The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 but also the old men of the crew, grad student Nimari Burnett and senior Roddy Gayle Jr. "The guards, Nimari and Roddy, have been in college six and five years," McK- enney marveled. "They have a really good approach to the game. Whenever I needed help in the summer or this fall before the season, they really helped my game as well. I'm practicing and com- peting with them every day in practice, and that just makes my game better." May observed that McKenney's atti- tude proved a key component in speed- ing the learning process. "Begin with his humility," May pointed out. "For a five-star freshman to come into a program like Michigan and have more questions than answers is prob- ably a little bit rare. But that's who he is as a person. His ability to fit in has been great. "You put him on the blue team in practice, you put him on the maize team in practice, any lineup combination, and he's trying to figure out the best way for him to function in that group. We're still trying to figure out — does he play better with these big guys? Do we need him to be in this group so it's more of a scoring punch? Do we need to have him in this group some as more of a floor spacer? "We're still trying to answer all of those questions. But when you have guys of his character and ability, usually those things kind of work themselves out." NO LIMITS ON THESE WOLVERINES McKenney's debut in the opener couldn't have been much better. He loved every minute of it, but fully understands the challenge ahead, and isn't about to get carried away with the moment. "I was just happy to play my first game at Crisler in a packed arena," he said. "As a Michigan fan and also a person that grew up watching Michigan a lot, it was just exciting to see that. I'm just happy the team got to show the fans that this is going to be a really exciting season. "I didn't know it would be like that for the first game, but I just know the amount of work I put in, and my prep- aration toward the game. I just let the process and let the work speak for itself." He's certain his present team will do plenty of talking this winter — through action. Right now, he's caught up in the newness of first classes, getting ad- justed to the campus, and college life, noting: "I love it here. Going to class here, living the Michigan experience is like no other." But McKenney is also finding his way in a team ranked No. 6 nationally after the opener, and one more and more re- garded as a unit that could make a deep run in next spring's NCAA Tournament. He knows all that, and thinks about it — just not for very long. "That's definitely the goal, and we definitely talk about it," McKenney said. "But there's a process in there. There are 30 or so games before you get to Monday night [NCAA Championship game]. Just staying in the moment and staying in the process is going to help us the most throughout the course of the season." The future is now, for McKenney and the veteran talent all around him. The freshman doesn't fear a falloff after this year, for sure. He witnessed how May restocked after last season's debut run. He harbors no doubt whatsoever that the talent will continue to pour in, and figures to find himself right in the middle of a golden era in maize and blue. "I think it's very sustainable," McKen- ney assured. "The way he coaches — he's a players' coach. Just the way the staff is, it's sustainable. He's going to bring in a lot of great players for years to come." ❏ Mr. Basketball Goes To Michigan The Wolverines haven't found themselves short on Mr. Basketball prep performers in the state of Michigan. Here's a look back at the five most recent. 1. Trey McKenney, Flint, 2025 — The newest in the Mr. Basketball-to-Ann Arbor pipeline, McKenney appears to have landed in the program at just the right time for a hugely suc- cessful career. 2. Phat Phat Brooks, Grand Rapids, 2024 — Brooks' stay in Ann Arbor proved a skinny one. Following limited minutes as a true freshman, including a scoring high of 4 against Cleveland State, he transferred to Central Michigan. Brooks averaged 22 minutes per game in the Chippewas' first two contests, averaging 8.5 points per game. 3. Isaiah Livers, Kalamazoo, 2017 — Livers enjoyed a strong career at Michigan, his teams going 105-32 over the course of his career. He scored 987 career points, averaging 8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds. As a senior captain, Livers averaged 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds, connecting on 43.1 percent of his three-pointers and 87.0 percent of his free throws. The Wolverines enjoyed back-to-back 30-win seasons with Livers on the roster, 33-8 in 2017-18 and 30-7 in 2018-19. A part of three straight Sweet 16 squads, Livers and his teammates advanced all the way to the NCAA title game against Villanova in 2018. Michigan won the Big Ten regular-season title in 2021 and the Big Ten Tournament title in 2018. Livers went on to a long NBA career, presently with Phoenix. 4. Manny Harris, Detroit, 2007 — Harris started 97 of his 98 games at Michigan, making the 2009-10 All-Big Ten third team. He earned Michigan's Bill Buntin Award as the team's Most Valuable Player that year, after averaging 18.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he was part of a Michigan squad that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 5. Dion Harris, Detroit, 2003 — Harris played in 131 career games at Michigan, starting 97. He scored 1,599 points over the course of four seasons, with 268 career three-pointers. Harris logged 398 career assists and 135 steals, both Michigan top-10 career numbers at the time. In 2007, he earned All-Big Ten third-team honors as a senior, while garnering the Bill Buntin Award as Michigan's Most Valuable Player. He averaged 13.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game that season. Harris was part of Michigan's NIT championship team his freshman year. — John Borton ❱ Head coach Dusty May on McKenney "When you're a real person like Trey is — authentic, curious, you genuinely care about your teammates as much if not more than yourself — good things are going to happen for you."