On being back home in Michigan

It means everything, man. Growing up, I've always been a fan of the Michigan Wolverines, always wanted to come here. Having the chance to play in front of family and friends, it's a dream come true, honestly.

On childhood memories of following Michigan

I used to come to the games when Caris LeVert played, Charles Matthews, that group. I came to a few games, that's when I really started getting into basketball and taking it serious. Those were my best memories.

On the transfer portal process

It was a pretty smooth process. Once they hit me, it was about a week or two since I had my name in the portal. It was a pretty smooth process. Out of all the schools that hit me, I kind of knew where I wanted to be, who I wanted to go to war for. Conversations, pretty good, honestly. Everything they told me were things I've always wanted to do in my career. Playing the position they had envisioned for me. That was pretty much what it was like.

On his time with Seton Hall

I transitioned to Seton Hall my sophomore year and they had an NBA player Sandro Mamukelashvili, playing under him and learning a lot from him about the game, that was a great learning experience. That was my sophomore year, COVID year, too. That year was supposed to be a redshirt year for me but after knowing I got my COVID year back, I decided to do whatever, you know. That was my sophomore year. My junior year, we played here at Michigan. That was my first time getting into the flow, getting into the rhythm of playing college basketball. My senior year, there was a coaching change. Coach Willard went to Maryland, we got the coach from Saint Peter's. It was a great learning experience. All in all, I just felt like it wasn't the best fit for me and for my play style.

On what he remembers from the Seton Hall vs. Michigan game

Once I saw that Michigan was on the schedule, my eyes lit up. I already knew once I came home I had to have a good game. I had a pretty rough start to the season my junior year. I just remember when I got here, I was like, yo, my mom is here, my friends are here, just gotta show out. It was a good game, it was a real good game. I remember the first time I subbed in, I didn't even get a shot up. Still got the jitters a little bit. I think y'all were number four in the country at the time? I think I got my first shot up, it was a three-ball, went down, hit another three. It was a huge relief. Man, if I can do it here, I can do it anywhere. It was a great game, great experience. Y'all had a good crowd that night. Went down to the wire. Just a great experience. Got back in the locker room everybody was pouring water on me and stuff. Came back to your home and got the dub. It was a great experience.

On his game

I want to, first off, start by saying I am a guy who takes pride on both ends of the ball. I'm a firm believer that teams can't be successful unless they have a good defensive anchor and playing all together on one end. I feel like, first off, I bring it on both sides of the ball. I'm a very versatile player, I can play at all three levels. I can shoot the three, can play in the mid-range game and can finish at the rim. Honestly, I can say the world has yet to see my full capabilities. I know I'm going to show that this year. I'm going to be put in a position to show that at a high level. I'm ready to show that.

On how he would define adaptability in his game

I would say that's more to adapting to programs and adapting to what (Juwan Howard) is looking for as a coach. When you're able to do that and just buy in as a player, it translates to the game. Then it's just like, yo, I trust my coach's gameplan so whatever he's telling me to do on the court and whatever I see on the court for myself, I'm able to make those quick shifts and adapt to them what's being presented in front of me.

On how he tries to bring out the best in others

I feel like in order for a team to be successful it has to be a family atmosphere. It has to translate on and off the court. Off the court, I always felt like I'm just a good person in general when it comes to getting to know the guys one by one. Just bringing them all together. I don't have those little cliques, I just want everybody to be together. On the court, I think just challenging people. If they see me working, getting shots up before practice, after practice, I think that's going to challenge everyone to be better. That's what a glue guy does.

On whether he feels like Michigan has something to prove

Absolutely. That was one of the conversations me and Coach Howard had when he was recruiting me. Yo, we both have things to prove here. Of course, y'all made it to high levels before but just doing it again and again with consistency is something I know Coach Howard is looking for as a coach. For me as a player, I'm looking to come in and play with a chip on my shoulder. That was one of the big things that drew me toward Michigan. I'm used to being the underdog. From the looks of it, we have a lot of doubters too. Just being able to come up with this opportunity and show what we can really do. I know that we have the pieces to be successful. Now it's just about buying in.

On his impressions of the team

Altogether it's just been a good energy. It's been light, you don't really know exactly what it's going to be like until it's down the line. So far, I feel like everyone is working extremely hard on and off the court. It's just been a good atmosphere with the coaches, they're teaching at a high level and I feel like we're bringing it together slowly. We're all gelling together though. To be quite honest, I feel like it's organic.

On whether it's hit him that he's a Michigan Wolverine

Yeah. When I'm working out, I'm always thinking about it like, yo, it came back full circle. You're honestly blessed to be in this position to come show what you can really do at one of the best schools in the country. It definitely hit me but I don't think it's really going to hit me until I put on that uniform and step on that court again.

On whether it motivates him to know he'll be playing at Crisler

That has motivated me a lot. Definitely motivated me. Just can't wait, honestly. I have a fire burning inside of me to really show what I can do. Not even prove people wrong but prove myself right and just show the people that put me in positions that were less than what I was capable of. Show them that, yeah, this is what I really do.

On what it would mean to him to win at Michigan

It means a lot because just being a competitor, that's what you want to do at the end of the day. Just win. I know when we win, I win, the coaches win and all the players win at the end of the day, too. It helps them and their career moving forward also. That's one of my main focuses, too. Just winning, winning at a high level and going to get some hardware. That's what I need before I get up out of here. That's what I need.

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