The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL will be in this place many more times," Gayle said. Fifth-year senior wing Nimari Bur- nett, meanwhile, was thought to be headed out to start his professional ca- reer. May, speaking on local radio sta- tion WTKA in early April, said he'd like to bring him back for one more year. Burnett has a sixth season of eligibility remaining due to injuries and the 2020 COVID season. "We've had great conversations," May said. "I'm very careful about speak- ing for any of these guys, but Nimari, we want him back at the University of Michigan. "He'll have a really good basketball season next year … we anticipate it'd be here. But once again, nothing is final- ized until it's final. We expect him to be back; we're excited for him to be back. He was a big, big part of our success this year." May got the good news he wanted when Burnett announced his return April 21. He averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and led Michigan on three-pointers, making 40 percent (66- for-165) while averaging 4.5 three-point attempts per game. Burnett scored in double figures in 17 games, with the highlight being a 20-point game in the win over Rutgers in late February in which he hit a long triple just before time expired in an 84-82 win. Another player, freshman guard L.J. Cason, got his mojo back in the tourna- ment, including an 11-point game in the second-round win over Texas A&M. He averaged 4.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, but he should be a huge part of the Wolverines' plans next year. "If you know L.J. Cason, he's never going to be unaggressive," May said after Michigan's Big Ten Tournament Cham- pionship win over Wisconsin. "He's go- ing to put the pedal to the metal, and we know him … we know what his DNA is." Fi n a l ly, f ro s h O s c a r G o o d m a n , a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Ōpunake, New Zealand, after devel- oping at the NBA Global Academy in Australia, joined the team midyear and redshirted. NBA scouts started to notice him at last summer's FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, where he led New Zea- land to a historic fourth-place finish. "He's been a four-man, a power forward up to this point," May said of Goodman earlier in the season. "He's a really good driver … he's an aggres- sive finisher around the basket. In our finishing drills, he's one of our better finishers now. "He has a reliable three-point shot when he has time and his feet are set, but now we're trying to expand his game where he's a better shooter, which will set up his quick first step drive with the ball." — Chris Balas DANNY WOLF DECLARES FOR 2025 NBA DRAFT Forward/center Danny Wolf declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, he announced April 16. Wolf has until May 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET to withdraw his name from the draft, but he told ESPN he will indeed forgo his remaining season of eligibility. The 7-foot, 250-pound Glencoe, Ill., native spent two seasons at Yale (2022- 24) and one at Michigan (2024-25). Wolf had a stellar season in Ann Ar- bor, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors by both the coaches and media. Wolf started all 37 games, averaging 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks in 30.5 minutes per outing. He became the first Wolverine to lead the Big Ten in rebounds since Chris Webber in 1993. Playing alongside center Vladislav Goldin, a Florida Atlantic transfer and another NBA Draft prospect, Wolf im- pressed NBA scouts and front offices. He was Michigan's highest-usage player and shot 56.7 percent from inside the arc (148 of 261) and 33.6 percent from beyond the long line (38 of 113). "This season exceeded all expecta- tions," Wolf told ESPN. "We had an awesome year from a team standpoint. I didn't know what I was getting my- self into with a brand-new roster and coaching staff, but [head coach] Dusty May had an out-of-the-box plan for my development with a unique style of of- fense that allowed me to play my game. I wouldn't be in the position I am to- Danny Wolf leaves Michigan after one remarkable season in which the junior forward averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS