Michigan basketball leaves the door open for Nimari Burnett return: 'We want him back'
Nimari Burnett has not made a decision publicly one way or the other about his future plans but according to head coach Dusty May, who spoke on WTKA-AM (1050) on Wednesday morning, there's no doubt about Michigan's desire to bring him back.
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"We've had great conversations," May said. "I'm very careful about speaking for any of these guys, but Nimari, we want him back at the University of Michigan."
Michigan center Vladislav Goldin (50) and guard Nimari Burnett (4) celebrate 59-53 win over Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Tournament championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday, March 16, 2025.
GOING PLACES: Michigan freshman Phat Phat Brooks, former Mr. Basketball, enters transfer portal
Burnett enjoyed a career year this past season under May, shooting 47.6% from the floor to set a personal high after never even shooting 40% for an entire year.
Burnett also excelled on 3-pointers, leading U-M at 40% (66-for-165) while averaging 4.5 3-point attempts per game. Burnett scored in double figures 17 times, including a season-high 20 points in late February against Rutgers,capped by his 3 as time expired for an 84-82 win.
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Burnett seemingly got better as the season went on, leading May to believe the best is yet to come for Burnett, who has 108 career appearances (including 78 starts). Burnett was named an Academic All-Big Ten selection and U-M's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree this past season.
Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) goes to the basket against Auburn during the first half of the Sweet 16 round of NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, March 28, 2025.
"He'll have a really good basketball season next year (where he is), we anticipate it'd be here," May said. "But once again, nothing is finalized until it's final. We expect him to be back, we're excited for him to be back. He was a big, big part of our success this year."
Burnett began his career at Texas Tech in 2020-21, then transferred to Alabama, where he sat out the 2021-22 season. After another season in Tuscaloosa, Burnett came to Ann Arbor for 2023-24 and has played and started all 69 games for U-M over two seasons.
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It has been a busy offseason for the Wolverines, who have five players already declared for the portal: Tre Donaldson is headed to Miami (Florida) and Justin Pippen is going to Cal, while Sam Walters, Durral "Phat Phat" Brooks and Jace Howard have yet to declare their transfer choice. There are also three players reportedly on the way in: Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), Morez Johnson (Illinois) and Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB).
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Nimari Burnett returning in 2025-26? Michigan basketball hopes so
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