{"id":50788,"date":"2024-05-07T20:23:56","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T01:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=50788"},"modified":"2024-05-07T20:23:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T01:23:56","slug":"why-michigan-hc-dusty-may-thinks-buckeye-transfer-roddy-gayle-jr-is-a-special-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/why-michigan-hc-dusty-may-thinks-buckeye-transfer-roddy-gayle-jr-is-a-special-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Michigan HC Dusty May thinks Buckeye transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. is \u2018a special guy\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michigan Wolverines<\/a><\/strong> men\u2019s basketball has been transformed over the last month or so thanks to head coach Dusty May, who has hit the ground running since he took the job. Among the six transfers he has brought in, former Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr.<\/a><\/strong> may be his most intriguing piece.<\/p>\n

Coming over from the Buckeyes, Gayle averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds as a sophomore last season while fighting through some nagging injuries. Health and coaching stability could be key factors in taking his game to the next level at Michigan.<\/p>\n

May discussed what stood out the most about Gayle\u2019s game, and why he fills a key need for the roster moving forward at Michigan. <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I watched him play a few times randomly throughout the season, and I liked his game.\u00a0 He\u2019s got the unique ability to get downhill and draw fouls,\u201d May revealed during a Tuesday session with the Michigan media.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first couple years at FAU, we couldn\u2019t get to the free-throw line. We just couldn\u2019t get there, and I\u2019m reaching out to the best coaches and teachers that I know and I have access to. And finally, a good friend who I lean on a lot for advice just said, \u2018Hey, you\u2019ve got to recruit that.\u2019 That\u2019s something you have to recruit. And so it always kind of stuck with me. And then the guys that I\u2019ve coached that got to the foul line, it was usually something that they had well before for college and something that they did, organically, I should say.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the thing that most excited me [about Gayle]. His ability to get downhill, offensive rebound, he runs in transition. He plays off the pick and roll well, he\u2019s very efficient playing off the pick and roll as a passer, he\u2019s efficient with his movements and his games, he doesn\u2019t over dribble, and I believe in his jump shot. I know he didn\u2019t shoot a great percentage last year, but I think he\u2019s a much better shooter than that, and when you watched him in transition, when he had a clean look, he knocked it down a very good percentage of the time. We were excited about him on a number of levels. I could probably go on for about another 30 minutes talking about Roddy. I think he\u2019s a special guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Gayle shot 51.3% on two-point shots (140-of-273), 28.2% on triples (29-of-103) and 83.2% on free throws (119-of-143). As May said, Gayle\u2019s three-point mark last year may be misleading and they trust his shot, which saw him make 21-of-49 attempts (42.9%) from three during his freshman year in Columbus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really high on Gayle,\u201d Lettermen Row\u2019s Andy Backstrom told The Wolverine last month<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cI thought that him entering the transfer portal was a big loss for Ohio State. He\u2019s got NBA potential, even more so than a guy like Bruce Thornton, who\u2019s a really good college player. Gayle is 6-4 and he\u2019s got insane athleticism. He\u2019s the kind of guy that can have a game-changing dunk at any moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s as good of a two-way player as he wants to be. Sometimes he doesn\u2019t play to his potential on the defensive end, but he\u2019s a guy who likes to be coached hard. He likes to be held accountable and when a coach can get the most out of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounds like the Michigan staff checked the boxes on that front, so his best basketball could be ahead of him.<\/p>\n

The post Why Michigan HC Dusty May thinks Buckeye transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. is \u2018a special guy\u2019<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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