Michigan power forward Johns enters portal for final year

After four years with the program, Michigan basketball power forward Brandon Johns Jr. entered his name in the transfer portal to use his final year of eligibility somewhere else.

News of Johns’ decision was first reported by On3 on Wednesday afternoon and confirmed to the Free Press by a source.

A former four-star recruit from East Lansing, where he was named Player of the Year for Class A in 2017, Johns experienced an uneven career with the Wolverines. He appeared in 117 games (25 starts) over four seasons but averaged just 12.4 minutes per game. His role as a potential stretch four capable of making perimeter jumpers never fully materialized, and Johns finished 37-for-111 from beyond the arc in Ann Arbor.

Johns began his senior season in the starting lineup alongside front-court partner Hunter Dickinson but lost that spot after a handful of games. His playing time from that point forward was sporadic as freshman Moussa Diabate entrenched himself in coach Juwan Howard’s rotation.

A 20-point outburst in a December win over Nebraska tied Johns’ career high, but he also failed to score in 10 games, including all three games in the NCAA tournament. He shot 0for-5 with two rebounds, two blocks and a steal in the Sweet 16 loss to Villanova.

“I think many people would think of (my career) differently than me,” Johns said after Michigan’s loss to Iowa on Senior Night at Crisler Center. “I think it was a very productive and successful four years here because no matter what — whether it was positive, whether it was negative, whether I wasn’t doing so good or whether I was doing good — I feel like I really learned a lot just from my coaches, my team and just a variety of different things that I never thought I would be able to say I learned.

“In my eyes, it was a really successful four years. Very successful four years.”

Johns finished his career with averages of 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. His one remaining season of eligibility was an option following the COVID-19 pandemic.