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Tre Donaldson had the hard decision last offseason to leave his old school, Auburn, and embark upon a new adventure. Thus, the point guard ventured from the moderate South for the cold confines of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Thus far, it's paid off. He's had some stellar moments, especially late, leading the Wolverines. And now, he's got a chance to play his former team. And, as he said on the eve of the Sweet 16 matchup against the Tigers, he was close to being a dual-sport athlete for his original school.
"That's crazy that you knew that. Not many people really know that my uncle played at Auburn," Donaldson said. "I was close. I was extremely close to it becoming a reality because my basketball recruitment started so late, and the connection I had with the Auburn football staff, I really had a chance at playing there. But basketball is what I wanted to do. That's why I took that route. But I was extremely close.
"To the second part of your question to do with my uncle, my uncle is going to be here, and he will be cheering for Michigan."
While he never quite envisioned the opportunity to play against his former school, Donaldson is grateful that it's on the verge of happening.
Michigan basketball had some difficult out-of-conference matchups in 2024-25, but playing Auburn certainly wasn't in the cards. Thus, now that the game is happening, Donaldson is excited to show his former school what it's missing.
"I wouldn't say it's circled," Donaldson said. "The likelihood of this happening wasn't really high, so I mean just the opportunity is a blessing, and I'm looking forward to it."
Given his tenure with the Tigers, Donaldson has inside information as to how the Wolverines should attack Bruce Pearl and his former squad. With that in mind, he's sharing everything he knows with Dusty May and the coaching staff, hoping that it will pay dividends on Friday night in Atlanta.
"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."
Michigan and Auburn is set to tip off at 9:39 p.m. EDT at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Friday night. The game will be nationally broadcast on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Tre Donaldson has inside info to help Michigan basketball beat Auburn
Continue reading...
Thus far, it's paid off. He's had some stellar moments, especially late, leading the Wolverines. And now, he's got a chance to play his former team. And, as he said on the eve of the Sweet 16 matchup against the Tigers, he was close to being a dual-sport athlete for his original school.
"That's crazy that you knew that. Not many people really know that my uncle played at Auburn," Donaldson said. "I was close. I was extremely close to it becoming a reality because my basketball recruitment started so late, and the connection I had with the Auburn football staff, I really had a chance at playing there. But basketball is what I wanted to do. That's why I took that route. But I was extremely close.
"To the second part of your question to do with my uncle, my uncle is going to be here, and he will be cheering for Michigan."
While he never quite envisioned the opportunity to play against his former school, Donaldson is grateful that it's on the verge of happening.
Michigan basketball had some difficult out-of-conference matchups in 2024-25, but playing Auburn certainly wasn't in the cards. Thus, now that the game is happening, Donaldson is excited to show his former school what it's missing.
"I wouldn't say it's circled," Donaldson said. "The likelihood of this happening wasn't really high, so I mean just the opportunity is a blessing, and I'm looking forward to it."
Given his tenure with the Tigers, Donaldson has inside information as to how the Wolverines should attack Bruce Pearl and his former squad. With that in mind, he's sharing everything he knows with Dusty May and the coaching staff, hoping that it will pay dividends on Friday night in Atlanta.
"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."
Michigan and Auburn is set to tip off at 9:39 p.m. EDT at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Friday night. The game will be nationally broadcast on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Tre Donaldson has inside info to help Michigan basketball beat Auburn
Continue reading...
