Columbia Transfer Michael Smith Commits To Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines got some exciting news on Friday as fans learned the program would be adding Columbia transfer Michael Smith. He was a ferocious scorer for the Lions last season and Juwan Howard and his staff will hope he can bring that to Ann Arbor.

During his four seasons with Columbia, Smith saw a ton of playing time. He played more than 77 percent of team minutes as a freshman and topped out at 93.8 percent of Columbia’s minutes last season. Smiths’ numbers received their apex last year, with Smith averaging an impressive 22.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game.

From a statistical perspective, Smith would be a fantastic player if he can match his Columbia numbers in Ann Arbor. However, the obvious question is whether he can duplicate that production against tougher competition. Being a high scoring player on a bad team is a lot easier than leading a team competing for titles. Notably, he did show some productivity against top 100 opponents like St John’s and Yale last season.

Smith will most likely have to fight for a starting role in Michigan’s backcourt with Eli Brooks and incoming freshman Zeb Jackson. My guess is we’ll see Smith come off the bench for most of the season, providing valuable relief for Brooks. But we’ll have to see how things sort out. Either way, Wolverine fans have to be excited.