The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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30 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JANUARY 2025 BY JOHN BORTON T he difference between a strong 2-0 start to Big Ten play and a disappointing 1-1 opening rested in the hands of an unlikely Wolverine hero, with less than 10 seconds to play. Junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. didn't flinch. Gayle flew down the lane at Crisler Arena, putting up a point-blank shot that Iowa kept out only via goaltend- ing. His clutch bucket gave Michigan its 85-83 win over the Hawkeyes, finishing off a 17-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound ef- fort for the 6-foot-5 guard. He scored U-M's opening five points and closing four in pushing the home team to an excellent start and a breakthrough into the Associated Press Top 25. "Hats off to Roddy," noted Michigan head coach Dusty May. "He made a re- ally good play. Vlad [Goldin] and Danny [Wolf ] set really good screens, Tre [Donaldson] chased it. It looked like an RPO keeper in football, and those guys executed it well." Gayle also gave credit to all involved. He acknowledged, though, the desire to command the basketball in that situation. "As a competitor, everybody would l i k e t h a t b a l l ," Gayle said. "Coach thought it was a good idea for me to get going. We know they wanted to switch, so it was a great opportunity for me to fake the handoff and go to my right hand. We've got tons of guys who can make that play. Coach called my number, and we did it." Gayle was a pacesetter among the Wolverines' top scorers through their 8-2 start to the season, although the hard numbers reveal just how much of a team effort it's been. In the opening 10 Michigan contests, grad center Goldin averaged 12.5 points per game, Gayle and junior forward/center Wolf were next at 12.3 and junior guard Donaldson aver- aged 11.8. You could barely slide a stat sheet between their points production, with Gayle also bringing a well-rounded effort — averaging 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 as- sists and 1.4 steals — in the early going. Oh, and with regard to the "unlikely Wolverine hero" tag, it has nothing to do with ability, attitude or opportunity. It's just that you won't find many for- mer Ohio State Buckeyes heading north to don the maize and blue. In some ways, it's a testament to his toughness, to say nothing of his sensibleness. Gayle made the big move north this past offseason, following two full cam- paigns in Columbus. He averaged a ca- reer-high 13.5 points last year, starting 35 of Ohio State's 36 games. May gave Gayle an offer he couldn't refuse, and Gayle didn't. The first-year Wolverine has taken his share of adjust- ment razzing, but game-winning shots tend to make that die down fairly quickly. "It was difficult early on, but I feel like Michigan welcomed me," Gayle admitted, regarding his big move. "It's been nothing but love. I'm still getting a little [grief]. It's crazy. One of the former players was call- ing me Ohio State. But I made the right decision. I'm happy with where I am." Make no mistake, Gayle assured. He's in Ann Arbor because the new boss ulti- mately made it very attractive. "After the Dusty May hire, I wasn't sure," he said. "I thought he was going to bring his guards with him, wherever he went. So, as soon as he contacted me, I knew I was going to have to make a tough decision, to switch over from Ohio State to Michigan. But like I said, I think I made the right decision. Looking at his track record and what he was able to do at FAU, with guys having a similar build to me, it wasn't hard. Seeing him break down film and spending so much time building our relationship, it was good." Prior to May reaching out in his whirl- wind offseason roster building, the two hadn't come in contact. "Never," Gayle noted. "But hearing him talk during the Zoom calls, his mind is like crazy. He has a brilliant offensive mind, some things I've never heard be- fore. He's just going to show me ways I will be successful. I was intrigued." He's learned plenty about May al- ready, beyond specific mechanics and schemes. "Energy is contagious," Gayle ob- served of his new head coach. "He's a great guy as far as encouraging the team, giving us the kind of passion we bring every day. It starts with him. He puts the best team out there to go out and compete." Gayle has competed in his sport for y e a r s n o w, b u t n eve r rea l ly ex- pected to be in this situation — at Ohio S ta te , M i c h i ga n , o r a n y w h e re o n this level. There's a gratefulness that c o m e s t h r o u g h when he talks about his formative years. "Growing up in Niagara Falls, New York, I didn't have really high hopes of college basketball or in the NBA," Gayle admitted. "But when I got to 13, 14 years old, I had kind of a growth spurt. I got taller than the kids around me, and I got on the circuit where I was able to showcase my abilities. Coaches started TURN FOR THE BETTER Roddy Gayle Jr. Embraces The North ❱ Head coach Dusty May on Gayle "He's a great leader. When he speaks, his teammates listen, because he's about the team. He deserves the success. He works hard, and he's doing it in a lot of different ways. He's doing it as a creator, doing it as a shooter, as a driver."