The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529264
DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 35 bright spot for us, because when you put that type of pressure on the defense, they usually wear down." With Donaldson leading the charge against the Vikings, Michigan registered assists on 22 of 39 made buckets. The group is selfless when it comes to sharing the ball, but the shots have to go in, too. With the sweat equity they've poured into the preparation, Donaldson says, they're actually "selfish." "I think it comes down to how selfish we are personally about getting in the gym and working on our game," he ex- plained. "Just finishing around the rim, little things like that, we have a team that, it's a good selfishness about getting in the gym, work- ing on our own game so it translates. And when the shots come, we're going to knock them down. That's what al- lows us to play the way we play and shoot the ball at a high clip. "Year 1 at a big-time school, [May is] trying to build his culture, and he has a great group to start with. The guys he kept, you just look at the kind of people they are, and it speaks to who he is." That high clip was a 68.4 field goal per- centage, the second-highest in program history, compared to Cleveland State's 30 percent mark. So far, so good. It's a long season, though, and adversity will strike at some point. Michigan will have to respond, but Donaldson's confidence in himself, the system and his teammates is a positive. "I'm a winner. I've won everywhere I've been," he said. "I'm a leader, and I'm going to make plays for everybody, I'm going to make plays for myself. I'm going to lead my team, good, bad or ugly." Where that takes Michigan, nobody knows for sure. But putting a ceiling on a team that seems destined to make the NCAA Tournament is typically a foolish endeavor (see: Florida Atlantic, 2023). "I'm not going to speak on it," Donald- son said when asked what the ceiling of the team is. "I want it to be a surprise for everybody. I mean, Michigan basketball is back. We're very excited. We're not going to do too much talking. We're go- ing to play." ❏ Donaldson helped U-M open the season with a 101-53 win over Cleveland State Nov. 4, register- ing 16 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line, a game-high 7 assists and 1 rebound in 27 minutes. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL