Dusty May on filling 'a few holes' on roster with transfer portal, Danny Wolf likely 'being an NBA player next year'
The NCAA transfer portal opened Monday for college basketball student-athletes, making for interesting timing for coaches across America. Michigan Wolverines basketball is one of the 16 remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, a No. 5 seed set to take on No. 1 seed Auburn Friday in Atlanta.
The Maize and Blue are balancing preparing to chase a national championship over the next two weeks with building the roster for next season.
“We have two staffers that are working almost exclusively on Auburn, and then we’ll have a couple more that are splitting time between the next opponents and fielding calls and putting out feelers, because you don’t know what your roster’s gonna look like until the season’s over,” Michigan head coach Dusty May said on the ‘Inside Michigan Basketball’ radio show with Brian Boesch and Terry Mills.
The Wolverines will lose starting center Vladislav Goldin, who’s out of eligibility, and will likely see junior forward/center Danny Wolf declare early for the NBA Draft.
“So we have returners, we have a couple guys signed, but there are obviously going to be a few holes that need to be filled, when you lose Vlad Goldin, and we anticipate Danny Wolf being an NBA player next year,” May continued. “I would think both of those guys are gonna be in the NBA next year. You’ve gotta fill in some spots up front. I think everyone is aware of that.
“We have to be on our toes in fielding calls and taking in information and being ready to pounce. Hopefully, that’s not for a couple weeks on a Monday. But I would anticipate on that Tuesday morning I would be on a plane to go see some guys and help prepare ourselves to be playing next year.”
Michigan has already started recruiting big men, currently in on Iowa transfer Owen Freeman, who entered the portal following the program’s head-coaching change.
When the season ends — whenever that may be — that’s when the work will really start for May and Co.
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“Back in the day, the season ends and you take a deep breath and decompress,” the Michigan coach said. “Now, the season ends, and you meet with your team and you figure out who wants to come back and who it makes sense for them to come back, and you’re on the road and you’re sitting for Panera Bread for breakfast or you’re in an apartment, meeting and showing film.
“Whatever it takes to put yourself in position, because next year’s success will be determined a lot on how this goes the next month.”
It’s a challenge for teams like the Wolverines that are still playing, but one that May and Co. wouldn’t trade for the alternative.
“It’s certainly a handicap for the teams that are winning, and it’s the same way in football,” May said. “If you start adding players to your roster now, what does that do to the young guys that are working hard that might be the complementary players, whatever the case. It’s just not healthy for your team now, for you to be recruiting next year when you don’t know what you really need. You’re just basically stockpiling guys.
“It’s tough, but you could have a trade off — there’s always a trade off. I would much rather be playing right now than portal recruiting.”
