The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527978
38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2024 2024-25 BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY THE NUMBERS 4 Michigan staff members came with head coach Dusty May directly from Florida Atlantic to U-M — assistant coaches Kyle Church and Drew Williamson, special assistant to the head coach Brandon Gilbert and director of basketball operations KT Harrell. Assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen, meanwhile, worked for May in Boca Raton from 2018-21 before moving on to Georgia the past three seasons. 9th In the Big Ten is where Michigan was picked in the "official unofficial" Big Ten Basketball Media Poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch. The Wolverines were selected as high as fifth and as low as 12th by some of the 33 voters. Their most common placement, though, was actu- ally sixth, with eight tallies. 11 Newcomers to the 2024-25 Michigan basketball roster: four freshmen guards, Phat Phat Brooks, LJ Cason, Howard Eisley Jr. and Justin Pippen; one sophomore, forward Sam Walters; four juniors, guard Tre Donaldson, guard Roddy Gayle Jr., guard Charlie May and forward/center Danny Wolf; and two graduate transfers, center Vladislav Goldin and guard Rubin Jones. 22nd Nationally is where Dusty May's Florida Atlantic team slotted in adjusted offensive ef- ficiency in 2023-24, according to KenPom. The Owls ranked 96th in defense. 35 Wins for Florida Atlantic under head coach Dusty May in 2022-23, the most in Owls history, with the team winning four NCAA Tournament games to reach its first-ever Final Four. The program's two winningest seasons came in the last two years under May's watch, with the Owls put- ting up 25 victories in 2023-24. At the time, ESPN ranked May's Florida Atlantic squad as the eighth- least likeliest team in tournament history to advance to the Final Four. 68 Was graduate center Vladislav Goldin's field goal percentage on shots at the rim for Florida Atlantic in 2023-24, ranking in the 87th percentile nationally. He was in the 96th percentile on his hook shots, making 62.7 percent of his at- tempts. His 67.3 overall field goal per- centage checked in 28th nationally, per KenPom analytics. 71 Career games with 46 starts for junior guard RODDY GAYLE JR., an Ohio State transfer who has experience in the Big Ten. Gayle has totaled 648 points, 222 rebounds, 142 assists, 48 steals and 18 blocks as a college basket- ball player. 128th Is where Michigan checked in on Ken- Pom's overall adjusted efficiency ratings for the 2023-24 season, its worst mark since the 2007- 08 season (137th), which was John Beilein's first year at the helm. Michigan's .250 winning percentage last year (8-24) was tied as the second worst in pro- gram history with the 1960-61 campaign, behind only the 1959-60 season (.167). — Clayton Sayfie "If you want to win over a 31-plus game season, it's going to be difficult if you're relying on one or two guys to carry you. We feel like we have a team that on any given night, it doesn't put too much pressure on each individual where they feel like they have to carry the load." But there will be nights Donaldson leads the team in scoring, he noted, hav- ing shown well in summer and fall. In other games, wings Roddy Gayle Jr., an Ohio State transfer, and returnee Ni- mari Burnett will likely put up the most points. Gayle averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Buckeyes last season, at times showing outstanding scoring ability. Burnett played out of position on occasion but shot the ball well in many games and should be more comfortable this year with his supporting cast. "I take Roddy for granted because he's zero maintenance. He's the ultimate teammate," May said. "He cuts for his teammates. He passes to the open man. He competes every single day. He doesn't complain if he doesn't get the ball. He doesn't show bad body language if the play doesn't find him. "… Roddy being through the fires, he's going to be able to help the young guys, explain how physical it's going to be [in the Big Ten], how we have to play through tough calls, tough environments, things like that. He's brought a lot to the table already, and we anticipate his role going forward will grow as the season goes." Burnett should be similar after aver- aging 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds last season. He's a better defender than he's shown and should improve this season. "Nimari played for two very success- ful programs before last year, and let's not act like Michigan wasn't winning at a high level in recent memory," May said. "… Nimari's won at a high level, and he's a good player." So, too, are all the players the new staff brought from the portal. All came from winning programs, May noted, and all know what it feels like to win. He's con- fident they'll have that feeling a lot this year if the coaches do their jobs. "It's on us to put them together and utilize them," he said. His track record shows he's a guy who can do it, making for exciting times in Ann Arbor. ❏ PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS