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Michigan men’s basketball head coach Mike Boynton Jr. speaks at his introductory press conference at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
On Monday morning, Mike Boynton Jr. spoke to the local media in a press conference setting for the first time as the head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball program. Among the many topics he talked about during his half-hour session was the health status of two newcomers.
Let’s start with LSU transfer Jalen Reed, who suffered an Achilles injury last November in a non-conference game against Drake. He was ruled out for the rest of the season, making it the second straight year he suffered a season-ending injury (he tore his ACL in December of the 2024-25 season). He played in just six games last year and averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
There’s no exact timetable for when Reed will be 100 perccent, but it sounds like he is well on his way considering he hit a pretty big milestone during practice on Tuesday.
“Jalen Reed is going non-contact (Tuesday) for the first time since he’s been here,” Boynton said. “He’ll be out there with a group of people now. It’s been more individual shooting on the side. He’s been with our trainer a lot, so today he’ll get out there and he’ll be on the court with four other people and cutting and jumping. There will be other bodies around him, but he just won’t be screening and blocking out and stuff like that.”
Reed was one of three players the Wolverines brought in via the transfer portal this offseason, alongside big men J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam. Boynton’s belief is that Reed will, at the very least, “provide us some depth inside.” That’s a spot the Wolverines don’t have a whole lot of college experience at, so it will be imperative that Reed returns to full health sooner rather than later and is ready to go once the season rolls around.
Reed spoke with Tim McCormick on Hail Media’s “GO BLUE HOOPS” about his recovery back in May, and his progress at that time sounded encouraging as well.
“I feel great,” Reed said. “Obviously I’ve had to pivot in the rehab, switching locations, but I’m back on track with rehab, man. I’m in a good spot for where I can be, being five months (after surgery). And I’m on the court getting these shots, working on my game as much as I can, in the weight room … So I feel good. I’m in a good place for rehab.
“I’m probably gonna feel really good. I’ll probably be playing basketball by the time opening night comes, but I don’t know if I’ll be suiting up on opening night. I don’t want to make any promises.”
Hopefully Reed’s recovery continues to trend in the right direction and he is able to play at the start of the regular season in the fall.
Meanwhile, another bit of a question mark on the roster right now is freshman center Marcus Moller. You may remember that the 7-foot-3 Danish big man was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in January before being deemed cancer-free in May.
Moller made his much-anticipated arrival to Ann Arbor on Monday night. Since Michigan’s medical staff hasn’t had a chance to check in on him just yet, Boynton was unable to reveal a whole lot about Moller’s health status.
“I probably shouldn’t speak on Marcus’ situation yet,” Boynton said. “He literally just showed up here yesterday and I don’t even know if he’s seen our doctors. Obviously he’s got a unique situation, so I probably should just hold on commenting on him until at least I know what our doctors feel about where he is. Maybe get back to you on him.”
It would not surprise if Moller takes a season to acclimate to the college game and learn behind the players in front of him, but Michigan fans should be excited about his future prospects. Moller averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game and shot 55.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three in 2024 at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket.
While there are still plenty of questions surrounding Michigan’s front court as of this writing, Tuesday’s updates offered reasons for optimism. Reed’s return to on-court work is an encouraging step toward what he and the Wolverines hope will be a healthy and productive season. Moller, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to settle into the program as the staff evaluates his recovery. Both players’ progress will be worth monitoring as we inch closer to Boynton’s first season as head coach in Ann Arbor.
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