The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 2025 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE much he values the three, how much he values shooting, all while being a hard- nosed team. "There were some turnover struggles within the year, but I think he has a plan for all that. He's not naïve to the fact that there were struggles and ar- eas we need to get better. But it was crazy. It's an unbelievable turnaround, finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten and then going and winning the Big Ten Tournament championship." MICHIGAN VISIT SEALED THE DEAL Nobody would have predicted it, except maybe May. He wasn't shy to share his high expectations — he pre- dicted his team could compete in the Big Ten, and he'd seen enough when Grady pledged to set the bar even higher. Grady loved the confidence. More than that, he loved his potential fit in the program, especially after he saw the Michigan campus. "When I went on my visit, it was my second visit, so I didn't have much to compare to," Grady said. "I was just go- ing into my other visits like it was going to be the same, but the Michigan visit stood out to me. They had a whole pre- sentation for me. … Obviously, every school gives a presentation, but Michi- gan went in detail with what they want from me, really in detail what they like about me." One thing stood out, he added. "A lot of these schools would sugar- coat it and tell me what I wanted to hear. The biggest thing I value in my game is my development, me getting ready for the NBA," he said. "That's my main goal. They were fully bought into that and me achieving my individual goals, all while achieving team success. That's all I want to accomplish in bas- ketball. So, that's what mainly stood out to me — how bought in they were to my goals and aspirations." The Ann Arbor campus, meanwhile, "felt like home," he said. He knows he'll have to earn it, but May made it clear to Grady he'd get the chance. The coach made it clear to us, meanwhile, that his freshman's skill set would give him a great opportunity. "The way we shot the ball the second half of the year or the last third, we knew we would need shooting," May said. "He's got good size, and we knew he could make hard shots. Most im- portantly, he's a competitor. He's not coming in and just saying, 'Hey, I'm a freshman.' He's coming in to compete. "We know exactly what we're going to get out of him. He loves ball. He's a scorer by nature." And ready to prove it this fall. "It's the turnaround of the new era at Michigan and Michigan hoops, and I wanted to be part of it," Grady said. "In 10 years when they're talking about how the program turned around, I want to be part of the reason it was." THE NEXT NIK STAUSKAS? W h e n m a ny M i c h i ga n fa n s saw Grady's film for the first time, they thought the same thing — "he looks a lot like Nik Stauskas." Stauskas, of course, was the former Top 100 prep and Big Ten Player of the Year (2014) under former head coach John Beilein who went on to become a top-10 NBA Draft pick after his soph- omore year. And while it's premature to predict similar accolades for Grady, even Stauskas noticed it on social me- dia. "I watched some Nik highlights, and then I talked to him a good amount when I committed, had a nice phone call with him," Grady said. "He reached out to me, texted for a bit, then got on the phone. He'd seen a lot of compari- sons online. "I asked him for a little advice — what did he do going into his freshman year and stuff like that. It all stemmed from staying in the gym and staying level- headed." Current U-M coach May, meanwhile, knew the first time he saw Grady play he'd be a good fit for his program, and he made him a priority after watching him a few more times. When the two talked, May shared his vision for him in the of- fense … sure enough, just like Stauskas. "Just that I can get buckets," Grady said of what May liked about him. "That I can score the ball. My superpower is being able to be a shooter, just being able to work off people jumping at pump fakes, running me off the line, and just being able to get buckets from there. He just enjoys my versatility on the of- fensive end." So do analysts and scouts, the reason he's been rated so highly. Like Stauskas just over a decade ago, Grady has con- tinued to move up in the rankings due to his impressive offensive arsenal. "He's shown an understanding of how to create scoring opportunities for himself," On3's Jamie Shaw said. "He has provided consistency in various set- tings, giving us different ways he can score the ball. For his travel ball team, he was more of a central figure, self-cre- ating in the half court. In high school, he was more of a floor-spacer, moving to open areas off the ball and playing shot ready. "The athleticism will continue to be a question, how he fits in defensively, and ultimately adjusting to creating op- portunities with the speed and length at the college level. But the shooting is there, and he plays with physicality and confidence. He's done so in different ways, at a high level." ❑ Grady By The Numbers • Rated as the No. 59 player and No. 15 small forward nationally, and No. 7 player in the state of California, per the On3 Industry Ranking. • Originally from Portland, Ore. • Helped lead Prolific Prep to a third straight Grind Session World Championship, tallying 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in a 77-50 win over Canada's Ft. Erie International in March 2025. • Averaged 19 points per game during the adidas 3SSB AAU season, shooting 53 percent from the floor, 42 percent from long range and 87 percent from the free throw line. • Finished in the league's top 10 in both scoring and efficiency (1.06 points per posses- sion) according to Synergy Sports. — Chris Balas ❱ Dusty May on Grady "It's all ball [with him]. All serious business. He loves basketball, and he just works."