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Pledge Youssef Khayat said Michigan felt like home from the start

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas06/26/22

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New Michigan pledge Youssef Khayat
Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman Youssef Khayat is a Beirut, Lebanon, native. / Player submitted photo

New Michigan pledge Youssef Khayat Started playing basketball in his hometown of Beirut, Lebanon at age of six. By 12, he knew he was good enough that his parents wanted him to explore his opportunities in more talent-rich countries. He ended up in Limoges, France at 15, where he was so good that European pro teams and colleges alike started to notice him.

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The interest blew up this year when his game did. Khayat averaged 17.9 points in becoming more of a scorer. He showed an improved jump shot with range and an ability with the ball not many 6-8 players boast.

“I’m an attacker. I can attack in every single way,” Khayat told Field of 68. “I can play transition offense, do everything on the court, basically, and can play defense, too. I’m someone that prides himself on defense, likes to play defense, so I think my game translates to the college level.”

And especially to Michigan. The defensive aspect will be music to head coach Juwan Howard’s ear. It’s likely one of the many reasons the U-M coach was so intrigued. 

But not the only reason. Khayat admitted name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities played a part in going the college route. More than anything, he wanted to play against the top prospects, college players and coaches in the world. 

When schools started coming after him hard a year ago, he changed his focus.

“[The college interest] wasn’t really that much (a year ago) because I was thinking about staying in France,” he said. “But thinking through it for eight months, at the end I thought to myself and with my parents’ support, of course — with the family —that it’s better for me to move to college, especially with the way the NCAA is going.

“For me, I thought going to college was a big experience for me internationally and even locally here in Lebanon. I think I can do great things in college.”

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And while he’d have the opportunity to play against the best with any of his finalists — Michigan, DePaul, Xavier, and Wake Forest — it was U-M that stood out. 

There was one big reason, he said. 

“Honestly, from the start I felt like I was at home with the coaching staff, the way they presented it with Coach Juwan, who is one of the best coaches in college basketball or even basketball,” he said. “I’m excited for it, that the coaching staff immediately made me feel at home. Coach Juwan told me my role, how I can play, how I can impact the team. So, I’m excited for it. 

“He expects me to put the work in from day one to be someone [impactful], then we’re going to see. Right now, the most important thing is to go to Michigan ready … to expect to work, and hopefully the season is going to be great.”

He isn’t sure when he’s going to arrive in Ann Arbor — “I’ve got a visa to deal with,” he said with a grin — but he’s clearly excited. 

“For the next year, I’m going to be committing to the University of Michigan, he said. “Go Blue!”

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