Connect with us

Michigan

A timeline of Michigan men’s basketball’s 2024 offseason

Published

on

A timeline of Michigan men’s basketball’s 2024 offseason


It’s been a busy offseason for the Michigan men’s basketball team, including a coaching change, a whole new coaching staff and 10 new players from the transfer portal and the freshman class.

Let’s recap this offseason so far, with a timeline of one of the busiest offseasons for the program in recent memory. This will focus on additions to the roster and won’t touch on departing players.

March 15: Warde Manuel fires Juwan Howard

In a press release that dropped a few days after Michigan was eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament, Manuel announced after a “comprehensive review of the program,” Juwan Howard would not return.

Howard posted an 82-67 record through five seasons as head coach. While he led the Wolverines to an Elite Eight in 2021 and a Sweet Sixteen in 2022, Michigan finished 8-24 overall and 3-18 in the Big Ten last season, the fewest conference wins since the Wolverines went 2-12 in 1966-67. Combine that with numerous issues off the court and Manuel felt the program needed a fresh start.

Advertisement

March 24: Michigan announces hiring of Dusty May

After being without a head coach for a little more than a week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that May was being hired at Michigan after six seasons as Florida Atlantic’s head coach. That successful FAU tenure included a Final Four run in 2022 and an NCAA Tournament bid the following season.

March 26: May introduced as Michigan’s head coach at press conference

Both May and Manuel spoke at this press conference, with May expressing excitement to get back to the Midwest and Manuel shedding light on what was a relatively quick hiring process.

March 29: 2024 guard Durral Brooks re-affirms commitment to Michigan basketball

While he initially committed to Michigan under Howard, Brooks was technically the first player May landed, re-affirming his commitment a few days after the introductory presser. Brooks played high school ball at Grand Rapids Catholic Central and is rated 202nd in his class on 247Sports composite.

April 4: Will Tschetter announces return

A little more than a week after the introductory presser, Tschetter announced he would be returning to the program.

Tschetter has been at Michigan for three years now, and despite the team’s struggles, he had a pretty solid individual season as Michigan’s sixth man in 2023-24. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent (28-for-54) from beyond the arc and 58.2 percent from the field.

Advertisement

April 18: Dusty May announces coaching staff

Before Michigan officially brought in any new players, May filled out the rest of his coaching staff. That coaching staff includes:

Mike Boynton Jr., assistant coach, former Oklahoma State head coach

Justin Joyner, assistant coach, former associate head coach at St. Mary’s

Akeem Miskdeen, assistant coach, former assistant at Georgia

Kyle Church, assistant coach/general manager, formerly at FAU

Advertisement

Drew Williamson, assistant coach/director of player development, formerly at FAU

Brandon Gilbert, special assistant to the head coach, formerly at FAU

April 19: 2024 guard Justin Pippen, North Texas guard Rubin Jones commit to Michigan

Pippen was the first new player May landed. Pippen, the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Scottie Pippen, played high school ball at Sierra Canyon in California and is rated 106th overall on the 247Sports composite.

The Pippen commitment kicked off a busy weekend for the Wolverines, which continued with Jones committing to Michigan out of the portal later that day. Jones is North Texas’ all-time leading scorer, and averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three and 77.3 percent from the free throw line last season.

April 20: Yale center Danny Wolf commits to Michigan

May landed another commitment later that weekend in the 7-footer. Last season, Wolf averaged 14.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three and 71.7 percent from the free throw line at Yale.

Advertisement

April 21: Auburn guard Tre Donaldson commits to Michigan

The busy recruiting weekend for the program continued, with Donaldson also committing to May’s program. He started in 10 of Auburn’s 35 games this past season, averaging 6.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.

April 22: Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr., Alabama forward Sam Walters also commit

Michigan picked up its first transfer from the Big Ten, with Gayle coming over from Columbus. Gayle started in 35 of Ohio State’s 36 games last season and averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 28.4 percent from three and 83.2 percent from the free throw line.

Gayle wasn’t the only one to commit on the 22nd, as Michigan also landed Walters, who played 12 minutes per game as a freshman with the Crimson Tide. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He also shot 42.7 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range.

April 23: 2024 commit L.J. Cason commits to Michigan

Cason was the third player in the true freshman class to join Michigan. A combo guard from Lakeland, Florida, Cason was previously committed to FAU.

April 29: FAU center Vlad Goldin commits to Michigan

Michigan landed one of the key pieces to FAU’s 2022 Final Four run in Vlad Goldin. This past season was his best, as he started all 34 games and put up career-highs in minutes (25.0), points (15.7), rebounds (6.9) and blocks (1.6). He shot 67.3 percent from the field and 66.3 percent from the free throw line. May utilized Goldin in the pick-and-roll a lot at FAU, and could do the same thing at Michigan.

Advertisement

April 30: Nimari Burnett announces return

Burnett joined Tschetter as a player from Michigan’s 2023-24 roster to return to the Wolverines. He started all 32 games last season and averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and shot 39.9 percent from the floor in 31.3 minutes per game.

June 10: Summer workouts commence

The Wolverines have been practicing for a good portion of this summer, working to mesh with all the new faces on this roster. We haven’t gotten much new info since workouts started, aside from the solid podcast interviews Brian Boesch has conducted with players , assistant coaches and Dusty May on Defend The Block.

August 5: Roster released

The Michigan Wolverines released their roster for the 2024-25 season last week. There is technically still one scholarship spot remaining; if May and his staff don’t want to add another player, they could either give that scholarship to a walk-on or utilize it to pursue another transfer or a 2025 recruit next season.



Source link

Advertisement

Michigan

Trey McKenney to return to Michigan Basketball next season, per report

Published

on

Trey McKenney to return to Michigan Basketball next season, per report


In the middle of what’s been an incredible season for the Michigan men’s basketball team, Dusty May and the program are now confirmed to be bringing back a big contributor for next season. According to a report from Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press, freshman guard Trey McKenney is set to be back with the Wolverines next year.

“We’re going to have a really talented team next year,” McKenney told Garcia. “I came in with a role this year and I think my role would definitely expand next year, so I’m definitely looking forward to coming back.”

McKenney joined the program this offseason as a prized five-star recruit in the Wolverines’ 2025 recruiting class. So far he’s lived up to the billing, coming off the bench to average 9.7 points per game, but shooting an impressive 38.5 percent from three-point range this year. He has already asserted himself as one of the team’s best shooters.

In addition to his offensive game, he’s gotten after it on the defensive end as well and has been regularly on the floor to close games this season. We’ve seen McKenney’s role slowly grow, especially in the absence of fellow guard L.J. Cason, who has missed the last month and is set to miss all of next season with an ACL tear.

Advertisement

By cementing his status with the program, McKenney is a great foundation for what the team hopes to build next season. He’ll likely step into a starting role as the Michigan’s shooting guard, while May and company also look to get players like Elliot Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara back in the fold.

Michigan will get a shot to fill out the rest of its roster when the transfer portal opens up on April 7, just one day after the National Championship.

For now though, McKenney and the Wolverines will focus on punching their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since 2018 by defeating Tennessee on Sunday afternoon.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Michigan

Michigan women’s basketball vs. Louisville in Sweet 16: Time, TV, stream

Published

on

Michigan women’s basketball vs. Louisville in Sweet 16: Time, TV, stream


When the Sweet 16 continues on Saturday during the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament, Michigan women’s basketball (27-6) will continue its climb to reach the Final Four for the first time.

The Wolverines, who earned the No. 2 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region, are playing in the program’s third Sweet 16 under head coach Kim Barnes Arico.

“We committed to Michigan to do this, and we committed to Coach Arico to do it for her and for each other,” Michigan guard Olivia Olson said. “We’re accomplishing the goals we set out to, and we’re not done yet. So we’re going to keep having fun with it and keep preparing.”

Advertisement

Michigan will take on No. 3 Louisville Cardinals (29-7) at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

“This is my first time going to the Sweet 16, all of our first times, so I think the feeling of, we’re still dancing, we’re still playing basketball, it’s a great feeling,” Louisville guard Taj Roberts said.

The winner from Saturday’s matchup will play in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 30, for the right to advance to the Final Four.

What time is Michigan vs. Louisville?

  • Date: Saturday, March 28
  • Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)

The Michigan Wolverines will play the Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16 round of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 28, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Michigan vs. Louisville: TV, streaming



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Michigan

Morez Johnson Jr. NBA mock draft projection: Where Michigan star is expected to land

Published

on

Morez Johnson Jr. NBA mock draft projection: Where Michigan star is expected to land


The 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament is down to its Sweet 16 and we’ll have a Final Four by Sunday evening. For half of the college stars taking the court this weekend, it’s one final opportuniy to impress NBA teams with their play at full game speed when the lights are brightest as this year’s draft class comes into focus.

The 2026 NBA draft is expected to take place in late June. In USA TODAY’s latest mock draft, Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr.  is expected to go in the first round. Here’s how USA TODAY currently projects the big man’s draft night will play out.

Our draft order is based on ESPN’s projected records and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.

Advertisement

Morez Johnson Jr. 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 25 overall, Los Angeles Lakers

Kalbrosky’s Analysis:

Morez Johnson Jr. is one of the best, most underrated two-way players in the NCAA. He is a crucial part of the Michigan identity this season and has thrived since transferring to the Wolverines from Illinois. Johnson’s shooting form at the free throw line looks good, and he scores well near the rim, especially when cutting to the basket. The former FIBA U-19 Team USA standout and All-Big Ten big man is a trustworthy defensive playmaker, too, and should find minutes at the next level.

See USA TODAY’s full mock draft here

Morez Johnson Jr. player profile

(all stats as of March 15)

  • Position: Forward-Center
  • Current Team: Michigan
  • 13.1 points per game
  • 7.2 rebounds per game
  • 1.1 assists per game
  • 62.8% field goal percentage
  • 37.9% three-point field goal percentage

Los Angeles Lakers 2026 projected draft picks



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending