Inside Dusty May’s Blueprint for a Top-Five Michigan Roster
When Dusty May took the Michigan job, he inherited more than just a blue-blood basketball brand. He inherited a bare cupboard. With Juwan Howard out and roster turnover looming, May faced a new-world challenge: build a Big Ten contender almost entirely from scratch.
Now in year two, Michigan is considered a top-five team entering the 2025–26 season, and it’s because May mastered the portal.
“We were able to go into the portal and add some instant-impact guys,” May told Andy Katz on The Sideline. “But the returners have really given us hope.”
Those impact players include three transfer additions: Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson (Illinois), Elliot Cadeau (UNC), and Aday Mara (UCLA). All bring experience, skill, and, most importantly, unselfishness.
“They’re all three extremely unselfish and they can all pass the ball,” May said. “It’s not as if you’re putting non-skilled bigs on the court.”
May, who guided Florida Atlantic to a Final Four in 2023 and led Michigan to a Sweet 16 in his first season, views Lendeborg as his version of a chess queen.
“Yaxel does handle it like [Danny Wolf] and he passes it like Danny,” May said, referencing the big man he coached into a first-round NBA pick. “He’s got a little bit of plug-and-play in him.”
The comparison is fitting. May’s squad last year leaned on a twin-tower setup of Wolf and Vlad Goldin. At Michigan, he envisions something similar with Lendeborg, Mara, and Johnson—if the pieces fit.
“It’s a new puzzle for us,” May said. “But it’s not as if it’s brand new… Aday’s ability to play out of the elbows, trail, and trigger as a passer is exciting. And Morez, man, he’s been a real pleasant surprise.”
Johnson, a 6-foot-9 freshman who transferred from Illinois to Michigan, has already impressed coaches with his motor and maturity.
“His rebounding, his effort, his ability to run the floor—it’s all there,” May said. “But he’s worked diligently to expand his game—dribble hand-offs, jumpers, screening. He wants to learn.”
That adaptability—paired with May’s emphasis on fit over flash—was a guiding principle in constructing this roster.
“We think we’re extremely deep. We have a lot of different ways we can play,” he said.
May also gave credit to returning players Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr., and Will Tschetter for creating the kind of locker room culture that could welcome a flood of new faces.
“They are the greatest human beings I’ve been around,” May said. “They manage our locker room. They’ve embraced these new guys.”
Of course, May’s plan benefited from some good fortune. Lendeborg opted to pull out of the NBA Draft. Elliot Cadeau transferred from North Carolina after initially committing elsewhere. And Aday Mara became available late in the cycle.
“Sometimes you need a little luck,” May admitted.
It’s Player First for Dusty May
Now comes the task of blending talent into cohesion. With players from UAB, Illinois, UCLA, and international ranks, Michigan’s rotation will be one of the most diverse—and potentially potent—in the country as Day fully leans into positionless basketball.
“We think the idea of positions is a little bit overrated,” May said. “As long as guys are unselfish, know how to play off each other, and can pass? We’ll find ways to get our best guys on the floor.”
May’s first-year success and offseason reload have already raised expectations in Ann Arbor. But for the Indiana native who rose through the ranks as a student manager and assistant, it’s never been about hype.
“I had no connections in coaching,” he said. “I’ve always tried to make it about the players. If one of them leaves, I look at it through their lens and figure out how we can do better.”
That player-first mindset may be Michigan’s biggest weapon.
“It’s not a two- or four-year relationship,” May said. “They have us for life.”
That promise is already resonating—and with a roster this stacked, it might just lead to something special in Ann Arbor this season.