Michigan landed its first class of 2025 pledge Friday in Prolific Prep’s Winters Grady, a 6-6 win who can shoot the lights out but also put it on the floor. Head coach Dusty May couldn’t comment on the recruiting win at a Friday meeting with the media, but he made it clear he liked the direction during his half hour press conference.
RELATED: Four-star Winters Grady is Michigan basketball’s first 2025 pledge
One thing that’s become clear since his arrival — he’ll leave no stone unturned, and he’s surrounding himself with coaches and players who are doing everything they can to help him land talent. Nearly every recruit interviewed post-visit has had great things to say about the camaraderie and the quality of the people in the program, top down.
“It was really good,” Auckland (New Zealand) power forward and weekend visitor Oscar Goodman told us this week. “They have a great staff and such good dudes on the team.”
“I’ve never had a bad interaction with Coach May,” Grady added after his visit. “And every time I’ve been around them all together, the whole staff seems to mesh really well.”
That was May’s goal when he first took the job — to create that culture — and it’s paid dividends immediately. He’s brought in a team of portal transfers and preps that has a high ceiling, one he believes can compete at the highest level. Now, he’s adding recruits that will keep it going.
In addition to Grady, Michigan is in on several other top preps and at the top of the list for a few closing in on their decisions. The Wolverines are trending for Orchard Lake (Mich.) standout Trey McKenney.
“We like where we are,” May said when asked shortly after Grady’s pledge how recruiting was going, generally speaking. “I don’t know what we’re allowed to comment on now and what we’re not, but we have a staff that’s very connected and they work really, really well together. Then you factor in how aggressive our players are in recruiting and wanting good players to join this program — it’s been fun to be in the recruiting foxhole with this group.”
He always knew the Michigan brand would help, he added later, noting he always held the university in extremely high esteem. He hadn’t been to Michigan Stadium for a football game before Fresno State, but now that he has, he understands its importance in recruiting for his program, too.
“Obviously, the Big House, the football team provides such a great environment,” he said. “There’s energy on campus. People are out. You’re meeting a lot of people. As we all know, it’s awesome.
“It’s such a great gameday environment. It does so much for this university, and all the recruits we’ve had in have enjoyed that experience.”
But it’s the people who close the deal, and May is proving he won’t be outworked. With an outstanding staff and player willing to put in the time, too, the basketball recruiting machine appears headed in the right direction.
