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Newsstand: Michigan basketball loses another guard to NCAA transfer portal

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•04/10/25•

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Michigan guard Phat Phat Brooks, who just finished his freshman season, has entered the NCAA transfer portal. The Wolverines have also lost guards Tre Donaldson, Jace Howard, Justin Pippen and forward Sam Walters to the portal. Donaldson and Pippen have chosen new destinations, with the former heading to Miami and the latter committing to Cal.

More from The Wolverine’s Clayton Sayfie:
The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central product was Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan in 2024. He was a three-star prospect and the nation’s No. 181 overall player in his class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Brooks committed to Michigan under former head coach Juwan Howard but was the lone 2024 signee to stick with the Wolverines through the coaching change to Dusty May. Classmates L.J. Cason and Justin Pippen joined the fold following May’s hiring.

Brooks appeared in 15 games as a freshman but played sparingly, totaling only 49 minutes on a Michigan team that stacked 27 wins, won the Big Ten Tournament, advanced to the Sweet 16 and finished No. 10 in the Associated Press poll.

The Grand Rapids native totaled 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 2024-25. He shot 2-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-3 from three-point range, and made 7 of his 9 free throw attempts.

Lineman Alessandro Lorenzetti spent three full seasons at Michigan but plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, his agents told On3. He didn’t appear in any college games for the Wolverines.

Michigan safety Brandyn Hillman is a big hitter but is working to stay under control.

More from The Wolverine’s Clayton Sayfie:
“Go” is all Hillman needs to hear. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Portsmouth, Va., native plays with aggression and is known for being a big hitter. He knocked out two Indiana players with big licks on clean plays last season, which gave his defense some juice.

“Momentum for our defense,” Hillman said of what big pops can bring. “Of course, if you see somebody from your defense hit somebody on the opposing team, it sends a trigger inside your brain like, ‘OK, let’s go!’ Just giving a spark to the team.”

The key for Hillman heading into his junior season is controlling that aggression, according to Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan. Hillman is making strides in that area.

“My thing is I can kinda feel it. When I get too hype, I stop breathing a little bit on the field,” the defensive back admitted. “My coach knows that, he understands that. He sees it every day, so when I’m hitting somebody, if it’s an open-field tackle, I don’t gotta kill ‘em. Just get him down to the ground, live to play another down. If I do get the kill shot, yeah, I can go take it. That’s pretty much it.”

Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas will take place July 22-24, with Michigan going the final day on Thursday the 24th.

Quote Of The Day

“You can’t be soft. This is an aggressive game, so either you hit somebody or you get hit. I don’t wanna get hit, for real. As a quarterback, I didn’t want to get hit, so I was always running into people before they hit me.”

— Michigan safety Brandyn Hillman on his aggressiveness

Headlines Of The Day

• Clayton Sayfie, The Wolverine: ‘You can’t be soft’: Brandyn Hillman working to control his aggression, but big hits give Michigan defense ‘momentum’
• Ethan McDowell, The Wolverine: Why Michigan is a top contender for Top 100 WR Monshun Sales after spring visits
• Chris Balas, The Wolverine: The 3-2-1: Bryce Underwood progress, Michigan basketball portal, OT help (?), more
• EJ Holland, The Wolverine: On300 EDGE Tyson Harley gives recent Michigan visit high marks
• Anthony Broome, The Wolverine: Former Michigan basketball star Nik Stauskas reflects on career, his next chapter and more

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