Latest news with #DustyMay
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Dusty May discusses Yaxel Lendeborg's impact on Michigan's 2025 roster for first time
Dusty May discusses Yaxel Lendeborg's impact on Michigan's 2025 roster for first time It's been just over a year since Dusty May joined the Michigan basketball program as the new head coach, replacing Juwan Howard, and the difference couldn't be more clear as far as the tenor in Ann Arbor is concerned. While Howard had raised the ceiling of Michigan basketball recruiting, the team got worse year over year. May appears to have a similar recruiting prowess while also being able to press the same development and in-game buttons that John Beilein used to. As far as building a roster is concerned, if that wasn't clear last year after May took over, it was this offseason when he managed to secure the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal, former UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg. How Dusty May and Michigan landed Yaxel Lendeborg Lendeborg appeared to be headed to the NBA, having declared for the draft. But he also entered the transfer portal and committed to May and the maize and blue, leaving either option open to him. Last week, he ultimately chose to honor his commitment to Michigan basketball, which should, again, raise the ceiling for May's team. But how did the second-year Michigan head coach land Lendeborg in the first place? Now that he's officially signed with U-M, May was free to open up about it with Brian Boesch on the Defend the Block Podcast. "We knew Yax from competing against him. I coached at UAB, and so we were friendly with their staff," May said. "We were very, I guess -- familiar with everything around him. So we thought at the end of the day, we might have a chance to recruit him if he went into the portal. And so in the back of our minds, we were just monitoring the situation after they lost. "He came up with a very concise plan of what he was going to do. And immediately after going into the portal, myself and the staff drove to Chicago, where he was interviewing or meeting with agents. And we asked if we could just carve out an hour or two just to visit face to face. And some other schools did that as well. And they immediately narrowed everything down to just a handful of schools that they were considering based on what he was looking for and what was important to him. And it moved pretty quickly at that point. "But we also felt like this was a year that we could gamble on someone we thought who we felt was the best player and the most productive, best player in the portal. And what I mean is, some years, you can't wait this long. Well, in this case, we felt like we had the roster depth, the positional size across the board, where we could roll the dice and go the duration with someone like Yax. And fortunately, it paid off because he raises our ceiling exponentially." How Lendeborg will impact the roster Like last year, the Wolverines will have some returning players as well as a bevy of transfers and recruits. May got transfers from North Carolina point guard Elliot Cadeau, Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara, as well as commitments from five-star Trey McKenney, four-star Winters Grady, and three-star Patrick Liburd. That's in addition to the returning players: Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr., Will Tschetter, and LJ Cason. May said that while there's a few players who can do the same things as the others, there's a lot of versatility within this group that opens up all kinds of options. "Yeah, obviously, there's going to be a reaction to everyone that we sign. But the beautiful thing about Yax is we think we can play him all over the board," May said. "And so we have guys that can slide up, can slide down, even when you look at the guys we brought in. "One of the things that Elliot Cadeau's prep school coach said was that he's one of the best, toughest switching defenders for a size that he's ever been around. And so when you're able to, it's more about who you can defend. And so Elliot's able to guard bigger, stronger guys because of his competitive spirit. And then you look at Morez and you look at Will Tschetter. Will Tschetter was one of the better -- he graded, was one of our best on-ball defenders last year on the perimeter. And so you add Yax, who's very similar to Will and Morez, so you add some switchability. And just the more players we have that can slide up and down the lineup and play different positions just gives us more versatility, more options to go in either any direction on either side of the ball. "So obviously, everyone we sign each year, especially older players, is going to have an impact on everyone else. But we as a program that's striving to be championship level, we have to be much more concerned with maximizing our minutes and playing at an optimal performance level versus counting how many minutes we're playing. So we're all going to have to sacrifice, but hopefully we're sacrificing to win championships." Similarities and differences to Danny Wolf Of course, part of the pitch to Lendeborg -- which appears to have worked -- was how May and the Michigan basketball staff developed and utilized center Danny Wolf. Despite being a big man, the former Yale transfer was both a facilitator and scorer, able to share the court with fellow big man Vlad Goldin. So how will it work with Lendeborg in Ann Arbor? Wolf was a selling point, and just as there's other players on the roster who also have similar skill sets, May sees where he'll be able to differentiate Lendeborg from the others, aside from simple production. "Well, they're very similar in that they're both big players who are skilled," May said. "They're different in how they approach things. But the one thing about Yax, we think he'll be able to unlock some playmaking ability here. And once again, that league is a lot different. It's smaller, it's more athletic. We were able to play extremely small at FAU. At the Big Ten, he'll be defended by much bigger players a lot of the time. So he'll be able to use his speed and his quickness. "But the one thing about Yax is when he draws to, the ball comes out of his hands probably as well as anyone that we've recruited in the last several years, where he just has a really good feel for playing team basketball. And so you don't really have to change a lot. And so we'll just simply use him as a weapon, as a queen on a chessboard, like Derik Queen at Maryland, like Danny Wolf, just guys that can create, make plays. And then obviously Vlad had a lot to do with Danny's success. And then our shooting and cutting ability of Nimari and Roddy and Trey, and those guys. "So a lot goes into it. But we do think with Aday, his ability to play above the rim, his ability to pass it, we will have some unique abilities on offense again because of the size and skill level of those guys." With Lendeborg's signing on Monday, the Michigan basketball roster is officially set. Fans will get an opportunity to see the new-look team in action in November.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
NBA Draft withdrawal deadline takeaways: Auburn in title mix, UNC needs a wing
By Brendan Marks, C.J. Moore and Lindsay Schnell As of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, college basketball roster construction got more straightforward. Why? Because that was the deadline for players who had previously declared early for the NBA Draft to officially decide whether they'd be staying in the draft or returning to school. And while some key decisions went down to the wire — thanks, Alabama guard Labaron Philon, for that late-night withdrawal — we now have better clarity on who will (and won't) be suiting up in college next season. Advertisement As for which stay-or-go decisions figure to make the biggest impact on next season? The Athletic's team of experts has you covered: Purdue has a legit challenger for the 2026 Big Ten title with Lendeborg withdrawing from the draft. Lendeborg, who averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season, was the best frontcourt player available in the transfer portal, and there's an argument to be made that he should be a preseason All-American. Lendeborg fits into the Danny Wolf role and is versatile enough to play some small forward, allowing Dusty May to roll out what should be one of the biggest lineups in college basketball with Lendeborg sharing the floor with Morez Johnson and Aday Mara. Add in returner Will Tschetter, and Michigan will challenge Florida for the best/deepest frontcourt in the country. The question marks for the Wolverines are in the backcourt, but that's where May has some continuity with the return of Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle and LJ Cason. Also adding some upside is four-star guard Trey McKenney, who looked like one of the most college-ready guards during the Nike Hoops Summit. Locked in to start at point guard is North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau. He was the starter for a No. 1 seed his freshman year at UNC; the upside is there for this team to get there as well. While Houston had not closed the door on point guard Milos Uzan returning, head coach Kelvin Sampson and assistant Kellen Sampson were operating as if he were going to stay in the NBA Draft, which is why they moved quickly to get a commitment from Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs before the NCAA Tournament even finished. Well, we no longer have to wonder how the Isaacs experiment would go. Uzan is back, Isaacs is off to Texas A&M and Houston now has three starters returning from the team that was a bucket away from winning the title. Those three returners, combined with the second-best freshman class in the country, according to 247Sports, are one of the best mixes of old talent plus new. That Houston is likely to still start two freshmen makes the Cougars far from the surefire preseason title favorite, but don't be surprised if the groupthink goes that direction. Advertisement It's hard to bet against Kelvin Sampson, and Uzan was one of the best point guards in the country during the second half of the season. Houston players seem to always get better, and if Uzan and Joseph Tugler show they're able to give more scoring pop than they did last year, it's pretty easy to envision this team as one of the contenders come March. The premise that UConn had a legitimate chance to three-peat seemed like a real stretch last preseason. The Huskies had just one starter returning and didn't exactly crush it in the transfer portal. Florida will be the subject of similar storylines this preseason, and its late-spring run of good news indicates that the possibility is at least realistic. Like Dusty May at Michigan, Todd Golden is likely going to try to go with a huge three-big frontline with Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu all returning. Haugh has enough skill that it could work. And once again, Florida is super deep up front with Micah Handlogten also returning; He would start most places. The worry for the Gators came when Kentucky nabbed returner Denzel Aberdeen, but it worked out for Florida when Fland withdrew from the draft and picked the Gators. His speed should flourish in Florida's up-tempo system and take some of the pressure off Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee to try to be Walter Clayton. Condon will help the guards as the hub of the half-court offense. Florida's guards were awesome last year, but they were at their best when Condon could set them up for easy buckets off back cuts and dribble-handoffs. The backcourt might not be as good, but if Condon and Haugh can make the leap, the Gators could adjust to playing more through their bigs. It's an interesting mix on paper and more deserving of preseason hype than last year's Huskies. Talked with Cedric Coward. I'm in. Draft him. — Big DAVE (@BawlSports) May 15, 2025 In an ideal world, Duke would have former Washington State wing Coward — who chose the Blue Devils over Alabama out of the transfer portal — starting on the perimeter next season between a pair of likely 2026 first-round picks, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans. Even though Coward only played six games for Wazzu last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, his well-rounded game and gaudy counting stats — 17.7 points, seven rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game — seemingly made him a perfect fit on a Duke team that is again favored to win the ACC. Advertisement But then the NBA Draft combine happened, where pro decision-makers saw all the same things in Coward that Jon Scheyer and his staff had. It didn't take long for Coward's stock to climb to clear first-round territory, at which point he opted to remain in the draft. That meant Duke had to pivot to Plan B — or, rather, re-prioritize someone who had long been on its radar: Italian wing Dame Sarr, who played for FC Barcelona last season. He took a visit to Kansas shortly before Coward announced his decision, and for a brief window, it looked like Duke might lose both starting-caliber wings it explored this cycle. But as Coward's decision clarified behind the scenes, Duke ramped up its efforts with Sarr — and ultimately stole the 6-foot-7 wing away before KU could seal the deal. Sarr doesn't have the college experience Coward would've brought to Durham, but he's a multi-level scoring threat who impressed at the Nike Hoop Summit in April against many of the best players in the 2025 class. He can also defend multiple positions, and gives Scheyer the length he has come to desire across the board. It's a win-win-lose situation: Coward goes pro, likely in the first round; Duke gets a starting perimeter stud with NBA upside; and Kansas has another void to fill, after also losing out on former Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams to NC State. Bruce Pearl and his staff did well to replenish their roster after most of the Tigers' Final Four core, including All-American center Johni Broome, exhausted its eligibility. All of KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi State), KeyShawn Hall (UCF), and Kevin Overton (Texas Tech) should be instant-impact transfers … but realistically, none of them has the All-American upside of Pettiford. Despite coming off the bench, the former five-star guard was one of the best and most productive freshmen in the country last season, averaging 11.6 points and three assists per game — while shooting 36.6 percent from 3 and 80.4 percent at the free-throw line, in under 23 minutes a night. Advertisement Expect Pettiford's minutes and usage to spike next season in more of a starring role, as he'll be the primary scoring option in Auburn's backcourt. The Tigers probably would've been a top-25 team even without Pettiford, but his return gives Auburn a more realistic shot at a second consecutive SEC title. After one of the more inconsistent seasons in recent UNC history, the Tar Heels (again) saw major roster turnover, with no departure more notable than former All-American guard RJ Davis. But one player that Hubert Davis and his staff hoped to keep? Freshman wing Powell, a former top-10 recruit and natural wing who was forced to play out of position as a small-ball four most of last season. Davis added multiple frontcourt pieces this offseason, including Henri Veesaar (Arizona) and Jarin Stevenson (Alabama), to rectify that issue and try convincing Powell to run it back for one more season. But ultimately, Powell declared for the NBA Draft — and after testing as one of the most athletic prospects at the combine, opted to officially go pro. Doing so meant turning down UNC's hefty financial package to return as the team's clear-cut starting wing. UNC held out hope that Powell might come back to school at the last second, but that didn't materialize. And to make matters worse? Several other top UNC targets — including Sarr and Florida State wing Jamir Watkins, who also stayed in the draft — have since finalized their plans elsewhere. As of today, the Tar Heels still don't have an obvious starting wing on their roster — and while there are still a few talented options out there in the transfer portal (and internationally), the pickings are slimmer than they were a month ago. In a pivotal season for his future, Davis needs to fill the Powell-sized hole on his perimeter ASAP. Can the Wildcats contend for the SEC title against the likes of Florida, Auburn and Alabama? That might be tough, but it certainly got easier with the news that Oweh, the leading scorer for the Wildcats last year, will return for his senior season. The 6-4 guard, a second-team All-SEC selection, led the team in points (16.2 per game) and steals (1.6), but there are concerns about his 3-point shooting at the next level, hence his decision to leave the draft. Oweh came to Kentucky by way of Oklahoma, and his best season from beyond the arc was with the Sooners, when he shot 37.7 percent from deep as a sophomore. As a junior in Lexington last season, he connected on 35.5 percent of his attempts, but only 33.3 percent in conference play. Still, putting Oweh with the likes of Jaland Lowe (transfer from Pitt) and Kam Williams (transfer from Tulane), plus freshman Jasper Johnson and fellow returnee Brandon Garrison, makes for a solid starting five … and maybe even one that can surprise people in the SEC during Mark Pope's second season. Advertisement One of the final players to withdraw from the draft late Wednesday was Alabama guard Labaron Philon, whose return was publicized first by the Tide's NIL collective, Yea Alabama. The Tide has a solid core returning, but Baron, who averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a team-best 1.4 steals as one of the SEC's best freshmen last year, could become the star of the 2025-26 roster. Philon was a top-40 prospect who originally committed to Kansas, and while he wasn't touted as a program-changer, he became a critical piece for Alabama, starting 29 games. His ability to become a superstar next season might hinge on his shooting: Last season he hit just 31.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. (Top photo of Yaxel Lendeborg, who chose Michigan over the NBA Draft: Chris Jones / Imagn Images)
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball Big Ten rival five-star transfer withdraws from NBA draft
Wisconsin basketball Big Ten rival five-star transfer withdraws from NBA draft The Michigan Wolverines, led by head coach Dusty May, got even stronger on Tuesday as transfer commit Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season. Lendeborg ranks as the No. 1 big man in the transfer portal and helps the Wolverines maintain the second-best transfer portal class in the country, per 247 Sports. Lendeborg, along with transfer commits Aday Mara (UCLA), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois), and Eliot Cadeau (North Carolina), will help the reigning Big Ten Tournament champions compete with the top of the conference next season. During May's tenure in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines have brought in two top-tier transfer classes, ranked tenth and second, respectively. The Badgers have had their own successful offseason, landing transfers Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Andrew Rohde (Virginia), and Austin Rapp (Portland), all three of whom are expected to be starters. Head coach Greg Gard and his staff have done an excellent job reloading on talent, but will have to go toe to toe with Michigan's talented roster next season. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Latest Michigan Basketball Recruit Sends Enthusiastic Message
The Michigan Wolverines' basketball team is hoping for improved results next season under coach Dusty May with a revamped roster. Michigan retooled on the fly last season with May coming aboard from the Florida Atlantic Owls and will now look to put the finishing touches on a roster in need of improved firepower and depth heading into next season. Advertisement On Friday, the latest Michigan Wolverines commit took to X to share his thoughts on the program and his commitment to coach May's hoops squad. The message was viewed over 8,000 times as fans began to acquaint themselves with the newest kid on the block in Ann Arbor. Dusty May at Michigan's Sweet 16 game vs. the Auburn Tigers. © Brett Davis-Imagn Images "1000% All in! Go Blue!" three-star small forward Patrick Liburd of Sagemont Prep High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida wrote on X Friday after his decision. He also included Bible verse Joshua 1:9, which states, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go," he added with the hashtag #AGTG, which stands for 'All Glory to God.' "All Right! Welcome! GoBlue," one fan wrote. Advertisement "Yes sir congratulations," another said. "Welcome home," another said with a block 'M' in the middle of the second word. Liburd had offers from Coastal Carolina, Fairfield, Cornell, Dartmouth and other schools before choosing to accept one from the Wolverines. He was originally committed to the Chanticleers and will now join five-star Trey McKenney, four-star Winters Grady and four-star Oscar Goodman in May's Class of 2025 with the Wolverines. Related: Aidan Hutchinson's 3-Word Promise Revealed by Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top Ranked Prospect Updates Michigan Basketball Interest at NBA Combine
The Michigan Wolverines basketball team secured a tentative pledge from former Alabama-Birmingham Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg recently that has Dusty May and his coaching staff waiting by the phone for updates. Lendeborg, the United States' top ranked transfer portal prospect, has the talent to be taken in June 25's NBA draft, but he also has a decision to make between staying and college and heading to the league. Advertisement Lendeborg has been participating in the NBA's pre-draft combine, which runs through May 18. The former UAB Blazers star appears to have improved his draft stock in the early going, although he did share information on potentially choosing the Wolverines that turned heads on Tuesday. Yaxel Lendeborg (left) goes up for a block against Memphis in March 2025. © Chris Jones-Imagn Images Lendeborg ranked among the top 11 shooters at the combine in the early going. He added that his decision is "50-50, maybe 60-40" in favor of playing with the Wolverines next season vs. heading to the NBA. Lendeborg has a chance to round out Michigan's prospective front line this season, which is also expected to include UCLA transfer Aday Mara and Illinois transfer Morez Johnson. Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points per game last season with the Blazers for coach Andy Kennedy's team in the American Athletic Conference. Advertisement He also snagged 11.4 rebounds per game and dished out over four assists per game while shooting over 52 percent from the field. Lendeborg would add much needed athleticism and versatility to a Michigan front court that will have to replace projected top 20 draft pick Danny Wolf, who transferred to Michigan from the Yale Bulldogs last season. Related: Star Michigan Defender Posts Aidan Hutchinson Style Video Marking Return From ACL Injury
