Michigan’s Youssef Khayat identifies areas he can improve ahead of next season

Michigan sophomore wing Youssef Khayat got just a little taste of college basketball as a true freshman in 2022-23. The Lebanese freshman appeared in nine games, playing 59 minutes and attempting 12 shots.

In his limited minutes, Khayat pretty much provided outside shooting and not much else — he went 4-for-9 on his 3 point attempts. Heading into his second season in Ann Arbor and with plenty of opportunity to fill a bigger role, he’s got a couple improvements in mind.

“I think when I talked with coach [Juwan] Howard during our post-exit meeting we just talked about how I can improve and one thing that came up is being more able to handle the ball and more of a pick and roll player. So that’s certainly something that I’m working on every day,” Khayat said on an episode of “Defend the Block,” an in-house Michigan basketball podcast.

Along with trying to expand his offensive game on the wing, Khayat also needs to step up his defensive game.

With a slight, 6-foot-9, 195 pound build, Khayat was anything but a defensive stopper in his limited minutes on the floor as a freshman. With a chance to spend a full year in a college strength, conditioning and nutrition program, plus more reps on defense, he’s hopeful to provide more of an impact on that end.

And Khayat is hopeful that his own improvements on the wing can be parlayed into team-wide success for Michigan.

“And you know, more defensively. Being more of a defensive player, too,” Khayat said. “So that’s certainly something that I need to improve. Because I think if I improve that, this team will win a lot.” 

Khayat had his share of challenges adjusting to American life

Getting adjusted to the next level of a sport is already hard enough. However, doing so nearly 6,000 miles from your home makes it that much more difficult. That was the position that Khayat was in last year during his freshman season at Michigan, a long ways from his native Beirut, Lebanon.

He admitted that it’s been a challenge getting used to all the new things that he has learned in the United State but that he can also appreciate the country for being as die-hard as it is when it comes to sports.

“It’s definitely been a little bit challenging, for sure. When you think about it, it’s already been a year. A whole season. It’s crazy to think about. It’s kind of new for me,” Khayat said. “I learned a lot this year. Basketball-wise, outside of basketball, learning new things and being able to get stuff and be like a sponge every day. Learn from coaches. It’s definitely been a little bit challenging but it’s also been nice.

“I would say people are obsessed with sports here. Any sport. Football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, water polo. You can say America is the place where the dreams can come true. You can certainly see at Michigan too. I watched a volleyball game. We’re competitive in that. You go watch lacrosse, they’re like top five in the country. Baseball. Just seeing that and being in a place where it’s great? It’s something I truly appreciate,” said Khayat. “Back in Lebanon, we have basketball teams, we have soccer teams. But you don’t see, like, universities that have all teams combined that are great at everything. That’s been a little bit surprising for me.”