When Mike Boynton Jr. took over as Michigan basketball’s head coach, the first order of business was keeping the roster intact. He nearly pulled that off at 100 percent, and then the attention turned to the sideline.
Boynton Jr. had four assistant spots to fill, including the one he vacated when he moved from assistant to head coach. He moved fast, locking in Brown head coach Mike Martin first before bringing in a different kind of hire in G League coach Dylan Murphy.
Murphy arrived with a résumé built in the pro game. He had spent the last five seasons in Orlando’s organization as the head coach of the Osceola Magic, helped the team win a G League title, and also worked in the analytics department while previously serving as a scout with the Atlanta Hawks.
That background made him an interesting fit, but Michigan’s player pipeline helped make the connection even stronger. During his time coaching in the Magic organization, Murphy got to know a number of former Wolverines. Orlando kept adding Michigan players, and when Murphy started looking at Michigan as a possible next step, those relationships gave him a clearer picture of the program.
What stood out to him most was simple: Michigan players know how to play.
“IQ,” Murphy told Brian Boesch on 'Defend the Block' of what stood out about Michigan. “I mean, I think you see every player that comes out of Michigan just knows how to play basketball.
It stood out immediately. Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner, Jett Howard, Caleb Houstan.
You know, I was actually Caleb Houstan's player development coach in Orlando.
“I was Iggy Brazdeikis's player development coach as a two way. You know, even Zavier Simpson, John Teske, who were in Lakeland before Osceola, and then DJ Wilson, who I actually got to coach in Osceola.
So all those guys are the one. One common theme, obviously talent and ability, but knowledge of the game really translates.”
Murphy did have a brief stop in college basketball before this, spending one season as a graduate assistant at Ball State. But the draw here is obvious: he brings an NBA-style approach into Michigan’s staff.
His specialty has been player development, along with evaluating whether players are ready to move from the G League to the NBA. That kind of eye for talent and growth is a big part of what he brings to Ann Arbor.
Murphy said he is still figuring out exactly how his role will look, but there’s little mystery about one major piece of it. Player development figures to be central.
“Basketball is basketball ultimately,” Murphy said. “Things are new also for J.P.
Estrella. Right.
You know, things are new for Moustapha [Thiam]. Understanding where people are in their journey in this program, at this stop of their career, really important how you approach things.
“Obviously, the longer you've been around a certain style of play or game, you're going to have a faster learning curve. But you got to meet people where they are and approach it that way. And then, obviously, the relationship building, it's valuable for so many ways.
“Players are not robots. They are human beings.
They also have individual goals on top of our team goals. And then I think most importantly, it is super rewarding as a coach when those relationships last....
And obviously, I've had the fortune of being able to coach Michigan players already. So I've seen how that has been done in the past and I hope to continue that here a couple more.”
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The opener offers a chance to reset that conversation, and the bar is already clear enough to understand what progress would look like. If Underwood can come out sharp, distribute the ball efficiently and put up the kind of production that settles an offense early, it would go a long way toward easing concerns about how quickly he can grow into the role Michigan needs him to fill. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Offensive Line Battle Could Shape Everything For Bryce Underwood
Michigans offensive line is still very much a work in progress, and the ripple effect could be felt everywhere once Bryce Underwood takes the field. Jake Guarnera is projected to anchor the middle after previously working at guard, Andrew Sprague is expected to hold down right tackle, and the rest of the unit remains up for grabs as coaches sort through a group that includes Andrew Babalola, Evan Link, Blake Frazier, Brady Norton and Nathan Efobi.
The bigger picture is familiar for this stage of camp: Michigan is still trying to identify its best five linemen, even if that means moving players around to different spots. Some of the competition may come down to who can handle a switch from tackle to guard, and those decisions matter because the protection in front of Underwood will shape how much the offense can do early on. [Read more 🡒]