ROSEMONT, Ill. — In the second floor of a convention center in Chicago’s suburbs, the Dusty May era of Michigan basketball made its formal introduction to the Big Ten Thursday afternoon. May, as well as forwards Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin participated in the Big Ten’s annual men’s basketball media day, speaking with reporters for the first time since Michigan officially began preseason practices last month.
The trio addressed a number of topics, including Michigan’s 11 newcomers in May’s first season at the helm. Below, we break down our four biggest takeaways from being on the scene, and what it means as the Wolverines prepare for the season ahead.
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Michigan has breadth in scoring
As the Wolverines enter the final month of their offseason, they have no idea who their leading scorer will be this season. But unlike last year, that’s a good thing. Will it be former FAU star Vlad Goldin, or Ohio State’s 2023-24 leading scorer Roddy Gayle? Could Yale standout Danny Wolf, at a new position and with improved versatility, enter the mix? What about ascending, high-ranking underclassmen like Tre Donaldson (Auburn) or Sam Walters (Alabama)? Could veterans like Rubin Jones, Nimari Burnett or Will Tschetter emerge as a steady scoring threat here and there?
According to Dusty May, one of Michigan’s biggest strengths is that all of those players could step up to the challenge, which is music to his ears.
“We talk about being able to win no matter what the style of the game, fast, slow, big, small, being able to adjust your opponent and find a way to win on that given night,” May said. “This is a team where there could be eight straight games potentially with a different leading scorer.”
This, of course, was a hallmark of great Michigan teams in the last 15 years. Michigan’s 2013 and 2018 Final Four teams, as well as its other recent banner-raising teams, were known to have star-caliber players as second or third options, or even as players who came off the bench.
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