Over the course of the regular season, senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. shot 19.7% from beyond the arc. And during conference play, 8.8% from range. But in the postseason, during both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, Gayle had a 37.5% clip and was 4-for-6 in a standout performance against Texas A&M to propel Michigan to the Sweet 16.
After fluctuating between the starting lineup and bench for the last portion of the season, beginning in February, Gayle struggled to find any consistency.
His shooting went from a weakness to a liability, and May opted to go with Rubin Jones as a connector and defender, while Gayle sought to recapture his early-season form. For Michigan’s sake, he did.
After becoming comfortable in his evolving role heading into the postseason, though, Gayle’s performance against the Aggies wasn’t an outlier but an exclamation point on a strong end to the season.
“The season outlook would look a lot different right now if Roddy didn’t do what he did at the end of the year,” May said at Michigan Media Day. “He had a great off-season. He shot the ball incredibly well. He’s playing with a high level of confidence. He just looks much more comfortable.”
Following his marquee performance against Texas A&M, Gayle’s offseason trajectory completely changed. As one of just four returning players for the 2025-26 season who had consistent minutes from a year ago, translating that success into year two with the Michigan men’s basketball team is imperative for both his and the team’s success.
And so far in the offseason, Gayle has continued his upward trajectory in shooting
“Roddy shot the ball really well,” Michigan assistant coach Justin Joyner said. “He might be our best shooter right now, in terms of, in our smaller sample size (from offseason practices). He shot the ball really well.”
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