3 transfer bigs who could commit to Michigan Basketball soon

Three Michigan basketball players have announced their intentions to enter the portal and leave some gaping holes on the current offseason roster that is only days old. That will open the floodgates for about a half a dozen spots to fill, depending upon who remains and who else bolts for greener pastures. The most notable position is a big man who can bang in the paint and step outside the arc to shoot some jumpers every now and then.

So here's a list of three transfers who could land in Ann Arbor for next fall.

1. Magoon Gwath-San Diego State

Gwath is not your typical seven footer, he's athletically gifted. He can stretch out past the three point line and shoot confidently from there. He almost shot 40% a clip from deep for the record. He may be the best shooting big available. He's also thin, so he must bulk up in the weight room as soon as he arrives on campus. He did lay claim to the defensive player of the year in the Mountain West too.

Gwath has some Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin traits on both ends of the floor. He set a freshman record at SDSU for most blocks in a season with 68. Gwath wasn't particularly effective against tournament teams and only scored in double figures eight times for the Aztecs. If you watch his tape, you can see why he seamlessly fits Dusty May's plans.

The California native would have to acclimate to Michigan's winter weather if he intends to transfer to Ann Arbor. Michigan basketball savant Davis Moseley thinks Gwath is close to deciding for Michigan, but don't discount Kentucky yet.

2. Malik Reneau-Indiana

This is a name that most Michigan basketball fans will recognize. In the lone matchup with the maize and blue, Reneau garnered 16 points. His most prolific performance came against Washington a month ago. He narrowed down his list, but hasn't visited or conducted a Zoom meeting yet with the Wolverines. Reneau is starter material wherever he goes, just a tad undersized to guard seven-foot-plus centers.

The left-hander was a 1,000 point plus scorer at Indiana. Reneau was a top 25 recruit in the 2022 class per ESPN. He's just as highly coveted in the transfer rankings too. Reneau pretty much lives in the post area. His worst outing came against Rutgers in January where he only converted a bucket in less than a minute of play. Putting a guy like Gwath next to him should improve both player's stock like it did with Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin.

3. Morez Johnson-Illinois

Another Big Ten player who did not play when the Illini clobbered the Wolverines right before their outstanding postseason run. He excelled at rebounding. Joe Tipton mentioned Johnson as a tie to Michigan basketball along with Gwath and Monday's commit, Elliot Cadeau. So Michigan is going hard after him and is one-for-one with those names as of today.

Arkansas insiders seem to believe that the Razorbacks are the favorite to land him, but nothing is imminent as of this moment of publishing. Johnson's coming out party came against Penn State. He also played alongside a seven foot standout in Tomislav Ivisic. Big men at Illinois like Kofi Cockburn, Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Coleman Hawkins have faired well for themselves under Brad Underwood. Johnson would have been in line to be the next, but will do it elsewhere.

Johnson had been locked in to play for the Illini since he was a sophomore in high school, so it's plausible to ask why he is transferring after just one year in Champaign. Speaking of high school, he played bigger than his frame and is powerful with the ball in his hands. Dusty May doesn't seem worried about losing the size of Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf and thinks he can locate players like Johnson who can hold their own against more weight and size of opposing defenders.