Dusty May shares which Michigan basketball player is 'better' than anticipated

If Michigan can get an immediate contribution from him -- watch out.
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

In this story:


Michigan basketball lost several key players from its Sweet 16 squad a year ago. Starting PG Tre Donaldson transferred away, and both big men, Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, went to the NBA. But head coach Dusty May not only went out and landed the No. 2 transfer class, but he also had the No. 11 freshman class.

Out of the four talented freshmen, five-star guard Trey McKenney was the headliner coming into Ann Arbor. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's was ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the 2025 cycle. Since arriving at Michigan, McKenney has worked on his body and coach May spoke on McKenney during Tuesday's media day.

"Well, the guy now, he obviously looks different than he did in high school, much more athletic, much slimmer. When you see guys every day, you don’t notice the amount of weight they’ve dropped because we’re with them at least five or six days a week," May said of McKenney.

"He’s moving better. He’s staying in front of the basketball. Just like any freshman, he has really good days, and then he has some other subpar days, just like everyone on our roster. But he’s been awesome to coach. He wants to be better. He wants to win. He loves representing Michigan. Trey McKienney is a lot of what’s right about college basketball."

Further along that expected?

Michigan is fairly deep at guard this season, but McKenney is figured to contribute right away. Coming in as a five-star talent, he can play the '1', '2', or '3' for the Wolverines this season. Anytime a five-star players signs with a team, expectations are sky high. While May knew the talent was there when he recruited him, he told the media that McKenney is already a better version than what was anticipated.

"I feel like we had a pretty good idea of what Trey can do. He can play make, he can make shots. I think he’s just been a little bit better version than what we anticipated, and we expected a lot out of him," May said of the talented freshman.

Fans can see Michigan in action when the regular season starts on Monday, November 3, against Oakland.

More From Michigan On SI:


Published
Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

Share on XFollow @trentknoop