Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Nojel Eastern Commits As A Transfer
Former Purdue guard Nojel Eastern, a former Michigan recruit in high school, has announced his commitment to U-M as a transfer. Eastern went to the transfer portal Monday and took to social media to announce his pledge.
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The Wolverines have immediate playing time at the guard position with Zavier Simpson having graduated and Cole Bajema and David DeJulius having transferred. Eastern would have to sit a year unless he gets a waiver for immediate eligibility from the NCAA.
Eastern appeared in 37 games off the bench as a freshman and started 62 games the past two seasons. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds last season, a step back from his 2018-19 campaign when he averaged 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He is limited as a shooter, going 0-for-7 from long range the last two years and shooting 42 percent from the floor, 48.5 percent from the free throw line this year.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter recently spoke about Eastern and his other transfer, Matt Haarms. From GoldandBlack.com:
During an appearance on the Dan Dakich Show in Indianapolis, Painter discussed Eastern's transfer, and perception of something being amiss at Purdue following the departures of both the team's seniors.
"Matt Haarms is a good guy and Nojel Eastern is a good guy," Painter said. "They want something else out there, and it's not magical. Sometimes it's effort and it's results. I don't doubt effort, but you've got to have results. If you can't, I feel you. Because I wasn't better than a lot of guards that I had to play against ... but I don't run around blaming Gene Keady because I couldn't guard Calbert Cheaney and Jim Jackson."
Asked about online criticism from Eastern's family members and apparently a trainer, Painter noted that he's not an avid message board or Twitter reader, but he seemed to be aware.
"It's hard to be good, hard to be good immediately," Painter said. "... Any time there's other outside influences (stirring up criticism), you just make it harder to be successful.'"
Eastern, a two-time Big Ten All-Defense team pick but a limited player offensively, has submitted his name into the NBA draft, for the second time in his career.
"You have to dominate college basketball or bring something that really translates to that next level," Painter said. "Let's work toward that instead of talking about that. Think big picture and think development and think getting better.
"(Players) don't get the big picture of how good you have to be and how hard you have work to get there."
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