Michigan Basketball Offseason Recap
On April 6, 2026, the University of Michigan basketball team defeated the UConn Huskies to win their first national championship since 1989. It was an incredible moment for the program and ended the Big Ten’s 26-year title drought.
Coming off the National Championship victory, everybody knew that Michigan was going to have an offseason of changes and rebuilding… However, I don’t think anyone expected how crazy the offseason would actually be.
Dusty May’s Departure
It was a normal Tuesday in the middle of June when the college basketball world was hit with the breaking news that Dusty May was leaving Michigan. May had taken over the Michigan program in 2024 and had rebuilt the team in two years, taking it from last in the Big Ten to a National Championship.
May was viewed as a top coach in college basketball, with a Final Four appearance at Florida Atlantic and a national championship at Michigan. It was widely believed that May had his sights set on the NBA, despite his short tenure at Michigan. I personally believed that May would eventually reach the NBA, although I was expecting a couple more years at Michigan before he made that jump.
Dusty May is now coaching the Dallas Mavericks and is the first college coach to take an NBA job since 2019. Historically, former college coaches have experienced mixed results in the NBA. However, May’s attention to detail and offensive philosophies are reasons many are backing him to find success at the higher level.
Mike Boynton Elevated to Head Coach
Mike Boynton served as an assistant coach under Dusty May during his two years at Michigan and was named the interim head coach when May signed his contract with the Mavericks. A couple of weeks later, Boynton signed a two-year contract to become the official head coach of the Wolverines.
Boynton’s elevation to head coach was not a shocking move, given his previous head coaching experience, his familiarity with the program and his importance in recruiting. Boynton had previously served as the head coach at Oklahoma State and led them to an NCAA Tournament appearance with star PG Cade Cunningham.
There are some question marks about whether Boynton is the right man for the Wolverines long term, but he will have the opportunity to prove himself. Despite these questions, the immediate benefit of hiring Boynton was his ability to mostly maintain the roster through the incoming freshmen and the transfer portal.
Roster Changes
It was widely known how much talent Michigan was going to lose following the 2025-26 season. The star trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr. all declared for the NBA draft following stellar seasons at Michigan, and all ended up being top-15 draft picks. Morez Johnson was even drafted by the Mavericks, following Dusty May to the city of Dallas. Key contributors Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter were also out of eligibility following this past season.
One way Michigan was looking to replenish this loss of production was through high school recruiting. Michigan secured six high school prospects, highlighted by 4-star Lincoln Cosby, 4-star Quinn Costello, and 5-star Brandon McCoy Jr., who famously committed the same day Michigan took on Arizona in the Final Four.
Michigan also got to work immediately after the season was over in the transfer portal, especially looking to replace the loss of production in the front court from the Championship team. The three acquisitions in the transfer portal were Jalen Reed from LSU, JP Estrella from Tennessee, and Moustapha Thiam from Cincinnati.
These acquisitions, along with the remaining roster, were thrown into doubt following the departure of Dusty May. Once a new head coach was hired, the transfer portal would be reopened to the Michigan players if they wanted to look for a new home.
The hiring of Mike Boynton signaled that Michigan was looking to keep intact the roster that had been built in the offseason. Sure enough, after the official announcement of Boynton, almost the entire roster announced their commitment to stay. The exceptions to this were Winters Grady and Malik Kordel, who had already transferred out, and LJ Cason, who would eventually land with the University of Miami.
The returning players who committed to stay included PG Elliott Cadeau, who was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and Trey McKenney, who hit the clutch shot in the national championship as a true freshman. This backcourt will be one of the best in the country in the upcoming season and will be the key to success if Michigan wants to find itself back in the Final Four.
Roddy Gayle Jr. is also returning to the team after his successful lawsuit granting him one last year of eligibility. It seems that Gayle will slot into the starting lineup next to the backcourt of Cadeau and McKenney. Estrella and Thiam will likely start in the front court for the Wolverines.
Overall, the Michigan team will look a lot different in the upcoming season, with Mike Boynton holding a key role in building this new roster. A lot of credit should go to Boynton for his ability to keep the roster together after the departure of Dusty May.
Preseason in Europe
While the roster was being set for the upcoming season, the Wolverines scheduled a preseason trip to Europe, where they played three exhibition games against national teams. These exhibition games were a great way for the team to build chemistry and play under the new system that Boynton is implementing.
Unfortunately, the biggest storyline coming out of this trip to Europe was the injury to star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. McCoy suffered a torn ACL during the trip, and reports indicate that he will miss the entire 2026-27 season. This is a huge blow to the Wolverines, as McCoy was expected to be a prominent feature in the first year of Boynton’s tenure.
On the court, the team had some ups and downs, but showed flashes of its potential for the upcoming season. Elliott Cadeau seemed to have full control of the offense and looked to be developing a good connection with the new front court. Trey McKenney is likely to be the go-to scorer for the Wolverines, and his ability to hit shots will be a massive key to the team’s success this season.
Looking Back
Saying this offseason has been a rollercoaster for the Michigan basketball program would be an understatement. Many of the changes to the roster were expected, but the departure of Dusty May was not. The promotion of Mike Boynton helped to keep the new roster together and allowed the team to focus on the upcoming season.
It will be fascinating to see how this team looks, with only a few returning contributors from last season. Expectations are not as high as last year, but Mike Boynton will look to become the 11th first-year head coach to lead his team to the Final Four, which just so happens to be close to home this year, in Detroit, Michigan.
