Michigan starting forward Olivier Nkamhoua will miss the rest of the season following surgery on his ailing left wrist, the school announced Tuesday.
He leads the Wolverines in rebounds (7.1 per game) and is second on the team in points (14.8) and minutes played (33.4). All three are career highs.
Nkamhoua transferred to Michigan this season after four seasons at Tennessee and was voted team captain. This was his final season of eligibility.
“This is not how things were meant to be for Olivier,” coach Juwan Howard said. “From the moment he stepped on campus, he brought maturity, class, insight and leadership. I truly feel blessed that I was able to learn a tremendous amount from him both on and off the court. He was a true warrior playing with this injury; however, it was just time to do something. We know this will pass and he will return to have a successful playing career. We are so grateful to have been a small part of his journey.”
Between the two schools, Nkamhoua played in 138 games with 84 consecutive starts. He has career averages of 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds and appeared in three NCAA Tournaments (2021-23) with the Volunteers.
“Decisions like this are never easy,” said Nkamhoua, a Finland native. “Playing with this injury became taxing and we knew something had to be done. I feel like I wasn’t able to finish what I came here to do; however, the support and love from the coaches, my teammates and everyone involved with this program has been so amazing.”
The Wolverines (8-18, 3-12 Big Ten) have five regular-season games remaining.
–Field Level Media