Who is Vlad Goldin? Meet 7-foot-1 center who recently committed to Michigan via Spring transfer portal

Vlad Goldin is the latest signee to the Michigan Wolverines. The center finished three seasons at Florida Atlantic before following his former coach Dusty May to Ann Arbour.

Coach May replaced Juwan Howard who failed to meet the expectations this season and was involved in a few unsavory incidents. Since then, Howard has been appointed as the assistant coach of the Brooklyn Nets under the newly appointed Jordi Fernández.

Vlad Goldin averaged 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks as a senior with the Owls. The center first joined Texas Tech for his freshman season where he played only 10 games. However, since transferring to FAU, Goldin has thrived.

The Nalchick, Russia native, had declared for the 2024 draft while maintaining his college eligibility but has since withdrawn from the draft.

---

Vlad Goldin player profile

In his senior year, Goldin shot an incredibly efficient 67.3% from the floor and 66.3% from the free-throw line. He was particularly impressive in the home stretch as he averaged 19.5 points in the final 111 games. The center was also named in the second-team All-American Athletic Conference.

Vlad Goldin is more of an old-school post-player. He can finish with his back to the basket and has excellent touch around the rim. Using his 7-foot-1 height, Goldin seals off defenders in the paint, and can easily go for the boards on both ends.

Vlad Goldin's rim protection skills are also top-notch as he played a big part in the Owls allowing only 44.7 percent of shots from the floor in 2022-23.

The Athletic's C.J. Moore assessed the center in his scouting reports and said:

"Goldin is one of the best back-to-the-basket players in college basketball. He takes pride in being able to shoot equally well with either hand and can score over either shoulder. If he gets close to the basket, he will dunk it with authority."

He added:

"His aggressiveness went up this season as his confidence grew, allowing him to bump his scoring average up from 10.2 points as a junior to 15.7 points as a senior."

Michigan's roster is in a complete rebuilding phase and Vlad Goldin is the sixth player from the transfer portal to commit. The previous signees include guards Roddy Gayle Jr. from Ohio State, Tre Donaldson from Auburn, Rubin Jones from North Texas, forward Sam Walters from Alabama, and center Danny Wolf from Yale.

In addition to the transfers, Coach May has also received commitments from 2024 graduating class prospects: Lorenzo Cason and NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen's son, Justin Pippen.

What do you think of Vlad Goldin and coach Dusty May at Michigan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.