Howard Officially Announces The Additions Of Mike Smith, Chaundee Brown
Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Juwan Howard officially announced the additions of transfers Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown today, with the former having arrived from Columbia and the latter from Wake Forest.
Smith will be allowed to play right away in 2020-21 as a fifth-year senior and is expected to compete for U-M's starting point guard job, while Michigan is "assessing the potential" for a waiver for Brown to be able to play as a senior.
Each player has also been admitted to the school, a roadblock that Purdue transfer guard Nojel Eastern ran into last week when he revealed that many of his credits from West Lafayette didn't transfer over, thus preventing his transfer to Michigan.
"We are always striving to find the best people to come in and help this program on and away from the basketball court," Howard said. "Both Mike and Chaundee are experienced players, experienced leaders and dedicated to academics.
"Frankly, they are just two wonderful young men. They are the perfect fit for the culture we are building here, and we are counting the days until they arrive in Ann Arbor."
Smith used a medical redshirt at Columbia in 2018-19, but started 91 of the 92 career games he appeared in there and racked up 1,653 points, good for the fourth-most in school history.
He also compiled 393 assists during his time with the Blue Lions, poured in 20 or more points on 43 separate occasions and hit the 30-point plateau seven times.
"I'm excited for this opportunity to become a Wolverine," Smith said. "Columbia was such an amazing experience and journey. I know I will cherish it for the rest of my life. The opportunity to play one more season and further my education at the University of Michigan was something I couldn't pass up.
"I am very excited to join coach Howard and his great culture. I am ready and willing to do whatever it takes to help this program reach its goals. It's going to be a year to remember!"
Brown, meanwhile, started 74 of the 84 games he played in with the Demon Deacons, averaging 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists during his three years in Winston-Salem.
Rated as the No. 38 overall player nationally out of high school, the 6-5 wing scored 20 or more points 13 times and tallied five double-doubles during his time at Wake Forest.
With the additions of Smith and Brown, Michigan now has 12 of its 13 scholarships filled (assuming junior forward Isaiah Livers returns for his senior year).
The Maize and Blue will kick off their 2020-21 season on Nov. 10 at home against Georgia State.
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