- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 430,475
- Reaction score
- 44
It appears as though Michigan basketball will only get one season from its unicorn.
Danny Wolf, the 7-foot point-forward transfer from Yale, who grew up a fan of the Wolverines and took the country by storm for his guard-like ability to pass and dribble despite often being the largest man on the floor, declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
All players had a deadline to submit their names into the draft before April 26 at 11:59 p.m. ahead of the NBA G League combine (May 9-11) and NBA draft combine (May 11-18) with a final date to remove their name coming later that month (May 28) if he is to maintain his collegiate eligibility.
For months, staffers around the program told the Free Press the internal expectation was for Wolf to test out the NBA waters and likely keep his name in the draft. It's not that U-M brass wouldn't welcome a return, it's just that it seemed unlikely.
Wolf, who averaged 13.2 points and 9.7 rebounds a night, finished tied for the Big Ten lead with 15 double-doubles, the same mark as Maryland's Derik Queen and Julian Reese. Wolf, who led the Big Ten in rebounding, had double-digit rebounds 19 times this past season, while all other Wolverines (Goldin) had just nine.
He finished second on the team in assists at 3.6 per night (132 on the season) and was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year.
“It was arguably the greatest year of my life, and I made so many amazing relationships. I met my brothers for life, and we had an unbelievable locker room," Wolf said between tears after his team was eliminated 78-65 by Auburn in the regional semifinal in late March in Atlanta. "We stuck with each other through the ups and downs. It sucks to see it cut short, but yeah, this last year has been the greatest in my life. I have to thank the coaches and my teammates for that.”
A NEW WOLVERINE: Michigan basketball five-star Trey McKenney, late addition to Team USA, has standout game
Recent mock drafts had Wolf going in the middle-to-late first round, whether that be No. 18 to the Pacers (ESPN), No. 23 to the Pacers (USA Today) or No. 24 (Bleacher Report) to the Orlando Magic. Earlier this month, a person inside the U-M basketball program said they'd recently spoken to an NBA executive who said they would be surprised if Wolf fell much below the No. 20 overall pick and implied he would safely be taken inside the first round.
Wolf played 37 games at Michigan, was named second-team All-Big Ten and played a vital role in the Wolverines going from the worst season in program history, to finishing second in the league in the regular season, winning the Big Ten Tournament title and then marching all the way to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament in Dusty May's first season on the job.
He became the first NCAA player in the past 15 years with multiple games of 20 points, five or more assists and five or more blocks in a career and did it in the span of 32 days. Now, he appears ready to see what he can do at the next level.
The Wolverines were prepared for this and have already done their best to add their "Wolf-lite" replacement in former UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg. The AAC player of the year averaged more than 17 points and 11 rebounds per game, but currently his name is also in the NBA draft where he's receiving feedback.
If he is to play in college next year, however, he's said it will be in Ann Arbor.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Danny Wolf NBA draft: Michigan basketball star forward declares
Continue reading...
Danny Wolf, the 7-foot point-forward transfer from Yale, who grew up a fan of the Wolverines and took the country by storm for his guard-like ability to pass and dribble despite often being the largest man on the floor, declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
All players had a deadline to submit their names into the draft before April 26 at 11:59 p.m. ahead of the NBA G League combine (May 9-11) and NBA draft combine (May 11-18) with a final date to remove their name coming later that month (May 28) if he is to maintain his collegiate eligibility.
For months, staffers around the program told the Free Press the internal expectation was for Wolf to test out the NBA waters and likely keep his name in the draft. It's not that U-M brass wouldn't welcome a return, it's just that it seemed unlikely.
You must be registered for see images attach
Wolf, who averaged 13.2 points and 9.7 rebounds a night, finished tied for the Big Ten lead with 15 double-doubles, the same mark as Maryland's Derik Queen and Julian Reese. Wolf, who led the Big Ten in rebounding, had double-digit rebounds 19 times this past season, while all other Wolverines (Goldin) had just nine.
He finished second on the team in assists at 3.6 per night (132 on the season) and was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year.
“It was arguably the greatest year of my life, and I made so many amazing relationships. I met my brothers for life, and we had an unbelievable locker room," Wolf said between tears after his team was eliminated 78-65 by Auburn in the regional semifinal in late March in Atlanta. "We stuck with each other through the ups and downs. It sucks to see it cut short, but yeah, this last year has been the greatest in my life. I have to thank the coaches and my teammates for that.”
A NEW WOLVERINE: Michigan basketball five-star Trey McKenney, late addition to Team USA, has standout game
Recent mock drafts had Wolf going in the middle-to-late first round, whether that be No. 18 to the Pacers (ESPN), No. 23 to the Pacers (USA Today) or No. 24 (Bleacher Report) to the Orlando Magic. Earlier this month, a person inside the U-M basketball program said they'd recently spoken to an NBA executive who said they would be surprised if Wolf fell much below the No. 20 overall pick and implied he would safely be taken inside the first round.
Wolf played 37 games at Michigan, was named second-team All-Big Ten and played a vital role in the Wolverines going from the worst season in program history, to finishing second in the league in the regular season, winning the Big Ten Tournament title and then marching all the way to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament in Dusty May's first season on the job.
You must be registered for see images attach
He became the first NCAA player in the past 15 years with multiple games of 20 points, five or more assists and five or more blocks in a career and did it in the span of 32 days. Now, he appears ready to see what he can do at the next level.
The Wolverines were prepared for this and have already done their best to add their "Wolf-lite" replacement in former UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg. The AAC player of the year averaged more than 17 points and 11 rebounds per game, but currently his name is also in the NBA draft where he's receiving feedback.
If he is to play in college next year, however, he's said it will be in Ann Arbor.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Danny Wolf NBA draft: Michigan basketball star forward declares
Continue reading...
