Roddy Gayle at Michigan Media Day

Over the summer, I think it's become much more natural for me to be kind of a facilitator. Will and Taylor playing the 1 spot. I kind of got into it at the end of last season a little bit, but just kind of the reps I've been getting over the summer and over the past few practices we had leading up to kind of the hours we're in now and just kind of got me more comfortable.

And I feel like with the support from my teammates and staff, give me the confidence to be able to go out there and lead. I don't really see it much of as a position change, just me kind of bringing up the ball and initiating some offensive plays. How much more comfortable in this offense are you just after a whole year of reps? And Dusty May said you felt like maybe with so many new, like always trying to make sure the coaches are happy, your teammates are happy, that it can take a little while to really like find your role and lean into your game?

I feel like going into year 2 under Coach May's system makes me super comfortable being able to be like a returner and kind of already knowing what he wants and kind of like the style of play that he likes. And then being able to implement it into some of these new guys, transfers and freshmen, trying to be able to show them the way that we were successful last year and kind of build off of that.

Kind of our run last year, how we would be able to get easy baskets, being able to set our defense evenly, and then being able to build off of that. I think it's something that obviously helps us offensively.

Absolutely. I think the first few games of the season, Dusty May kind of acknowledged the physicality that we were going to play with. I think Maryland, teams like Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue beat up on us pretty well because our guys didn't really understand the physicality aspect of it. And that's when we kind of introduced these toughness drills to be able to— I think our managers does a great job being able to give us game-like reps.

I mean, they beat up on us and I'm very grateful because they don't have to, you know, do that. They come here and they volunteer to give their all and make us better. And honestly, it's just kind of that physicality that we need to play with, especially in this league. And I think that's what kind of separates Big Ten from the rest of the programs.

I've been trying. It's hard for me. Because like I've never really been a vocal guy pretty much all my life. So just kind of breaking out of my shell.

I'm kind of a senior, I'm kind of the old guy now. It's kind of a different perspective that this is what I have to do in order for us to be successful. It's either do I be selfish and not speak or do I be selfless and kind of speak out, showing our teammates stuff I see. That's one of my gifts, being able to read the game in a different way.

Debate toughness being an issue with this team because they also— some of the guys they brought in don't seem like that's going to be an issue. Absolutely. I don't think toughness will ever be an issue moving forward, you know, through Coach May's, you know, reign here at Michigan, but definitely not this year. I feel like we've done a great job in the weight room, great job in the summer practices of initiating contact and initiating with kind of the physicality we want to play with.

And I think that we we will be one of the tougher teams to play against. How has your jump shot come along this offseason? Has it been a focus or? It has been a focus.

I kind of just go by it day by day. Try to keep my mind out of it as much as possible and just focus on the details, the small things. A ton of reps with Coach Mike, being able to just get reps and then those reps come into practice reps and then just feeling more comfortable and confident every Roddy Gayle, what do you think a year 2 jump will look like for L.J.? Say it again.

What do you think a year 2 jump will look like for L.J.? Oh, year 2 jump for L.J. It's crazy because I think L.J. probably had the most increase as far as production over the summer. He came in puny freshman, not really muscular at all, but kind of his attention to detail throughout the summer, kind of the details he put in the weight room.

We got these things called strongmans over the summer, and L.J. was probably one of the more conditioned and more like the vocal leaders we had. And that's a huge step. Proud for me to see him and everything he's been through, not really playing much his freshman year and then having such a big role at the end of the year, and then coming back in the summer with his head on his shoulders the correct way and being able to lead a new group of guys and kind of the way he had his preparation leading up to this far.

What was maybe your first impression when you played on the same court as Yaxel Lendeborg? Uh, like, I think my first impression was just like, at first it's quiet. We was having morning practices. Not a morning guy at all.

You got to give him till like 9, 10 AM to be able to talk to him. Uh, but it got, it got a lot better as the practices came on. But at first, like, he's just such a goofy guy until he stepped on the halfcourt, I think that's where like his seriousness and his competitiveness kick in. And then at that point, at that point, it's just amazing for me, like his basketball instincts.

He was telling me a story where like he didn't really play, like he didn't think he was gonna play college basketball. And for him to be able to switch that, to change that switch and just be able to pick up so much and be the kind of player he is, kind of amazed me. And he pushes me every day to kind of be better. I know that we push each other in practice as far as offensive, defensively.

I have dreams and aspirations to be where he is, and you don't get to that level without being the best, playing against the best, and pushing each other. Did you know much about him before you guys found out that you were going after him to get him committed? No, I didn't know much about him. You just see his highlights and like, who's this kid?

I seen a stat sheet, it was like 30, 20, and 20. I'm like, what? How's that possible? I told him that, you know, playing at the university like Michigan, playing with me, like, you won't ever have to do that again.

I know how hard it was on him. I told him, yeah, I help him rebound a little bit, uh, you pass me the ball, I shoot it, I score it. And he's kind of the softest guy, like, he just like, you know, I just want assists. It's never really about points for him.

I think that was something that, you know, I was shocked by because you have guys that like number one transfer portal, uh, I want to go for money, I want to go for points, being able to have this role. And his role is I want to get assists, I want to get rebounds, and I want to play defense. I want to win. And that just kind of speaks to the kind of guys that Coach May wants in his program, is winners.

They don't want guys seeking individual goals, individual stats, but more so team success. And I think that's kind of where we are right now.