Dusty May’s departure for the Dallas Mavericks shocked the college basketball world this week. Not only will Warde Manual have to figure out who will be coaching the Wolverines next season, but it will soon be open season on the roster, if it isn’t already. Rosters are largely set across the college landscape, but that won’t stop poachers from seeing who they can get from Michigan.
Today’s discussion question is this — if you had the power to guarantee one player returns next season, which player would you choose?
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There are obviously several spectacular options. Point guard Elliot Cadeau just won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award on his way to helping the Wolverines win a national championship. He led the team in scoring vs UConn and played absurd amounts of minutes down the stretch of the season following L.J. Cason’s ACL injury.
Trey McKenney is another great option. The sophomore guard blossomed quickly as a freshman and became a knock-down shooter by the end of the year. It’s easy to want the guy who hit the dagger in the National Championship back on your team the following year:
McKenney is widely regarded to be one of the breakout stars in college basketball next season. He also seems to be the most committed to the program, having already stated his intentions to return.
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Cason is going to miss a significant portion of the season due to the aforementioned injury. However, he is a prime beneficiary of the new NCAA eligibility rules that allows players five seasons of play in five years, so there is now no consequence for him to play as soon as he is healthy.
You could also look to the incoming transfer portal class. Moustapha Thiam is one of the best centers available in the portal this offseason. He would allow the Wolverines to continue to run their offense in a similar manner to last season. There also isn’t a ton of depth behind Thiam on the depth chart unless you’re willing to let JP Estrella play extended minutes at the 5.
Speaking of Estrella, he is another viable candidate. The criminally underused big man from Tennessee will look to increase his usage tremendously next year in a system that’s more adept to his skillset. Like McKenney, Estrella is a major breakout candidate.
While the incoming freshmen aren’t technically “returning,” we’ll include them as options here, as programs have the opportunity to get them to transfer as well. Brandon McCoy Jr. is the highest rated of the freshmen and could play well over 20 minutes per game at various positions next season.
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My personal vote is for Cadeau. At Michigan’s biggest time of need, he showed up in a big way. Additionally, finding a starting point guard in the event Cadeau doesn’t return — at this time of the year — would be nearly impossible since the portal is closed.
So who would you choose if you could only guarantee one player to be back on next year’s team? Who is the most irreplaceable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
