Michigan basketball comes out of transfer portal frenzy with 'the right guys'

Ann Arbor — Dusty May estimates that every high-major big guy who entered the transfer portal went on Michigan’s list. With forward Yaxel Lendeborg out of eligibility and with center Aday Mara and forward Morez Johnson Jr. having NBA decisions to make, May and his coaching staff couldn’t sit on their hands.

The day after winning the national title , they had to get right to work constructing next season’s roster. “You have to put yourself in as many positions as you can to be successful,” May said last month. “It happens so fast.

I don’t even really remember which ones you talk about first or identify first. It’s just there’s a tidal wave coming at you, and you’re trying to find the best fit for you. ” May explained the “sweet spot” from when the portal opens to when players start making transfer commitments is three to 10 days.

Typically, there’s a couple of Zooms, the two sides negotiate and a decision is made, sometimes without a player even visiting campus. As Michigan narrowed its list of targets and gathered as much information as quickly as possible, it came away from the mad scramble with three frontcourt pieces. The Wolverines won a recruiting battle for Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam , swiftly added Tennessee forward J.