For Danny Wolf, the timing is finally right for Michigan

Three years ago, then-high school student Danny Wolf traveled from Glencoe, Illinois, to Ann Arbor, taking his first step toward playing for the school he had been a fan of since childhood. There was just one problem: The Michigan basketball team didn’t have a scholarship for him.

Still, Wolf was close to joining the Wolverines as a walk-on – that’s how much Michigan meant to him.

“I grew up a huge Michigan fan. My mom went there, my sister went here and then a lot of my mom’s family went here,” Wolf said on the “Defend the Block” podcast. “…I grew up going to the Big House and wearing a lot of Michigan shirts and shorts, and I grew up a huge Michigan fan.”

But in the end the timing wasn’t right and he decided on Yale.

Today, things have changed. Wolf has two years of college basketball experience, including a standout sophomore season, an NCAA tournament appearance, and, most importantly, a scholarship to Michigan.

Wolf’s decision to transfer to Michigan wasn’t just because the Wolverines could give him a scholarship, he made his decision because not only was the timing right for Michigan, but also the fit.

Although Wolf is only 7’4″ tall, he doesn’t have the skills typical of a center. In addition to his skills in the lower penalty box, he also has the skills of a guard, making him a valuable and versatile player.

“Coach (Dusty) May was one of the first coaches to reach out to me and share his vision for me and the program,” Wolf said. “What really stood out was the ability to play the 4 and the 5.”

The Wolverines already have a traditional big man in Vlad Goldin, meaning Wolf will play at both the 4 and 5 and has the opportunity to play alongside Goldin. In fact, May’s transfer of Goldin from Florida Atlantic to Michigan was a factor in Wolf’s decision to transfer to Michigan as well.

“The first question I asked him was, ‘Is Vlad Goldin coming?’ And (May) was pretty sure he was coming,” Wolf said. “That raised question marks, but also raised a higher level of interest for Michigan because with my skills and how they’re translating to the next level, playing the 4 is something I need to do, and I think once that became clear and I got all my questions out of the way and they said they see me at the 4 and the 5 … it seemed pretty seamless.”

It wasn’t just the consistency on the field that piqued Wolf’s interest in Michigan, but also the coaching staff. Although the Wolverines’ new coaching staff was only put together a few months ago, Wolf said it feels like they’ve been together for years. Forging connections, having a shared vision and communicating openly are key, and Wolf saw all three traits in the coaching staff.

It’s every kid’s dream to play for the school that has supported them since they were little, but Wolf learned three years ago that fulfilling that dream isn’t enough of a reason to do so. But now he has the best of both worlds – he’s on the team he loved as a kid, but more importantly, he’s on the team that ticks all of his boxes.