Everything Michigan assistant Kyle Church said on the Defend the Block podcast

On enjoying the national championship in Indianapolis with his family

I know all the families have so much invested in the coaching staff, the support staff, the managers, the players. They all know how special this is and how special a run it was, and to come so far and be right there at the doorstep. I think they all wanted it. They all wanted it bad for us. Some of them probably managed their emotions better than others.

On what comes to mind when he thinks back about the week in Indianapolis

Wow. It’s just such an incredible accomplishment. It’s so, so difficult. Growing up, college basketball has been my life, really, even since I was seven, eight years old. I grew up in North Carolina, so obviously a hotbed for big-time college basketball. Watching the tournament every March and all the incredible memories, and obviously having been a part of a couple of great runs, whether it’s at Florida or FAU or even our Sweet 16 run last year. Just to continue to add to it and to think about how many great teams and players I’ve had the pleasure of coaching that never got a chance to play on that last Monday of the season. Just knowing what a great season, historic season, we’ve had. I think that can’t be undersold. And how many great teams and great programs that have unbelievable years but don’t win the whole thing. Unfortunately, it gets overshadowed, the March tournament does, over the whole year. To be able to put a bow on what was a historic, incredible year was just so special. And to know how these guys are going to go down in the history of the University of Michigan athletics.

On the chaos of navigating the transfer portal and building next year’s roster

Yeah, there’s so many different factors that go into these portal windows and what all it’s going to look like. But chaotic is definitely a good word to describe it. Obviously, winning that Monday night and all the joy you have and all the admiration and respect you have for those players. To be able to finish off that job was unbelievable, but we quickly turned the page, and we knew that what we did a few weeks ago now wouldn’t have been accomplished unless it was for great and diligent work the following spring or the previous spring, excuse me. So what we did this time last year we saw pay off through the whole season. So we also knew it’d be just as important, especially with so many high-level guys and guys that we thought may be here a couple of years, look like they’re only going to be here one year, which we’re extremely excited about for them.

We know we’re capable of finding replacements that are more than capable of filling their shoes, but we also knew it’d be really hard work. And so the next day, we get back, and we have a big celebration, a big group waiting for us. And then we go right to the office and figure out what this roster is going to look like. And all eligible players in college basketball are basically unrestricted free agents. First and foremost, you have to dive into your own roster, who wants to be back, who likes where they’re at, what their role is. And then now you add the NIL component and the number component to it and make sure that those goals and roles and NIL, a lot of things have to match for each player, or else they have their pick of the litter in the portal. So really diving into our own roster first, diving into some of the NBA decisions next, and then really combing through and seeing who we could get to fill these high-end spots.

On making Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney’s return announcements look so smooth

Yeah, first off, it was, you had two really good players that had just played absolutely exceptional. And so, we had a great experience with them all year. And both of them were at totally different points in their career, but gosh, I feel like both of them grew so much throughout the year as people, as players, as leaders. I think they’ve really kind of became the face of this program here, especially during this transition and what they did down in Indianapolis. And so we had a staff of people that loved those two players, loved the families around them. I’m sure you’ve got to know Elliot’s family and certainly Trey’s family, and they’re a big part, both of them, are a big part of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan now.

There was mutual interest, and there was mutual wanting to be here and knowing that we’re not the coaches without them. They’re not, likely not, who knows, but they might not be the players without us, and they need each other; we need them. And we love doing it every day. Even if we didn’t win the championship, the process of working with them and building a team with them was incredibly fun and rewarding. And there was no question that we wanted those two guys back. And so we made that a priority as soon as they reciprocated the interest. It was actually very, very, very seamless, very seamless. I think both parties knew this is where they wanted to be, knew that we could help each other, and quickly came to an exciting agreement and knew we could build a roster around what I think is going to be one of the best backcourts in the country next year.

On prioritizing the front court last season impacting the current transfer portal cycle

Absolutely. And I’ll even rewind the calendar back a previous year when you look at Danny and Vlad’s success. I think that should never be overlooked as people tell the story of this past year is the foundation that year one’s team laid is certainly a huge part of being able to bring in that terrific portal haul we just talked about. So finishing second in the Big 10, winning a Big 10 tournament championship, and then going to the Sweet 16 and having a draft pick and a couple of guys scratch the NBA was a hell of a foundation that I know we couldn’t have reached this championship without. So they created this narrative that come to Michigan, they’ll help you get better. They’ll help you get drafted. They play in unique ways. They play in ways that big guys and unique talents wanna play, and coach will find the way to get the best out of you. Hopefully, you enjoy the process along the way. And that’s sometimes an overlooked part of it, but something that we take very seriously is making sure the guys are in an environment that they enjoy and can develop.

On Brandon McCoy’s addition to the program

For sure. And I think obviously Brandon McCoy is a high school player, but he almost feels like a portal addition. Just giving his talent and his ability to impact right away, and also giving the timing of his commitment, that felt like almost like a bonus portal addition. Absolutely, yeah. I’m sorry to shift gears on you, but yeah, Brandon’s a super long, rangy, athletic, you know, he’s exactly what you, a build and create your 2K guard should look like. And, you know, he’s a wonderful young man, excited to be here, excited to come get better.

You know, I think he’s excited about the environment that I just mentioned, that we’re gonna have a lot of fun. We’re gonna work really hard. We’re gonna play together. And he is a, like I said, it felt like a portal addition given the timing and the talent. And it was a heck of a boost before the portal even opened.

On why J.P. Estrella was a priority out of the portal

That one moved extremely quickly. Obviously, when you lose your starting three, four and five, you’re gonna need some big guys. And we saw J.P. up close, got to scout him live in another game, and obviously watched a ton of film on him. And his size and mobility jumped off, you know, jumped right out at you. His motor, his intensity, and his selflessness after getting just a Zoom or two and just talking on the phone, and his passion for basketball, all that stuff were additives to what we saw as the physical characteristics. And when you really start to study his game, I thought, you know, there’s a lot of similarities to Morez, where you have a big, strong — is he a four, is he a five, who really cares? He’s a really good basketball player. He’s tough, he has a motor. I think he’s gonna be a good jump shooter, just like we saw Morez develop into. So he wanted to move the process along quickly. He’s gonna graduate in three years from the University of Tennessee, which is incredible. And so as soon as he wanted to come, we were fired up about it because he’s gonna be a big piece at the front court.

On Jalen Reed’s addition out of the portal

Yeah, I’ve got a chance to see Jalen from afar, you know, watching LSU play and following the SEC. And I was always really impressed with his feel, his size, his touch. He can kind of play like a guard and be a decision maker at the four or five spot. Bring some versatility there. The coolest thing, which I did not know about Jalen, was since he committed, I’ve gotten more texts about a kid and their character from other coaches than I think I have my whole life. Just about every coach at LSU or every coach he’s ever had has reached out, was unprompted with extremely positive things to say, not only as a player, but as a person.

And so, again, that’s stuff we’re going to continue to prioritize. Obviously, as you mentioned, Coach Miskedeen already had a great relationship and certainly signed off in that area. It seems like he’s only matured and developed. And obviously, the last couple of years with injuries, you probably have no choice but to fight through and help you grow as a person. And so he’s going to be leading the line on some of these injury guys that we’ll put Chris Williams to work on. Jalen having two years, we hope to get him healthy and just add another key depth piece on the front line.

On how the vital the addition of Moustapha Thiam was for the program

Yeah, that’s a great way to describe it, musical chairs. And you could be left standing. You can definitely be left standing. Yeah, to me, I thought he was probably the best center in the portal overall. I don’t know where he exactly ranks, but I didn’t see a name that was a true center like him that had the talent, that had the motor, that had the character, that had the upside. I could go on and on about him, but his size, his mobility, his physicality is really gonna stand out. And it’s obviously hard to replace a seven-foot-three Adai Mara, and Moustapha would do it in his own way. He’s certainly a different player than Adai, but I can’t think of a more seamless transition out there.

On Lincoln Cosby’s fit in the program

Yeah, absolutely. That one is certainly with the future in mind. Obviously, a super-talented prospect, was able to come to college a year early. Coming off the ACL injury, he’ll 99% redshirt this upcoming season. We’ll bring him back slowly. Obviously, he’ll have a couple of guys in the training room he can battle with, and they can fight those daily battles, obviously, with the support of the staff. But he’s immensely talented, very, very intelligent, has a really, really big upside. I think one of the rule changes lost in all this is the 15 scholarships, going from 13 to 15 scholarships.

And so we saw with Ricky last year, guys that we just identify as having big upsides, whether it’s an injury, maybe just a little bit more of a late bloomer, maybe need to develop their body. There’s all sorts of different things. But just identifying guys that maybe just need a little bit more time and come to a program like this that’s going to focus on development. And we’re going to invest in those young guys just as much as we do in our starters. I think you’ve seen it day in and day out. With a couple extra roster spots, it gives you some flexibility where you can maybe take more of a long-term look at the individual instead of having to flip over so much.

And I think the other thing you have to, from our point of view, too, is you can’t bring in 15 guys that are all expected to be starters. It’s just not possible to play more than nine. If you really want to stretch it, maybe 10. But to have some guys that are more with the future in mind and keep that continuity is going to be so important.

[Speaker 2]

That being said, of course, Michigan has been tied to other players we can’t get into on the show. Whether at this point if they eventually sign or not, we’re still waiting on that. How would you characterize where the roster’s at now and what potential opportunities are still out there?

I think back to last year, there was a lot of confidence internally here that the roster could have been fine and very, very competitive had Yax gone to the NBA. Are you guys in a similar spot where you can be selective about what else is out there from a roster and from a financial standpoint?

[Speaker 1]

I think so. I really think so. I think we have 14 really good players that we’re excited about.

Obviously, all of them are in different points based on their development and injuries and whatnot. But I think we have a very, very competitive roster. I think a potential top five, top 10 type roster.

We obviously still have a spot or two left. If some things break our way, then maybe we could look at one of the best in the country. We’ll just see how it plays out.

But no matter who joins us or doesn’t join us, we’re really excited about the position we’re in.

On how the 5-in-5 rule impacts roster flexibility

Yeah, it certainly throws in a degree of uncertainty, which NCAA college basketball coaches have gotten very familiar with.

We’re really not even phased by this anymore. You just got to roll with the punches. You do your best to predict what’s going to happen, but you have to stay liquid. You have to stay fluid. You have to certainly be creative. I’m sure that whatever ends up happening, the NCAA will implement it as fairly as they possibly can and give everybody a shot at figuring out how to adjust to make sure the rules fit them. It sounds like the guys that have exhausted eligibility are done. Again, these things change quickly.

But yeah, if these guys give a fifth year of eligibility, I think we’ve seen the last few years with the COVID class that got an extra year. It really elevates the play of college basketball. You look at the JUCO guys, they got an extra year. Guys like Yaxel, keeping these guys in college basketball longer, I think you see the product of having these older, more experienced guys.