Michigan’s championship follow-up starts with a different kind of test for Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney: more responsibility, more touches and more of the spotlight that comes with being part of a defending national title team.
The Wolverines are back in a new season with plenty changed around them. They have a national championship to defend, a new head coach, a partially new staff and a roster that looks nothing like the one that finished on top of college basketball. That leaves the returning guards with a simple but significant task - grow into larger roles without letting go of the selfless identity that powered the title run.
McKenney said he’s ready for that jump.
"I think this season we'll be able to show more of our game," McKenney said, reflecting on the increased responsibility awaiting the returning players.
Cadeau sees that same possibility for his backcourt mate. Michigan had enough talent last season that neither guard had to shoulder a heavy offensive load. This year, Cadeau believes McKenney can be much more central to what the Wolverines do.
"He's the same player he was last year," Cadeau said. "I feel like he's just gonna get the ball more."
That added opportunity, Cadeau said, could unlock more production because McKenney was already efficient when his chances came. McKenney, meanwhile, sounds eager to show what he can do with a bigger role in the offense.
The broader challenge is bigger than any one player. Michigan is the defending champion now, which changes the way opponents will look at the Wolverines and the way the program is discussed outside the building. Cadeau isn’t interested in pretending this group is a carbon copy of last year’s team.
"It's not fair to compare us to the team last year because it's a totally different team, new coaches and new players," Cadeau said.
What Michigan does want to carry over is the culture. Unselfishness sat at the center of last season’s run, and that standard still matters as freshmen and transfers settle in and learn how things work. Cadeau and McKenney have taken on leadership duties, pushing younger players and newcomers to speak up in huddles and be part of the conversation.
That mentality, the players believe, has stayed in place even with the changes on the sideline. They said the accountability, trust and team-first approach that defined Dusty May’s championship group remains part of the program under new head coach Mike Boynton Jr. and the current staff.
"Nobody really cared about what was going on for themselves individually," McKenney said of last season's championship team. "It was all about the team goal."
For Michigan, that remains the blueprint. The guards can expect more shots, more handling duties and more pressure to produce, but the Wolverines still see collective execution as the real driver.
Cadeau is also looking ahead to the Final Four being held in Detroit, which gives the title defense an added layer of appeal close to home. Even so, he kept the focus on the more immediate job in front of the team.
"Just continuing to win," he said.
That’s the message from Michigan as it tries to build its next contender instead of simply chasing a repeat of the last one. With Cadeau and McKenney stepping into bigger roles, the Wolverines believe they have the kind of foundation needed to make another run.
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