Back in February, I had the pleasure of speaking to the U of M Club of Ann Arbor.

This was the day after Michigan's big road win at Ohio State and just a few days before the first matchup of the year with Michigan State.

Of course, this was also shortly after Dusty May's returned to Bloomington and before the contract extension with Michigan.

So that storyline of, hey, just maybe Dusty May might return to Indiana was still

prominent in college basketball media.

That was quite the backdrop for the other and much more important guest that Monday morning,

Assistant Coach Drew Williamson.

Among Michigan's assistants, Williamson came to Ann Arbor with the least amount of high

major exposure, really none.

Before his three-season stint as an assistant at Florida Atlantic, which, in fairness, of course,

had some high exposure spots with FAU making the final four in 2023.

But before that, Williamson spent almost a decade

coaching at Division II Virginia State. Now, here he was back in February, fielding great,

but challenging questions about the program. Drew was asked about the rivalries and their

meaning to him and to the program. Being asked, will Dusty be at Michigan next year?

How will the Wolverines approach the matchup with Michigan State on Friday?

Truly, I thought he handled it incredibly well,

better than I would have in that spot year one at a program.

And what was cool was later in the week after a practice,

Drew asked me about his performance on that Monday. Even though he's young for his current

standing in college basketball as an assistant at a program like Michigan, Williamson,

like many at U of M, has a keen eye for what will be required at what he hopes to be his next coaching stop,

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