Charles Matthews To Return To Michigan Wolverines, Forego 2018 NBA Draft

The Michigan Wolverines got some huge news on Tuesday afternoon when news broke that Charles Matthews would be returning to school for his redshirt junior season. He had declared without an agent for the 2018 NBA Draft, but fans learned that he would now be returning to school.

Matthews only played one season for the Wolverines after transferring in from Kentucky, but made quite a mark. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game and finished second on the team in scoring last season. Matthews also came up huge in the postseason, scoring double-digits in five NCAA Tournament games.

Prior to his time in Ann Arbor, Matthews was a major high school recruit and played one season at Kentucky. He was rated as a four-star prospect out of high school by 247Sports. Afterwards, he helped the Wildcats win the 2016 SEC Tournament and make the Round of 32. However, he opted to transfer after just one season in Lexington.

This is clearly significant news for John Beilein and his staff as they look to move forward from last year’s Final Four appearance. Matthews was a massive factor in Michigan’s run in the NCAA Tournament and Matthews will now hope to build off that next year.

With Matthews now in the fold, Michigan now returns three starters and two of its top bench players in Jordan Poole and Jon Teske. Add in a talented 2018 recruiting class and there’s a lot to be excited about for Wolverine fans.

Whether Michigan can achieve its goals next season with Matthews back in the fold remains to be seen, but there are some major reasons to buy into the Wolverines. This now looks like a team that could do some major damage once again.