The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535358
28 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2025 2025 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS W hen we caught up with Michigan signee Win- ters Grady this spring, he had just gotten out of the gym — not at all shocking, since many say that's where he spends most of his spare time, and certainly didn't catch Dusty May by surprise. "It's all ball [with him]," the Michi- gan head coach said when we sat down with him May 5. "All serious business. He loves basketball, and he just works." Probably one of the reasons he and Grady had formed such a tight bond during the recruiting process and be- cause, we noted, that's May's M.O. "Yeah, probably," May said with a laugh. Few work harder than May on the recruiting trail, and he's the consum- mate " ball is life" guy. When he sees someone he believes will fit his system and help him win, and who is a fit for his program, he's all-in. That was one of the traits Grady, the No. 59 player nationally in the On3 In- dustry Ranking, liked most about his future coach, too. The incoming fresh- man wing had offers from home state Oregon and dozens of others. None of the other coaches, though, connected with him like May. "Love him," Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep's Grady said of May in late April. "He and my dad hit it off really well, too. They were on the phone every other day. He's recruited me really hard, and I grew a nice bond with him really quickly." He trusted the message, too, that May wasn't interested in a rebuild, but winning quickly. That was a leap of faith when he pledged Oct. 18 last year. The Wolverines were coming off an 8-24 season under previous head coach Juwan Howard, and May rebuilt the roster mostly from scratch, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten Tournament title and Sweet 16 berth in 2024-25. Grady caught plenty of games after his pledge. The product on the floor was exactly what he expected. "One hundred percent. You never know until a school is actually playing, but they started playing, and I knew … I knew it was a perfect fit," Grady said. "The amount of threes being shot, how SHOOTING STAR West Coast Product Winters Grady Is A Shooter, And Much, Much More Grady, a 6-foot-5 wing player, has drawn favorable comparisons to former U-M great Nik Stauskas. PHOTO BY SORU PHOTOGRAPHY