The Michigan men’s basketball team’s leading scorer and distributor has entered the transfer portal. Dug McDaniel, the starting point guard, entered on Monday, the day the portal opened, according to a program spokesperson.
Though McDaniel declined to comment, his decision was likely influenced by head coach Juwan Howard getting fired on Friday following an 8-24 season. McDaniel and Howard had a relationship since McDaniel was in third grade.
It was a turbulent sophomore season for the 5-foot-11 Washington, D.C., native. He started 26 games but missed Michigan’s other six games due to an academic-related suspension that prevented him from traveling to road games for much of January and February.
When he was on the court, he was productive if not always super efficient. McDaniel led Michigan in minutes per game (35.4), points (16.3), assists (4.7), and steals (1.1). He shot 41 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3 on a team-high 152 attempts. A strong ball handler, McDaniel was capable of creating shots for himself and teammates, one of the few players on the roster who could make difficult shots.
After the season-ending loss at the Big Ten Tournament last week in Minneapolis, he was noncommittal about his plans for next season. Monday’s news was not surprising.
McDaniel was thrust into the starting lineup as a freshman after starting point guard Jaelin Llewellyn suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 4. For his career, McDaniel appeared in 60 games with 52 starts.
Another guard, freshman George Washington III, has also entered the transfer portal. More details on Washington’s decision will appear in a story later today.