The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 2024 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ANTHONY BROOME T he transfer exit of Dug McDaniel, lapsed eligibility for Jaelin Llewellyn and a new era in the program neces- sitated a new face at point guard. The position is often looked at as a quarter- back on the basketball court, and U-M landed just the man in former Auburn guard Tre Donaldson. Donaldson played 19.2 minutes per game last season as a sophomore in the SEC, with 35 appearance and 10 starts, averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. One of the reasons for his transfer from Auburn was that he was platooning with Aden Hollo- way. Now he projects to get the bulk of the minutes as U-M's primary ball handler. In his freshman season with the Ti- gers, Donaldson appeared in 32 games and averaged 10.5 minutes per contest with 2.5 points and 1.2 assists. Justin Hokanson of On3's Auburn Live site says the former high school quarterback and safety could be just what is needed at the position. "My main takeaway for Tre would be [that he's a] tough, reliable, gritty, com- petitive player that isn't going to take over a game but is going to fight and be a guy that certainly can be a catalyst at times," Hokanson told The Wolverine. "I think his toughness and his gritti- ness are the main things. Unless he turns over a new leaf and this offense is some- thing different, I don't think he's going to be a guy that goes out there and gets you 23 points. But he's going to be fairly reliable and can knock down some threes and can get in the lane." Donaldson was a four-star prospect at safety during the 2022 cycle, and his football mentality shows up on the floor. "That toughness comes out when you watch him play," Hokanson said. "His best asset offensively was that he was really good at driving and then taking a step-back floater. He hit a pretty high percentage of those shots. He would do more of that than trying to get all the way to the basket and lay it up. "He's a really good athlete. There were times I described him as a bulldog. He was tough inside, and he wasn't afraid to go in there." The 6-3, 200-pound Donaldson chose basketball even when he could have been a star on the gridiron. It came down to lov- ing one sport slightly more than the other. "Basketball is my passion," Donaldson said, via AuburnTigers.com. "Everybody has a passion. I was never in basketball season in high school saying, 'Oh, I can't wait for football season.' I was always in football season saying, 'I can't wait for basketball season.' "That just showed me that basketball is my passion. It helps me express myself in different ways. As you can see, I play with tons of passion. This is how I get to ex- press myself. This is my happy place." ❏ Donaldson By The Numbers • Averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest in 19.2 minutes on average in 35 games played for Auburn last season with 10 starts. • As a football prospect, Donaldson was a four-star recruit, the No. 319 player and No. 32 safety in the country, and the No. 39 prospect in the state of Florida. • In basketball, he was rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 133 overall player and No. 23 point guard nationally, and the 18th-best talent in Florida. — Anthony Broome Floor General Point Guard Tre Donaldson Brings Passion To His Game As a senior in high school, Donaldson was ranked as the No. 39 football player and No. 18 basket- ball prospect in Florida. He joins Michigan after spending his first two years at Auburn. PHOTO COURTESY AUBURN ATHLETICS