It didn’t take long for Michigan basketball to have a player enter the transfer portal.
Freshman Justin Pippen entered his name into the portal on Monday, the first day of the 30-day window for college basketball, and will seek opportunities elsewhere, a program source confirmed to The Detroit News.
Pippen’s exit comes with the Wolverines still playing in the NCAA Tournament. They will face top-seeded Auburn on Friday in the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.
Pippen, who’s the son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, suffered a possible concussion in a practice before the postseason and had been in concussion protocol. He didn’t travel with the team to Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament nor to Denver for the NCAA Tournament.
Pippen, a 6-foot-3 guard who could play either backcourt spot, averaged 6.7 minutes and 1.6 points in 28 appearances off the bench this season. He shot 8-for-30 from beyond the arc, 4-for-14 inside the arc and 12-for-14 at the free-throw line, while tallying 20 rebounds, 16 assists and six steals.
He played five minutes and had two points, an assist and a steal in the regular-season finale on March 9 at Michigan State in what was likely his last game in a Michigan uniform. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Coming out of Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon, Pippen was rated a four-star prospect and a top-110 recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings. He committed to coach Dusty May and the Wolverines over Cal, Florida, Stanford and Texas A&M, which were his other finalists.
Last year, the transfer portal window for college basketball opened the day after Selection Sunday. It was moved back a week this year and has also been shortened, from 45 days to 30 days. The portal will close on April 22.
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