Michigan basketball 'can't put a price tag' on what Will Tschetter brings to team

Michigan basketball ‘can’t put a price tag’ on what Will Tschetter brings to team

Posted by author February 6, 2025 Basketball

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Another Michigan basketball lead had nearly evaporated, yet there he stood on the sidelines, pumping his arms in the air, encouraging the Crisler Center crowd to stand up.

Will Tschetter, the senior forward and heartbeat of the Wolverines, was the first player standing along the U-M bench. Almost immediately, the rest of his team soon followed his lead, pleading with the fans to come to life and help the defense create a stop, up by just two points in the closing minutes of Wednesday’s pivotal Big Ten contest.

On cue, seconds later, Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad threw the ball out of bounds for a turnover. The visitors never had the ball with a chance to take the lead again.

It wasn’t easy, but the Wolverines downed the Ducks, 80-76, needing every one of Will Tschetter’s season-high and game-high 17 points in the process.

“He had 17 points in 16 minutes, so very efficient player,” Danny Wolf said as he looked at the box score shortly after his 10th double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) of the season. “But outside of basketball, just his energy, his charisma, his leadership, it’s invaluable.

“You can’t put a price tag on it, we’re lucky to have him to say the least.”

On the court production

Though he may be most valuable off the court, what he does on it is pretty good, too.

Tschetter checked into Wednesday’s game with the Wolverines down a couple points. Less than 40 seconds after stepping on the court, though, he drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing. Soon after, he had a swing pass to an open Nimari Burnett, who hit a 3 to gave U-M a 13-9 lead.

After a nice drive to the bucket where he absorbed some contact and finished the layup, Tschetter got a swing-pass from Tre Donaldson and drilled yet another 3 from the top of the key to force an Oregon timeout, before adding a layup on a nice slip after a pick-and-roll with Wolf to give U-M a nine-point lead with 4:10 left in the half.

“I was excited to coach the human Will Tschetter more than the basketball player, from what I’d heard from the previous staff,” head coach Dusty May said. “He’s helped us win so many games this year.”

Tschetter showed it again less than 30 seconds into his second-half stint, when he grabbed an offensive rebound and added a putback layup, then did the same thing again just more than two minutes later to give Michigan its largest lead of the game, 64-50, with 12:21 to go.

Tschetter added three more free throws at the 10:59 mark to get up to 17 as he finished 6-for-9 from the floor with three rebounds.

“He played tough,” said Vlad Goldin, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds. “He was hurt at some point but even with that, he came away with a loose ball, and not many people can do that.”

A shining example

Over the weekend, the Minnesota native played just 10 minutes against Rutgers, a last-minute decision to even make the trip to New Jersey while battling through an illness.

Since putting up back-to-back 13-point games in early December, Tschetter had reached double figures just once — in 15 points in the Wolverines’ visit to his home state on Jan. 16 — but he has been the team’s shining example since the beginning of the season.

“We were watching film (after a game early in the season) and coach May told us he spoke with the opposing coaching staff and they were going to watch a few things on film,” Wolf said. “One of the things was just all Will Tschetter clips because the only thing he cares about is winning.

“I think it’s pretty evident to see. … I think it today’s day and age, you don’t have a lot of that. To have that is so invaluable and he’s a leader in more ways than just that.”

He’s one of just three Wolverines in the main rotation (along with Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr.) who’ve been through a full Big Ten season and can detail the grind for players new to high-major play, such as like Wolf or Goldin.

Though U-M doesn’t officially have captains under May, Tschetter has taken over as leader — not bad for a reserve who plays just a tick more than 15 minutes per night.

But that’s who Tschetter has become, even beyond the player shooting 53.8% from the floor, 40% from long range and a solid 80% from the free-throw line: A leader, a go-to guy, and the person who gets not only the team going, but the crowd when it’s crunch time and the team desperately needs a stop.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a better teammate,” May said. “Maybe some are as good, but it’s nice to see him rewarded for the work he puts in. His consistency and his approach are impressive.”

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.