Things heating up in transfer portal for Michigan basketball

Mchigan basketball head coach Dusty May said he doesn't have hobbies. He's a "basketball junkie" and that's exactly what every fan should want.

I don't want a guy who wants to spend the entire offseason golfing. I want someone who is going to grind, day in and day out. That seems like Dusty May and he's already gotten to work on rebuilding the Michigan basketball roster for next season.

May said he has met with all of the current players. Some have entered the transfer portal already such as Tarris Reed, Dug McDaniel, and George Washington III. Washington, a 2023 signee, was in attendance at May's press conference along with Will Tschetter and Jace Howard.

That's relevant because we are still trying to figure out how many open scholarships May will have. I have a feeling Durral Brooks and Christian Anderson will stay in the fold. I also think you can make a strong case for Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter, and Terrance Williams coming back next season. Say you even add George Washington to that mix -- that's six spots.

May would still have seven open scholarships. It seems like he's hoping to use one on former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian. The sophomore only averaged 3.2 points per game but his minutes took a huge dip after starting 19 games as a freshman, averaging 11 points per game and shooting 35 percent from 3-point range.

Essegian would be an ideal fit and he's a proven commodity. There is also mutual interest between the two sides. May has reached out too according to Davis Moseley and this is a transfer to watch in the coming days.

Michigan basketball has also reached out to Jason Rivera-Torres, a 6-foot-6 freshman who entered the transfer portal from Vanderbilt.

May recruited him out of high school and FAU was a finalist. He averaged 6.4 points per game last season and didn't shoot a high percentage. Yet, he had eight games where he scored in double figures and seven more games with multiple 3-point makes. There is potential there. He was ranked No. 114 overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings coming out of high school.

It will be interesting to see if anything progresses, but Rivera-Torres would be an intriguing addition to hopefully go along with some former FAU transfers.