The Wolverine

February 2025

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2025 BY JOHN BORTON J unior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. felt like the rest of his brand new teammates, arriving in Ann Ar- bor from all across the nation — a little lost, a bit unsure. Only Gayle's apprehension might have gone the extra mile. After all, he'd come from Colum- bus, the Michigan-perceived Mordor, and entered the northern Shire. He wasn't certain how he'd be re- ceived. Then came fourth-year junior forward Will Tschetter like the unofficial mayor of Michigan basketball, welcom- ing Gayle and all of the new blue crew with warmth and enthusiasm. Even in those early days, the seeds of success were being sown. "Will is very underrated, as far as leadership," Gayle insisted. "When I was here, I was nervous, because I didn't know how I would be accepted, espe- cially making that switch from Ohio. Will showed me the way, as far as how things are supposed to be done here in Ann Ar- bor." Gayle also gives a nod to other Michi- gan veterans on the welcoming commit- tee, and Tschetter goes out of his way to emphasize the team effort in bring- ing everyone together early on. That's what he does — deflecting attention and bringing others together in a resounding emphasis on "The Team, The Team, The Team." "It was showing everyone what Michi- gan is all about, showing them who we were," Tschetter recalled. "Last year isn't the Michigan we want to be. It's bringing out the best in everyone, helping guys with whatever they needed. It was hang- ing out as a team, finding good places to eat, helping the transition in any way I could. [Grad guard] Jace [Howard] did a great job of that as well. Our walk- ons, with [senior guard] Ian [Burns] and [sophomore forward] Harrison [Hoch- berg], and [grad guard] Nimari [Burnett] did a great job with that. I would say it was a shared, collective effort between all five returners, making sure everyone was comfortable." Through Michigan's opening four Big Ten contests, Dusty May's cobbled-to- gether squad looked mighty comfortable. They stood 4-0 in conference play, with three road victories — more than sev- eral Big Ten teams will earn in a season. They've transformed the talk around Michigan men's basketball. It's no longer that May's impressive, hit-the-ground- running start could perhaps lead to a fin- ish in the top half of the league. Michigan is now seen as a legitimate contender for the Big Ten title. "That was always his vision," Tschet- ter said of May. "It wasn't necessarily a transition year, or a rebuilding year. It was restock, and let's go. That's how col- lege athletics is now, with the portal and NIL, the ability to get guys and recon- struct a roster pretty quick. When you started to see some of those pieces falling into place, it was pretty clear we were go- ing to be competitive. The position we're in came down to how the chemistry was going to line up, the buy-in guys were going to have to his philosophy. "He did a really good job of making that happen. Our team has done a really good job of buying into his philosophy." It's done a really good job in most ar- eas, including going to Wisconsin, USC and UCLA in the opening weeks of con- ference play and striding away with vic- tories. Those put the Wolverines in an excellent spot, Tschetter acknowledged. "Coach Mike Boyd, whenever we have those road conference games, he says, 'These games are gold,'" Tschetter noted. "To be able to steal one on the road against a good team — and hon- estly, all three teams we've played on the road have been really good teams — that's gold, looking back at the end of the regular season. It's really promising that we've been able to do that. Coming from behind in every single one of those games is also a big testament." CLEARING THE DUST AWAY Tschetter didn't have to find himself in the midst of a Michigan basketball re- vival. He could have gone anywhere and contributed. It took him only three years at Michigan to earn an undergraduate degree in Earth and Environmental Sci- ence. He's now begun work on a mas- ter's in Environment and Sustainability in Ecosystem Science and Management, and an unofficial degree in Team Chem- istry and League Title Pursuit. The decision to stay, Tschetter stressed, became obvious in his very first conversation with the new head coach. "I was in a position where moving to a different program was a possibility," he acknowledged. "I graduated, I got my Michigan degree, obviously what hap- pened to Coach [Juwan] Howard [had an impact], a lot of uncertainty with who they were going to bring in as the head coach. "As soon as I had my first meeting with Coach May, I knew it was going to be the right decision, to come back. I'm really glad I did. The relationship we've built in such a short time, the staff he put to- gether, the level of mature guys he put together, high-character guys — it was the perfect fit." SACRIFICING LEADER Will Tschetter Makes Michigan Better Through Energy And Unselfishness Tschetter averaged 6.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game through Michigan's 13-3 start. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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