(via Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

Dawkins Leaves Michigan to Play Ball for his Dad at UCF

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

In a piece of shocking news to some, including The MGoFish Show co-host David Arnold, the Michigan basketball team announced that soon-to-be junior F Aubrey Dawkins has received his release and will transfer to UCF to play for his dad, Johnny Dawkins, and the Knights.

Dawkins, who was the B1G freshmen of the week back in March of 2015 and was named the Rudy Tomjanovich Most Improved Player after his freshmen campaign, sounds like the opportunity to play ball for his dad outweighed everything, per the MGoBlue release:

This was not an easy decision, however, the chance to play for my father is a special opportunity for me and my family,” said Dawkins. “Coach (John) Beilein and Michigan took a chance on me and that is something I will never forget. I want to thank all the coaches, staff and especially the U-M fans for making my time in Ann Arbor truly special. Go Blue.”

Some may put this one on John Beilein and the staff for not giving him extended playing time during his (expected) breakout sophomore campaign but he definitely struggled compared to his freshmen year.

Though he ended up being a really nice three point specialist off of the bench and averaged 6.5 ppg and 2.4 reb, the staff was unable to trust him on the defensive end. He was truly a liability on that end of the court and, because of that, he sat on the bench for a large portion of his sophomore season.

You can basically sum up the Dawkins era at Michigan with one of his many near highlight dunks. It was so close to being memorable but just didn’t go down. Now, all you can do is wish him best down in Central Florida.

Michigan now has one scholarship spot available for the 2016-17 season. So, look for the staff to try and bring in a high impact transfer to see the court from day one.

Photo Credit: Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News

Garrett Fishaw
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