When the Dallas Mavericks named Dusty May coach on June 23, the hiring had a major impact on the NBA and college basketball. May had led Michigan to the NCAA tournament title in April and had recruited and retained several players. Two weeks later, despite May’s defection, it looks like the Wolverines could contend for another national title.
In the two weeks since May’s departure, most of Michigan’s top players have committed to play next season for Mike Boynton, who was named interim coach after May left. Boynton was May’s top assistant in his two seasons at Michigan, so the players are accustomed to him. It also helps that the Wolverines have reportedly spent heavily on their roster.
Michigan’s players are eligible to enter the transfer portal later this month, and major Division I programs are certainly interested. But as of now, nine of UM’s players have announced they plan on returning to school and none have indicated they will head to the portal, per the UM Hoops website.
Elliot Cadeau, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, will be back at Michigan, as will fellow guard Trey McKenney. Cadeau averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists and started all 40 games last season, while McKenney averaged 9.9 points per game as the top reserve.
Other players have announced they would stick with Michigan, as well, including transfers Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati), JP Estrella (Tennessee) and Jalen Reed (LSU).
Thiam, a 7-foot-2 center who averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game last season, is the No. 12 incoming transfer in Division 1, per 247Sports. Estrella, a 6-foot-11 forward who averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, is the No. 22 transfer, while Reed, a 6-foot-10 forward, is No. 162. Reed played just 14 games the past two seasons due to a torn ACL and a left Achilles tendon injury that both required season-ending surgeries. Reed recently told the Hail Media! show that he’s hoping to play in Michigan’s season opener, but he added he didn’t want to “make any guarantees” on when he would be available.
Michigan has a talented incoming freshman class, too, led by Brandon McCoy Jr., a 6-foot-5 guard who reaffirmed his commitment over the weekend. McCoy Jr., who played at Sierra Canyon High School in southern California, is the No. 10 player in the high school class of 2026, per the 247Sports Composite. Last summer, he won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup, where he played alongside four players who were first round picks in last month’s NBA draft in AJ Dybantsa, Mikel Brown Jr., Morez Johnson Jr. and Koa Peat. McCoy was also a member of the winning U17 at the FIBA World Cup in 2024, where he played with Dybantsa, Peat and two other first round selections in Cameron Boozer and Chris Cenac Jr.
Other Michigan incoming freshmen who have recommitted include four-star prospects Quinn Costello, a 6-foor-10 forward; Lincoln Cosby, a 6-foot-8 forward; and Joseph Hartman, a 6-foot-6 guard.
With so many recent commitments, the Wolverines seem in good shape for the 2026-27 season despite losing May and four of five starters from last season. Three of those players were selected in the NBA draft lottery last month: Johnson Jr., whom the Mavericks selected with the No. 9 pick; Yaxel Lendeborg, whom the Golden State Warriors chose at No. 11; and Aday Mara, whom the Oklahoma City Thunder picked at No. 12.
While Michigan’s frontcourt will not be as good as last season, the Wolverines have depth and a balanced roster. They are No. 8 in CBS Sports analyst Gary Parrish’s latest preseason rankings. The only two Big Ten Conference opponents above Michigan are No. 3 Illinois and No. 5 Michigan State. As such, the Wolverines are in position to contend for their second consecutive Big Ten regular season title.
When Michigan hired May in 2024, the Wolverines were coming off an 8-24 season, which was tied for the second-worst winning percentage in program history, which date to 1917. They then went 27-10 in May’s first season and won a school-record 37 games and their second national title in his second season. May is now off to the NBA, something that seemed improbable just three years ago when he was coaching at Florida Atlantic University.
Still, May has left behind a talented roster, and thanks to Boynton and others who stuck around, the Wolverines should remain nationally relevant next season. They should even be in the mix for the Final Four in Detroit, about 45 miles east of UM’s campus, an event that will surely be filled with Michigan fans if the Wolverines advance that far.
