27th Annual Abla Report
The 2025-2026 University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Team Scouting Report
Reviewed after game against Cincinnati on October 17, 2025.
By Tim Abla

0 Ricky Liburd (Fr.)
got first half playing time…committed not the smartest foul I’ve ever seen…not expected to be in the rotation during regular season games

1 Trey McKenney (Fr.)
Big Ten body…big broad shoulders…missed almost all of his 3s during warm-ups…first in off the bench…made a fair amount of freshman mistakes…picked up the dribble too early a few times…got his pocket picked once…a little too quick to shoot the three when he doesn’t have a great 3 shot…looked better being aggressive with the ball and getting to the basket…strong rebounder for a guard…gets up pretty well…3 pt shots during the game were no better than warmups…classic first game as a freshman tonight…no doubt will settle down with more experience…expect him to have the most growth on the team throughout the season…7 ppg player…likely more of an off-guard than a PG…is he quick enough on the defensive end…certainly has the strength to deal with stronger players…expect him to take the ball to the hole a bit more as he gains confidence

2 L. J. Cason (So.)
nice FT…struggled on a few plays defensively…feel like he’s often a tale of two players…for stretches can carry the team… other times sloppy and out of control…the backup PG…should have drawn an and-one on a pretty layup high off the glass…8 ppg player…can get lost defensively…if he eliminates the mistakes he can turn into a really dangerous player…has all the skills and athleticism to be a strong college player

3 Elliot Cadeau (Jr.)
starter…nice early and-one…soft FT looks good…solid rotation on his shots…might release it a hair low though…great handle…has the ball on a string…reminds me of the basketball version of a scat back the way he sort of scats around…looks to be the floor general you always want to have on your side…definitely on the smaller but quicker side…can he defend other bigger PGs will be a question…really like this transfer pickup…good at drawing contact when he drives the ball…earned the majority of his points at the line tonight…13 ppg player

4 Nimari Burnett (Gr.)
starter…flat FT but it goes in nicely…when he’s on from three he’s on…just disappears too often…the veteran presence you would expect from someone in their 16th year…will have a few hot games with five 3s…and a lot where you don’t notice him…need him to be a calming presence in tougher road games…sneaky good around the rim sometimes…had a beautiful fast break bucket with a tough reverse layup…8 ppg player

5 Oscar Goodman (R-Fr.)
second in off the bench…not sure that is the long term plan…won’t be a rotation player

7 Howard Eisley Jr. (So.)
did not play / will not play (dnp/wnp)

10 Winters Grady (Fr.)
third in off the bench…also likely an exhibition game thing…that said hit a nice three from the corner during the second half comeback…then hit another one…missed his third 3 pt attempt so he’s only hitting 67% from three right now

11 Roddy Gayle Jr. (Sr.)
starter…hitting an early 3 is a nice sign…really nice FT…moves his feet well defensively…expect him to be one of the key players this year…strong and uses his strength well at both ends of the floor…took over offensively during the second half…drew several fouls in the second half…maybe sold a few of them…will have his share of offensive fouls trying to draw contact…the leader of the second half comeback…would make for a great tight end with his mix of size, strength, and athleticism…12 ppg player…can get some tough rebounds…needs to be more consistent from three this year…can bring the ball up the floor if need be…has a penchant for bad turnovers at times

12 Charlie May (sr.)
dnp/wnp

13 Harrison Hochberg (Jr.)
dnp/wnp

15 Aday Mara (Jr.)
warmed up before the game but never took his warmups off during the game…not sure why…disappointed because he was one of the key players I wanted to evaluate tonight…all arms and legs…like seriously long limbs…weighs only slightly more than me though…had nice touch in warmups around the basket…with both hands…can he get there against Big Ten bigs though…could have used his rim protection tonight…will be interesting to see how many minutes he gets on average…rebounding will also be a thing to watch against other bigs…will he be coming off the bench…haven’t seen if he can shoot from any distance yet

21 Morez Johnson Jr. (So.)
super disappointed he didn’t play…was in street clothes I believe…one of the players I most wanted to observe…look forward to seeing his offensive rebounding skills…and ups in general…one of several high end transfers on this team…should get plenty of minutes

23 Yaxel Lendeborg (Gr.)
starter…air mailed a 3 at the end of the first half…hit at least one later…length and athleticism looked good on D away from the basket.. has a nice looking shot from three…nice touch off the glass for an and-one…FT looks good…really nice use of the glass throughout the game…looked like his skills will transfer well at this higher competition…possibly prone to some bad turnovers…14ppg player…needs to be a solid rebounder…will take threes but can he hit them consistently

32 Malick Kordel (Fr.)
fourth in off the bench…athletic build…not too big or too small…only played in the first half…didn’t do anything noteworthy but this is supposed to be a redshirt year…didn’t look out of place…7′ 2″ yet looks average sized next to Mara

42 Will Tschetter (Gr.)
starter…stepped up big time last season…critical weight loss really helped him…drew a nice foul on a 3…of course if that was against us I would have disliked the fact that he initiated the contact…made all three FTs…another slightly flat FT that goes in at a nice clip…has his moments where you sure do love him…just physically overmatched at times at his position…hit two straight threes and then got a tech for taunting…it was the right call…unless you believe in ball don’t lie because they missed the first FT…expect guys with his experience to avoid taunting techs…one of the better 3pt shooters on the team…has a few games a year where he can’t miss…plus 1-2 dunks per year that show a sneaky athleticism…9 ppg player

Miscellaneous Team Notes
starters had some trouble rebounding…definitely went with the exhibition game lineups in the first half…went through the scoring droughts I would expect for a team playing together for the first time…not a cohesive defensive unit yet either…of course when Mara and Morez play some aspects will improve…big-time struggled on the turnover front…rather unclean first half…from my observation we’ll be better from the line than we are from three…looks like a reasonably-strong free throw shooting team…much better performance start to the second half…played a strong second half overall coming back from 20 down…can this team control the turnovers better than last year please…last year was a borderline nightmare on that front…has the feel of a team that will struggle from three at times…hard to get a read on the defense tonight missing some key defenders

Other random thoughts
upper bowl seats look new and match the lower bowl now…don’t recall them being new last year…with Cincy shooting 2-for-2 on 3 pt shots off the glass, opponents are now shooting 97% on three pointers off the glass against Michigan (official stat since the Abla Report started tracking)…props to the old guy in my row who caught a free t-shirt with his face…then gave it to the kid behind him…kudos to Michigan for playing a legit team in an exhibition game…felt like mid-season intensity during the second half…Cooper’s first game in the student section…concessions are still ridiculously expensive if you were wondering

Coaching Notes
would have liked a different player rotation in the first half but it’s an exhibition game I guess…after a relaxed first half Dusty was sure into the comeback during the second half…coached the second half like it was Big Ten game level of importance…even went after an official after a second half bad call…clearly Dusty was correct when they missed both FTs (another ball don’t lie moment)…had the five starters in at the end…almost pulled off the 20-point comeback

Most important questions for the season
1) How will the bigs split minutes this season?
The team has some nice depth there when you include Mara, Johnson Jr., Lendeborg, Tschetter, and perhaps Kordel (but he’ll likely redshirt).  Tonight it was Lendeborg and Tschetter since Mara and Johnson Jr. didn’t go, but that will obviously change assuming everyone is healthy.  If I had to guess Tschetter loses minutes to the other three, likely splitting minutes with Mara (maybe 24 for Mara, 16 for Tschetter).  That may be roughly the same breakdown for Lendeborg and Johnson Jr. with Lendeborg getting the 26.  Would they ever have three on the floor at once?  Probably not but the minutes feel light for Lendeborg and Johnson Jr.  Feels like the team is in good shape to handle foul trouble or short-term injuries.  In the end I think Mara and Lendeborg start, Tschetter and Johnson Jr. come in off the bench.  And Gayle plays big so the team has pretty solid size and depth in the front court this year.  
2) What’s the rotation this year come Big Ten season?
I think your starters are Cadeau, Burnett, Gayle, Lendeborg, and Mara.  Tschetter might start early over Mara but I think Mara starts later in the season.  McKenney, Johnson Jr., Cason, and Tschetter come off the bench and make up a pretty strong bench.  Overall that’s a very solid rotation of nine, when often the rotation is eight.  So there is good depth overall.  With lots of streaky players on this team you can see minutes changing a bit each game to ride the hot hand.  
3) Down three late, who gets the shot?
Oh boy, I’m concerned about that this year.  Honestly Tschetter might be your best option.  Burnett can get hot but disappears too often.  Lendeborg will probably be mid-level, Cadeau looked a bit better to me but may have trouble getting 3 pt shots off at times.  Gayle looked decent tonight but went as cold as ice last year.  McKenney doesn’t look like a strength there yet.  It should be Tschetter, Burnett, or Cadeau.
4) Which five are on the floor late in games?
I think it will be Cadeau, Burnett, Gayle, Johnson Jr., Lendeborg.  Sub in McKenney for Burnett later this season or if you need to draw a foul, but it would be good if McKenney improves on FTs (in what limited amount I saw tonight).  Burnett stays in if you need a three.  Mara could be in for Johnson Jr. or Lendeborg depending on the situation.  I don’t think the rest are on the floor late in games unless someone is playing lights out that night (e.g. Cason at times).  Cadeau and Gayle look like they can be great at the line, I probably want the ball in their hands when we have a lead.  Hopefully Cadeau has the quickness to overcome his smaller size late in games defensively.

Predictions
23-8 overall regular season
8-3 in non-conference
15-5 in the Big Ten (plus 2 wins in the Big Ten tourney)
3 seed in the NCAA Tournament (with 3 tourney wins)