- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 402,606
- Reaction score
- 43
ATLANTA − As the door swung open to the Michigan basketball guest locker room, nearly every reporter made their way directly for the same man, sitting at the end of the room with a smile stretched across his face.
Tre Donaldson, Michigan basketball's star point guard who's helped the Wolverines win five consecutive games to claim a Big Ten tournament championship and now earn a berth in the Sweet 16, now has perhaps his biggest test to date: going against his former team.
Donaldson transferred to Ann Arbor after two years at Auburn. As fate would have it, the two now have a date with fate: 1-seed Auburn will play 5-seed Michigan Friday (9:39 p.m., CBS) at State Farm Arena in the Sweet 16.
MUST READ: We asked Auburn coach Bruce Pearl about this U-M staffer. While reflecting, he cried.
He says he wouldn't have it any other way.
“This is what kids dream about,” Donaldson said. “Especially being a kid that entered the portal, getting to play your old team and old teammates, that’s something you look forward to. It’s going to be fun.”
Truthfully, it was hard to know how Donaldson would react about it. The former Tiger turned Wolverine has been rather hush-hush about his previous stop, in particular whenever he's asked about how it ended, when his now-teammate Danny Wolf and Yale upset him and Auburn the year prior.
But Donaldson knew these questions were coming and did his best to handle them. The short answers are no, he doesn't have bad blood with anybody at his former program.
Yes, it was a hard decision to leave, but ultimately he had to chase his own dream and create his own path. Even his former teammates don't fault him for that.
"That was my brother, I'm excited to share the court with him once again," Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara said. "Sadly, he's wearing a different uniform. But at the same time, want him to do his best, give his best battle."
Donaldson has had a very nice year for U-M, albeit at times up and down. He's third on the team, averaging 11.5 points per game, but leads the way with 4.2 assists per night while shooting 43.9% from the floor and 37.9% on 3-pointers.
Though he had an eight-game stretch in late February to early March where he averaged fewer than eight points per game, he has rediscovered his form. Donaldson is back at 11.2 points per game over the last five and has hit a huge shot in four straight games: a game-winner vs. Maryland, the go-ahead 3 vs. Wisconsin, the game-deciding 3 against UC San Diego and then a circus shot lefty-layup in the final minute vs. Texas A&M to ice the game.
Now, one of his coaches with ties to Auburn as well, says he just needs to remember to stay within himself.
"Being at one place and now you're going to play that team, so many different emotions," said K.T. Harrell, former Auburn star guard and graduate assistant turned U-M director of basketball ops. "I just told him 'it's another game, focus on playing hard, playing the right way' and let the chips fall where they may.
"Don't get too high, don't get too low, because I'm sure there's a lot of emotions going through him right now."
Beyond media pestering him about the matchup, Donaldson's ears have also been talked off by his teammates recently. During his time at Auburn, Donaldson played 67 games with 10 starts, had better than a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and last year shot a career-high 47.1% from the floor in 19.2 minutes per game.
Though he wasn't a star, he was a key cog and intimately familiar with Bruce Pearl's system.
"I mean, 100 percent," Donaldson said. "I was there for two years, so I know how it operates. I know how everything runs.
"When you're around people for so long, you catch on to what they do for sure. I definitely have tried to help as much as I can with that aspect just to give us our best chance to win."
Donaldson said he's kept up with players from his old team all year, but according to Auburn wing Chris Moore, there had to be a change in the past four days
"Communication has pretty much stopped," Moore said with a laugh. "It's ceased for the moment because we both got to lock in on our respective teams, come out and get ready for a battle."
Donaldson is not the first member of U-M to have a homecoming of sorts this year. Not only did head coach Dusty May have a return to Indiana in early February, but Roddy Gayle Jr. went back to Ohio State two weeks later.
Gayle's reception was brutal, he was booed all night, while May received a warm welcome. Donaldson said it's "two different situations" between what he and Gayle went through, but that didn't stop U-M's wing from giving some advice.
"There's a lot of love-hate during the game," Gayle said. "After the game you go back to being friends, but in that 40-minute period, I mean you just got to prioritize."
Donaldson is an Auburn legacy. His uncle played football there a few decades back and while Donaldson (who was a 4-star safety) nearly followed in those footsteps, he said he couldn't shake the basketball bug. He says he will always be grateful to the Tigers program for being the first one to believe in him, but his journey took him elsewhere.
Now his supporters have his back so much, he has family expected to turn against their alma mater.
"My uncle is going to be here," Donaldson grinned. "And he will be cheering for Michigan."
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball: Tre Donaldson has date with former team
Continue reading...
Tre Donaldson, Michigan basketball's star point guard who's helped the Wolverines win five consecutive games to claim a Big Ten tournament championship and now earn a berth in the Sweet 16, now has perhaps his biggest test to date: going against his former team.
Donaldson transferred to Ann Arbor after two years at Auburn. As fate would have it, the two now have a date with fate: 1-seed Auburn will play 5-seed Michigan Friday (9:39 p.m., CBS) at State Farm Arena in the Sweet 16.
MUST READ: We asked Auburn coach Bruce Pearl about this U-M staffer. While reflecting, he cried.
He says he wouldn't have it any other way.
“This is what kids dream about,” Donaldson said. “Especially being a kid that entered the portal, getting to play your old team and old teammates, that’s something you look forward to. It’s going to be fun.”
Truthfully, it was hard to know how Donaldson would react about it. The former Tiger turned Wolverine has been rather hush-hush about his previous stop, in particular whenever he's asked about how it ended, when his now-teammate Danny Wolf and Yale upset him and Auburn the year prior.
You must be registered for see images attach
But Donaldson knew these questions were coming and did his best to handle them. The short answers are no, he doesn't have bad blood with anybody at his former program.
Yes, it was a hard decision to leave, but ultimately he had to chase his own dream and create his own path. Even his former teammates don't fault him for that.
"That was my brother, I'm excited to share the court with him once again," Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara said. "Sadly, he's wearing a different uniform. But at the same time, want him to do his best, give his best battle."
Donaldson has had a very nice year for U-M, albeit at times up and down. He's third on the team, averaging 11.5 points per game, but leads the way with 4.2 assists per night while shooting 43.9% from the floor and 37.9% on 3-pointers.
Though he had an eight-game stretch in late February to early March where he averaged fewer than eight points per game, he has rediscovered his form. Donaldson is back at 11.2 points per game over the last five and has hit a huge shot in four straight games: a game-winner vs. Maryland, the go-ahead 3 vs. Wisconsin, the game-deciding 3 against UC San Diego and then a circus shot lefty-layup in the final minute vs. Texas A&M to ice the game.
Now, one of his coaches with ties to Auburn as well, says he just needs to remember to stay within himself.
"Being at one place and now you're going to play that team, so many different emotions," said K.T. Harrell, former Auburn star guard and graduate assistant turned U-M director of basketball ops. "I just told him 'it's another game, focus on playing hard, playing the right way' and let the chips fall where they may.
"Don't get too high, don't get too low, because I'm sure there's a lot of emotions going through him right now."
Beyond media pestering him about the matchup, Donaldson's ears have also been talked off by his teammates recently. During his time at Auburn, Donaldson played 67 games with 10 starts, had better than a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and last year shot a career-high 47.1% from the floor in 19.2 minutes per game.
Though he wasn't a star, he was a key cog and intimately familiar with Bruce Pearl's system.
"I mean, 100 percent," Donaldson said. "I was there for two years, so I know how it operates. I know how everything runs.
"When you're around people for so long, you catch on to what they do for sure. I definitely have tried to help as much as I can with that aspect just to give us our best chance to win."
Donaldson said he's kept up with players from his old team all year, but according to Auburn wing Chris Moore, there had to be a change in the past four days
"Communication has pretty much stopped," Moore said with a laugh. "It's ceased for the moment because we both got to lock in on our respective teams, come out and get ready for a battle."
Donaldson is not the first member of U-M to have a homecoming of sorts this year. Not only did head coach Dusty May have a return to Indiana in early February, but Roddy Gayle Jr. went back to Ohio State two weeks later.
Gayle's reception was brutal, he was booed all night, while May received a warm welcome. Donaldson said it's "two different situations" between what he and Gayle went through, but that didn't stop U-M's wing from giving some advice.
You must be registered for see images attach
"There's a lot of love-hate during the game," Gayle said. "After the game you go back to being friends, but in that 40-minute period, I mean you just got to prioritize."
Donaldson is an Auburn legacy. His uncle played football there a few decades back and while Donaldson (who was a 4-star safety) nearly followed in those footsteps, he said he couldn't shake the basketball bug. He says he will always be grateful to the Tigers program for being the first one to believe in him, but his journey took him elsewhere.
Now his supporters have his back so much, he has family expected to turn against their alma mater.
"My uncle is going to be here," Donaldson grinned. "And he will be cheering for Michigan."
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball: Tre Donaldson has date with former team
Continue reading...
