Copyright M Live Michigan
ANN ARBOR — For much of last winter, it would have been hard to imagine the scene that unfolded on the Ball Arena court in Denver on March 22: The Wolverines racing to a corner to celebrate with fans after advancing to the Sweet 16, chanting “Rod-dy!” They revisited the chant in the locker room, where Gayle slapped a Michigan sticker on a bracket, symbolically advancing the Wolverines. The sticker, which wouldn’t take his first two tries, proved to be more difficult than anything he did on the court that night. Gayle was an easy target for disgruntled Michigan fans last season. As the Wolverines lost three straight to end the regular season, their title hopes disappearing like fans from Crisler Center in the final minute of a blowout, Gayle caught some flak. At that point, entering the postseason, Gayle had missed 17 straight 3-pointers. He’d made one in all of 2025 and struggled with turnovers. Oh, and he’d spent the previous two seasons at Ohio State. “They called me a double agent,” Gayle would say. To his credit — and his coaches’ and teammates’ — Gayle made that comment with a smile inside a locker room after lifting Michigan to the Sweet 16. Accepted by the Michigan fan base and at peace with his place on the other side of one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard is ready to finish his college career strong. “I feel like going into Year 2 of Coach (Dusty) May’s system makes me super comfortable,” Gayle said recently. “Being a returner and kind of already knowing what he wants and the style of play that he likes (helps).” Expect to see Gayle used as a facilitator more this season than last. He was good at feeding Michigan’s post players and will be counted on for playmaking whether starting point guard Elliot Cadeau is on the floor or not. “It’s become much more natural for me to be kind of a facilitator playing the ‘1’ spot,” Gayle said. “I kind of got into it at the end of last season a little bit, but just the reps I’ve been getting over the summer and (preseason) practices got me more comfortable. … I don’t really see it as a position change, just me bringing up the ball initiating offense sometimes.” He’s also forced himself to be more of a vocal leader as a senior, though it goes against his personality. Nobody will confuse him with Will Tschetter during a practice, but he’s talking more than he had in the past. “I’m kind of the old guy now,” Gayle said. “It’s kind of a different perspective that this is what I have to do in order for us to be successful.” The hope for Michigan is that Gayle can build off the momentum with which he finished last season, making 3s at a respectable rate and limiting turnovers. He played well in Michigan’s NCAA Tournament opener and scored a team-high 26 points in the aforementioned second-round win over Texas A&M. He made four 3s in that game and had a dunk that’s captured in a giant photo in hallway of the Michigan basketball offices. May is proud of how Gayle stayed the course through an up-and-down year. “The season outlook would look a lot different right now if Roddy didn’t do what he did at the end of the year,” May said. “And he had a great offseason. He’s shot the ball incredibly well. He’s playing with a high level of confidence. He just looks much more comfortable. … “He looks like he’s ready for a really, really solid season. I’m excited about Roddy.” He’s not the only one. Yaxel Lendeborg, as a transfer, has a unique perspective. He didn’t see Gayle play last season. When asked recently for a player that he’s excited for fans to see this season, he immediately mentioned Gayle. “I’ve been hearing a lot about people saying that he didn’t have the best year last year,” Lendeborg said. “I don’t know how.” Lendeborg cited Gayle’s team-best vertical leap, competitiveness and strong outside shooting. “He’s looking like a real pro. I’m super excited to see what he does this year.” Michigan plays an exhibition game Saturday at St. John’s before opening the regular season Nov. 3 at home against Oakland.
