Dug McDaniel, Michigan basketball's leading scorer, enters transfer portal

Another roster domino has fallen for Michigan basketball.

Starting point guard Dug McDaniel entered the transfer portal on Monday — the first day it officially opened — making him the second Wolverine in as many days to do so.

A program spokesperson confirmed McDaniel’s decision, which comes a few days after Michigan wrapped up one of the worst seasons in program history and fired Juwan Howard as its head coach.

It was a tumultuous season for the 5-foot-11 guard. He started 26 games but missed Michigan’s six other contests due to an academic-related suspension that prevented him from traveling to road games for much of January and February.

When McDaniel was on the court, he was Michigan’s most productive player. He led the team in scoring (16.3 points per game), assists (4.7) and steals (1.1), and had several dazzling performances throughout his sophomore campaign, highlighted by 33-point outings against Florida and Oregon.

As Michigan’s primary ball-handler and facilitator, McDaniel was one of the few players on the roster who could create for himself and others. When he was partially sidelined during his suspension, his absence was felt on the offensive end and the Wolverines went 0-6 without him during a closing stretch where they lost 19 of their final 21 games.

While McDaniel wasn’t always super efficient, his shooting numbers improved across the board on increased volume — 41% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range — and he nearly doubled his scoring output from his freshman year, when he was thrust into the starting lineup after Jaelin Llewellyn’s season-ending ACL injury.

“Being a point guard is one of the toughest positions to transition to straight out of high school. But Dug, last year, he did a really good job with it,” Howard said in December. “This year the game has really slowed down where he's able to make reads, where he's not trying to hit the home-run play. He feels confident that the simple play will work.

“You could look at it that his points are so high compared to his freshman year. When you play with a guy like Hunter (Dickinson), Jett (Howard), Kobe (Bufkin), someone has to sacrifice. But now more of that offensive load is in his hands and he has embraced it. He's done a very good job with it. I think he has to be considered one of the most improved players in the country.”

McDaniel made 52 starts in 60 career games at Michigan. He joins fellow guard George Washington III as the second Wolverine to enter the transfer portal.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

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