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Will Tschetter ran to the referee to collect and inbound the ball. It may have just been a brief five-on-five drill at the Michigan men’s basketball team’s open practice, but the redshirt senior forward hustled to spark a fast break that saw graduate guard Nimari Burnett lay the ball in on the other end.
It was a blast from the past, with two of Michigan’s few returners from last season connecting to score. But it was also a glimpse into the future, an exemplification of the high-tempo system that first-year coach Dusty May is implementing.
“Can’t compliment those guys enough for what they’ve (done),” May said at Michigan Media Day Friday. “For how important they’ve been in recruiting, how important they’ve been just helping the staff get acclimated”
As the new coaching staff and players rolled into Ann Arbor early last summer, Tschetter and Burnett — a self-admitted big fan of the food scene — served to show everyone around town. After that, however, they were in as unfamiliar territory as everyone else.
But by that point, embracing the change was what they were both dedicated to doing. In choosing to stay with Michigan rather than entering the portal, they were essentially committing to a new team and all the challenges that came with it.
Through conversations with one another, research on May’s coaching and eventually actual talks with the new coach, they were convinced by the vision.
In part, staying with the Wolverines means adjusting to a new style of play, like playing with the tempo they did on their fast-break connection. They’re also expected to take a higher volume of shots from beyond the arc.
At open practice Friday, they appeared ready to do so. Starting the scrimmage on the Maize team, Tschetter nailed a three on the team’s first possession and Burnett followed it up with one of his own on the next.
“More than even the intangibles of what they’ve helped with recruiting and logistically, like those guys have played well,” May said at Michigan Media Day Friday. “I mean, Will and Nimari, they’ve performed at a high level in practice. They bring a different element to our team that we probably didn’t have if those guys didn’t stay with us. So we’re very, very fortunate that they chose to stay here, and they love Michigan.”
After practice, Burnett and Tschetter — who was briefly the most efficient shooter in college basketball early last season — both expressed their excitement to play in the perimeter-centric scheme.
And even more so, they beamed with excitement for their new teammates.
“It’s been one and a half years (at Michigan), but it feels like three,” Burnett said. “We all are adjusting to something new. Coming from last year to this year, we all adjusted pretty well and pretty fast. I think this is a great brotherhood.”
For all the change and adjustment, that new “brotherhood” has leaned on Burnett and Tschetter to carry a similar presence to what they’ve always done.Burnett, one of the Wolverines’ oldest and most experienced players, leads by example. He shares his knowledge with younger teammates and pushes them in practice despite his quiet demeanor.
That is unlike Tschetter, who takes the opposite approach — he was singled out by May for his vocal leadership in the locker room and practices thus far.
“Will Tschetter, I don’t think anyone in this room expects him to lead us in scoring, but he’s had as big of a role as far as leadership, modeling behavior, being a voice, sharing his experiences in this conference,” May said.
In the first year under a new coach, that’s perhaps more important than on-court play. Because in a sea of change that forces them to adapt how they play, the stability of their respective personalities is a cornerstone of establishing the new “brotherhood.”
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