When Jalen Reed opted to transfer from LSU to Michigan basketball, his expectation was that he would be playing for Dusty May, who just led the Wolverines to a national championship. However, two and a half weeks ago, May opted to depart Ann Arbor for the NBA, in a shocking move that set the sports world on fire. And thus, Reed had a decision to make.
Except for him, it wasn’t much of a decision.
The oft-injured former Tiger knew in his heart that he would stay in Ann Arbor, and he held no resentment for May’s decision to seek another, bigger opportunity. Reed spoke with the voice of Michigan basketball, Brian Boesch, on the Defend the Block podcast and detailed his thought process when he learned he would not be coached by May at all, and his decision to remain with the maize and blue and play under interim coach Mike Boynton Jr.
“Well, honestly, when the Dusty news kind of hit, it was a shock for me, but I wasn’t filled with any resentment or sour feelings,” Reed said. “I kind of took it as Dusty was kind of the No. 1 pick in the draft for me. So I was more happy for him, and I know it was a dream come true for him. I just talked to Coach Akeem (Miskdeen), and he kind of reassured me that he thought Coach Mike B. would get the job and that it would be really run similar. And Coach Dusty even said the same things where he felt like the program would still be honestly really similar. Even with him not being here physically, he would still have his hands all over the program.
“So I just believed in them, and I feel like if you look in my history, like loyalty is in me. Like I stayed at LSU for four years, so I wasn’t going nowhere.”
Reed already had a good relationship with Boynton, and he feels that it continues growing. He learned since that his departed father had a relationship with Boynton, which has helped him bond that much more with the interim head coach of the Wolverines.
“It’s grown even more, especially since Dusty left,” Reed said. “I actually discovered that him and my dad were roommates at a camp back in their playing days. So it’s only grown each and every day since all this happened, and I’m sure it’ll grow even more, especially when I get back to playing.”
Reed is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered early in the 2025-26 season with LSU. He shared with Boesch where he is in his recovery, noting that he’s getting much closer to being a full go and is starting to participate in things that should lead to eventually getting back out onto the court sooner rather than later.
“I feel really comfortable about where I am. I think coming up on seven months after surgery, my strength is in a really good place,” Reed said. “I feel like I’m closing in on 90%. I’m back on the court running, getting back to working out, so I’m really excited about where I am right now. I’m really confident in my body right now and how rehab has been, especially in Michigan, having to switch my whole rehab protocol with the transfer portal. So I’m really comfortable and confident with where my rehab is right now.”
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Jalen Reed explains why he stayed at Michigan
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire | USA TODAY Network
