Watch Michigan basketball practice: Drills, 5-on-5, more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines basketball held an open practice for the media Tuesday afternoon at Crisler Center. Watch video of drill work in the player at the top of the screen and five-on-five action in the embed below.

Michigan five-on-five action

Before practice, Michigan head coach Dusty May met with the media and discussed his team. The Wolverines are a top 10 team in most prognostications, and May isn’t afraid to discuss his lofty goals.

“I love our team, and I think we have a really high ceiling,” May said. “And there’s nothing that makes me say we don’t have enough of this, or we don’t have enough of that to beat any team in the country on a given night. Now, are there areas that we need to certainly improve on and continue improving on? Absolutely.

“But I’m not going to sit here and say that we’re afraid of this team or afraid of that team. We’re going to try to compete with everyone we’re against, and we have very, very lofty goals, but that’s months and months away and hundreds and hundreds of hours of intentional work before it’s even worth discussing those things.”

Michigan’s returning players have been among the most pleasant surprises with the way they’ve ascended and led this offseason.

“Our returners have improved drastically,” May noted. “All four of the guys in the rotation last year are much better basketball players. [Senior guard] Roddy Gayle [Jr.], the last two weeks, he probably had as good a two-week period as anyone in our program. Nimari Burnett, you guys know how I feel about Nimari — his level of consistency, his routine, his mentorship to the young guys. He just brings so much to the table.

“Then you factor in [Michigan graduate forward] Will Tschetter, who’s becoming a real shooter—someone who’s able to shoot on the move, get it off quick, not just be a spot-up guy, and he’s able to defend the ball. And [sophomore guard] L.J. Cason, he sprained his ankle a week or two ago. Prior to that, he was playing at a significantly higher level than he played at last season, and so I think probably that the four returners have been the biggest, most pleasant surprise.”

Michigan will open up the exhibition season with an Oct. 17 home preseason contest against Cincinnati, before heading to Madison Square Garden in New York to take on St. John’s.