ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan basketball added a 7-foot-3 center and their second Big Ten transfer to the top-ranked portal class in the nation.
Dusty May led the Wolverines to a Big Ten Tournament championship and a Sweet 16 during his first season in Ann Arbor, and he’s already hit the ground running this offseason.
Michigan previously signed a pair of high school recruits for next year -- five-star guard Trey McKenney (the No. 1 player from Michigan) and four-star forward Winters Grady.
But the majority of May’s focus has been on the transfer portal. Here are his commitments:
Aday Mara
- Previous school: UCLA.
- Transfer portal ranking: No. 40.
The latest commitment is 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, who joins Michigan after two years at UCLA. The former five-star high school prospect is the No. 40 player in 247 Sports’ transfer portal rankings.
Mara played in 33 games last season but averaged just 13 minutes due to injury. He scored 6.4 points, 4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1 assist per game.
Morez Johnson Jr.
- Previous school: Illinois.
- Transfer portal ranking: No. 23.
Morez Johnson Jr. also jumped to Michigan from a Big Ten opponent. He was a freshman at Illinois last season and averaged 7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
While the raw numbers aren’t eye-popping, Johnson is a high-energy player who dominates the offensive glass.
He is the No. 23 overall player in the transfer portal rankings.
Yaxel Lendeborg
- Previous school: UAB.
- Transfer portal ranking: No. 1.
May’s biggest win so far in the portal was landing Yaxel Lendeborg, the top-ranked transfer in the country.
Here’s the catch: There’s a good chance Lendeborg ends up in the NBA draft. So Michigan will have to wait and see how the next couple of months play out.
If Lendeborg does land in Ann Arbor, he’s an early favorite to be the team’s best all-around player, a la Danny Wolf last season.
In 37 starts at UAB, Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game last season. He also shot 35.7% from beyond the arc.
Elliot Cadeau
- Previous school: North Carolina.
- Transfer portal ranking: No. 51.
The first player to commit to the Wolverines this offseason was Elliot Cadeau, who will likely take over as the starting point guard for Tre Donaldson.
Cadeau started all 37 games for the Tar Heels as a sophomore and averaged 9.4 points, 6.2 assists, 3.1 turnovers, and 2.9 rebounds per game. He shot 44.5% from the floor and 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Cadeau is the No. 51 player in the transfer portal rankings.
