If Michigan basketball was going to have the chance to win another national championship, the Wolverines needed to bring back Trey McKenney for his sophomore season.
While McKenney told reporters that he was going to come back last month, you can never say never, especially after he was outstanding in the NCAA Tournament.
McKenney averaged 12 points per game and made 48 percent of his 3-point attempts, including a 3-pointer in the final two minutes against UConn that will live on forever.
That actually might have caused some Michigan basketball fans, myself included, to wonder if McKenney might explore the NBA draft. However, that worry ended on Friday as McKenney is coming back this season, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
The 6-foot-4, former five-star recruit played exactly the way you'd expect this season. He averaged 9.9 points per game and shot 39 percent from 3-point range, leading the team with 68 triples.
Elliot Cadeau announced his return on Thursday, which came on the heels of Dusty May's first commitment from the transfer portal, which came from Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella, a 6-foot-11 F/C who averaged 10 points per game in just 18 minutes per game.
Trey McKenney's return should have Michigan back in national title contention
Even though Yaxel Lendeborg was hobbled in the last two games, he was a huge reason the Wolverines won the national championship. It helps to have one of the best players on the court.
That's what Trey McKenney can be next season. He has shown plenty of signs already. The 16-point game against Arizona, when someone needed to step up in the absence of Yaxel, was a great example of what Trey can do.
Not only is he a ridiculous 3-point shooter, but he can get his own shot, create for others, be a plus defender, and be a playmaker. McKenney just scratched the surface this season.
The rising sophomore will need to take his game to the next level, but that's exactly what he's coming back to Michigan to do.