The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534644
38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2025 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Returnees G Nimari Burnett G L.J. Cason G Roddy Gayle Jr. F Oscar Goodman^ F Will Tschetter Signees F Winters Grady G Trey McKenney Incoming Transfers G Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina) F Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) F Yaxel Lendeborg* (UAB) C Aday Mara (UCLA) Declared Early For NBA Draft Danny Wolf Portal Exits G Phat Phat Brooks G Tre Donaldson (Miami) G Jace Howard G Justin Pippen (Cal) F Sam Walters (SMU) Eligibility Expired C Vladislav Goldin G Rubin Jones * Committed to U-M but has also declared for the NBA Draft ^ Signed with the Wolverines last November but enrolled early in January and spent this se- mester with the team, redshirting day without them letting me showcase my skill set and developing me into the player I am today." The NBA Draft Combine will take place May 11-18 in Chicago, and the draft will be held June 25-26 in New York. Graduate guard Nimari Burnett, meanwhile, has another year of eligibil- ity, and he announced on April 21 — five days prior to the draft deadline — his decision to return to U-M for the 2025- 26 campaign. Burnett has played five seasons of college basketball, having been at Texas Tech (2020-21), Alabama (2021-23) and Michigan (2023-present). The Chicago native has started all 69 games over the last two seasons for the Wolverines. In 2024-25, he registered 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest, while shooting 62.7 per- cent on two-pointers (52 of 83) and 40 percent on threes (66 of 165). Per Ken- Pom, his offensive rating took a huge jump from 104.2 in 2023-24 to 117.4 in 2024-25. Burnett came to Michigan from Al- abama with high hopes, but the Wol- verines finished 8-24 in his first sea- son in Ann Arbor. He's grateful for the turnaround that was led by head coach Dusty May, a new coaching staff, trans- fer portal newcomers and fellow return- ees such as forward Will Tschetter. "Coming off a tough year last year — especially the returners, me, Will, [guard] Jace [Howard], etc. — the plan was to write the story and represent the Block M in the right way," Burnett said March 28. "This season was amazing. Not only did we build a brotherhood, but we're going to talk about this for the rest of our lives. It's something we're all going to remember. "I'm grateful to be a part of this group, and I'm grateful to be a part of the University of Michigan as a whole." — Clayton Sayfie TRE DONALDSON HEADLINES U-M PORTAL DEPARTURES Co n n e c te d o r n o t , o n e d ay a f- ter Michigan landed North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau, point guard Tre Donaldson entered the transfer portal April 1. Later that week, the rising se- nior committed to Miami, where he'll play closer to his hometown of Tal- lahassee, Fla. Donaldson has one year of eligibil- ity left after spending two seasons at Auburn (2022-24) and one at Michigan (2024-25). The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder started all 37 games and posted 11.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 boards per outing for the Wolverines, connecting on 48.9 percent of his twos (86 of 176) and 37.5 percent of his threes (63 of 168). Donaldson came up with clutch mo- ments for the Maize and Blue in the postseason run, highlighted by his game-winning layup just before the buzzer in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over Maryland. Donaldson is one of five players to transfer this offseason, joining guards Justin Pippen (California), Jace How- ard and Phat Phat Brooks, along with forward Sam Walters. Pippen appeared in 28 contests but entered the portal before the season was over. He averaged 1.6 points in 6.7 minutes per game. Howard will seek a medical redshirt waiver for last season. The son of for- mer head coach Juwan Howard spent five years with the Maize and Blue. Brooks — Mr. Basketball in the state of Michigan in 2024 — is out after one season with his childhood favorite team. He made 15 appearances and to- taled 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 49 minutes. Walters, meanwhile, will find a new home after missing the final 14 games of the season with a back injury. The 6-foot-10, 200-pounder who trans- ferred in from Alabama, averaged 5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per clash, while shooting 36.6 percent from three-point distance. — Clayton Sayfie U-M SCHOLARSHIP ROSTER TRACKER Junior guard Tre Donaldson entered the trans- fer portal April 1 and committed to Miami (Fla.) later that same week. He started all 37 games for U-M, averaging 11.3 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS