Defend the Block 383 - Drew Williamson Transcript
4/28/2026 11:09:00 AM | MGoBlue Podcasts
Defend the Block 383 – Drew Williamson
April 28, 2026
Brian Boesch • 00:00
Ninety five seconds. That was the length of time on the walk from Michigan's locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium to the top of the five step climb up to the basketball floor at the center of the home of the Indianapolis Colts. At least for me, as I filmed it, being the first timer that I was to the Final Four, basically acting like a tourist. It, like so many aspects of the week in Indy, went by in a flash, seemingly much faster than ninety five seconds. Now imagine that time in reverse after a season ending loss. That is what a few members of the twenty twenty six Wolverine staff endured in Houston three years prior when San Diego State's buzzer beater halted Florida Atlantic's remarkable run one game and one point shy of a matchup, coincidentally with Connecticut. Drew Williamson was one of those Owls turned Wolverines who made both walks, first past an elated Aztecs team.
Brian Boesch • 00:55
Quote, that was the longest walk to a locker room I've ever had. End quote. And I'll have more in our conversation in a bit. So many memories from Indianapolis still stick with me, but one of them was just how businesslike the locker room felt after Williamson, Dusty May and a few other FAU staffers and the rest of this Wolverines team got some semifinal Saturday redemption in the form of a forty minute domination of the only other one seed to reach the Final Four and then the ensuing walk back to the locker room. Now the locker room was not quite the road game at Penn State vibe, where a two point victory had never felt more like a fifteen point loss, but the level of celebration late on that Saturday night rivaled some of Michigan's most humdrum wins. It was almost like Oregon, where the prevailing theme was more about quickly packing to head home after a five day trip out west than it was about celebrating a win.
Brian Boesch • 01:50
The rapid approach this time around after Arizona and before uconn was all about getting back to the hotel as quickly as possible and get rolling on the Huskies or in a few players, cases, some treatment. Now, championship in hand, victory over UConn in hand, Michigan is in the process of something similar, quickly pivoting from what was built and built better than anyone in the nation to what must be built for twenty, twenty six, twenty seven when Michigan attempts to do it all again. The Wolverines, of course, have plenty to replace, but they also have a solid foundation from which to work with the goal again to have the longest walk of anyone to the Final Four, and then at that Final Four venue.
[music builds]
Drew Williamson, assistant coach Director of Player Development, joins us when we come back here on Defend the Block.
Jeff Laurence [voiceover actor] • 02:40
We're talking Michigan basketball. Welcome to Defend the Block, where we'll take you inside the basketball programs with interviews, analysis, and so much more. Now here's your host, Brian Boesch.
Brian Boesch • 02:54
It's hard to believe we're getting into now some off season reflections and into next year discussions. And to do that, we have Michigan's assistant coach and director of player development, Drew Williamson. Drew, national champ. How you doing? How you feeling?
Drew Williamson • 03:08
Feeling good, Brian. Thanks for having me on. Had a little bit of time to decompress and just enjoy it, but no, I'm feeling great.
Brian Boesch • 03:17
So I know you and the staff have not had a ton of time to reflect, but in your moments where you've been able to realize, appreciate, soak in that you helped the team win a national championship. What have been the foremost memories from that?
Drew Williamson • 03:29
I think the biggest one was the parade. Just being able to drive down the street and see all the fans. You bring something special to a university, to a city, and as a team, you kind of want everybody to be, to feel, feel happy about it. And I think that was the first moment where you just kind of feel like the entire, like, you know, city of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan had a chance to celebrate together. I really, that that moment was special for sure.
Brian Boesch • 04:00
You were a part of the Arizona scout. So that was one game. I think a lot of people looking ahead at the bracket. Hey, Chalk, hold. It's Michigan, Arizona. That was very much a, a measuring stick just looking at, okay, where's Michigan and Ken Palm versus them. What do you remember most about that game? In particular? Preparation into the actual execution of a really dominant win.
Drew Williamson • 04:23
I think the biggest piece was the physicality. We expected a very, very physical game. They were the one team that we thought really matched our size and our physicality, but also matched our speed and transition. They were a team that also wanted to play very fast. So I think when you look yourself in the mirror and see another team, I think Arizona was kind of what we had envisioned the entire year. Just kind of following them from afar. And then I think going into the game, we really talked about them. Those guys played forty minutes of good basketball. They never had really a bad stretch throughout the course of the season. And we wanted to make sure the first four minutes of that game, you know, we kind of came out and set the tone. And I thought them calling that early timeout in the first, you know, first four minutes winning was, was kind of like, okay, we got it.
Drew Williamson • 05:12
We, we have some momentum. Let's see if we can keep it for the rest of the game and credit. I mean, you had some things go, go wrong. I think Yax picked up two fouls early, then came back in and hurt his ankle and knee. But, you know, the, the dynamic of a team and the things that we've preached all season kind of came to the forefront where you have guys just continuing to step up. And so I thought that my biggest takeaway from that game was just seeing Roddy Gayle. And Trey McKenney and those guys just take the moment in and we got you, Yax. We'll, we'll take care of, take care from here.
Brian Boesch • 05:44
When you're looking at it from a scouting standpoint, you've been digging into Arizona film for probably a week at that point, maybe even before the Tennessee game because of how the assignments play out when Yax goes down. I mean, how much does that change the in game thought process approach and why was this team uniquely qualified to be able to overcome it? Because, I mean, Rez, Aday, Elliot, Trey, Roddy, so many guys had great games even though they were without the Big Ten's Player of the year.
Drew Williamson • 06:15
Yeah, you know, Yax's versatility, you know, creates, you know, I guess, advantages for us against other teams. And with him going out now, you have to kind of rely on your versatility within your roster. And I think, you know, Roddy being able to handle the ball because Yax is usually our secondary, you know, third ball handler. So now Roddy, you have to handle the ball a little bit. Morez, you, you have to stay in and play the four a lot longer than you normally do. Even Will Tschetter, I mean, Will, you had to come in and play some four. So I thought, you know, us just having a roster of guys who stayed focused all season, ready for their moment and understanding, like, I think just us being able to go through the summer and through the season of making guys move around and play different positions and play different roles, I think it's been the secret sauce a little bit.
Drew Williamson • 07:04
I mean, you know, I guess rewind a little bit. But I think that helped Trey McKenney over the summer where he, we forced him to play some point guard, you know, not knowing lj's situation, not knowing Jax's situation for this game, but being able to give Elliott a break for a little bit. And Trey, you know, he bought into that role and came to the biggest moments where he played well.
Brian Boesch • 07:26
Obviously Trey had some of those moments at point guard, but what Elliott did. Most outstanding player in the Final Four. When LJ went down I think there was obviously understandable concern externally. I know it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies in the facility because of what LJ had been doing. He was playing the best basketball of his life. How did Elliot raise his game in that stretch run and especially in the Final Four?
Drew Williamson • 07:50
We felt like during the season, I think the TCU game really stands out where it was. Elliot struggled that game, and it was one of those games where we realized, hey, this guy is going to be the catalyst to what we need to do if we want to be successful. And I think Dusty sat down with him after that game and talked about that. Exactly. Directly to him, like, we need you to be really good for us to be successful. And he bought into it. And of course, the season's long, so you have stretches where you don't play as well as you want to, but I always thought like the biggest moments of our season, he always showed up at some point in the game and then, you know, no bigger moment than the Final Four where he took the challenge and he said, I want to be the guy in this tournament. And I thought he played as well as he could possibly play in a two game stretch. And rightfully so.
Drew Williamson • 08:39
He deserves M.O.P. But the biggest thing with Elliot was how team-oriented he became. He wanted everybody to be involved. He never talked about himself. I think he was even surprised that he got the award when they called his name out. But no, he carried the group, man. And he was the head of the Snake Force.
Brian Boesch • 08:58
The staff's ability to, I don't want to say overcome, but adjust to Justin Joyner getting the Oregon State job, Dusty pulling him off of scouts. After the Big Ten tournament, you were paired with him, you focusing on the offense, JJ focusing on the defense. So how did you and others figure things out with JJ at times being in Corvallis, kind of living a double life there for a little bit, recruiting in the portal or getting ready with the staff, whatever it might be, and then you and others making sure that everything's still buttoned up here.
Drew Williamson • 09:32
Yeah, it was a little unique because again, I've worked with JJ the last two seasons on scouts, and I think the first thing that I thought about doing, I ended up working with Mike. The next two scouts I did. And I just told Mike, you know, talk to me about how you like to do your scouts, let's organize this thing. I don't want to change up anything you're doing. And, you know, he was unbelievable. Just kind of showing me his scouting. The previous, I guess the previous games and we kind of jumped right in. You know, still communicated with JJ Especially with Arizona, because he was so familiar with, like, the Gonzaga style of play that, you know, we still were able to kind of get him on the phone and use him a little bit. But we just made an adjustment, man. I think it kind of a testament to, you know, Dusty, our team, our coaching staff, you know, our managers, everybody involved that, you know, you know, we try not to make excuses.
Drew Williamson • 10:22
We respond to whatever the circumstances are and the adjustments needs to be made. And it's something that we ask our players to make during the course of a game. We have to be able to do the same thing and lead it in the same direction. And I thought, you know, as a group, we made that seamlessly.
Brian Boesch • 10:37
With Drew Williamson here on Defend the Block, let's pivot to now looking forward. And we can't get into specifics with some of the players who have been reportedly added or have announced that they're coming, but just in terms of the process and the conversations you and the staff have had had in the month of April, how would you compare and contrast what the build was like of this roster that just won a national championship versus some of the things you guys have had to do to get next year's roster ready?
Drew Williamson • 11:04
I think the probably the biggest thing was just a little bit of the uncertainty with a few of the guys with their opportunity to go to the next level or come back. And not even just from our standpoint, but from players that may want to come in. They're looking at the roster and trying to see what the construction may look like as well. So I probably think that's probably the biggest hurdle from the previous year. But I think for us, we try to keep it as consistent as we can with the players that we like. You know, we have a proof of concept of things that work for us and players that we like to coach. And again, you track down information as much as you can, as fast as you can, because this portal thing is like a sprint. And then we kind of, you know, take our judgment and move forward. And if they have any similarities to the guys we've coached in the past, it also helps out.
Drew Williamson • 11:53
But, yeah, you try to just kind of use your judgment on character and those things as fast as you can.
Brian Boesch • 12:00
Are you noticing any scenarios where trying to find big men because of what Michigan did with guys that, outside of Yaks, were not atop the transfer portal list? Morez and Aday in particular, are bigs more coveted now because this is a copycat sport where, okay, Michigan just won a national championship playing three bigs. Now the price is up, the excitement level is up, the. The rankings are up for these guys, I think.
Drew Williamson • 12:28
So I think you look at the last two years. I mean, Florida with their. With their bigs, and then, you know, this year with our bigs, also with Arizona, I mean, the two, I guess the three teams, the last, you know, two years that. That were the best teams in the country, their size mattered. And I do think, you know, everybody's trying to get back to that point where let's figure out a way to play two bigs, and then again, there's not a ton of them out there, so you have to, you know, hustle on and sprint to figuring out who you'll have. And, you know, I think it'll be spread out throughout the. Throughout the country this year. You'll see a lot of two big lineups, maybe even some three big lineups, you know, and it's hopefully something that we can kind of hang our hat on, that we started a trend with.
Brian Boesch • 13:11
Yeah, absolutely. Now, along those lines, though, it's tough to ignore the fact that looking ahead to next year, with Trey mckinney and Elliot Cadeau already announcing before the parade that they were coming back, you know, we'll see how the rest of the roster is built. But it certainly seems like a possibility ability to zig while others zag because you guys zagged. What is the potential for an Elliot and Trey front court or backcourt together after what they've already done? As you know, they weren't on the floor a ton necessarily at the same time, but it feels like probably not speaking out of turn here. It seems like those are probably your two starting backcourt guys going into next year.
Drew Williamson • 13:48
Correct. I think it's something to be excited about. Again, with those two already in place. It does relieve a little pressure with you having to find, you know, the right bigs or just finding somebody that can complement those two guys. So it helps us to have two guys already in place. And it's unique because those two. They spoke about it quite a bit earlier in the season, like, midway through the season, like, we have a really good backcourt next year, me and you, you know, so, like, it was something that was on their mind. And I thought, you know, just seeing those two on the court when the game mattered the most, playing so, so well together, I think it kind of gave us a little bit of a foreshadowing of what we could see, you know, in the future. And, you know, you feel Good with having those two dudes on your team right away. You know, with all this, you know, portal, you know, talk, it's always good to be able to have some retention and have guys that you'll be year two into your program where they know and they can lead in the locker room.
Drew Williamson • 14:42
So we're super excited to have those two back for sure.
Brian Boesch • 14:45
From a director of player development standpoint, what are next steps for Elliott and for Trey as they get ready? I've already seen around the pdc, they're, they're here. This is, we're already looking ahead to next year from, from the Elliott and Trey standpoint. How can they grow from now until the next time fans get to see these two?
Drew Williamson • 15:01
Yeah, I think their leadership will, will have to take a step in, in the right direction just off court with whoever we bring in. We, we kind of need those guys to echo what we're saying. But I think both of them, you know, we'll work on some things like them finishing around the basketball, you know, playing behind the handoffs, teams, you know, just, I guess understanding different ball screen coverages even more like what teams will try to do to them. It's almost like having a, you know, second or third year quarterback in NFL where you've kind of seen every coverage and now we can kind of start figuring out some other solutions to help you throughout the course of the game, but also help your teammates. So I think being able to play, you know, just some small sided games with those guys and understand like these are the different reads you can start to make and start to see two
Brian Boesch • 15:47
guys that fans maybe don't have as much knowledge on. We saw Oscar Goodman have some chances late in games and everything internally, externally talked about with him was that if he was needed, there was confidence in what he could bring. Also Ricky Liburd, who was a late add last year, redshirted. Let's start with Oscar. Where has he developed since he's gotten here and what is his potential moving ahead into next season?
Drew Williamson • 16:14
He'll be a really good player for us. I mean, he's versatile. If you have a big guy on him, he's fast enough and able to finish around the basket, good enough to get by the big guys, but he's also enough size to where if you put a smaller guy on him, you can put him in the post and kind of use him at the elbow. I think his uniqueness and his versatility will be something that, you know, fans and everybody will be appreciative of. I think his biggest Jump has been his learning curve and being able to pick up, you know, different positions because even as we were trying to use him throughout the course of the season, we may say, hey, play it on the wing, play at the four, play it to five, some fours. And so it's a challenge where you have to learn three different spots. And so again, those are things where you kind of take for granted. You have, you know, Yaxel and those guys, but now you have somebody else to kind of step in and don't want to compare him to Yax, but just the versatility to be able to play multiple positions will be something to be able to stand out for them.
Brian Boesch • 17:11
How about Ricky, again a late ad, but been impressed with his approach and his mentality. Where does his next six months look as a guy trying to crack the rotation?
Drew Williamson • 17:21
I think Ricky had the ideal year of a red shirt where he just put his head down and worked. You could see gradually getting better and better, not just on the court, but just in the weight room. You know, he just, he takes in information better than anybody I've ever been around. Like, you can kind of give him, Ricky, we need you to do this. And then the next day you can ask him again and he'll repeat exactly what you said. So. So being being coachable, being able to kind of make those adjustments is something that, that'll help him on the court. But I also think that his ability to shoot the ball, his athleticism, and then defensively, I think he's going to be a really, really, really good defender for us, being able to defend multiple positions because of his size, his athleticism and his quickness. So we're excited about Ricky for sure.
Brian Boesch • 18:07
What I've appreciated about this staff the first two years is how you guys do kind of fit, how you play, how to approach a game or. Or just, you know, a playset based on the team strengths or a player's strengths. It's not as simple as saying, hey, Oscar or Ricky's going to play insert former players role, but are there any characteristics of Oscar and Ricky that maybe we saw in players the last couple of years that would maybe fit to try to get an idea of what their role might look like as it stands now with the roster still in flux?
Drew Williamson • 18:38
Yeah, I think Ricky, you could kind of look at Nimari's skill set where he's such a good cutter off the ball, catch and shoot threes, being able to go offensive, rebound and then defend multiple positions. I thought Nimari, you know, maybe didn't get enough credit for his, you know, deflections, his defensive, you know, awareness on the floor. But I mean, that would be somebody that you could possibly compare Ricky to where you'll, you'll see him being able to, you know, sneak back door and get a lob or just a simple cut and transition and then he'll be in those corners and you'll see a catch and shoot threes from him. So be some similarities in that aspect for Ricky.
Brian Boesch • 19:18
Lastly, I know the team will get here mid to late June and get a chance to start doing some of that summer work from now till then outside of building a roster. Focus for you and focus for any players who are here.
Drew Williamson • 19:29
Just doing, just checking out their weaknesses, the things that they were good at last year. Of course we can continue to work on those, but just figuring out ways to make these guys better. We're obsessed as a staff to seeing our guys improve. And so you, you, you watched all the film from last season and you, you look at Elliott. Let's figure out a way to make Elliott better next year. Let's figure out a way to make Trey better next year and Oscar and, and Ricky, all those guys, you know, down the line and, you know, I think we'll put our heads together as a staff individually, first writing our own notes down and then as a staff figuring out a plan to put in place for when we can start working out with them again that let's step by step. When these guys play in next November, they should look a lot different than they did, you know, at the end of the season.
Brian Boesch • 20:13
Well, good luck with that process. I appreciate you stopping by the podcast and looking forward to breaking down the other players when we get a chance to talk about them formally.
Drew Williamson • 20:21
Awesome, man. Appreciate you.
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Brian Boesch • 20:31
Great stuff from Drew Williamson. And as mentioned, there are a few names that have circulated that have been announced by other parties, but not quite yet by Michigan. So when we are able to talk about some of the other new members of the Michigan program, we will certainly do that with Drew Williamson, other assistant coaches, Dusty May, as our offseason coverage rolls along. As mentioned, we normally take a little bit of a break on Defend the Block, but at this point, let's keep it rolling. A championship afterglow. We thank all those who submitted, whether it was an email or an audio file, their reflections, their thoughts, their memories from this incredible season that just ended a few weeks back. And we might take a break at some point in the summer, but we're rolling along right now with now a look ahead toward twenty six, twenty seven.
Brian Boesch • 21:15
So thanks to all you for listening. Thanks to Drew Williamson for stopping by. Excited to break down where this program is in a situation it's only been one other time and that was getting ready for the eighty nine ninety season as reigning national champions. With the Target clearly on their back, it'll be a lot of fun to see it all develop as Michigan gets ready for next season. So again, thanks to Coach Williamson. Appreciate you listening. Great week of content here on the mgobledoo podcast platform. Chris Bracey, Memphis transfer defensive back. He is our guest on in the Trenches. Coming up on Wednesday, Conquering Heroes on Thursday, previewing the Big Ten Championships for Michigan men's golf with head coach Zach Barlow. Excited for that and that conversation with John Jansen. All right, I'm Brian Boesch. Thank you for listening as always to Defend the Block and Go Blue.
Jeff Laurence [voiceover actor] • 22:05
Thanks for listening to today's edition of Defend the Block, part of our Michigan Athletics Podcast network, M GO Blue Podcasts. The preceding has been a Learfield presentation of the Michigan Sports Network.
