The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534644
54 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2025 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan men's basketball head coach Dusty May had an out- standing first year at the helm of the program, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten Tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance in his first season on the job. He did that with only six weeks to put his first roster together last year. And now that he's got more time, ex- pectations are that he can do even bet- ter in Year 2. That's how high he's set the bar, and while the goals are lofty, he's embracing them with his own high expectations. This year's freshman class should help. Forward Oscar Goodman joined the roster midseason, and he's been "very good" and one of the team's best finishers through contact in practice, May reported before the end of the sea- son. Wing Winters Grady, overlooked by some, is one of the top shooters in the 2025 class — the Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep standout via Lake Oswego, Ore., (6-6, 200, On3's No. 54 senior nation- ally) recently scored 21 points, including 7 in overtime, to lead an 81-80 upset of No. 3 Long Island (N.Y.) in a quarterfinal game at Chipotle Nationals April 3. Guard Trey McKenney, though, is the gem. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Or- chard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's product proved it on the big stage with 22 points in Team USA's 124-114 overtime win over Team World at the April 12 Nike Hoop Summit, living up to his No. 20 ranking. McKenney went 7-for-9 from the floor and made two corner triples in the extra session to help Team USA pull away. He made 4 of his 6 three-point- ers, 4 of 5 free throws, and added an assist in the win. The senior also scored 7 points on 3-of-10 shooting in the McDonald's All-America game April 1, adding 3 as- sists. In addition, he earned Mr. Basket- ball honors for the state of Michigan af- ter averaging 22.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists. The Flint, Mich., native also earned back-to-back Michigan As- sociated Press (AP) Division 1 Player of the Year and Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. U-M still has room for other 2025 prospects, and there are options avail- able. May was in Europe recently with the assumption he was seeing 7-footer Ma- lick Kordel again along with another prospect or two. Everything we've heard is that U-M is "in good shape" with the German who just started play- ing basketball in 2021 but has picked it up quickly. There have been issues in the past with some overseas players and eligibility, but this staff seems to do its homework in assessing who can get in at Michigan. As for his play on the court — he con- tinues to improve. "He's ahead of the curve," one source told us when we asked if he was a "proj- ect." "But watch the film and look at his hands." Kordel plays for the Fraport Skylin- ❱ BASKETBALL RECRUITING Michigan Freshman Class Is Looking Great, But Staff Is Seeking Even More Help U-M signee Trey McKenney capped off a tremendous senior season at Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's by earning Gatorade Michigan Player of the Year honors for the second straight season, among other accolades. PHOTO COURTESY NIKE HOOP SUMMIT