Inside Michigan’s Championship Run: KT Harrell’s Perspective. Go Blue Hoops Ep 35

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Welcome, all of you, to the Go Blue Hoops podcast. This is episode number 35.

I can’t believe that it’s been 60 days since the season was over and Michigan won a national championship, and we are still talking about this team. Why? Because after Michigan cut down the nets against UConn, you kept listening. So we kept talking and putting out relevant topics about this team. And so, if you’re listening, we’re going to keep on talking the rest of the summer. We’ll see how it goes.

So today, I want to look ahead to next season. I think there’s a lot to be excited about. The roster is loaded. I love the schedule, and Michigan is poised for another run, maybe to the Final Four again.

Also on today’s podcast, I have a treat for you. KT Harrell is a fascinating guy. He’s on the Michigan coaching staff. He’s got just a wonderful background, with a nice career at Virginia, and became one of the great scorers in Auburn history. He’s the director of basketball operations for Michigan, and he will be featured on the Michigan Man interview to provide intel on Michigan’s players, the newcomers, scouting, recruiting—all of the interesting roles covered by a director of basketball operations.

So, if you loved the run to the Final Four like I did, sit back and enjoy. The upcoming team could be just as good, and I’ve got some reasons why I think that might be legitimate.

So, there are three primary reasons why this team coming up could be just as good as this year.

Michigan and UConn have the best backcourts in all of college basketball. Yeah, I’m saying it. I love this backcourt. Better than last year. Why? Elliot Cadeau is an elite playmaker who makes other people better.

And look out for Trey McKenney this year. One year from now, his name is going to be all over these mock drafts as a lottery pick. A pure shooter, a go-to guy. He can lead the Big Ten in scoring next year, and this is going to be his team.

I loved watching him, Roddy Gayle, and Yaxel. They were inseparable throughout the year. They would shoot after practice. On the road, they would go and eat together. They taught Trey McKenney how to lead a team. This is his squad. Michigan’s guards are loaded.

Second reason: The roster has so much depth and versatility.

Now, critics would say Michigan lost the best frontcourt in all of college basketball. They lost the best front line in school history. They are going to really struggle.

That’s not true. Michigan had a total of nine players leave from last year. And now, all of a sudden, when I look at the roster—not talking about experience or chemistry; that’s got to come later—when I just look at the roster, they can be elite.

They added three veteran big men, possibly a fourth. They’ve got one more spot available, and I have a sense that Dusty’s out there poking around, seeing if he can find some other talent.

This team will not be good defensively like last year, but it is too early to put restrictions on their potential. This Michigan team will be more perimeter-oriented than last year, and they added a freshman class that, to me, easily ranks in the top five in all of basketball.

Plus, Brandon McCoy is an offensive and defensive star, a superior athlete. If this team defends like I think it will, he will be a killer in transition.

Also, they’ve got a nice combination of youth and vets. They have high-end talent throughout the lineup. They’ve got role players. They’ve got stars that will emerge. They have size, athleticism, and versatility, and they’ve got the entire summer to build chemistry and to build a roster that works together.

I’m excited. I’m optimistic about the talent and the roster. And last year at this time, nobody was saying Michigan has a chance to be in the Final Four, to run through the Big Ten like a knife through butter.

But I’m saying this right now: Based on what I saw from Dusty May’s system and the talent that he’s bringing in, this Michigan team is going to be fantastic.

All right. And reason number three, and maybe most important: I’ve got so much confidence in Dusty May.

He’s an expert in roster construction. He’s a star at building chemistry. But the most important thing that he’s done this year is he’s made a schedule—the perfect schedule—to mesh all of this talent.

Fourteen players who are either brand-new to college basketball, brand-new to Michigan, or have a different role than they had last year. The roster and timeline are a perfect fit.

And what I want to do is walk through and tell you why Dusty May’s schedule makes so much sense to me.

Mid-June, players show up on campus. Strength and conditioning. They learn the system, skill development, plenty of shooting, especially for the freshmen and the transfers.

But most importantly, they hang out at night. Okay? They go out to dinner. They go over to each other’s apartments. They play different games. They play video games. They play Impostor, which was the team’s favorite game on the road last year, and they start to build that chemistry.

Also, the coaches get a chance to get in the gym with them and show them the offense, show them the intricacies. And they will do that until mid-August, when Michigan goes on an unbelievable trip to Europe.

Three games against Lithuanian teams and Croatian teams. They get 10 additional practices to get ready.

And I’ve looked back over the years. Michigan’s gone on European trips to Belgium, Italy, Spain, and France, and it makes such a big difference with chemistry and just execution.

They also get a chance to expand their recruiting footprint into Europe even more. They’ll have their new assistant coach, Mody Maor. Ten years of international experience as an assistant coach and a head coach.

You’ve got a new roster that gets to play games together. That’s critical. It’s the perfect trip. Great timing. It couldn’t have worked out any better.

Another thing that is really going to help this team a great deal: I just read that they set up an exhibition game against Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars, who, to me, are the number-one toughest program, best defensive program in all of college basketball.

It’s going to be in Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Sellout crowd, high energy. The Cougars are a test of manhood. You’re going to learn everything that you need to know about what this team needs to do to improve.

And a loss doesn’t matter because it’s an exhibition game. You’ll remember last year Michigan played an exhibition game against Cincinnati and lost. Guess what? Their record was 37–3. It wasn’t 37–4 because exhibition games don’t count.

Very, very good decision.

And then what about November to get ready for the Big Ten season?

We get a rematch against UConn, who is once again going to be one of the teams to beat in college basketball, at TD Garden in Boston. Then you get Marquette, always a Big East favorite, at home.

And then the Players Era—they get Creighton in the first game. That was when they jump-started their season last year with a huge win.

There’s a lot of money at stake, a lot of pride. You beat Creighton, you might get Miami. The Hurricanes, led by Jai Lucas, John Lucas’s son, are one of the up-and-coming teams because of their success in the portal. And then they get another star program if they win, just as they did last year.

And then, right around Christmas, December 21: Duke, Michigan, Madison Square Garden. How good is that?

I don’t expect Michigan to go 37–3 this year, okay? Especially with this schedule. A national championship and Final Four—it’s just so hard to get there.

But when I look at the guard play, when I look at the versatility of the roster and this schedule that Dusty May has put together, I think Michigan is a nonstop emerging program. They’re going to get better and better and better each year. One program called Michigan that can compete with anybody at the top of the college basketball world.

Also, I want to send kudos out to Michigan and Dusty May for their hiring of an international coach. Very timely with an international trip coming up.

He brings a fiery, intense approach. Nice balance to the current staff. Michigan’s current staff is one of the best in the country, but they lack that yeller and screamer and that fiery guy. I think that this was a really good complement to what Dusty May has on his current staff.

Also, Maor will provide access to international big men. The game today is evolving all the time. Face-up big men are being developed better in Europe than in the United States. That’s a big key for Michigan’s future, to get those international bigs.

Also, Maor is known as a basketball savant. Dusty May has said, “I want coaches smarter than me on my staff.” He likes the idea of someone challenging him and bringing new ideas and concepts to the table.

He’s world-renowned as an expert in modern pick-and-roll strategies and ideas. He is a professional coach and a high-level recruiter. And once again, his pick-and-roll concepts are really fresh and unique. It will make Michigan harder to defend next season.

And I think that we could see some really fun concepts that you’re only seeing at the highest level of the NBA. A-plus hire by Dusty May.

That’s enough for now about this team and the future. Let’s get to the Michigan Man interview.

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Hey, everybody. Extremely pleased to be joined by a key component of Michigan’s national championship this spring.

Our guest was a star player in college at Virginia and Auburn. He was a pro player and is currently the director of basketball operations for Michigan, and he’s going to provide incredible insight and intel about this team.

KT Harrell, thank you so much. And how has your summer been as a national champion?

Thanks, Tim, for having me. It’s been great. I’ve been having—I wouldn’t necessarily call it downtime. We’re all still working and trying to prepare for this year, but just to have a little bit of downtime to reset, refocus, it’s been good.

But super, super blessed to be a part of this program, and we had a heck of a year this year.

When you talk about all of the things that keep you busy in the spring as director of basketball operations, you’re doing everything: scheduling, recruiting, academics. What’s a typical day like for you?

I usually get in the office pretty early. I would say usually around seven. I try to get up before my kids so I can sort of have my day start off the right way. It doesn’t always work. My daughter just turned four, and she’s got a lot of energy, so we kind of race to see who gets up first.

But yeah, I get up so I can be up for my son before I take him to school, or at least say bye to him before I head out to work. Sometimes I take them to school, so it kind of fluctuates when I come in, but usually in the morning.

As soon as I get in, I’m kind of getting organized and looking ahead. Obviously, that changes depending on the timing of the year, but I come in and probably watch some film if we had a game. If we had practice, watch some film on practice. And then we kind of plan out the day, meet as a staff, and then just get to work with our guys, being around them.

That’s the best part of the day: being around our players and kind of just talking to them and helping them get better as players and as men.

And then this summer, we’ll practice probably around noon. During the year, we probably practice around 2:30. So the day ends probably around four or five-ish. Guys will get shots and stuff like that afterward.

And then after that, later on in the evening, head back home and try to get dinner with my family.

So, you talked a little bit about how your role is to work with the guys. Do you have a group of three or four players that are sort of your responsibility to work with on skill development and shooting, or do you work with the whole team?

Yeah. So this past year, because I wasn’t one of the on-court coaches—they actually just changed the rule this year where everybody can coach and be on the court with the guys—so I’ll be a lot more hands-on.

When Coach Joyner took the job at Oregon State, I was able to fill in for him and kind of help with the wings, help with the guards, just kind of be a little bit everywhere and be able to help them the best I could.

So now I’ll be a lot more involved on the court and be able to make an imprint in that way.

When L.J. Cason went down with the ACL injury, there was no backup point guard, and Trey McKenney, Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle—they had to expand their ballhandling.

As somebody who was working with the guards and the wings, was that something that your staff—did you do anything different to try to take some of the pressure off them to have to run the offense, bring the ball up the court, get the big guys the ball? How did you prepare the guards who were stepping into L.J.’s role?

Yeah, I mean, Trey McKenney had to step up and play a lot more point guard. It wasn’t necessarily anything drill-wise. I think in practice, obviously, we put the ball in his hands and made him play point.

So it’s kind of trial by fire. He had to do it. It was something that he had to do on the fly and learn on the fly, and he did a heck of a job.

And I think for his growth long term, it’s going to be even better because he’s been able to play the point. Obviously, we have Elliot Cadeau coming back, but him being able to have that experience of having to bring the ball up and sort of lead the team in that fashion, it was great for him.

I was in Indy, and I’ll never forget it. And I’m curious: It has to be your favorite 48 hours ever. What was more memorable and special for you? Was it the cutting down the nets and the confetti? Was it the parade? Was it the banner ceremony? What are you always going to remember and smile about?

You know, it was crazy. I talked to Coach May a little bit afterward. This was maybe—actually, it was the day we had the parade, which was unbelievable. So many fans, so many people, and sharing that moment with my family and all of our families together, it was a special moment.

But I kind of talked to him a little bit after, and he was just like, you know, everything was great. Cutting down the nets, all those moments were great. But you think about the journey in itself and how fulfilling that is, it’s really special.

Just all the things that we went through, from Vegas, even getting to a place where we didn’t play our best basketball and having to bounce back from that. The journey itself is the most memorable moment of the season.

Obviously, to finish it out cutting down the nets, to win a national championship, which is so hard to do, was extremely rewarding. But the journey itself, that was big-time.

Throughout the journey, KT, you guys had to prove that you were a championship-level team. Now the expectations exist. How does the mindset change as a champion as you get ready for next year, when everybody’s going to be chasing you?

Yeah, just reset, refocus. Last year was, you know, done. That year’s over. Now we’ve got to refocus and try to do it again, which is going to be extremely hard.

I think, too, we have to realize that we have a new team. We have some returning guys, obviously, but this is a completely different team. And we might not play the same style of ball that we played last year.

We’re going to play together. We’re going to play as a unit like we always do, but this is a brand-new team.

And obviously, we’re going to have expectations for our team. We want to win a championship, but the ultimate goal is to continue to improve and do it together, which I know we will under Coach May’s leadership.

And so we just take it a day at a time. We know we have a target on our back because of what we did this year, but we just focus on each other and the process, and I think we’ll like where we are at the end of the season.

KT Harrell’s our guest on the Go Blue Hoops podcast, and I’m going to put you on the spot here.

Yax, Morez, Aday, Trey, and Elliot, I think, can all play in the NBA someday. Five years from now, which one of those five is going to be the best NBA player?

Oh, man, you are putting me on the spot. Can I just go with the politically correct answer and say all of them are going to be great? I can’t do that?

No. No, you can’t. Sorry about that.

Golly. If I had to say who would be the best, I would probably say Yaxel, just because of who he is now. I think out of all of them, he’s a plug-and-play guy right now.

I think Morez is going to have an amazing NBA career, along with Aday. EC and Trey are both going to do really well. I love the fact that we have them back.

But I think Yax is probably the most ready right now as far as plug-and-play. But I think Morez and Aday are equally as talented and equally as ready.

But yeah, the success for Morez and Aday will come down, I think, to their ability to become legitimate shooters, and they both improved so much. In a game of HORSE between Aday and Morez, who wins?

Probably Aday, just because he—yeah, he does crazy stuff on his own time, and so I feel like he’ll probably have a lot more trick shots than Morez.

Okay. You had the best frontcourt in college basketball last year. And one year ago, when your team first came together, I think that’s when I thought this team could win a Big Ten title.

Was there a point in the year where Dusty May, where Coach Boynton, where the staff at Michigan said, “You know, we can win this thing. These guys are really good on defense. There are so many weapons”? What was the point that the staff started thinking you guys could win it all?

Yeah, I think we always knew that we had a chance, just looking at our roster, having EC as our leader at the point, how deep we were. But obviously, our frontcourt was the key to our success this year.

But I think after Vegas, we played some really good teams. I think we kind of put the world on notice on how talented we could become, who we were. But we obviously knew as a staff that we wanted to continue to get better.

We beat some really good teams by wide margins, and so I think that was important for all of us, where we kind of looked at each other like, “Man, this team is legit.” And not only legit, but one of the best. We have an opportunity to be one of the best teams ever.

And so, for me at least, I know it was a shock to see how well we were playing. And not so much the margin of victory, just how cohesive and connected we looked. That was special.

You mentioned margin of victory. You beat San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga by 110 points. Do you remember the coaches’ meeting after that and what was said about one of the best displays that I’ve ever seen, regular-season-wise, over a three-day stretch?

No, I just, you know, I remember just focusing on the next game, really. We were just trying to prepare, trying to prepare. And then when it was all over, we were just like, “Man, this team is good. This team is really good, especially when we’re connected.”

That was the biggest thing with this team. Nobody cared who was the guy, who scored the most, or who was talked about more. We did a good job as a staff, obviously with Coach May’s leadership, just making it about the team, focusing on the team.

Dusty would say all the time, “It’s not about me. It’s not about Yax. It’s not about anybody as individuals. It’s about us doing it together.”

And so that was a special, special time in Vegas because we played at a very, very high level. We shot the ball well, but we were super connected.

Yeah. I think the last time you and I saw each other, I saw you in the locker room and you were scouting. And I believe it was the Saint Louis game in the NCAA Tournament.

What does it take to scout? How many tapes do you need to watch? How many hours of film? Is it hard to figure out what plays everybody’s running? Take us through the process of scouting for an NCAA game.

Yeah. So because of the quick turnaround, you don’t have a lot of time to watch a lot of games. We do a good job as a staff in terms of who does what for each game.

So usually, I’m on the offensive end, how we’re going to attack a team as far as a scout. And then we’ll have the other coaches in our group, who for me are Coach Boynton and Coach Gilbert, work on the defensive scout.

So it’s actually not as long. You don’t have to watch seven or eight games. After a while, after two or three games, you can kind of see the tendencies and see what teams like to do.

Obviously, with an NCAA Tournament, because of the quick turnaround, you don’t have a lot of time. So we kind of help.

When you saw me looking at Saint Louis, it was actually Coach Drew’s scout, but I was just watching a couple of games to help him. And we were just doing that for every game.

Whoever didn’t have the scout, we’d have me or Coach Akeem, because we work on the offensive end, watch one or two other games just to give him some insight or something maybe new that we might have seen that he didn’t catch.

Obviously, during the season, you get a lot more time because you might not have a game until next week. And so you’ve got a lot more time to dive in and watch four or five games if you need to, see players’ tendencies, and see what type of style they want to play offensively or defensively.

But yeah, it’s great because we all work really, really well together at coming up with a game plan for our guys to attack the other team.

KT, I’m fascinated by your perspective on coaching, and it shouldn’t be a surprise. You were a star player at Virginia under Tony Bennett. You played for Bruce Pearl at Auburn. And then the last four years, two at FAU, two in Ann Arbor, you’ve been on Dusty’s staff.

What separates Dusty May and all the things he does—recruiting, coaching, just everything about him? What separates him?

Obviously, he knows the game. His attention to detail is something I’ve never seen. His attention to detail is something that I admire.

He’s super, super aware of what’s going on in terms of our players, in terms of our staff. But more than anything, I always tell people, Dusty’s probably the most selfless person. He’s an actual human being. He’s the most selfless person I’ve ever been around.

And to have this position that he has, being a head coach at Michigan, even at FAU—there are some people who would be in his position who would take advantage of all the fame and all the glory that comes with being a great coach and one of the best in the country, if not the best, in my opinion.

But he’s just a normal person, and he cares about people. He cares about his staff. He cares about his family. He cares about our families. He cares about who we are as men and who his players are as young men.

And so that, to me, is a separator because it’s not just about hoops. It’s not just about ball. And I think when you have that perspective, it helps you remember what’s important.

And I think our players saw that. They felt that. And that’s why we were super connected this year, because they know, at the end of the day, we love who these guys are as people, and the basketball is second to that.

So if you’re asking me what separates him, I think it’s that.

The transfer portal—it is just so hard to figure out sometimes. And I’m not sure where they’re going with it, what the future holds. But as a staff, you have the responsibility to prepare for your next game, but also to know the whole Big Ten.

How do you guys keep an eye on the entire college basketball landscape? Because you’ve got to make a decision right after the season, and it’s important to know who can play, who fits your system, who’s got great chemistry. How, as a staff, do you guys monitor all of college basketball?

Well, it’s part of watching hoops, man. I mean, we’re all basketball fanatics, and we all watch basketball.

During the season, on any of these TVs in our offices, there’s a basketball game going on. So we all stay connected on what’s going on around the college landscape, and that helps when the portal is open.

By the time it opens, we know who can play and who we like as far as guys being able to play the game in our style.

But at the end of the day, our main focus is to focus on our guys, to focus on who we have on our team and the moment at the time, because we want to win.

That’s what we’re here to do. We want to win championships, and we want to continue to build on that. And so we kind of focus on that when it comes, and then when it comes, we dive in.

KT, Michigan basketball fans are already excited about next year. You’ve got your guards returning, a new front line, a loaded freshman class.

What is going to be the key when you have everybody in town in a couple of weeks, and then you get ready for your European trip? How do you build culture with so many new guys?

I think it takes time, obviously. Right away, it’s going to be awkward because new people, new staff, new players, everything. So it just takes time.

But I think the great thing about that is we’re going to make the time. Our staff is going to be here 24/7. Our players are going to feel us here and here for them.

And I think because of how connected we are as a staff, they’re going to feel that as well. And I think that’s the main thing. Once they see how connected we are and we’re here for them, and we know that this is, like Dusty always says, a player-led program, they feel that from us. And that’s the beginning of a good culture.

So the good thing is, like you said, we have a foreign tour coming up. We’ll probably do another trip when we get back. Not sure what. It won’t be anything like a foreign tour, but we’ll go do something as a team for sure.

And then even during the summer, we’ll go bowling. We’ll do different things like that to just continue to build that.

The culture doesn’t happen overnight. It happens over the course of weeks and months of being together and working together and talking with each other about stuff other than basketball, getting to really know each other.

So we pay attention to those things. Those things matter to us. And so we’ll continue to build that as soon as they step foot here on campus.

The most popular guy on the Go Blue Hoops podcast is Ricky Liburd. I didn’t know if you heard this, but he was our guest three weeks ago, and 10,000 people watched the podcast. They’re very intrigued with him.

Wow.

What do you think of his game? What excites you about Ricky?

I love Ricky, man. I love Ricky. I love how hard he plays. I love how coachable he is. He was unbelievable this year.

He had a moment where it was tough because he hadn’t been playing. And for any kid who loves basketball and you’re just grinding constantly, you’re going to have one of those lapses where it’s like, “Dang, I just miss the game.”

And he didn’t necessarily take a step back, but it was just taking a toll on him. But he bounced back from it immediately.

When the season was over, he was right back in the gym. First one in the gym in the morning, back to his routine.

I think he’s going to shock a lot of people in terms of just how ready he’ll be. I think he’s going to help us a lot this year. He’s an unbelievable kid, unbelievable person. But his work ethic is top-tier.

And so I know he’s going to help us this year, and I’m super excited about his growth and development over the course of his time here at Michigan.

I’m going to make an early prediction. I think he starts at the three this year. Just saying. Just keep that in the back of your mind.

I hear you. I hear you.

What about Oscar Goodman? We saw him a little bit, and he does some intriguing things there. There may be a little bit of a logjam minutes-wise, but what have you seen from Oscar?

He’s big, he’s physical, he’s athletic. Obviously, he didn’t get as much time this year. He played in spots, but he’s going to help us this year as well.

I think his versatility, being able to shoot the ball at his size, is really beneficial. But he’s strong, he’s physical, he can finish through contact at the rim.

And so he’s going to do really well for us this year. Along with him and Ricky, I think those are two guys who are going to make a big jump from last year to this year and be able to really, really help us.

And the transfers—we’ve seen videos of them, but we haven’t studied their games like you have. Is there somebody in the frontcourt that you think I should keep an eye on who could really be special this year?

Yeah, I think obviously Moustapha is extremely talented, but I think J.P.—obviously, I love Jalen Reed, too. Obviously, he’s working on his body and getting healthy and doing all that.

But J.P. is going to really help us a lot. J.P. Estrella is going to be a guy who’s similar to Morez, but he’ll be switchable. He’ll be able to defend one through four. He’s athletic. He plays extremely hard, and he’s got a nice shot. I mean, he’s going to shoot some threes for us, too.

And so, super excited about our frontcourt potential this year. What we’ll all struggle with at times is the comparison between the two, this year’s frontcourt to last year’s. Last year’s frontcourt was last year. And so we’ve got to focus on how to be the best version of our team this year.

But I love the pieces that we added, and I love our pieces that we have coming back.

KT, you spent two years in Ann Arbor as a coach. Who’s the most improved player, from the first time you saw him until the end of the year, that you’ve seen?

If I had to, just from the start of the season, I’d probably say Trey McKenney.

Just to watch his growth from day one until the end of the season. His maturity was unbelievable to watch this year. Just how he approached every day.

He was one of the most consistent guys in terms of sticking to his routine and doing what he does every single day and being ready and being prepared.

He went through growing pains like any freshman did, but he came out of it, and he started playing really, really, really great basketball towards the end of the season.

And so, just want him to build off that. I think he’s prepared mentally. Physically, he’s prepared. He knows there are certain things he wants to improve on, and he’s been in the gym trying to do those things.

But he’s a great kid, man. Unbelievable person.

I think this is another one of those tough questions to answer, but I’m going to throw it out anyway.

I always remember it seemed like I always had a teammate who was sort of the alpha-dog leader. Like when you go into Ohio State or Assembly Hall, you say, “I’m with him.” You just know that the tough environments bring out the best.

Sure.

Who was that leader, that alpha-dog leader, for Michigan’s team last year?

Twenty-one. Morez Johnson. It’s not even close.

I think we all felt as a staff, and I think even his teammates felt, like every time going into a game, “We’ve got Morez.”

And so I think there’s some confidence in that, knowing that you have a guy like that who’s got your back, who’s going to play hard every single possession, who’s going to leave it out there all the time.

And all our guys did. But Morez stood out as that person that, you know, when we walk into this building, we’re good. You know what I mean?

So it was great to be around him. It was great to watch him work consistently every single day. And he’s just an absolute warrior, man. Absolute dog.

So, you had a standout career, one of the top scorers in Auburn history. When you look at your era and how NIL’s changed the game and the transfer portal, how is the game different for you? And do you like it better, or is it—

I have no problem with it, man. This is a new generation. I don’t even try to think about me and what I could have gotten or whatever.

I’m not too far removed, but as the years go on, I’m getting more and more removed. But I’m happy the guys are getting paid, man.

I’m just glad to be a part of it all, that I get to be a part of a championship team, a championship staff. I don’t look at it as a bad thing. I like being a part of all of this, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

And so I get to be around some great players, some great coaches that I get to be around and get to learn from every day. And so I wouldn’t change a thing.

Have you had a chance to see L.J. Cason and how his rehab is going?

I have. He’s been really consistent every single day, coming in. I think he just left for Florida just for a little bit, but before that, he had been in here every day rehabbing, and he’s in great spirits.

He’s been working with our trainer every single day. So he’s working his tail off to get right and be prepared.

Yeah. It seemed like it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to redshirt, but the NCAA is now looking at no redshirts. And do you think that pushes the timetable up where—

Yeah, I’m not really sure. I’m not sure. I’m not sure. I mean, obviously, we’ve seen that. It might change things. It might not. I’m not sure.

It’s all going to be on what L.J. feels, what L.J. and Chris, our trainer, feel is best. But no, we’re not really sure.

Yeah. Yaxel Lendeborg was the best player in the Big Ten, an All-American. His reputation—and I probably watched 15 practices this year, and I saw it—is that he likes the bright lights and plays maybe a little bit harder in the games than he does in practice.

Did you guys see that? And were there strategies where you tried to get him motivated or, you know, to elevate his intensity in practice?

Sure, we tried. We tried it. We tried a little bit of everything, Tim. We did.

We tried to—obviously, if you saw it, then you know that was a thing. But we say that, and then there would be games where we didn’t feel like he played well, and he almost had a triple-double. So it’s like, the guy’s a super-talented player.

But yes, there were moments where he necessarily wasn’t playing at his best because he wasn’t as locked in as he would be for, let’s say, Purdue or Michigan State. And that, at times, caused us issues.

But we were fortunate enough to still have some really good players and still be able to come out victorious in those games because we were super talented, still super connected.

But I would say, because of his routines changing and his discipline getting better over the course of the year, he got better with that. And so he was able to play some of his best basketball down the stretch.

The team arrives in two weeks. There’s one guy that I bet you’re really excited to see if he can play, in terms of determining how this team does. Is it a freshman? Is it a transfer? Who’s the one guy that you’re most excited to see?

Golly. To be honest, I probably couldn’t choose one because I’m just excited to have our whole team together.

I know that sounds like the politically correct answer, but I’m really super excited to see this new team come together on the first day of workouts.

But yeah, I don’t know. That’s a good question. I really don’t have an answer for you. I really want to see our guys together in this new team, see our first day, and see how well we mesh.

So I’m just super excited to have all our guys back. Obviously, I miss the guys who have been here. And I can’t wait for the new guys to come so we can get to know them a little bit more, be on the court with them, talk with them, and just be around them.

So yeah, I’m just super excited to get all our guys here and get together.

I’m excited to see Brandon McCoy. I think he’s got a chance to step in immediately. What have you seen from his game? What do you know about Brandon?

Man, you talk about athleticism. He has NBA athleticism.

I think he’s got a chance to be a really, really high-level defender in our league. His lateral ability, his vertical ability—he’s strong, he’s physical, he’s tough, and he’s a great kid.

And all those things wrapped together—he’s selfless. He’s not thinking about coming here to shoot all the shots or be the best player. He just wants to compete, and he wants to win.

And that’s the mark of a guy who’s going to do really well in college basketball, especially here in the Big Ten. So I am super excited for him to get here because I think he’s going to contribute.

Three really quick questions, and we’ll end it. Back on your career, you were a scorer. What’s the most points you ever scored in a game at any level?

Forty-two.

Where was that?

Now, are we talking about college, pro, high school?

Any level, everything.

Forty-two. I scored 42 points in high school. The most I ever scored in college was, I think, like 29. And I could have gotten 30, but I missed a free throw late, and my teammate was getting on me about that.

Yeah.

But yeah.

Also, you’re in charge of logistics when you guys go on the road. What is the toughest arena to play in? And which is the school that makes it harder for you to do your job? Maybe they don’t get you your towels or whatever it might be. What’s the toughest, and what’s the one that makes it hard on you?

I will say all of the teams in the Big Ten have been pretty great in terms of logistics. We don’t have any issues. I haven’t had any issues, I should say. Hopefully, that doesn’t change.

But I would say the hardest place to play, personally, was Purdue. I mean, loud. Super loud. Obviously, Michigan State, but Purdue is loud, and it’s like nonstop.

And I remember the first time we went last year, my ears were ringing from their intro, all this stuff. It’s a crazy environment. It’s a tough place to play, for sure.

And then, final question: As a national champ, when you think back five years from now about this team, what’s going to resonate the most? Maybe a memory or a theme, or what are you going to remember most about this team?

Man, I keep coming back to this: just how connected these guys were.

I remember being in hotels, and we don’t have film or anything like that, and the guys are just hanging out playing cards or playing board games or just watching basketball together.

This was a super, super fun group to be around. And just the cohesiveness—they all loved each other, truly loved each other, and truly loved to watch each other have success.

And that’s going to be the most memorable feeling, memorable moment that I’ll take with me forever, just how connected we were from our staff to our players this past year.

It was something that I’d never seen before, and because of it, we were able to be champs.

Well, KT, Michigan is lucky to have you, and we’re so excited to see what you guys do with your new roster of players this year.

Hope you and your two kids and your wife have an unbelievable vacation. I think you leave tomorrow. Well-deserved, for sure.

KT, thank you very much for being on the Go Blue Hoops podcast.

Tim, thanks so much for having me, man. Appreciate it. Go Blue.

And thanks to all of you for tuning in. This has been just a ball, and it’s fun to think that in the middle of the summer, 60 days since the national championship, there’s still so much to talk about.

Go Blue to everybody out there.

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