North Texas transfer Rubin Jones commits to Michigan basketball

Hours after new Michigan basketball coach Dusty May landed his first high school recruit, he followed that up by making his first transfer portal addition.

Rubin Jones, a grad transfer guard from North Texas, announced his commitment to the Wolverines in a social media post on Friday.

Jones, who has one year of eligibility remaining, spent the past four seasons with the Mean Green and is coming off a career year where he averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 41.6% from 3-point range — all career-high marks.

He started all 23 games he played as a senior — he missed 11 games due to injury — and made 59 starts in 111 games with North Texas. He was also a team captain this past season.

During his career, Jones was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2021, when he helped the Mean Green win the conference tournament and earn its first NCAA Tournament win in program history.

Then as a junior, he made the Conference USA All-Defensive Team in 2023, when he helped power North Texas to a program-record 31 wins and the NIT championship.

This past season, he became the all-time winningest player in North Texas program history, ending his four-year career with 93 victories, before he opted to enter the transfer portal on April 3.

While Jones is known for his defense, he led the Mean Green — by a wide margin — with 84 assists and ranked second on the team in scoring his senior year. At 6-foot-5, he has the size and versatility to play multiple perimeter positions.

Jones’ commitment was the second of the day for the Wolverines. They also received a pledge from Justin Pippen, a four-star guard in the 2024 class.

With Jones and Pippen in the fold, Michigan has at least five scholarship spots filled for next season. That includes returning players Will Tschetter and George Washington III and incoming freshman Durral Brooks. Nimari Burnett and Jace Howard both have eligibility remaining, but they haven't announced their future plans.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

@jameshawkins