The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from Atlanta by chatting with Michigan basketball father Rhodney Donaldson about his son Tre making the NCAA tourney each year and his predictions for this weekend.
Your son Tre began his career at Auburn (where he was primarily recruited as football prospect): which sport was he best at in high school and which sport did he enjoy the most? He was probably more of a football prospect at the beginning, but became more of a basketball prospect as the summer progressed. I thought football was leading the pack for him, but as he started to have more success with basketball that is when it took over. When he was in high school I asked him to write down his goals for the years ahead and everything had to do with basketball…so I said why are you playing football! I think he always wanted to play in the NBA, but he was also very good at football.
He made a pair of NCAA tourneys with the Tigers: did you get to travel to Birmingham/Spokane? I got to attend both of those tourneys: to see him run out of that tunnel with a smile on his face made me so happy/proud as a father.
Why did he decide to transfer to Michigan, and how weird is it for him to be facing his old team on Friday? We are an Auburn family and he loved it there: he just wanted a bigger role and saw an opportunity to go elsewhere. His decision to leave Auburn was extremely hard for all of us, but he had to do what was best for him.
The Wolverines have a new coach this year in Dusty May: what makes him such a great coach? Dusty and Tre hit it off very fast, both on the phone and during his visit. He is transparent and every 1 of his answers to all of Tre’s questions was exactly what Tre wanted to hear. That is all we could ever ask for, and that is all Tre wanted.
In the Big 10 tourney semifinal 2 weeks ago he scored 12 PTS including a game-winning layup with 0.4 seconds left in 1-PT win over Maryland (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cn7SJpRENc): where does that rank among the best play in Donaldson family history? That might be the best 1! I was there in person, but I do not typically jump up and down or show a lot of emotion. I am so proud of him that I am just stoic/locked in watching him celebrate so that I do not miss a single moment. It is refreshing for me to just sit there and enjoy it.
He is top-10 in the conference with 4.2 APG this year: what makes him such a good PG? His biggest attribute is his ability to make his teammates better. He gets a thrill out of seeing other people succeed by making the right play. He is so happy for his teammates and seeing LJ Cason weather the storm and for Roddy Gayle Jr./Rubin Jones. He has always been a pass-1st guy: when he was small and would score 30 PTS in a game I would sit him down: he hated sitting on the bench so it turned him into that guy.
The team finished the regular season with 3 straight losses but have bounced back to win 3 games in the Big 10 tourney and 2 games in the NCAA tourney: what has changed over the past 2 weeks? I think their confidence has changed. The team will go as far as Tre goes, so if he is bringing the energy/excitement then his teammates will feed off that. It is a new team so everything is a “1st” for them: it takes a while but they are finally turning the corner and starting to understand each other. Their chemistry has evolved/connected.
He is a junior: does he have a post-graduation plan yet? Not yet. Like every other college basketball player, he dreams of playing in the NBA. We will let him keep dreaming and give himself a chance to achieve that goal and play at the next level.
You played basketball at Troy, his mother Stacie played softball at Florida State, and your brother Duke played football at Auburn: who is the best athlete in the family, and who will Duke be cheering for tonight?! I think my daughter Preslee is the best athlete…but Duke is cheering for Michigan 100%!
Any predictions for this weekend in Atlanta, and what would it mean if you end up facing Michigan State on Sunday for a spot in the Final 4? I do not have any predictions, but my heart is pulling for Michigan with everything I have. If they face the Spartans it would be storybook and give us the chance to have the last laugh. I would think Michigan State would have a sense of comfort and feel that we cannot beat them, so we would have nothing to lose and have the biggest chip on our shoulder. I hope we get to that point!
