More on Ekpe Udoh Transfer Situation

Eric Lacy chimes in with his opinion on the Ekpe Udoh situation:

Hard to tell what’s going to happen from this point forward as there’s been Udoh rumors for months. Udoh’s former AAU coach, Mitch Malone, might have some say in this matter. Malone was able to get Udoh, a Edmond, Oklahoma native, to join his Texas based AAU team following his junior year, said Guy Hardaker, Udoh’s former high school coach.

Hardaker told me that Udoh has never had a problem with coach John Beilein and told him that he always thought highly of Beilein. I truly believe that, too. Udoh, to me, always seemed to be a real nice guy that appreciated how Beilein and his staff made him a better player. If Udoh does leave, and that’s a big IF, my guess is he would do it to simply find a better opportunity to boost his skills. A goal of his is to play in the NBA, Hardaker said.

Here is what I have gathered on the situation:

  • Ekpe is seriously considering transferring for the 2nd summer he’s been in Ann Arbor.
  • The reasons seem a little different this time around. The popular reasons before were due to the coaching hire and the process in general. Now the public reason seems to be “NBA preparation” although lots of that could be hypothesized. I think there is another secondary reason which is being closer to home but thats also just a guess at this point.
  • I hear that players close to the team think Ekpe is staying. This is both good and bad. I think that he may be concealing more this year compared to last year when he was much more open with his teammates about almost transferring. Does this mean he’s more serious about leaving?
  • Ekpe was still participating in team activities as recently as Monday.
  • This should wrap up soon. Lacy agrees that a decision should come sooner than later with the banquet coming up. Transfer situations aren’t usually ones that drag out.
  • Next few days (or hours) should be real interesting.
  • NBA Ekpe? DraftExpress ranking and profile.
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