunter Dickinson and his decision-making process.

Yet, as we learned earlier this week, West Virginia is also in the mix for Nkamhoua and the Mountaineers aren’t afraid to pay out NIL money either.

It’s hard to tell if West Virginia is a real threat, but if the NIL offer is that much better, it might be hard to say no. Nkamhoua is exactly what Michigan basketball needs. He’s a talented scorer and a high-usage player that could be a real star in Ann Arbor.

If Nkamhoua is added and the rest of the transfers end up being announced, Michigan basketball will be in a good spot. However, it feels like we still have a way to go to get there.

More transfer portal misses

There were more transfer portal targets that eliminated Michigan basketball over the weekend. Harrison Ingram committed to North Carolina.

Michigan had reached out and recruited Ingram really hard. However, the Wolverines didn’t gain much traction and he’s officially off the board.

The same is true for Matthew Cleveland. The former Florida State transfer was high on the wishlist of Michigan basketball fans, but he announced a top three that didn’t include the Wolverines.

That was a gut punch. Cleveland would have been a perfect fit for the Wolverines. It is what it is. It’s also why getting Nkamhoua is more important than ever.

It’s not like there are a bunch of other options on the board. Michigan basketball would have to kind of start over in terms of additions. Juwan Howard always has something up his sleeve, but hopefully, a commitment from Nkamhoua finally comes this week.

Otherwise, my concern level will be quite high.