Former Tennessee Vol who transferred to Michigan just got the rug pulled out from under him in the biggest way
The former Vol won’t be playing for the head coach he expected to.
Former Tennessee Vols big man J.P. Estrella certainly served as an example of the “if you can’t beat them, join them” mantra earlier this year. Estrella entered the transfer portal after Tennessee’s ugly 95-62 Elite Eight loss to the Michigan Wolverines. He picked Dusty May and the Wolverines as his new basketball home.
Now, it appears as though Estrella won’t be playing next season for the man who led Michigan to their first title in almost four decades. According to ESPN insider Pete Thamel, May is finalizing a deal to take over as the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
Former Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella transferred to Michigan, and now his new head coach is heading to the Dallas Mavericks
Of course, in today’s college sports world, it’s not all about winning or development. NIL has changed the playing field, and a lot of players who will never sniff a major professional contract get what they can in their time in college. That’s the nature of the beast, and it likely isn’t changing anytime soon.
We don’t know exactly what the major draw was for Estrella to Ann Arbor, as far as the level of the NIL offer or a better chance to play and compete. But it’s safe to say that playing for the program that just won the national championship and under the tutelage of the man who guided them there was one of the selling points for Estrella and every other transfer they picked up.
Estrella averaged 10.0 points and 5.9 rebounds across a8.3 minutes per game last season for the Volunteers.
We’ll see what the future holds for him in Michigan — he has a 15-day window to transfer after a new head coach is announced — but it goes without saying that this has to be a set back for him and the rest of the Wolverines looking to capture a back-to-back title for the school.