J.P. Estrella on Why He Stayed at Michigan: A Head Coach Who 'Really Cares'

Mike Boynton Jr. was instrumental in getting Estrella to stay at Michigan.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan won the national title on April 6, and three days later, Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella committed to the Wolverines. It was a fast transition as the transfer portal opened on April 7 at midnight.

The Wolverines' staff, led by then-head coach Dusty May, had little time to celebrate as Michigan had to immediately start looking ahead to build its roster for the 2026-27 season. The Wolverines knew they were losing a few players, with both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. needing to make decisions.

What Michigan did know was that it wanted Estrella on its roster. Appearing on Defend the Block, Estrella said it took seconds once he officially entered the transfer portal for May to reach out and he wanted to talk to him on a Zoom call. He not only spoke with May, but Mike Boynton Jr. and other staff members and quickly bought into their vision.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"I remember the second I officially hit the Portal, like, literally the second I did, Dusty called me like, maybe, thirty seconds after I did, and we hopped on a Zoom maybe five minutes after that," Estrella told Brian Boesch. "So it was very, very quick. They wanted to make sure that I talked to them asap. I was like his first Zoom too, so it was immediate.

"So it was kind of cool to be a part of that super quick and kind of seeing them already start to transition into the next year. And it shows how much they really care about wanting to go back to back. And not so much like just saying it, but they're actually doing it."

Impact of Dusty May leaving Michigan

Estrella, a three-year player at Tennessee, committed to Michigan with a vision, and then it all changed once Dusty May abruptly left the Wolverines — kind of. Like most players, the 6'11" forward had to think about his future.

But he went to work talking to his future teammates, asking questions, and then having a meeting with Boynton Jr., who was the interim head coach at the time. Estrella felt like all the talks went well, and that there weren't going to be any wholesale changes to how things were run in Ann Arbor. After multiple talks, he felt good about reaffirming his commitment to Michigan.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"I wanted to make sure first that all the guys talking to them kind of felt comfortable with everything," said Estrella. "So I kind of talked to everybody, kind of got a good feel for everyone. I mean, honestly, immediately Coach [Boynton] kind of called me. We kind of had our meetings, and he kind of told me the exact same thing that Dusty was telling me.

"...Just really just be able to talk basketball and talk life. I already knew him beforehand with the recruiting and stuff, so I had to talk to him a little bit, but really get to know him and all that. I got to talk about all the changes and whatnot. He kind of said it was going to be super similar. So, I mean, I was super excited for him."

Mike Boynton Jr.'s impact

A player's coach is something that has resonated with the players when talking about Boynton Jr. And Estrella has similar sentiments when he described the new Wolverines' head coach. Estrella said Boynton Jr. will text him or call him to check in.

Recently, Boynton Jr. wanted to make sure he was doing well on July 4 and that meant a lot to Estrella, who said he's never had a college head coach invest time like that.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Just being able to talk to a coach really just means a lot to me," Estrella said of Boynton Jr. "Something I haven't really had to do before in college from a head coach. It means a lot to me to have a head coach really talk to me a lot and really care about what I'm doing. Not just on the court, but off the court."

Estrella is in line for a big season at Michigan, where he is expected to start at the '4' this year beside fellow transfer Moustapha Thiam.