For Michigan head coach Dusty May and his coaching staff which had already lost one key figure during the early stages of this years carousel the irony of presiding over the finest campaign in school history was preparing for an offseason that might be among the programs worst. Figuratively speaking, of course. Theres nothing desultory about the afterglow of winning a national championship. May knew he was losing assistant Justin Joyner to the head-coaching job at Oregon State, a move that was finalized nearly a month before Michigan cut down the nets in Indianapolis. He knew it was becoming increasingly likely that Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara would all turn pro following revelatory seasons out of the transfer portal. Its now widely expected that the Wolverines will produce three first-round picks in a single year for just the second time in school history. "We tried to anticipate the worst-case scenario," Michigan assistant coach Drew Williamson told me earlier this month, "which would be all those guys leaving. And so we kind of put a game plan together for trying to find the best fits that were similar to how we wanted to play. And the guys that we knew were returning, using their strengths to put guys around them [from the portal]." That approach quickly rendered point guard Elliot Cadeau the central figure to Michigans rebuilding efforts even as Cadeau joined some of his teammates in declaring for the NBA Draft, launching into the pre-draft process while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. The understanding among the Wolverines coaches was that Cadeau, who had just completed his junior season, was more interested in gathering feedback from scouts and executives than actually turning pro. Sure enough, Cadeau withdrew his name from the drafts list of early entrants over the weekend, reaffirming his commitment to Michigan. That was precisely the outcome May and his staff envisioned when they observed just how integral Cadeau was to landing the program's latest batch of frontcourt reinforcements: former Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam, former Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella and former LSU forward Jalen Reed. As eager as Cadeau was to work with Michigans coaches in identifying portal targets constantly peppering them with names hed seen and heard the Wolverines soon discovered that just as many high-level transfers were eager to be his teammate. "A pass-first point guard," May told me earlier this month, "thats the biggest sell in todays climate. To not have a high-volume scoring point guard helps the chemistry. When we took this job, we said, Were gonna get a good big [man] and a pass-first point guard. And we were going to try to make sure we have that every year. Everything else, in between, we felt like we could figure out a way to be successful." That Michigans coaching staff coaxed such refinement from Cadeau emphatically squashed any external concerns surrounding both his ceiling as an elite guard and his long-range consistency following two uneven seasons at North Carolina. He completed his first season with the Wolverines averaging a career-high 10.5 points per game while also ranking 11th nationally in assists (5.9 per game) among players from the power conferences. When the stakes were highest as the Wolverines steamrolled one opponent after another during the NCAA Tournament Cadeaus assist rate of 35.3% ranked fourth among guards who reached the second weekend or beyond, culminating in his selection as the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four. Isolating and extracting the things Cadeau and his NBA-bound teammates had excelled at soon became the coaching staffs primary goal once the transfer portal officially opened in early April. May understood that the chances of signing three more future first-round picks were exceedingly slim, especially once the prices for post players began to soar on the open market, but the Wolverines had two seasons worth of data that emphasized the benefits of high-level, fear-inducing positional size. Replicating that formulaseemed like an obvious choice, with Cadeau and fellow returning guard Trey McKenney offering plenty of backcourt continuity from the title-winning group. [THE BLUEPRINT: Michigan Built A Formula Teams Are Racing To Copy] "Our phones are ringing more than they were before," assistant coach Mike Boynton told me earlier this month, "with guys reaching out saying, Hey, were watching what you guys have been able to do with this particular type of player and we have a guy who we think has a similar game, similar skill set, and wed like to talk to see if theres mutual interest." So which of those skills did the coaches believe would mesh most seamlessly with Cadeau moving forward? May told me his early studies of the Big Ten underscored the importance of having quality screeners, a category into which he grouped ex-Wolverine center Tarris Reed Jr. and Purdue standout Trey Kaufman-Renn. That realization led Michigan toward Estrella, who averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds per game at Tennessee, another program known for its physicality and toughness under head coach Rick Barnes. When the Wolverines studied Estrellas high school tape, they saw shooting mechanics solid enough to believe he could eventually expand his repertoire to include pick-and-pop opportunities with Cadeau next season. Then there were the alley-oops, a trademark of Michigans offense whenever Mara was on the floor. Williamson told me the staff identified a handful of transfer centers with the requisite size and mobility to "fit that mold a little bit," even if nobody could quite match Maras monstrous 7-foot-3, 255-pound frame though the Wolverines certainly came close to finding a plug-and-play replacement in Thiam. A former top-60 recruit in the 2024 cycle, Thiam now stands 7-foot-2 and weighs 255 pounds after adding a considerable amount of muscle during stints at UCF and Cincinnati. He averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for the Bearcats last season before head coach Wes Miller got fired. He preempted those numbers with an eye-catching 15-point effort against Michigan in an exhibition game at Crisler Center on Oct. 17. The chance for Thiam to be on the receiving end of passes from Cadeau was exactly what hed hoped to find after back-to-back seasons in which his teams point guards averaged 4.3 assists or fewer per game. "He saw enough, and I think we were able to give him enough evidence that Elliot could be maybe the best facilitator in the country," Boynton told me. "And we [explained to him how] that will make the game easier on you. You will have more baskets where you literally just have to catch it close enough to the basket to lay it in, instead of having to fight against a post defender, making a move and trying to create things yourself through double teams. Youre going to get, probably, two to three lobs per game. Youre going to be able to play in space a little bit more. Youre going to be able to get some throw-aheads because thats the way that Elliot sees the game. "I think that was probably the thing that put us over the top versus some of the other schools that he was considering, is that he watched how we all believe Elliot helped Morez [Johnson] and Aday [Mara] make the game easier and put themselves in the position that theyre in now." For all of those portal additions to unfold while Cadeau was still technically entered in the NBA Draft speaks to the trust that runs from May to his point guard and back again, an understanding that neither side would burn the other. Michigans coaches even went as far as consulting with Cadeau on potential targets, drawing on film the guard himself had studied or opponents he had faced earlier in his career. Eventually, Cadeau began sending names directly to assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen, according to Williamson, because he "wanted to have a little skin in the game." That dynamic made Cadeau the most important figure in Michigans offseason and its bid for a second consecutive national championship. Some of his teammates might be departing, but Cadeau was always intent on running it back. "His clips and his highlights were involved in a lot of our recruiting pitches this offseason," Williamson told me. "I think that was an easy sell."

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Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri has wiped his slate clean, secured a highly coveted main-roster contract, and now he is ready to use an undefeated Russian destroyer as his elevator to the absolute top of the division.The PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym standout returns to face Kiamran Nabati in a high-stakes bantamweight Muay Thai main event at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 22. The blockbuster spectacle streams live exclusively for members on live.onefc.com from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.View this post on InstagramThe 24-year-old Buriram native, who first laced up a pair of Muay Thai gloves at just 7 years old, carries a remarkable 126-36 professional record and an 11-1 promotional ledger into this contest. He enters this matchup riding a spectacular nine-fight winning streak that has firmly established him as one of the most feared bantamweight strikers on the ONE Championship roster.The moment that defined his recent journey came at ONE Friday Fights 137 last December when he landed a lightning-fast head kick to knock out Alexey Balyko a devastating finish that definitively avenged his only promotional loss.That single technique, painstakingly honed in training alongside ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai and his elite teammates, meant far more to the 24-year-old than just a viral highlight-reel moment.Speaking to onefc.com, Yod-IQ reflected on what that massive victory meant to him:In my last fight against Alexey, I was so happy to close the show with that head kick. It wasnt just about the thrill of the win; it was about unlocking everything. He was the only person who had left a stain on my record.Getting that knockout win back felt like I finally cleared my history and have a clean slate again.View this post on InstagramWhat followed the knockout made the evening even more unforgettable.ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong awarded Yod-IQ a six-figure main-roster contract. For a fighter who had fiercely battled criticism throughout his career, it was a moment of pure, unadulterated vindication.He explained:When they announced that the boss just gave me a contract on stage, I was stunned. I was just thinking, Wait, did I really just get it? Before this, I was constantly criticized for having a boring style people said they wanted to turn off the TV when I fought. I had to fight through so much negativity. I believe boss Chatri gave me the contract partly because of that beautiful head kick, and partly because of the fans who cheered so loud when I asked for their support that day.View this post on InstagramNow comes Nabati. The 31-year-old Russian sensation out of Archangel Michael carries a perfect 22-0 professional record and has gone four-for-four inside ONE against world-class Thai opposition.Explosive, precise, and thoroughly tested at the highest level, he is the exact kind of opponent that separates mere contenders from genuine World Title challengers.Yod-IQ accepted the massive challenge without a moments hesitation, and he arrives with a crystal-clear strategy for slowing the Russian powerhouse down.He said:Even though its a massive challenge, I accepted the fight immediately because I want to test my level. Ive already got a plan to handle his punches, but Ill have to force him to be the one walking into me so I dont play into his game. My only real advantage is that Im fresher hes been out for a year, while Ive been fighting consistently. I should be faster, and Im going to throw every Muay Thai weapon in the book at him.View this post on InstagramYod-IQ Has A Message For His Toughest Test YetYod-IQ did not shy away from admitting that the name Kiamran Nabati gave him immediate pause.The Thai standout has built a fearsome reputation for defeating Russian opponents, but even he acknowledged that Nabati occupies an entirely different tier. Studying the challengers footage revealed a technically complete martial artist with very few visible gaps, and Yod-IQ was not about to pretend otherwise.He said:Ill admit, when I heard his name, I was a bit shocked. I thought to myself, Are they trying to keep me from rising up? (laughs). Kiamran is incredibly talented and highly skilled. Hes probably the toughest Russian fighter Ive ever faced.His lead hook is lightning fast, and his combinations are terrifying. I can barely see any weaknesses in his game.View this post on InstagramYet for all the immense respect Yod-IQ carries for his opponent, there is absolutely no confusion about the role he intends for Nabati to play on May 22.The Thai rising star has a direct message for the undefeated Russian, and it is delivered with a smile, and an iron will behind it.He concluded:To Kiamran, Ive always respected you as an idol and a teacher in this sport. But now that were meeting in the ring, I will treat you as an elevator, Im definitely not going to be a walkover. I am the Russian Slayer, and for this fight, Id like to ask you to be the elevator that takes me to the world-class level!View this post on InstagramSource

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