The Biggest Factor That Drove L.J. Cason to Transfer From Michigan Basketball to Miami

L.J. Cason recently spoke with Tim McCormick about why he left the Wolverines.

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When Dusty May chose to come to Ann Arbor to coach the Michigan basketball team following an 8-24 season, he brought along a three-star guard, L.J. Cason. The 6'2" guard from Lakeland (FL) played in 30 games for the Wolverines off of the bench as a true freshman, seeing 12 minutes per game.

After May's Sweet 16 run with Michigan, the Wolverines utilized the transfer portal better than anyone, but Cason had a valuable role on the team. He became the Wolverines' sixth man and was the primary ball handler behind Elliot Cadeau.

Cason would tear his ACL ahead of the Big Ten Tournament, and while it was a major blow, Cason left his mark on the team. He averaged 8.4 points and 2.4 assists per game, and was widely known as the best sixth man in the country.

Michigan would end up winning the national title and Cason put his coaching hat on, trying to help his teammates even if he wasn't on the court. And then the shockwaves hit Ann Arbor as May opted to leave Michigan for the Dallas Mavericks.

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Mike Boynton Jr. was named the new head coach and he kept the entire Michigan roster together, except for Cason. He would enter the portal and head to the Miami Hurricanes. And while he is now with the Canes, Michigan holds a special place in his heart and he was recently in Ann Arbor to get his championship rings.

He also appeared on Go Blue Hoops with Tim McCormick, and Cason admitted there were a few reasons why he transferred away from Michigan, being from Florida being one, the biggest was that Dusty May left the team, as he was the one who brought him to Ann Arbor.

"I say many of those reasons," Cason said. "I think Dusty was a big part of it. He was — he's the reason why I was at Michigan. I love Michigan. I didn't know anything about Michigan untill I got there, but he gave me that chance to be at a great institution as Michigan is. Him leaving was just a huge factor for me to to come to Miami Hurricanes."

The close bond between Cason and May rang true. He wanted him to be part of his first class at Michigan and when May accepted the job with the Mavericks, and once the news became official, he called Cason to talk about his future. Cason said May gave him options and he felt like heading to Miami was his best option.

"He hit me up after," said Cason. "He just told me that I had a lot of tough options. I had a tough decision to make. He gave me many options that I could choose from. And this is just one of the options that I chose that I thought was best for me at the moment."

Cason's pick for a breakout season

Michigan has a new-look roster entering the 2026-27 season. There are still familiar faces on the team, most notably the Wolverines' star backcourt of Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau, but Michigan is going to have a new front court this season, along with some familiar faces off the bench.

With Brandon McCoy Jr. also dealing with a torn ACL suffered during Michigan's overseas trip, Cason envisions both Oscar Goodman and Ricky Liburd having breakout seasons this season and help the Wolverines make another push toward their goals.

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"Next year, obviously, Trey McKenney, Elliot Cadeau, they're going to be themselves," Cason said. "But I think someone to look out for especially, with Brandon McCoy going down is Oscar Goodman, Ricky Liburd.

"I think those two they've been working their butts off this last these last two years to be honest. And nobody — they didn't get any praise for working as hard as they did. They wasn't getting the minutes they deserve because our team was so great and they just kept their head down. They've been working this whole time. I think it's going to pay off this year. I think both of them guys should definitely have a bigger role and have a breakout year."

Cason hopes Michigan fans remember him for being a player who never gave up or quit even after suffering his injury. He said Michigan will also be a special place and he will be back to celebrate the Wolverines' national title.

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