The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546004
AUGUST 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 27 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL joined was still the one he had signed up for in the offseason. "I wanted to make sure first, talking to all the guys, that I kind of felt com- fortable with everything, so I talked to everybody and got a good feel for every- one," Estrella told Boesch. "Coach Boyn- ton called me immediately, and we had our meetings. He told me the same thing that Dusty was telling me, and Coach B and I got in the gym a lot, we got to talk a lot, just him working me out, and we got to talk through things a couple times, just really be able to talk basketball and talk life. "I already knew him beforehand a bit from recruiting, but really got to know him and all that, and he told me about all the changes and whatnot, and he said it was going to be super similar, so I was super excited for him. And he made it seem like it was going to be the ex- act same situation, just with a different coach, so I was super excited, and ev- eryone's pretty much staying — I think almost everybody has said they're stay- ing, so I'm super excited about that. And listening to him and what he had to say, it kind of made sense and clicked for me, and I knew after talking to him that I was going to stay." U-M's players will continue to work out and bond over the summer before a nine-day trip to Lithuania and Croatia in August that includes three exhibition games, along with "cultural and team- building activities" during the trek that could further strengthen those bonds. — Anthony Broome MICHIGAN LANDS IVY LEAGUE HC AS ASSISTANT Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. made his first official staff addition on July 13, hir- ing Brown head coach Mike Martin as an assistant in charge of the offense. The Agawam, Mass., native is the son of a high school basketball coach and gradu- ated in 2004 from Brown, where he was a standout guard for four seasons and was part of the winningest class in program history. He turned down an investment bank job to play a year of pro basketball in Ireland, and cut his coaching teeth at Brown as an assistant in 2005-06. Following a brief stint back at his alma mater under head coach Glen Miller, he joined the Penn basketball program under Miller and Jerome Allen from 2006-12 before taking the head job at Brown in 2012, a position he held until he decided to leave for Michigan. "I'm incredibly grateful to Coach Boynton for the opportunity to join the Michigan basketball family," Martin said. "Michigan has established itself as one of the premier programs in college basketball, and it's easy to see why. The championship culture, the people and the commitment to excellence all make this a special place. I'm excited to get to work with our student-athletes and help build on everything this program has ac- complished." Martin is the winningest coach in Brown history, going 171-202 (.458) in his time there. He was the 2019 Ivy League Coach of the Year after a program-best 20-win season. The closest Martin's Bears ever got to the NCAA Tournament was the 2024 Ivy League Tournament final, where they lost, 62-61, to Yale on a buzzer-beater. Former Michigan forward Danny Wolf was part of that Yale squad before transferring to Ann Arbor that offseason. "Mike is someone I've admired for a long time," Boynton said in the U-M re- lease. "He's an outstanding coach, an exceptional teacher and one of the best recruiters in the game, but more than anything, he's a great person who truly invests in his players. At Brown, he's built consistently competitive teams through player development and a win- ning culture, and those values align per- fectly with what we're building here in Ann Arbor. We're excited to welcome Mike, Kristin and their daughters to the Michigan family." Martin joins assistant coaches Akeem Miskdeen and Kyle Church on the U-M staff. Miskdeen and Church were on the road recruiting in mid-July. Former assistants Drew Williamson and Mody Maor joined Dusty May with the Dallas Mavericks. — Anthony Broome New Michigan assistant Mike Martin has the winningest record in Brown history, going 171-202 (.458) in his stint as the program's head coach. He was the 2019 Ivy League Coach of the Year after a program-best 20-win season. PHOTO COURTESY BROWN ATHLETICS