Transfers
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Spike Albrecht is transferring from Michigan and is eligible immediately
jerseyshorejohnny
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USC guard Katin Reinhardt intends to transfer, Reinhardt tweeted on Monday.
“I just want to thank the Trojan family for an amazing last few years,” he wrote. “I will graduate and transfer to continue my graduate degree.”
Reinhardt is the third USC basketball player to transfer in the last week, joining forwards Malik Martin and Darion Clark. But Reinhardt’s comes as the biggest surprise. He started 18 games last season — more than half of USC’s season.
Guard Elijah Stewart, who also started 18 games, was more often in the starting lineup late in the season, but Reinhardt logged similar minutes in the sixth-man role. He averaged 11.4 points per game.
Reinhardt’s departure could be a reaction to USC’s crowded backcourt. Shaqquan Aaron, a transfer from Louisville, is expected to play a significant role next season. USC will also add talented guard recruits Jonah Mathews and De'Anthony Melton, who each could make an impact early.
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USC also returns Stewart and starting point guards Jordan McLaughlin and Julian Jacobs.
Reinhardt played his freshman season at Nevada Las Vegas before transferring to USC. In part, he said, he felt like he fit better in USC Coach Andy Enfield's offense.
If Reinhardt graduates, he will be eligible to play his senior season immediately.
zach.helfand@latimes.com
Copyright © 2016, Los Angeles Times
Andy Enfield
jerseyshorejohnny
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Michigan guard Spike Albrecht will transfer and spend his fifth year at another school, according to multiple reports.
NCAA Basketball: Michigan at Michigan State
(Photo: Mike Carter, USA TODAY Sports)
After Michigan's basketball season ended in the first round of NCAA tournament, Spike Albrecht thought ahead. He texted his father and told him that he needed to continue playing.
He'll get the chance as a graduate student, but it will be at another school. He received his release from Michigan on Monday and will transfer.
After sitting out most of this season following a slow recovery from double hip surgery, Albrecht felt he wasn't done.
"I'm not going to half-ass anything," Albrecht told the Free Press today. "I wasn't going to let this (define me). When I'm done playing basketball, I'm going out on my own terms. I'm not going to go out sitting on the sidelines."
U-M's two-year co-captain forced the issue with coach John Beilein, requesting a meeting last Friday to clarify his status.
"I told him, 'I know what's going on with college basketball, tournament's winding down, teams are looking for guys, guys are transferring, going to the NBA, so spots are opening up.' So I just didn't want to miss out," he said.
They talked about the past and the future, and Beilein granted the release, repeating his seasonlong contention that there was no room for Albrecht on next year's roster. In addition to returning senior point guard Derrick Walton Jr., point guard recruit Xavier Simpson will be a freshman.
"Coach Beilein was pretty upfront with us; I've got to give him credit for that," Spike's father, Chuck Albrecht, said. "He told us from the start. I talked to coach last year, and we discussed a redshirt. I didn't like the way things were progressing and I know Spike sat down and talked to him. He just said, 'We don't have a scholarship next year, and also, we're bringing in this point guard.' He thought Spike would be gone. We've got to appreciate and understand what Michigan is going through, too.
"I don't feel bad, we feel grateful. Coach Beilein gave Spike an opportunity (in recruiting) at a time when nobody was giving Spike an opportunity, especially at that level."
From the moment espn.com first reported late Monday that Albrecht would use his final year of eligibility to play at another school, his phone exploded. Texts and calls from well-wishers, friends, family and reporters -- everyone wanted a piece of him.
Then this morning, U-M assistant LaVall Jordan told him that there are multiple teams who have inquired about his potential transfer. For Albrecht, who was only considering Appalachian State out of prep school in 2013, before Michigan called, it's exciting.
"I'm hoping I'll have some come calling," he said. "Hopefully, it's a little different than four years ago, when no one called me."
Albrecht played only the first nine games of this season. He made the decision to end his season after the Dec. 8 game at SMU and spend the year rehabbing his injured hips.
At the time, he said his basketball career was over because of the pain. But he also was ending the season early to preserve a year of NCAA eligibility, just in case he felt better.
He went to rehab and class and didn't do much, in terms of practice, but by the final month of the season, he was beginning to do more, acting as a passer in drills for the team.
Albrecht is feeling much better. The family got a second opinion from a Chicago hospital, and the timetable was reset to 12 to 15 months past last summer's double hip procedure. He got the idea about playing again about a month ago, when his X-rays and MRI exams were improved.
While he doesn't have a set plan about where he wants to transfer, the chance to win is important. U-M's two-game NCAA tournament experience this month gave him the feeling of the postseason again, after the program missed it in 2015.
His priorities are to play for a winning program -- one that's stable and one in which he'll get a chance to be on the court a significant amount, which wouldn't have occurred at U-M.
That actually is better for him physically, as well, Chuck said. Sitting for long stretches is difficult on his hips.
Professional basketball overseas never was a real consideration for Albrecht, whose life goal was to play Division I basketball. If a good opportunity opens overseas after next season, he would consider it, but it's not currently in his plans.
Chuck said this morning that they haven't spoken to other schools yet and would understand if U-M didn't want Spike choose a school on next season's Michigan schedule. Beilein was vocal in his displeasure about center Max Bielfeldt, who also wasn't asked back for a fifth year at U-M, spent his graduate season at Big Ten rival Indiana this year. But Beilein didn't put specific restrictions on Albrecht in the release.
And he'll miss his former point guard.
"As graduation day approaches, it will come in on us what his four years were like, what it could have been," Beilein said today on WDFN-AM (1130). "The big thing is, over those four years, I've become a better coach. I hope he's become a better man. I believe he has. It's what we really do as coaches. In our short time, no matter what it is, we are trying to develop them for a better life afterwards. So we will certainly miss him. He was a great part of our success this year. Even though it didn't show up in the box scores, behind the scenes, coaching some of our guys up."
Albrecht became a cult hero at Michigan after he scored 17 points in the 2013 national title game, subbing for national player of the year Trey Burke in the first half. As Burke watched from the bench in foul trouble, Albrecht rained down three-pointers and pushed U-M to a double-digit lead.
It was remarkable because no one nationally had heard of Albrecht, who was a late signee the previous spring.
After that burst late in his freshman year, his role grew over the next two years, sharing the team MVP award last season, when he averaged 32 minutes and 7.5 points per game, running the team after Caris LeVert's and Walton's season ended in January with foot injuries.
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Promising start, painful end for Michigan's Caris LeVert, Spike Albrecht
Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our new Wolverines Xtra
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
TUCSON - Arizona freshman guard Justin Simon will transfer from the Wildcats, his father said earlier this morning and UA later confirmed it via news release.
Ken Simon said via text message that his son does not yet have a list of schools he is considering.
Simon played in just 24 of 34 games for Arizona, averaging 7.5 minutes, and would have faced a battle for playing time next season because UA has commitments from five-star guards Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins and also will return Kadeem Allen and Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
The Wildcats also hosted five-star wing Terrance Ferguson of Dallas over the weekend.
“I enjoyed my year at the University of Arizona,” Justin Simon said in a statement from UA. “I would like to thank my coaching staff, teammates and the incredible fans here for all they did for me. My decision to transfer is centered on playing time. I would like a bigger role as a basketball player. Hopefully, I will be able to find this at my next program.”
Simon was on the fringe of UA's regular rotation early in Pac-12 play, earning nine minutes in the Wildcats' 87-84 loss at UCLA and receiving praise from UA coach Sean Miller for his defense and energy after an uninspired UA first-half effort.
"He did a good job at times when he was in the game and hopefully he can give us more," Miller said after the UCLA game. By subbing more “we were trying to make a run and keep energy. I thought it worked, and you know what? That’s how it’s going to be from this point forward if you screw up on defense.”
Two days later, Simon played eight minutes in UA's four-overtime loss at USC two days later, and in every other game in January -- but appeared in just three during the month of February and didn't play at all against Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament and against Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament.
“Justin did an outstanding job in our program this year,” Miller said in a statement released this morning. “He was an excellent student and teammate while representing our program in a first-class manner at all times. I look forward to helping him in any way I can as he transitions to another university to reach his goals.”
The loss of Simon leaves UA with just six returning scholarship players for next season, and only five if Allonzo Trier leaves for professional basketball. Of those six returnees, forward Ray Smith has not played in nearly two years because of knee injuries.
Simon told the Star earlier this month that he "loved every second" that he'd been at Arizona, and said senior guard Gabe York has been a good mentor. York didn't play in 20 games as a freshman but made the All-Pac-12 second team as a senior.
"Gabe’s been through some things that I’ve been through,” Simon said. “You just fight through it, and give them a reason to play you, and don’t give them a reason to not play you.
“He’s been a really good mentor for me, and a good leader for us. Just looking at all his success he’s had this year just makes me look forward to my future. As Coach said, my better days are ahead of me, so I’m going to honor the process and believe in that.”
It's one of the few policies that work in favor for players. It's a nice break that is earned by the students. It's a good incentive for them to graduate and gives them a free agency deal. More power to them. I'm not sure any of them stay. It seems that all of them look for greener pasture.
MarkRedman
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Zach went on to say that both Simon and Clark are expected to visit St John's but no dates have been set up yet
MarkRedman
Well-known member
Jon Severe has transferred to Iona as per Zach B
No surprise there
Sam Cassell Jr has visited Iona as well
No surprise there
Sam Cassell Jr has visited Iona as well