Michigan basketball wows in first game of Dusty May era
After detailing the offseason personnel overhaul for U-M’s hoops program, Tony and Rainer talk Michigan’s dominant 101-53 win over Cleveland State.
The top high school player in the state of Michigan is headed to Michigan basketball.
Trey McKenney, a big five-star guard and Flint native from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, committed to the Wolverines on a 247 Sports livestream on Saturday afternoon, holding up a maize Michigan basketball jersey and then putting on a Michigan hat.
“Definitely just my trust in them,” McKenney said when asked what pushed Michigan over the edge. “Trust in the coaches, my family being very faith-oriented, just being able to feel it, and feel the relationship with them, and also, Michigan just being my dream school growing up, growing up watching them with my dad.”
It represents the biggest recruiting win for first-year coach Dusty May. McKenney, who wore a Detroit Red Wings red No. 71 Dylan Larkin jersey during his reveal, is the No. 1 player in Michigan per 247 Sports’ composite rankings, the No. 3 combo guard in the country, and No. 19 overall player in the 2025 class.
May made a special appearance on the livestream, calling in from the road.
“Trey, it is a great day to be a Michigan Wolverine,” he said. “We can’t wait to coach you man, we’re excited. We appreciate you and your family, and your circle. You guys are the best.”
McKenney has long been considered one of the top players in his class. The bruising 6-foot-4, 225-pound guard whittled his list down to USC, Georgetown and Michigan. He once included Michigan State, a program long seen as the largest hurdle for the Wolverines to clear for an in-state recruit, particularly those with Flint ties.
McKenney has remained a top priority for U-M, and adds star power to May’s first full class.
May was hired in late March, but McKenney said his “relentless time with me” helped May pick up ground in the recruiting process.
“Him just actually spending time with me as a person just meant a lot to me,” he said.
What will McKenney bring to the program?
“I’m gonna bring a winning spirit, we’re gonna win, definitely. I just want to say, go Blue.”
He is the third commit in U-M’s 2025 class and closest to home. The others are Winters Grady, a four-star forward from Napa, California (Prolific Prep), and small forward Oscar Goodman, via the NBA’s Global Academy in Australia.
“McKenney is a big-bodied scoring guard and unique backcourt match-up because of his very broad frame and massive 6-foot-9 wingspan,” Adam Finkelstein, 247 Sports director of scouting, wrote in July. “He plays with an aggressive scoring mentality and has an advanced understand of how to leverage his body type within his attack. He’s powerful, physical, crafty, has a great left-hand, and is also very adept at scoring over top of contesting defenders in the mid-range area.”
Michigan is off to a solid start this season, defeating Cleveland State 101-53 in a season-opening win Monday, and readies for Wake Forest up next on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN2).
Free Press sports writer Marlowe Alter contributed to this report.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.
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