The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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8 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2026 D usty May has Detroit on his mind, and he's not talking about the Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings. The 2027 NCAA Final Four will be played in the Motor City next spring, and May isn't shy about his aspirations. The last thing he said to a small group around him on the confetti- strewn basketball surface at Lu- cas Oil Stadium after winning the 2026 national championship was this: "Now we start thinking about Detroit." Michigan has never experienced a basketball coach who talked like this — at least over the past 35 years. May put it out there this past year, because he knew what he had in that locker room. He mentioned the next Big Dance be- cause he knew what he wanted to procure. Time will tell if it's enough, and his talent collection may not be finished. But this much is certain. May isn't going away, and neither is Michigan. Bo Schembechler insisted — during his famed "The Team, The Team, The Team" locker room speech — "We're going to win it. We're going to win the championship again, because we're go- ing to play as a team, better than any- body else in this conference. We're go- ing to play together as a team. We're going to believe in each other, we're not going to criticize each other, we're not going to talk about each other. We're going to encourage each other. "And when we play as a team, when the old season is over, you and I know, it's going to be Michigan again. Michi- gan!" That's May, with even loftier expecta- tions. The Team. Creating the unself- ishness, self-sacrifice and togetherness it takes to make it through a long winter of basketball and wind up not only as the best team in the nation this year, but in the minds of many, one of the best NCAA champions ever. The blueprint is there, for all to see. Now it's connecting the new parts with the remaining na- tional championship components. Starting with the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player — rising senior guard Elliot Cadeau — doesn't hurt. Add in rising sophomore guard Trey McKen- ney — who thrust the ultimate three- point dagger right into the heart of the Huskies in the national championship game — and you've got one of the top back courts in the nation for 2026-27. Then the questions and answers be- gin in earnest. Might Morez Johnson Jr. come back for one more year? He's insisted publicly he has no issues with returning for a crack at a repeat. The 7-foot-3 Aday Mara is generally con- ceded to be off to the pros, but even if both go, Michigan isn't left with an empty big man cupboard. The transfer portal again supplied length and talent. Moustapha Thiam goes 7-2, 250, coming from the University of Cincin- nati with hopes of becoming the next center of attention in the maize and blue. "He's got a lot of weapons in his tool- box," May said. "He's going be fun to coach. We're excited for him. If you're going to have the type of defense we had this year, you need to build and clean some stuff up at the rim, and we think he's able to do that on the defensive end. "He runs, he makes threes. As you saw here in the exhibition game, we had no answer for him down low, and that was before Morez and Aday. He's a guy that we think will be able to identify some matchup advantages for us and attack on the perimeter and the low post and transition, what- ever the case." A n o t h e r b i g m a n wh o saw May's cooking and wanted some — 6-11, 240-pound J.P. Estrella out of Tennessee. The Wolverines thumped the Volunteers in the NCAA Tournament, and Estrella volunteered to join 'em shortly thereafter. "J.P. brings size, toughness and a lot of energy to our front court," May said. "He knows what it takes to win at a high level and plays the game the right way. He runs the floor, rebounds, com- petes on every possession and gives us a strong presence around the basket. Just as important, he's a great teammate and someone who fits exactly what we're building here." H e 's a l s o b u i l d i n g w i t h 6 -1 0, 245-pound Jalen Reed, whose time at LSU has been cut short by injury. Add in the six true freshmen detailed in these pages — including top-50 prep per- formers Brandon McCoy Jr. (6-5, 196 guard with a 6-10 wingspan) and Quinn Costello (a 6-10, 195 forward) — and several limited-minutes hopefuls from last season, already settled into May's system. Now it's all about turning the parts into a team. May can do that. He's proven it. If he does it again, Michigan's next machine could be making a short drive to compete for another title. ❏ WOLVERINE WATCH ❱ JOHN BORTON Reloading In a Motown Mood "Now we start thinking about Detroit," said head coach Dusty May after the win over Connecticut for the national title, refer- ring to where the 2027 NCAA Final Four will be hosted. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Senior writer John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @JB_Wolverine.