Ann Arbor — It’s possible the Michigan basketball team that Mike Boynton Jr. takes overseas for its foreign tour to Lithuania and Croatia this week won’t include everyone on the roster when the real games begin.
That’s because the Wolverines still have a couple scholarships at their disposal and Boynton hasn’t ruled out adding another piece or two ahead of the 2026-27 season.
“We always will be looking for opportunities to improve where we can, from a roster standpoint,” Boynton said Tuesday, two days before the team embarks on its nine-day, three-exhibition game trip.
“If there's somebody that can add value — obviously this is a more unique circumstance than we've ever been presented with before because of all the court cases. But there's no doubt that we're certainly monitoring all these things, and if there's an opportunity to add somebody, we certainly will.”
That said, Boynton hasn’t closed the door on a possible reunion with Roddy Gayle Jr., who spent the past two seasons at Michigan and is part of the 2022 high school class that could potentially be granted a fifth year if grandfathered into the NCAA’s new five-for-five eligibility rule.
“If there's an opportunity for Roddy to be back and he wants to be back, we certainly will have him back,” Boynton said.
Whether that becomes an option remains to be seen, given all the uncertainty and chaos the new age-based eligibility model has created since being adopted in late June. The new model didn’t apply to the 2026 college senior class that graduated a few months ago, which has predictably led to lawsuits around the country, including in California, Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee.
On July 31, Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney of the U.S. District Court in Colorado issued a class-wide preliminary injunction affecting athletes whose standard four years of college eligibility recently ended, which would allow Gayle and others a fifth season. However, the NCAA is actively appealing the ruling and is against having the age-based eligibility rule applied retroactively to qualifying 2022 high school class athletes.
It’s all sparked the hottest topic of the college basketball offseason. While some coaches support 2026 college seniors getting a fifth year and others oppose it, Boynton said he doesn’t have “a strong opinion either way.”
“I'm aware that they would be the only class since 2016 that didn't have an opportunity to play five years,” he said. “The 2016 high school class finished their careers in 2020 when COVID started. Then the next year didn't count against anybody, so all those guys had a fifth year, and then we've started now this year with everybody being able to (play five years).
“So, I would think a fairness play would be that it would be allowed, but I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about things that I don't really have any say over.”
Guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, who both played with Gayle on last season’s national title team, would be in favor of their former teammate getting a fifth season and making a return.
“For sure, I definitely want him to come back,” Cadeau said. “He's a great leader, a great player. He won a national championship. Anybody that won a national championship, we would love to have on the team.
“I hope it's possible. I don't really know (with) the uncertainty of college basketball nowadays. It’s something I can't really touch on or know, but I really hope he comes back.”
Added McKenney: “I don't know particularly what's going on in detail as much as I would want to, but it would definitely be really good for us to have that leadership and have him back because I think he would help us tremendously.”
Gayle, who spent the first two years of his college career at Ohio State, has been an integral part of Michigan’s program the last two seasons. A key reserve, he averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.1 minutes per game last season and shot a career-best 46.3% from the field.
He’s also had several standout performances in the postseason, which earned him the nickname “March Roddy.” During last season’s national title run, he had 14 points against Howard in first round, scored 16 against Alabama in the Sweet 16, and made eight 3-pointers at a 53.3% clip in the NCAA Tournament — after making just 13 deep balls the entire regular season.
“(He) would bring a lot,” Cadeau said. “I think he would come and be one of the leaders of the team, one of the best players, and it would just bring another elite backcourt mate for me.”
After going undrafted, Gayle signed a Summer League deal with the Detroit Pistons, played in four NBA Summer League games in July and was seemingly set to start a pro career.
But all that’s changed now that Gayle might be able to continue his Michigan career depending on what the courts decide.
“In fairness to the kid, if he had known that (there’d be a possibility of a fifth year) and he wanted to come back, maybe he would have considered that before playing in summer league. But that wasn't the information at the time,” Boynton said.
“I would hope that if the rules are changed, then they would say he didn't do anything wrong per se. This wasn't an option, and now it is. We'll monitor it, and if it's an option, we'll certainly explore it.”
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
@jamesbhawkins
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Roddy Gayle Jr. reunion? Michigan basketball open to it if allowed