Dusty May, Michigan Basketball Snag Sam Walters From Transfer Portal

Dusty May remains hot when it comes to the transfer portal landing former Alabama forward Sam Walters.

Dusty May has been on an absolute roll as of late and it continued today with the commitment of Sam Walters.

undefined

undefined

The former Alabama forward picked the Wolverines over Ohio State after taking an official visit to Ann Arbor over this past weekend.

Walters, a 6-10, 198-pound sharpshooter, played just one year in Tuscaloosa giving him three years of eligibility left. Walters didn't see the floor a ton on a pretty loaded Alabama team but he did play 12.3 minutes per game. He scored 5.4 points per contest in that limited action. At 6-10, he's a problem as an outside shooter. Walters went 39-of-99 (39.4%) from three-point range and also shows the ability to knock down mid-range jumpers. He's not a way-above the rim player, but he's a solid athlete and he's got good length and will likely get better on defense and as a rebounder as he gets stronger and more confident with playing time and experience.

Basketball staff writer CJ Moore of The Athletic broke down Walters' game when he entered the transfer portal and has a pretty high opinion of the young forward.

“Walters is a 3-point specialist who doesn’t need much room to shoot,” CJ Moore wrote. “The big lefty has a quick and high release, and he shot a solid 39.4 percent from 3 as a freshman, averaging 5.4 points in only 12.3 minutes per game. Walters was a floor spacer for the Crimson Tide, but he wasn’t afraid to put it on the floor and attack shot blockers at the rim.

“Walters is able to cross match onto perimeter players and can also handle himself against bigs. On the perimeter, he uses his length to give him some extra room to defend the ball and contain the dribble. You see his build and expect that he’d play soft, but he has some fight to him and can handle himself when a ball handler’s eyes light up and he decides he wants to take on Walters.

“He can play both forward spots. He shot 82.5 percent at the free-throw line, which is a good indicator that his shooting efficiency should continue with even more volume.

“It’ll be interesting to see what Walters becomes because his potential is enticing. With his size and stroke, he’ll be a guy NBA folks will be keeping an eye on.”