Michigan center Vladislav Goldin hasn't seen his family in five years, but he's found one with Dusty May and Co.: 'It means a lot to me'

Michigan hired Dusty May as the program’s 18th-ever head coach, and it was no surprise that center Vladislav Goldin followed him from Florida Atlantic to Ann Arbor. The 7-foot-1, 240-pounder made his pledge in late-April, moved into U-M weeks later and is going through summer workouts with his new teammates.

There’s a familiar flavor for those who were with Florida Atlantic and now at Michigan, with May bringing in numerous staffers from his previous stop, including assistant coaches Kyle Church and Drew Williamson, special assistant Brandon Gilbert and director of operations K.T. Harrell. A native of Nalchick, Russia, Goldin hasn’t been home in some time, but he’s comfortable with May and Co.

“First of all, it’s a great program,” Goldin said of why he chose Michigan while speaking on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast with host Brian Boesch. “It always was attractive because it’s in Michigan. It’s probably one of the greatest athletics history through all of the NCAA teams. And the second reason is Coach May and the coaching staff. I prefer a relationship over anything else, so it was a pretty big deal for me.

“It’s hard to say how impactful he was for my career, but he gave me family. I haven’t seen my family for five years, but he probably is one of the people who gave me family who let me feel like I’m home. It’s unbelievable. It means a lot to me.”

Goldin speaks with his family on a nearly daily basis, he said, doing so in the mornings due to the time difference (Nalchick, Russia, is seven hours ahead of Ann Arbor).

The second-team All-AAC selection in 2023-24 has felt welcomed at Michigan, thanks in part to the familiar faces, which include graduate guard Nimari Burnett, his freshman-year roommate at Texas Tech in 2020-21.

“It’s actually interesting, because it’s a new program, new everything, new people — but then you see these guys and you’re like, you actually know somebody!” Goldin exclaimed. “It’s great because I know how they talk, I know what type of conversations we’re gonna have, so it’s been amazing because you see familiar faces.”

Goldin speaks good English now, but it was a work in progress for a while.

“Hard. Really hard,” Goldin said of that process. “At some point, I didn’t speak English that well when I got here. We have English classes in Russia, but it’s a little bit different.

“I had a tutor before I got to America, but when I got to America, my teammates were talking to me and I was like, ‘Oh my God. Now speak slower.’ It was so fast. If they say it slower, I understand them, but just because you’re getting nervous, you’re getting all the stuff, they have to just show me translations probably the first couple weeks, months, something like that. But you can Nimari, he was surprised when I started speaking a little bit better in my freshman year.”

Goldin went through some special times in his three seasons with Florida Atlantic, helping lead the team to the 2023 Final Four, where they fell to San Diego State, the eventual national runner-up. Goldin was productive throughout the run, with his highlight being a 14-point, 13-rebound, 2-assist and 2-block performance in a 79-76 win over Kansas State in the Elite Eight.

“Unbelievable,” Goldin said looking back at the tournament. “It’s just so many lights in the head that it’s like, ‘Wow.’ I’m usually not that easy to impress. I usually stay composed and say like, ‘It happens, it’s OK.’ But when we talk about the Final Four and the whole run … l was in March Madness my freshman year, and I loved it and all I was thinking about was to get one more March Madness run. And then we had a chance, and we went to the Final Four, so I was just like in a dream.

“I was like a kid, I was trying to enjoy every detail around the arena, behind the arena, how big that event is.”

Goldin took another step forward as a player last season, helping Florida Atlantic win 25 games and earn a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Northwestern in the first round. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 24.9 minutes per contest, while shooting 67.3 percent from the field and 66.3 percent on free throws.

“Probably confidence,” Goldin said of where he improved the most. “I knew what I’m capable of, and I understood sometimes you need to take that role and lead the team through wins or losses — doesn’t matter. Somebody who has to take that role. I was with several guys who took the role in the season [in past years], and sometimes it was me. And I decided to do it as best I can.”

He’ll do the same at Michigan in his final season of college basketball, playing for his coach and around many familiar faces despite it being at a new place.