Michigan closed its Europe trip with a win, but the bigger story out of Thursday’s 84-81 victory over Mega Superbet was the health of Brandon McCoy.
The Wolverines erased an 11-point halftime deficit and finished strong behind Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, who took control in the fourth quarter to help Michigan salvage its final exhibition in Serbia. That pushed U-M to 1-2 on the overseas swing after earlier losses to the Lithuanian national team.
The trip gave Michigan more than just three scrimmages. It also meant extra practice time for a roster trying to take shape after losing three NBA lottery picks and its head coach.
But the gains came with a cost. Center Moustapha Thiam was hurt against Lithuania’s senior national team and did not play again on the trip.
The injury is not thought to be serious, but McCoy’s situation is the one that could hang over the program.
McCoy’s injury came almost immediately. About 20 seconds into the game, the five-star freshman appeared to suffer a knee or ankle injury while driving to the basket. He got back to his feet after roughly a minute, managed one step, and then was carried to the locker room without putting weight on his right leg.
Michigan has not issued an update on his status.
If McCoy is sidelined for any length of time, it would be a major hit. He was expected to be a real part of the rotation, and Mike Boynton Jr. made it clear earlier this offseason just how much the staff thought of him.
"He's probably different - in terms of the collective skill and athleticism that he has - than anybody we've had the last two years, to be honest," U-M coach Mike Boynton Jr. said of McCoy earlier this offseason. "Just the size.
He's 6-6. He's got a seven-foot wingspan.
He rebounds it as well as anybody that we've probably coached here other than Morez in the last two years. But he's a guard, so it'll look different.
He's really smart; he's competitive; he's unselfish; and he's a winner - he's a three-time gold medalist already at his young age. So he's going to bring some pop and some experience to us."
Thursday’s lineup was already thin before McCoy went down. Thiam, Jalen Reed, Lincoln Cosby and Ricky Liburd all sat out with injuries, leaving Michigan short-handed even in a game it ultimately managed to win.
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