Michigan freshman Winters Grady discusses injury status, medical redshirt, building for next season in Ann Arbor

Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman guard/forward Winters Grady joined host Tim McCormick on the ‘Go Blue Hoops’ podcast and said that reports stating he’s out for the season with a foot injury are “definitely accurate.”

A 6-foot-6, 210-pounder out of Tualatin, Ore., Grady also said that he plans to redshirt, presumably filing for a medical hardship waiver. Since he’s only appeared in nine games, less than 30 percent of the Wolverines’ scheduled competition for the year, and was shut down due to injury before the midway point of the season, he’s expected to qualify.

“I’ve had ongoing foot issues since really my freshman year,” Grady, a former four-star recruit, said. “I fractured my foot, and it never fully recovered. I ended up playing on it through the summer after the fracture. It never fully recovered, and I’ve just had to kind of battle that since. It’s just been on and off. I’ve been in and out of practice, just kind of trying to figure it out. I’m going to have to do what I have to do in the summer — whatever that may be — with the foot.”

Grady said he’s participated in practices while he works back from the injury, and is progressing in his game.

“There are a lot of advantages to it,” the Michigan wing said. “The first couple weeks, you’re kind of like lost, trying to figure it out, because before actually making that initial decision, you’re in the fight with everybody else, you’re trying to earn minutes, you’re trying to do what you’ve got to do. When I actually made the decision and me and my circle made that, I met with [head coach] Dusty [May], and he was very big on me being able to develop and expand my game. So, we didn’t lay a plan out for me or anything, but there was just a mutual understanding on what I need to work on and get better at, and how he sees me fitting in next year. 

“The main part, though, has been open runs. We play a lot of open runs with the managers and players, like [guard/forward] Ricky [Liburd], [redshirt freshman forward] Oscar [Goodman] and [freshman center] Malick [Kordel]. Today, [graduate forward] Will [Tschetter] and [senior guard] Roddy [Gayle Jr.] were playing. It’s just open runs after every practice, and that’s the most valuable thing for me is just getting in live play.”

Known as a marksman from the outside, Grady appeared in nine games, mostly while Michigan was leading big, and scored 26 points while knocking down 6 of his 19 three-point attempts. However, the injury complicated his season after coming in with plans to play immediately.

“No, I came here under the impression that I was going to play,” he said. “Obviously, I mean, we didn’t know we were going to be the No. 1 team in the country when I committed here. And so, obviously, things change, and you’ve got to do what’s best for the team and whatever the coaches think is best. But, no, I wasn’t initially planning on it.”

Michigan is one win away from a Big Ten championship, and Grady has had a front row seat on the way, meaning he and other young Wolverines be able to uses these experiences for the future.

“I think it would mean a lot, just being able to see what it takes to get one,” he noted. “I mean, returning next year, I obviously want to be a vocal leader to transfers coming in and promote the culture that we’ve had this year. With winning a Big Ten championship or tournament, whatever it may be, just be able to provide that same level of intensity in practice that it took to get there this year and translating it to next year and be able to carry that on.”

Michigan players are living in the moment, but the freshman class understands they could be a part of a special build under May.

“I think we all kind of know what it can be and what it will look like,” Grady explained. “But I do know that everybody here loves it here and everybody is super bought into being here and the road that Dusty has us going down of developing, processing, practices, games and just being able to get used to all those situations and scenarios. I think that it’ll be a great ending for all of us.”

That vision was part of what sold Grady on Michigan in the first place.

“I really loved the coaching staff,” he said. “That’s really what it came down to, to me. There’s all this external talk in the recruiting process, and I really liked how straightforward Michigan was with me, just with what they wanted from me and how they envisioned me and how I can develop. That’s really what stood out to me, to be honest. On my visit, I just kind of fell in love with the place. I loved Ann Arbor. I loved the vibe and all the fans around. It’s just a great college atmosphere that I’m excited to be a part of.

“I don’t remember word for word what he had to say to me, but he thinks that I’m going to be able to achieve all of my dreams here and it’ll end up being a great marriage for the both of us.”