Oscar Goodman Is Michigan’s X-Factor for a Title Run. Go Blue Hoops Ep 37

[Hail Media Group presents Go Blue Hoops, where Michigan basketball’s past, present, and future all come together in one show. Hosted by former Wolverine great, 10-year NBA veteran, and longtime ESPN and NBC college basketball analyst Tim McCormick. Each episode goes beyond the box scores from championship memories and recruiting stories to sharp breakdowns of the season ahead. Insight, legacy, Michigan basketball. This is Go Blue Hoops.

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Want to welcome everybody to the Go Blue Hoops podcast episode number 37. And today we’ve got some valuable content to share, some important updates. Remember, after the parade and the celebrations, all the Michigan players had an opportunity to go home and relax and decompress and visit family. And after all the incredible hard work, it’s now time to come back and start focusing on next year. The team is back in town. The freshmen are on campus. They’ve all reported.

And the veterans, the guys that transferred in, they’ve been in town. They’re finding their way around Ann Arbor. And then the returners are are looking at growth and improvement as well. So on today’s podcast, I was trying to decide what’s most relevant when they start practice on Monday. What do I want to know? I’ve got three questions that I want answered that will lead us in the direction of figuring out how this team is going to do next year. And so I will share with you my three questions.

Also, today is Oscar Goodman day on the pod. I will provide my player analysis and breakdown of Oscars’s game. I’ll tell you his best position, his strengths, weaknesses, and everything. And also on the Michigan man interview, I will talk to Oscar Goodman and I’m going to ask him about his toughest matchup in practice, what it’s like being from New Zealand, and also the dunk of the year last year to me was against Auburn in Las Vegas at the Players Era Championship and it was by Oscar. So, we’ve got a great podcast in store for you. Thanks for being here.

Practice starts on Monday and these are my three questions that I want answered about the Michigan Wolverines. I will go to practice next week and I’ll share my observations on these questions. Are you ready? Question number one, who’s the leader of this team? Leadership can carry you through rough patches, through injuries, through problems, highs, lows, turmoil. And Michigan last year had a roster of leaders. I thought that they took ownership.

And it there wasn’t one or two guys. Michigan had seniors that took leadership. They had transfers that played like like real leaders. They had young guys that took leadership roles. I think it was the best group of leaders last year of any Michigan team that I’ve seen. Yaxel was vocal. Morz was tough.

When you look at Michigan basketball history, there’s nobody that had this many focused nononsense guys. So the big question is who will accept that mantle of leadership and be an owner of this team? Take ownership and be the guy that says follow me. good things will happen. , 1 secondThe guards are the best players. Talking about Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. They’re also the two quietest guys on the team. Can they be vocal? They’ll definitely lead by example, but will they be the main leaders?

There are other candidates as well. The transfers possess a lot of individual experiences at their previous school, but they they should be able to ease into this thing. They’ve got a new system, new coaches, new city. I wouldn’t necessarily put the leadership on them. Um, so who will be the leader? The more I think about it, it’s got to be Elliot Cadeau. Most outstanding player in the NCAA tournament, big shots, huge games, very consistent.

With practice next week, I’m going to watch him closely and see if I’ve noticed a difference in his leadership ability.

The second question that I just have to ask, I need a health update. How are the three players on Michigan’s roster that have had issues in the off season? Number one, Michigan lacks a backup point guard. How is L.J. Cason doing? Great reports this week coming out that LJ is doing some shooting and some ball handling. He’s getting stronger.

He’s getting more confident. That is massively important. Remember, there’s the new five-year rule in which a player has five years to play. And so, he could conceivably play for five years. Um, if LJ, which was the plan to sit out this year and get back and just red shirt, that’s no longer on the table. He might as well get back. And I’m hoping that he’ll be ready for February 1st.

Uh, when you look at the the the return of ACL’s and Achilles injuries, pros are doing it much faster than they used to. I want to see LJ and get a base on where he is now and how fast he can get back on the court. Also, Jalen Reed, the LSU transfer, is he healthy? Two years ago, he tore his Achilles. one year ago, ACL, two debilitating injuries. Let’s go back in time. The last injury occurred November 28th at LSU. At that point, he was averaging 12 points, six rebounds per game.

Two devastating injuries is going to be tough to come back from. I cannot wait to watch him play and see how close he is to being in game shape, how close he is to being 100%. I think he’s probably still got a long way to go, but he is 610. He’s very strong. He’s a leader, and I think he’s going to be very hungry to get back on the court after two years of sitting and watching.

Also, the third player is Marcus Møller. Um, he’s battled testicular cancer. I am so pleased to hear that his recovery is going great. He’s 7 foot3. I’m anxious to see his potential. Dusty May has a great eye for talented big men. Marcus Møller, welcome to Ann Arbor.

I’m glad you’re doing great.

All right, look. I I’ve addressed two massively important question. Who’s the leader? What’s the health update on key players? The biggest question, the most important question I have is this. Who starts at the small forward for Michigan this year on the roster? I think there are five options that I’ll throw out there.

Number one, I think that Ricky Laird is the most likely guy to start at small forward. He’s a natural wing. He’s 6’4, athletic, he has defensive versatility. That means that he can cover a lot in the pick-and-roll game. And Dusty May, he loves the switches. And so if Ricky Laird can make perimeter jump shots, he’s my favorite. The second option is five-star freshman Brandon McCoy.

An elite athlete, great size, Dusty’s highest rated recruit ever. Can he shoot the ball? I think he’s a good second option. Third option. Look, Trey McKenney is 6’4, 225 pounds. Everybody’s listing him as a shooting guard. If there was another shooting guard that emerged, you could easily slide Trey McKenney to that small forward.

He has positional versatility. He can play two, he can play three. Whatever it is, Michigan is going to be loaded with whatever position Trey McKenney plays. And then the fourth option, what if Michigan decides to go big with their versatile wings? Oscar Goodman and Quinn Costello are versatile. They’re mainly a four right now. Their face up abilities not quite at the small forward position, but I think both of them would be really good at the small forward.

Dusty May likes big lineups. Those are options as well. And then last, it’s way too early to project Jalen Reed’s role, how many minutes he plays. He has two years of eligibility. If Dusty May wants to go with that jumbo lineup once he gets back to 100%. That might be asking a lot. Does he have his speed, his quickness, his explosive burst back?

I’m not sure, but I think it is the fifth option that Michigan could look at with that small forward position.

All right, next up, I want to break down Oscar Goodman’s game for you and provide some analysis. I believe he is in a great position to contribute to Michigan’s team this year. I watched him play 12 times in practice. I watched him play 80 minutes last year for Michigan, over 16 games. He’s got some really intriguing possibilities. You know, sometimes you can learn a great deal about a player from one singular play. I want to go back to November 25th.

Michigan was up by 30 against Auburn. They put in Oscar. This is the play that that really opened my eyes about his potential. There was an offensive rebound by Michigan. Ball was swung. Ball was swung and they found Oscar wide open in the corner. Morez Johnson Jr. yelled, “Shoot it.” He didn’t do that.

Shot fake, dribble, dribble, gather on two feet. And he went over the shot blocker and dunked the basketball. And what we saw was Michigan’s bench completely go bonkers. They were berserk. They were hugging. They were high-fiving. There was a massive celebration.

Yaxel fell on the ground. He knocked Aday Mara down. It was jubilation. And at that play, I I don’t think that Oscar Goodman really even knew what to think of it. So, here’s what I learned about Oscar Goodman on that particular play. First of all, uh he’s developed a great deal over the course of the year. Why?

Because Michigan blew out so many opponents that he had over 80 minutes of game time. That is unheard of for the seventh, eighth, ninth guy. And so that was a really good opportunity. Every day he covered Morz Yaxel at times to Aday Mara. That helped him deliver as well. Now, the fact that he passed up a wideopen three in the corner tells me something as well. Not completely confident as a shooter.

Rumors are that he took 600 threes per day all summer and that should be improved. Also 0 for six on the season from three. Not known as a three-point shooter. That will open up his game. If he’s able to be viewed as a shooter, closeouts will come harder. He’ll be able to get to the rim. Also, Oscar Goodman benefited from international experience.

He spent a ton of time in the gym. strong hands, solid ball handling. He’s a very good decision maker at the rim. He’s physical, he’s tough, and I also think that he can maybe replace some of that toughness that Morez Johnson Jr. had last year. I am a fan his role is to start the year in a position where he could be Michigan’s third big man. Okay, we’re waiting for Jalen Reed to get back to 100%. That is a perfect opportunity for Oscar Goodman to impress the coaches and grab some of those key minutes. It’s a big opportunity for Oscar Goodman and I think that he needs a fast fast start.

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Hey everybody, welcome back to the Go Blue Hoops podcast and we are very excited to welcome our guest Oscar Goodman back to the United States. Um we’re excited to learn about you and your game and and so thanks so much for being here. Thank you. So you um you you spent your spring in New Zealand. What were you working on with your game? Um when I was back home, I was just with one of my old coaches. Um really just working on my shot, just becoming a more consistent shooter.

Um just so I’m more of a threat and people have to um close out on me a bit harder so I can get to my downhill player. Oscar, I’ve never been to New Zealand. Um how would you describe it? People also uh from New Zealand are known as Kiwis, right? Why that nickname? Um it’s a native bird. So our native bird is called the kiwi.

Um it’s a flightless bird. Um, so yeah, that’s where that comes from. A lot of people that I’ve met over here think it’s from the kiwi fruit, but that’s Yeah, I have to correct them on that. So, yeah. And and what is New Zealand like? Um, oh, it’s beautiful. Um, I’ve my whole life I’ve grown up three blocks from the ocean, so I can get up in the morning and go for a walk on the beach or go for a swim.

So, yeah. So you must be elated with the opportunity that you have this year with Yaxel and Rez and and Aday gone. How do you look at the upcoming season and your opportunity to step in and become a vital part of this team? Yeah, I think especially from this year just gone, I learned a lot from those three guys. Um so hopefully just adding as much of that into my game as I can. Um, and yeah, I’m just excited for the opportunity to have a bigger role and really show the Michigan fans my game properly um, to full extent. So, I’m really excited for this year.

I watched 12 of your practices this last year. I was very impressed with the way you played. And who was the guy that you matched up with the most in practice? And who was the hardest guy for you to cover? Uh, I matched up with Will, Yax, and Rez a lot. And then I remember there was a few days in summer where um I was like a span of over a week where a few guys were sick and we were really low on numbers and I was guarding Aday for that whole week and yeah, it wasn’t wasn’t a whole lot of fun. Just can only do so much at times.

But yeah, D was he was difficult. As those three get ready for the NBA draft, I want you to put on your scouting hat. Which one do you think will be the best NBA player five years from now? Ah man, I’d have to go I think I’m going to go with Aday. Um just with his or Yeah, it’s tough. It’s really tough. But I I’m going to stick with Aday just because I think in the next 5 years he’ll be able to develop more of a jump shot and be a consistent shooter and I think that’ll just add to his game a lot more.

I agree with you. I think that’s a good call. Uh Dusty May has shared a lot about his expectations for a lot of the , 1 secondplayers. I’d be curious, what are Dusty May’s expectations for you? And you know, did he share anything that you think our listeners would find really interesting? Um well when I had my end of year meeting with him um three like three main things for me was my shot just being a consistent shooter and then stepping into a bit of a leadership role just now funny enough now that I’m one of the older guys that have been here. So that’s still weird to think about but and then I think just bringing the energy that Rez and Will had you know just being that guy in the gym that gets everyone going.

Speaking of energy, I I think the the play that really resonated the most with me, I think you probably remember it, offensive rebound, swing to Oscar in the corner, shot fake, dunk, and the bench went berserk. What What do you remember about that play? H I remember I caught the ball in the corner. I think it was Rez said, “Shoot it.” And then um I saw their big man closing out hard so I just ripped by and then I kind of blacked out a bit from there and turned around and then I saw Yaxel on the floor and Elliot on the floor and I was like just confused like didn’t really know what was going on. But that was that was a lot of fun. You that play must have gone viral. Yeah.

I had a lot of messages the next morning from all my mates back home. So So New Zealand is a 24-hour flight. H how often did did your family and your friends get a chance to watch you play? Were they active viewers? And so if your game had 7:30 on ESPN, what time would the game be back in New Zealand? Um I think those later games were around midday. So my family could they were watching almost every game that they could.

But then some of the earlier games like the 2:00 games are like 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning sort of thing. So the later ones worked out better for them, but yeah, a lot of people were able to watch. Yeah. What um what was the number one lesson you learned last year? It’s not easy being in a support role when you know you can contribute right away. What did you learn from that experience? And was there somebody that constantly kept you pumped up?

Um I think I learned that everyone’s journey is different. Um I really took that away from the past year. um that everyone’s like it’s just different for everyone. And then yeah, I think my circle they were really helpful last year and just keeping me positive. Yeah, you you dealt with a lot of frustration for sure at not being featured, especially when you look at you played behind three lottery picks. You said your people kept you pumped up. Who are your people? Who are the guys that that really supported you?

It was really my family and then a few of my friends back home. It was kind of like if I was anywhere else, it could have been a whole different story. Um, but the development I got that last year, I think was second to none. And I think it’s really going to help me a lot for this year coming. Yeah. The the biggest eye opener that you experienced when you first came on campus, you were used to basketball in New Zealand. That’s not really the main sport.

Um, what is basketball in the United States? How is that so much more different than New Zealand? Um, I think the biggest thing for me was all the twitchy guards. Having to guard like Elliot and LJ, those type of guys who can like just explode off that first step was probably the biggest challenge for me. But other than that, I think fever play like the style that Dusty wants to play at is really similar. And I think when I was getting recruited, that was really attractive in that whole process. A lot of people believe that they need you to step into that Morez Johnson Jr. role.

Um, do you feel like you can cover guards like he did and what did you learn from him from a leadership and toughness standpoint? Yeah, I definitely think I can step into that type of role. I really took away from him like just how hard he plays. Um, just giving it his all. Um, and then I think just this summer just switching as much as I can to guard the likes of Elliot and those quicker guards. Um, and hopefully do as good as he did last year. But yeah, I took a lot of things away from Rez, but playing as hard as you can really stood out to me.

Do you think you’re more of a small forward or power forward? I can kind I play both. Yeah. So, I’m feel like I’m not really limited to one. I’m curious. I’m always very inspired by listening to Dusty May’s postgame press conferences and his article. He’s a very motivational guy.

What’s something that he shared with you, uh, a lesson, a story, something that you take into your everyday life? Um, I think him being from a small town and me being from a small town, we could both relate to not having to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to go do farm work kind of thing. like we’ve got a pretty good life, you know, get up, wake up, and get to play basketball for a living. So, I think I definitely took that away from him. What’s your hometown like? It’s It’s awesome. It’s maybe a thousand people. Um, can walk anywhere.

The town’s probably one and a half miles long, but Yeah. And when you got home with your national championship, what was the response like? You must be a hero in your hometown. Yeah, it was it was a bit buzzy at first. Just people I’d never like I hadn’t met before who knew my parents would just come up to me and would have like a 5minute convo in the supermarket or something. So, it was cool and yeah, it was just a lot of fun. So, you come from one of the smaller towns in New Zealand.

How did Dusty May find you? This guy is an amazing recruiter. And what was it like when you first met him? I he recruited me when I was playing U17s at the FIBA World Cup with New Zealand. Um and then I went to the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta the next week after that. Um and I think I’m pretty sure that’s where he found me. And then sorry, what was the other part you asked?

I was just saying how was it when you first met him? What kind of messages was he was he giving you? Did did he um did did he blow you away with his motivation or was he more smooth? He was on the smoother side um when it was like that first meeting um just trying to relate to to us and my family. Um but then he showed us a lot of film of the FAU play style and how he wanted to play at Michigan and yeah that was everything I really wanted. So Oscar the the landscape of college basketball has changed so much. um the players that jump into the transfer portal every year if they’re not having great success early. Why did you decide to stay and compete rather than follow the lead of so many players just leave?

Um I think when I was doing my recruiting process and everything, I committed to a school for 4 years. Like I wanted to stay here for 4 years unless like a massive change happened in the coaching staff or something like that. and I really just saw an opportunity to play at the highest level this coming year and I just loved the coaching staff and nothing really changed so I thought why not stay and keep getting better. I um I put together a little scouting report on your game but I’ I’d love to hear you self assess your strengths, some of the areas of development. What um what can we look for this year? I think some strength of mine uh like when I’m downhill I can I think I’m a really good decision maker when I’m getting downhill whether it’s go up or dump off to the big or kick out to the corner. Um some areas to work on would , 1 secondbe my handling just to make that easier for me and then just again my shot just making sure that’s as consistent as possible. Um, and then this year I’m just going to, like you said, try and fill that re spot of just being a monster on the glass and rebounding as best I can.

When you look back at your youth, uh, New Zealand’s a whole world away. Uh, do people in New Zealand, do Kiwis follow the NBA? Did you follow the NBA? And if so, who’s somebody that you think, you know, you’d like to play like? Um, yeah. I definitely think well at the moment basketball’s grown like massively in New Zealand. I think Steven Adams was a big help for that.

Um like he was someone I looked up to as well um when I first started playing basketball. And then some like when I was watching film, watching the NBA, I was really intrigued with like Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero as well. Those two bigger guys who are pretty versatile who can dribble the ball, who can shoot those bigger wings. So Oscar, I I had to do a little research about New Zealand, and one thing that surprised me, they said that the the top sports are rugby, soccer, cricket, tennis, and golf. No basketball even on the list. What is up with that? Um how did you become a basketball player when nobody really plays it there?

Yeah, that that list needs to be updated, I think. Um it was when so I lived in the Coromandel which was 6 hours north of where we’re currently living and I was playing rugby, I was playing soccer, I was playing cricket, all those sports and then my school got basketball hoops put up and I started just I just really enjoyed it. Like it was a lot of fun. And then my mom put out a Facebook story post asking if anyone knew anything about basketball cuz both my parents were rowers. My dad played rugby, mom did judo, hockey. Um, so they really didn’t have much idea and couldn’t really help me. So, and then I got in contact with Nick Savona who kind of just taught me the basics to start off with and I just kept doing that.

And then maybe 3 months later, we moved to where we’re currently living and basketball was just a way bigger thing down there. Like there were camps I could go to, there were teams I could try out for and yeah, it really just took off from there. Did you play rugby? Yeah, I played for a few years. I would think that gives you some extra toughness. Yeah, definitely. My brother still plays, so it’s always fun going home because he’s obviously a lot stronger now.

But are you a soccer fan? A little bit. Yeah, I I played it a lot when I was growing up. So, the United States plays Australia. I know. Is Australia an enemy? Do you root for Australia in that game?

Um, yeah. Yeah, just biased against the US, but Yeah. Yeah. Uh what what are some of your other hobbies that you played or or did when you were growing up? Um when I was growing up, like we live right next to the beach, so I love the beach. I love going in the ocean, going for a swim. Um and then I’ve picked up golf over the past year, so I’ve been playing that a bit as well.

And now that the weather’s nice, I’ll be doing that a bit more this summer. Have you played the Michigan golf course? Yeah, I’ve played a couple times. What do you think? It’s a nice course, but it’s bit of a pain sometimes. A little bit a little bit too many hills. Yeah.

Blind tea tea boxes. Yeah. What What’s your handicap? I’m at 22 right now. That’s good. Yeah. So, I broke I’ve broken 100 twice, so we’re getting there.

Who Who on the team plays with you? Um Harrison. Um, I played with Harrison, Will, and Chuck when the weather was warming up at the end of the season. Um, and then this year talking to a few of the guys, Quinn plays, JP plays, Harrison plays. Um, so we’ve got a good group of us that will probably get out for a few rounds this summer. That’s great. Great.

Um, on Saturday, September 12th, around 12:00, the Michigan basketball team will get announced to the Big House fans against Oklahoma. What will that feel like for you? Oh, that’s going to be it’s going to be awesome. Um, really hoping that as many of the guys can come back just to catch up, but yeah, I’m excited for that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. As as a rugby player, do you understand the rules of of college football? H a little bit.

I’ve gotten better, but it’s still a bit weird to me. Are you a fan of football or not? Not Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. All right. Um to to close, I’ I’ve just got some quick hitter fast response type questions.

Um if you didn’t go to Michigan, what was your second choice? Uh, I think Georgetown. Georgetown. Yeah. What about the the most points that you ever scored in a game at any level? Um, I had 40 when back in New Zealand in a high school game. What about the your your academic goals?

What are you studying? What do you want to get your degree in? What do you want to do someday? Um, so I was really looking at doing something other than sports management and I was looking into a few different majors, but at the end of my career, I really just want to do something that’s related to sport. So, I’m majoring in that at the moment. Um, but yeah, I I really don’t know yet what I want to do after basketball. Probably need to figure that out soon.

You were number five. Why five? I’m one of five boys in my family and that’s my the day of my birthday as well. When you look at the cuisine, how do you like the food in the United States? Uh do you have a favorite American food and do you like it better than back home? Um there’s some things that are better here than back home, but then back home it’s the same thing. I didn’t really wasn’t that big on Mexican food, but now that I’m over here and Mexico is just right there, it’s uh it’s actually really good and and it’s actually good food.

So, yeah. Do you get recognized around campus when you’re walking around, when you’re going to a class? How how often do you get recognized? Um, a little bit. Not a crazy amount at the moment, but every now and then someone will say hi or something. What’s the greatest culture shock between New Zealand and the United States, especially in Michigan, just how cold it gets. Like back home, it it doesn’t snow.

Um, so that was probably the biggest thing for me. And then then finally, traveling around the the world like you have playing international basketball, it takes a lot of courage, I believe, all of these experiences and these lessons that you’ve had. So far at Michigan, what has helped you the most so far? What have you learned that has made you mentally tough and resilient? I think this is Yeah, this has probably been the longest stint that I’ve ever had being away from home. So, I think just making sure there’s good people around you to distract you. Um, I think was probably the biggest thing for me.

Oscar, we we really appreciate you joining us. You’re a great Michigan man. Can’t wait to see you compete for a spot in the lineup this year. And if you keep doing what you’re doing, I think wherever you go on campus, people are going to be recognizing you a lot more. No, thank you for having me. This was this was awesome. Yeah.

Thanks, Oscar. Go Blue. Go Blue.

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