After a tumultuous offseason for the Michigan men’s basketball team, the final part of its 2020-21 roster has been set.
Senior forward Isaiah Livers chose to return to Ann Arbor for his final year of eligibility after considering entering the NBA, per UM release.
“What a crazy couple of months. However, I have learned a great deal from this process, and I’m extremely excited to return to Ann Arbor,” Livers said in the release. “… While it was a limited process due to COVID-19, I want to thank all the NBA teams who took the time to talk to me. The information I gathered is going to be invaluable moving forward.”
“The opportunity for Isaiah, and his family, to take a deep dive and learn as much as they could about professional basketball is a blessing,” coach Juwan Howard said. “Now, he has even more information to know what he needs to do to reach that next level and fulfill his dreams. For us, we not only get a skilled and experienced veteran back, we get a true leader and one of the best young men I have met.”
Michigan retains an experienced player who’s played in the final four and was an invaluable cog for the Wolverines last year, when he wasn’t struggling with injuries. During his 21 games, he averaged 31.5 minutes per game, 12.9 points per game and four rebounds per game.
Livers’ ability to stretch the floor as a forward opened up the middle of the court and he shot an elite 40.2 percent from beyond the arc and a 95.7 percent clip from the free-throw line, missing just two all season.
With Livers back, Michigan will have a starting five that mixes experience with talent, even as the future looks uncertain with COVID-19.
“But now, we have unfinished business in Ann Arbor,” Livers said. “I cannot wait to do everything I can and help lead this team to great things.”