Michigan Basketball Announces Additions of Matthews, Wright-Jones to 2016-17 Roster

Michigan men’s basketball head coach announced on Friday the official additions of Charles Matthews and Fred Wright-Jones to the roster for the 2016-17 season.

News of Matthews’ transfer to Ann Arbor occurred last month after spending his freshman season at Kentucky. The former four-star recruit played in all 36 games for the Wildcats last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He will have to sit out the upcoming season, but will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

"Charles has terrific potential at Michigan," Beilein said in a U-M release. "He has great length, athleticism, scoring ability and a desire to play defense. He has the versatility to play small forward or guard and defend any of those positions. With this redshirt year, Charles will be working a great deal on skill development as well as gaining weight and building his strength. Charles has a very bright future, and we are excited to work with him."

Wright-Jones is a walk-on who began his Michigan career as a team manager and full-time practice player. Beilein dressed him in last season’s final home game, but he did not see game action.

"Fred has been such a tireless worker for us as both as a manager and as a late roster addition last season," Beilein said. "When we needed him to re-establish his role Fred didn't hesitate. He has become a great teammate and a valuable addition to our team. Fred will help make us a better team every day in practice."

Matthews and Wright-Jones join incoming freshmen Xavier Simpson, Ibi Watson, Jon Teske and Austin Davis as new faces to the roster.