Michigan basketball rising sophomore class will be key to resurgence

Michigan basketball will have a completely different look in 2023-24 with at least 3 new starters on the floor assuming Hunter Dickinson doesn’t return to U-M (and it’s highly unlikely he does at this point). Freshman Dug McDaniel, in fact, appears to be the only starter back from a team that failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. 

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Some would say an overhaul isn’t a bad thing when you finish 18-16. At the same time, Michigan coaches will have to replace almost all of the scoring, losing an All-Big Ten center in Dickinson plus a wing (Jett Howard) and a shooting guard (Kobe Bufkin) to the NBA Draft. 

While they’ve hit the portal hard in getting commitments from North Carolina’s Caleb Love, Alabama’s Nimari Burnett, and Seton Hall power forward Tray Jackson, some expect a lot of the team improvement to come from guys already on the roster. 

Michigan junior-to-be Will Tschetter hopes to be one of them. He’s already started working on his weaknesses, he told play-by-play man Brian Boesch on the Defend the Block podcast recently, in preparation for a bigger role next year. 

“I’ve got to improve my ball handling … being able to handle the ball under pressure,” Tscehtter admitted. “I’ve already been working on that for the last couple weeks. Keeping my confidence in my deep shot, my three pointers, obviously. I only shot 25 percent. I know I’m a better shooter than that. I need to regain my confidence in that aspect. 

“My defensive rebounding … making sure I can close out possessions. We guard our butts off for 30 seconds making sure we can seal that, get back on the offensive end. And overall, I’m just looking 10 more pounds on this offseason, physically develop some more to be ready for next year.”

Michigan coaches have told him, too, to play as much basketball as he can, whether it’s 1-on-1, 2-on-2, name it. After taking a week off after the season to decompress and catch up on academics, he hit that part hard. 

But he can’t do it alone, and he knows it. While there’s been a lot of pessimism about next year’s roster, he and his teammates already in Ann Arbor have been focusing on what they can do to improve the team. 

In addition to McDaniel, Tschetter said, Michigan sophomore center Tarris Reed and sophomore wing Youssef Khayat are ready to take steps forward, as well. 

“That group’s optimism and positivity and sense to learn and get better is huge,” he said. “A lot of times you can see freshmen don’t play and they’re down … ‘we should be playing.’ You never got that sense [with this group]. It was, ‘what can I do to get better? … How can I run the scout team to best of my ability. How can I learn from others ahead of me right now?

“I’m super impressed with how that group handled this year, how they learned … Dug stepping into a huge starting role and performing the way he did was amazing. T-Reed playing like that YoYo [Khayat] … I’m super proud of him as well with the things he did this year.”

Khayat was planning to head back home to Lebanon before returning to Michigan this summer, but he could make a jump. He was playing with more confidence in practice by the end of the year, several noted. If he can stay out of foul trouble and continue to progress, he could contribute next year. 

The goal, Tschetter said, is to get back to where Michigan basketball should be — fighting for titles and making a run in the NCAA Tournament. 

“Personally, my goal coming here was I want to play in the NCAA tournament every year,” he said. “Not making it this year in my first year playing really, really hurts. Program-wide, I see dudes are super frustrated. A lot of guys took a look in the mirror and said, ‘what can I do better? How can I make the team better? 

“We definitely had those conversations from one on one to team group chat settings about what we can do to really turn the ship around and turn it into a super successful season next year.”

It starts with knowing who’s going to be on the Michigan roster, of course. There’s still movement coming, and even the commitments have some work to do before enrolling. But there’s still hope, Tschetter insisted, and the potential for a good 2023-24 campaign.