Dusty May reacts to Michigan honoring Trey Burke ahead of Ohio State game

To date, the Michigan men's basketball program has officially retired just one number in program history, with Cazzie Russell's number 33 being retired 1993.

However, Michigan has honored five program icons by raising their jerseys to the rafter inside Crisler Center. On Friday, when the Wolverines host rival Ohio State, Trey Burke will become the sixth former Wolverine men's basketball player to have that honor.

Earlier last week, current basketball coach Dusty May was asked about the program honoring Burke during a press conference before the Wolverines headed out to the West Coast to play Washington and Oregon.

While May said he doesn't have much involvement in those types of decisions, he said he supports former players coming back and wants to make Ann Arbor a welcoming place for those who wish to maintain a relationship with the program.

"I'm not directly involved in the decisions other than Warde (Manuel) will say 'hey, we want to retire Trey Burke's number this year.' And I said 'man, that's awesome. Let me know what I can do to be a part of it and how we can help and contribute,'" May said.

"One of the downsides—I keep talking about upside and downside, but there's been several coaches at Michigan since, whatever, the 70s. You don't have the continuity of someone being here and then passing it down to an assistant and just continuing. So, sometimes played don't feel as comfortable coming back when it's not their coach or coaching staff, or they just don't know people.

"And so, the more groups we can get back—when I say groups, people that played under different coaches. The more we can get back under the block M, under the Michigan basketball umbrella, the better off our program will be. We love having those guys around."

Burke at Michigan and in NBA

Burke played two seasons (2011-13) at Michigan and established himself as one of the most decorated players in program history.

He was a starter in all 73 games he played in a Maize and Blue uniform and averaged 16.9 points, 5.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while leading the Wolverines to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including helping lead the team to the 2013 national championship game.

Apr 6, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) is defended by Syracuse Orange guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) in the second half of the semifinals during the 2013 NCAA mens Final Four at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY

As a freshman, Burke averaged 14.8 points per game while setting the U-M program assist record for a freshman on his way to Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

During his sophomore season, Burke averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists per game while setting the Michigan single season record for assists (260) while helping guide the Wolverines to a Final Four under then head coach John Beilein.

Following that season, Burke swept the nation's top individual honors, including the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Bob Cousy Award and AP, NABC and USBWA National Player of the Year, becoming the first Wolverine to be recognized as the consensus National Player of the Year.

Burke was also a first-team All-American that season before declaring for the 2013 NBA Draft and being selected as the ninth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves before being trades to the Utah Jazz on draft night.

Mar 11, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Trey Burke (3) controls the ball as Houston Rockets guard Dennis Schroder (17) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

He went on to play 10 seasons in the NBA (2012-22) with the Jazz, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

As a rookie with the Jazz, Burke averaged 12.8 points and 5.7 assists per game, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. In over 500 NBA games, Burke recorded career averages of 10.6 points and 3.3 assists per game.

Burke produced 28 career 20-point game in his NBA career and reached a career-high 40 points in 2018 in a game against the Houston Rockets while playing with the Knicks.

Michigan will host Ohio State on Friday night at 8 p.m. at the Crisler Center when the Wolverines will hoist Burke's jersey to the rafters.

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