Michigan basketball might have found new leader in transfer Tre Donaldson

Tre Donaldson was a higher-rated high school football prospect in the class of 2022 than Colston Loveland — Michigan football's starting tight end and a potential first-round NFL draft pick next April.

Now, Donaldson is the projected starting point guard for Michigan basketball in the 2024-25 season.

For some, such athleticism might be seen as a claim to fame. Donaldson was a four-star prospect at safety, rated the 23rd best player in the country for his position in his class according to 247 Sports' composite rankings.

He was heavily courted by schools like Alabama, Florida and Florida State to play defensive back — which he played in high school while simultaneously running his team's offense as a productive dual-threat quarterback — to the point his recruiting profile says he "doubles as a legitimate high-level basketball recruit."

But for the two-sport star who's now tasked with helping shepherd the Wolverines hoops program into a new era , questions about the gridiron only serve as a reminder of his perceived added obstacles in the journey.

"I really don’t like to talk about the football stuff no more because it kind of affected my recruiting basketball-wise," he recently told U-M basketball play-by-play voice Brian Boesch on an episode of the program's "Defend The Block" podcast. "But I led the state of Florida in picks and led the state of Florida in passing yards as well.”

Consider this the last time (or close to it) Donaldson is referenced as a football player. He instead spent the past two years at Auburn (he was offered to play football there, too) as a backup point guard. He played just more than 10 minutes per game as a freshman, and nearly 20 per game last year as a sophomore.

Donaldson, listed at 6 feet 3, 200 pounds, was efficient last season when he averaged 6.7 points and had better than a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He shot 47.1% from the floor and 41.2% (28 of 68) from long range, but when asked about where he has taken the biggest leap, Donaldson immediately referred to defense.

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"Tre Donaldson is going to be the best defender on the floor," he said in third person. "I mean, we got big Vlad (Goldin) and stuff like that, but I’m going to guard and I feel like that’s a big jump that I’ve made. I’m trying to win SEC — psh, SEC — I mean Big Ten Defensive Player of the year as a guard which is tough."

While it may sound a lofty goal, that exact mentality is a large part of what attracted U-M's new head coach Dusty May to the rising junior in the first place. Approximately 50 days after he landed the job, May had put together the majority of the roster. As he spoke of his top priorities, point guard was mentioned first.

"We attacked the point guard position with parameters," May said. "We went into this blank canvas looking for a pass-first point guard who is capable of shooting off the dribble and off the catch and also a capable defender with as physical as the Big Ten is as a league."

Donaldson said he liked the offense May runs, with multiple ball-handlers who are able to set up the offense, and felt it was conducive to helping him get to the next level.

It also helped he had prior relationships with staffers — when assistant Akeem Miskdeen was at Florida, he helped head coach Mike White pursue Donaldson early on in high school — but May was the selling point.

"The conversations were truthful and honest, that’s all you can ask for honestly," Donaldson said of the decision to choose Ann Arbor. "You want to be realistic as well. There’s some things you don’t want to hear but some things you need to hear, and those are the conversations we had, and I can respect him for that.

"That’s what helped me lean to Michigan, I want someone who is going to be real with me … that’s what Dusty did and that was a big thing for me because I ask a lot of questions. I’m trying to get to the next level, so me asking a lot of questions and him being able to give me the raw answer is what I was looking for."

Donaldson's voice was raw when he spoke of the next level, too. From the outside, some have seen it as pre-destined.

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His father, Rhodney Donaldson, was inducted into the Troy Athletics Hall of Fame last year in honor of his career (1994-97) when he scored 1,363 points. His uncle, Duke Donaldson, played football at Auburn (1984-87), and led the Tigers in receptions as a senior.

Having an athletic family has always led to expectations for Tre — a nickname he got not just as the third Rhodney Donaldson, born Aug. 3, 2003 and wears the No. 3, but by using it after his older brother (also Rhodney) died in his youth, and Tre didn't want to be reminded of the name every day — but it doesn't mean anything has been given to him.

"It gave me a chip," Donaldson explained. "I mean, my dad played professionally but I get emotional talking about it. I got a chip on my shoulder and I got something to prove to everybody. I’m doing it for them — my sister, my best friend.

"Understanding that it’s bigger than me, so just being able to have that opportunity, get closer to my goals, it’s very important to me."

Multiple times in the interview, Donaldson referred to himself as a leader and someone who will need to help set the tone for a new team that has to bond. He sees his game complementing both the team's centers — the pick-and-roll with Goldin and pushing in transition with Danny Wolf — and was not shy about his expectations.

"I feel like I’m the best point guard in the country," he said. "Just being able to have a new platform here at Michigan and a coach that believes in me fully, I’ll get the opportunity to be on the floor a little bit more, it’s exciting and it’s a blessing."

The rest of the summer will consist of basketball for Donaldson. While others may refresh by fishing or golfing, Donaldson has no desire to do so.

He said he has enjoyed his early days in Ann Arbor, which is "definitely different than what I’m used to," but it has helped push him out of his comfort zone to meet people. He wants to be approachable to the student population, not "ducked off like a lot of people can be."

Yet that doesn't mean there's going to be a lot of free time to mingle. Even if there was, Donaldson knows what he would do.

"Basketball is all I got, it’s all I want," he said. "I have my eyes set on a goal. It means so much to me, so if I’m not here, I’m either asleep or I might be with my friends. But that’s all I got."

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball might have found new leader in transfer Tre Donaldson