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Michigan's Oscar Goodman the latest to stay after Dusty May's departure
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- Michigan's Oscar Goodman the latest to stay after Dusty May's departure
Michigan basketball's flurry of roster activity continues with another key return.
Oscar Goodman, who was the first man out of the rotation during Michigan basketball's national championship run but still saw action in nearly half the games in 2025-26, has decided he will return to the Wolverines next season, according to 247Sports.
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Ricky Liburd and Marcus Moller both decided to stay put in Ann Arbor on Monday, July 6 as well.
Michigan forward Oscar Goodman (5) attempts a free throw against Oakland during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Monday, November 3, 2025.
Goodman played in 16 games last year, averaging 5.2 minutes, 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds a night. He was buried in the frontcourt behind a combination of extreme skill in Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg (all lottery picks in last month's NBA Draft) and a savvy veteran fifth-year forward in Will Tschetter.
An early enrollee during the 2024-25 season out of New Zealand, Goodman was someone interim coach Mike Boynton Jr. cited when he was a guest on the Free Press' "Hail Yes!" podcast earlier this offseason as someone who could take a big step next year.
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"Oscar's been in our program for two years, he knows our system really, really well," Boynton said. "He has an opportunity to be a nice rotational player for us, a guy who fills an energy, rebounding, versatile defender [role] ... think of the energy and versatility that we were able to use Will Tschetter with.
"Shoots it well, brings great energy, tough enough to guard multiple positions, so it gives you great versatility in a system that requires it."
Michigan's been working overtime to keep its roster intact in recent weeks after Dusty May decided to leave for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks in late June. Boynton, seen as the best candidate to keep the roster together, was named interim by athletic director Warde Manuel shortly thereafter. So far it's worked.
Michigan is now just awaiting word from two scholarship players to announce whether they intend to remain in the fold or put their name in the transfer portal: junior guard L.J. Cason (who will spend most of the year rehabbing from a torn ACL) and incoming McDonald's All-American freshman Quinn Costello.
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's Oscar Goodman the latest to stay after Dusty May's departure
