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Michigan Wolverines basketballis weeks into summer workouts ahead of the August 21-29 trip to Lithuania and Croatia for three exhibition games against the Lithuania Men’s National Team, Lithuania B team and Mega Superbet.
Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. has taken over for Dusty May, who in June left for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and decided to keep the trip even though “everything” within the program was “kind of in doubt at some point.”
“We do plan on taking the trip and giving these guys an opportunity to play the games,” Boynton said on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast with host Brian Boesch. “More importantly, as important as the time and the game reps will be, it’s just giving these guys time to get to know each other and to start to develop what that personality will be, because I don’t know right now what the personality of this group will be. It will evolve as the season evolves.”
That process is already underway, as is the development of the team on the court and in the weight room.
“I don’t know that anyone stands out in a major way,” the Michigan coach said of what he’s seen so far. “I think we had high expectations for the group already.”
However, a true freshman has been even better — and even taller (?!) — than expected. Listed at 6-foot-10, forward Quinn Costello — a four-star prospect out of Boston The Newman School — has grown in recent months, Boynton believes, and could smash expectations this coming season.
“I’ll say this about maybe Quinn Costello: He’s bigger than he was,” Boynton explained. “I think he’s grown here in the last couple months. And he picks things up really fast. Really, really smart. So maybe a guy who people aren’t maybe as in tune with what he can do and how much he can help.
“And we don’t know for sure, right? We’ve still got to get out there, he’s got to react to it in a real game setting with people in the building. But in terms of a guy maybe that’s flying under the radar a little bit … I mean, you say that for a guy that was a McDonald’s All-American, but I think he’s going to have an impact on our team that maybe some people haven’t anticipated.”
Michigan kept the overwhelming majority of the team together through the stunning coaching change from May to Boynton, who was first named the leader in an interim capacity before earning the permanent job. Only junior guard L.J. Cason decided to enter the transfer portal, speaking to the group’s early connectivity.
“The guys, to their credit, have all handled this really well, probably better than some of the adults maybe that are connected to either them or the program,” Boynton noted. “And that’s not to say anything, it was just a lot of confusion for a little while for a lot of people.
“But the guys have put in all the work that they’ve been expected to, and then some. To see the numbers that we get from our reports every day, the amount of time these guys are putting in outside of what we’re doing as a team has been really, really impressive. It’s almost to a person. We don’t have one guy that doesn’t come in extra, shoot with our managers or just shoot on the gun. They’re a very intentional group. They come in with a plan, they work the plan and then they get onto the next thing.
“I’ve been very, very appreciative but thankful for their dedication to the game, for their desire to get better. And I look forward to seeing how they all can jell as the season evolves. I think the trip to Europe will be a positive development for us, getting some time on the court in a real game environment will be a great advantage for this group.”
