Michigan forward Youssef Khayat driven to improve: 'Teams better be ready for me'

Michigan Wolverines basketball forward Youssef Khayat sat down with head coach Juwan Howard for his exit meeting following his freshman season. The head man identified some areas for Khayat to improve, and he’s motivated to do so.

“One thing that came up is being able to handle the ball more and be more of a pick-and-roll player,” Khayat said on the Defend The Block podcast with host Brian Boesch. “That’s something that I’m working on every day. Being more of a defensive player, too. That’s certainly something that I need to improve, because I think if I improve that, this team will win a lot.”

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Khayat, a Beirut, Lebanon, native who came to U-M after a stint playing for a French youth league team, joined the Michigan team in August on its trip to Europe. He struggled to find the floor as a freshman, totaling just 57 minutes in six games with one start, but there’s opportunity for more playing time in 2023-24.

The process for getting better began when he got on campus and progressed throughout last season. He worked with renowned strength coach Jon Sanderson in the weight room and his teammates and coaches on the floor.

“I think I’ve improved tremendously in all aspects,” Khayat said. “We talk like, when I see myself a year ago from where I am right now, I’ve made a lot of tremendous strides — basketball-wise, mentality-wise, being stronger, more confident and being able to do more on the court.

“When I first came, I think I was a little weak. Strength-wise, I had a lot of pounds to gain and a lot of strength [to gain]. Being stronger, working with Sandman helped a lot — because I missed the summer, unfortunately. I wasn’t strong enough coming into the season. As the season went on, I became stronger and put on more pounds.”

It can be frustrating to see limited playing time, but Khayat — who registered 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on the season — took it in stride and knew it was all part of the process. When he did get in games, including starting in the final contest of the season, an NIT tilt at Vanderbilt, it was like a truth serum, revealing what he needs to work on.

“It’s definitely hard when you’re not playing; it’s hard for every player that’s not playing,” Khayat noted. “So just being able to watch the guys learn even when I’m not playing … It’s easy to be down and sad that you’re not playing, but I didn’t do that this year. That’s certainly something that I wanted no part of. Even when I’m not playing, I’m not the type of guy to be down and not support the guys.

“When I played those games, I saw where I need to improve for next year. I know next year, I want to help the team as much as possible. That’s one goal for me. I don’t want to stop here. That’s not my goal. I want to keep on pushing and have this team and program win.”

Michigan players taking ‘incredible pride’ in working to turn fortunes around

The 6-foot-9, 175-pounder didn’t score in a Michigan home game this season, but he believes his time is coming. And he appreciates the fan base, which has welcomed him in with open arms.

“I was disappointed in that. It’ll come, for sure. I only scored on the road,” Khayat said. “I couldn’t experience scoring here, but playing here in front of these fans is something nice.

“We have fans that are really die-hard fans. You don’t see that at other programs. Every win counts, every loss counts, every action counts. I think that’s nice, just being in an atmosphere that embraces the team, embraces the culture and just wants us to win. That’s something amazing. You see other programs, they don’t have the support system. I think next year it’ll be great, and I think the fans will love us.”

Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2015, a brutal disappointment after the team began the year ranked in the Associated Press top 25.

Khayat has long been a fan of the Big Dance, and he and his Michigan teammates are driven to make it there, and then some.

“Looking back to it, I’ve always watched the NCAA Tournament, whether I was in Lebanon or France,” Khayat said. “I always did brackets, even though I didn’t know all the college teams. That’s a thing for all basketball players. I think it’s the greatest sporting event of the year.

“Playing in the NCAA Tournament is something that is crazy, and I would’ve hoped to make it this year. But the goal next year for me and for all the guys is to make it — not just to make it, [but] to compete and win. Playing in it isn’t enough. That’s part of our culture. 

“When I was in France, I was watching this same team, this same program in 2021, when they had Franz [Wagner]. I remember I was rooting for them because I was a Franz fan growing up. I remember I watched that UCLA [Elite Eight] game — it was a late game for me, but I stayed awake. It was a tough one for me. Looking back on it and that I’m here is crazy. But being able to change this program and our drought of not winning is something that me and the guys take incredible pride in. That’s our goal next year.”

Khayat spent a portion of this spring back in Lebanon, training with elite coach Jade Fattouh, with whom he’s worked since the age of 12. He said he was set to return to the United States to work out in Dallas.

“I’m going to go to Dallas and improve, put the work in, because it’s going to be a long season next year, so I better be ready, and teams better be ready for me,” Khayat said.