ANN ARBOR, Mich. – This is by far the most hectic offseason in Michigan basketball history.
Ever since Dusty May took over for Juwan Howard as the head coach, the Wolverines’ roster has been constantly in flux, from departures, commitments, de-commitments, and returns.
If you’re trying to keep up with the roster, here’s a breakdown:
Who’s back from last season
- Players: Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter.
There are only two players who have confirmed they’re returning from last season’s 8-24 team.
Burnett made his announcement on Tuesday, removing his name from NBA Draft consideration.
He was fourth on the team last season with 9.6 points per game and also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 34.7% from three and 72.1% from the free-throw line.
Tschetter averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while playing mostly off the bench. He shot 51.9% from beyond the arc on 54 attempts (28-for-54) and 72.2% from the line.
Who’s transferring in?
- Players: Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle, Rubin Jones, Sam Walters, Vlad Goldin, Danny Wolf.
May wasted no time filling Michigan’s roster with some of the top transfers from around the country.
Goldin starred for May at Florida Atlantic last season and forms a potent center duo with Wolf, who came from Yale.
Gayle transferred to Michigan from Ohio State and forms a strong starting backcourt with Donaldson (Auburn).
Jones (North Texas) is considered an elite perimeter defender and has great size for a guard.
Walters was a sharpshooter from last season’s recruiting class and joins Michigan after one year at Alabama.
Goldin is the only player to join Michigan since our last update. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game at FAU last season.
Click here to read more in-depth about the other five transfers.
Who’s committed?
- Players: Durral Brooks, Justin Pippen, Lorenzo Cason.
May held onto the commitment from Brooks, the No. 1-ranked high school player in Michigan this cycle. He has signed his letter of intent.
May also secured a commitment from Pippen, a four-star guard who wasn’t really on the radar before receiving an offer in mid-April. He’s the son of former NBA star Scottie Pippen.
Cason previously committed to May at FAU and then followed him to Michigan, choosing the Wolverines over Florida.
Who left?
- Players: Tarris Reed Jr., Dug McDaniel, Terrance Williams, George Washington III, Youssef Khayat.
McDaniel was Michigan’s leading scorer last season, at 16.3 points per game. He committed to Kansas State.
Reed, a solid all-around contributor for Michigan, is off to Connecticut to join the two-time defending national champs. He averaged 9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game last season.
Williams submitted his name for NBA Draft consideration and also entered the transfer portal. Assuming he returns to college, it doesn’t sound like it will be at Michigan.
Khayat and Washington were non-factors for Michigan this season. Khayat is off to Bowling Green, while Washington still hasn’t determined where he will play.
Washington previously reaffirmed his commitment to Michigan, but after May landed Donaldson, Gayle, and Jones in the portal, he ultimately decided to move on.
High school target
- Player: Khani Rooths.
Rooths committed to Michigan before Howard’s firing but de-committed on March 18, 2024.
This recruitment has been fairly quiet for weeks, but it’s possible Michigan is still in the mix.
National Signing Day for high school recruits is on May 15.
Future unclear
- Players: Jace Howard.
Nobody seems to know whether Jace Howard will be on next year’s team.
It’s obviously a complex situation, with his dad getting fired while he had eligibility remaining. Jace Howard has already spent four seasons at Michigan, so it would need to be a mutual decision for him to return for a fifth year.
So far, we haven’t heard anything official.
Roster breakdown
So if you don’t count Jace Howard, Michigan basketball has allocated 11 of its 13 scholarships for next season:
- Guards/wings: Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle, Rubin Jones, Durral Brooks, Lorenzo Cason, Justin Pippin, Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter, Sam Walters.
- Centers: Vlad Goldin, Danny Wolf.
May still has some work to do to round out this roster, but he’s already put together a competitive group on paper, and Michigan shouldn’t be the worst team in the Big Ten again in 2024-25.
