Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May didn't mince words when describing the team's approach to this offseason's transfer portal frenzy: "Every high-major big guy who entered the portal went on our list."
Coming off a national championship victory, the Wolverines faced an immediate roster overhaul. With forward Yaxel Lendeborg exhausting his eligibility and both center Aday Mara and forward Morez Johnson Jr. weighing NBA decisions, May and his staff couldn't afford to wait. The day after cutting down the nets, they were already back in the lab constructing next season's lineup.
"You have to put yourself in as many positions as you can to be successful," May explained last month. "It happens so fast. I don't even really remember which ones you talk about first or identify first. It's just there's a tidal wave coming at you, and you're trying to find the best fit for you."
The transfer portal operates on a breakneck timeline. May noted the "sweet spot" between when the portal opens and when players commit is just three to 10 days. Typically, a couple of Zoom calls, some negotiation, and a decision is made—sometimes without the player even stepping foot on campus.
Despite the chaos, Michigan emerged from the mad scramble with three key frontcourt additions: Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam, Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella, and LSU forward Jalen Reed. In just two weeks, the Wolverines assembled a transfer class ranked No. 9 nationally by 247Sports, with Thiam widely rated as a top-15 portal player and one of the best centers available.
May's track record with developing big men proved a major selling point. His successful deployment of 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin together two seasons ago caught Mara's attention. That case was only strengthened by the Wolverines' dominant three-big lineup of Lendeborg, Johnson, and Mara this past season—a unit that gave opponents fits in the paint.
Beyond individual improvement, the NBA pipeline has become a powerful recruiting tool. Wolf, Goldin, Lendeborg, Johnson, and Mara all showcased their skills at Michigan, and May noted that rival programs were using his lack of draft picks against him in recruiting battles. Now, with this new trio of frontcourt talent, the Wolverines are reloading for another deep run—and proving once again that in the transfer portal era, the right guys are worth the wait.