Report: Michigan freshman guard Justin Pippen enters transfer portal

JUST IN: Justin Pippen will not be with the Michigan Wolverines for the rest of the NCAA Tournament, as 247Sports is reporting he is entering the transfer portal:

After playing with Michigan for one season, freshman guard Justin Pippen has entered the transfer portal, according to a report from 247’s Travis Branham.

Per Branham, Pippen will not play out the rest of the NCAA Tournament. He was previously ruled out of the last few games after entering concussion protocol.

Playing 6.6 minutes per game, Pippen averaged 1.6 points and shot 27.3 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from three and 85 percent from the free throw. His season-high came against Purdue Fort Wayne, when Pippen scored 10 points.

I always thought he was fine in limited minutes. He took care of the ball and moved it well, providing a bit of calming presence when the Wolverines were turnover happy. He wasn’t perfect defensively, but then again, no freshman guard is. It was easy to see him growing into a lead guard role in a few seasons, but those few seasons won’t happen in Ann Arbor.

While it sucks that Pippen is leaving the team in the midst of a tournament run, this makes sense for his basketball future. Tre Donaldson and Roddy Gayle Jr. can come back for their senior seasons, L.J. Cason’s role has gotten bigger the last few weeks, and five-star guard Trey McKenney is joining next season.

I don’t see how Pippen would have gotten a lot of minutes in next year’s rotation, and with the transfer portal opening today, Pippen and his representation took action. He probably has enough tape out there to land a reserve role with a top-4 conference or a big role at a mid-major school.

This is the new reality in the world of the transfer portal and NIL. Pippen is looking for a different situation, and he has the resources to do so.

We wish him luck at his next stop.