CanesInSight's Peter Ariz sat down with new Miami Hurricanes point guard Tre Donaldson to discuss his transition to the University and his overall experience at Miami.
Donaldson transferred over from Michigan, where he started all 37 games for the Wolverines, averaging 11.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. In 2024-25.
CanesInSight has you covered. We typed up the full interview transcript and dropped the video link below, so you can either read it here or watch it for yourself.
How have your first few months been here in Miami?
It has been great, it's a very different place, they welcomed me with open arms, and since I've been here, I've gotten straight to work.
What has your mentality been? Stop number three — you have the experience, you have the leadership. You got here real early, and it seems to me like you were kind of setting the tone for what’s ahead with this group.
Getting here early was something I really wanted to focus on. For me personally, I’m trying to make another big jump and get ready for a big year, just keep pushing toward that next level and keep growing my game. In basketball, if you’re not improving, it’s tough to keep playing this game.
On believing Jai Lucas's plan
The biggest thing about coming to Miami was my development and my relationships, not just with the coaches, but with the players, too. I’ve played with guys like Malik and Jordyn with were in the same organization as me at Nightrydas, and Ernest playing against him for a long time, and of us being Florida kids being able to bring that swag back to Miami. It’s also another chance to prove myself. I’ve already won two championships in two of the biggest college leagues, so doing it again in a strong league like the ACC, with a good group of guys and coaches.
On meshing with his new teammates
Just looking at it from a different lens — everybody knows I can play basketball. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t. So just continuing being that leader, being that guy that everybody can look at who’s doing the right things, even when it feels like nobody’s watching. And just showing the guys what it takes to win, ’cause I've done it before, and we got guys that’ve done it before — and just being as constant as possible.
On mentoring younger players
Part of my leadership is just knowing what my teammates do well, and just knowing what's easy for them and trying to make it as easy as possible. And with DA (Dante Allen), a young guy coming into college, it could be somewhat for him mentally, so just making it as easy as possible and just telling him to go score, 'cause he's a very talented kid that can score the ball at a high level. Just being able to see that confidence in him, I feel like that's going to be big for us as a team, 'cause he is going to have to step up in certain moments.
On Miami's coaching staff
This staff is incredible. I have ties to every single one of them, little by little. Coach CY (Charlton Young), being at Florida State, me being from Tallahassee, and being the basketball player I am, I was around him all the time, just being a high-level basketball player at that time, and being around the FSU staff. So my relationship with Coach CY (Charlton Young) has been back since I was seven or eight years old.
And then you got Coach Pastrana, who is a great offensive mind who was a part of the Florida staff that gave me my first college basketball offer. So I mean, that relationship is there. And then obviously Moran, just being that player development guy that I've known for a long time, him being with Nightrydas. And then Coach Lucas, me going to his dad's camp forever and just building the relationship with him.
This staff is really incredible, and I feel like we're going to shock a lot of people.
Early impressions of the squad
I feel like we are going to be a real hard-nosed team that’s going to be able to do a lot. We’re going to be able to score at a high level, but I feel like our biggest thing is we’re going to be able to guard with our length, size, guys that can get in gaps, be handsy, little things like that. A lot of our guys really got God-given gifts when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. Basketball, you’ve got to play offense, but defensively, I feel like that’s where we are going to be able to hang our hat.
Donaldson transferred over from Michigan, where he started all 37 games for the Wolverines, averaging 11.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. In 2024-25.
CanesInSight has you covered. We typed up the full interview transcript and dropped the video link below, so you can either read it here or watch it for yourself.
How have your first few months been here in Miami?
It has been great, it's a very different place, they welcomed me with open arms, and since I've been here, I've gotten straight to work.
What has your mentality been? Stop number three — you have the experience, you have the leadership. You got here real early, and it seems to me like you were kind of setting the tone for what’s ahead with this group.
Getting here early was something I really wanted to focus on. For me personally, I’m trying to make another big jump and get ready for a big year, just keep pushing toward that next level and keep growing my game. In basketball, if you’re not improving, it’s tough to keep playing this game.
On believing Jai Lucas's plan
The biggest thing about coming to Miami was my development and my relationships, not just with the coaches, but with the players, too. I’ve played with guys like Malik and Jordyn with were in the same organization as me at Nightrydas, and Ernest playing against him for a long time, and of us being Florida kids being able to bring that swag back to Miami. It’s also another chance to prove myself. I’ve already won two championships in two of the biggest college leagues, so doing it again in a strong league like the ACC, with a good group of guys and coaches.
On meshing with his new teammates
Just looking at it from a different lens — everybody knows I can play basketball. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t. So just continuing being that leader, being that guy that everybody can look at who’s doing the right things, even when it feels like nobody’s watching. And just showing the guys what it takes to win, ’cause I've done it before, and we got guys that’ve done it before — and just being as constant as possible.
On mentoring younger players
Part of my leadership is just knowing what my teammates do well, and just knowing what's easy for them and trying to make it as easy as possible. And with DA (Dante Allen), a young guy coming into college, it could be somewhat for him mentally, so just making it as easy as possible and just telling him to go score, 'cause he's a very talented kid that can score the ball at a high level. Just being able to see that confidence in him, I feel like that's going to be big for us as a team, 'cause he is going to have to step up in certain moments.
On Miami's coaching staff
This staff is incredible. I have ties to every single one of them, little by little. Coach CY (Charlton Young), being at Florida State, me being from Tallahassee, and being the basketball player I am, I was around him all the time, just being a high-level basketball player at that time, and being around the FSU staff. So my relationship with Coach CY (Charlton Young) has been back since I was seven or eight years old.
And then you got Coach Pastrana, who is a great offensive mind who was a part of the Florida staff that gave me my first college basketball offer. So I mean, that relationship is there. And then obviously Moran, just being that player development guy that I've known for a long time, him being with Nightrydas. And then Coach Lucas, me going to his dad's camp forever and just building the relationship with him.
This staff is really incredible, and I feel like we're going to shock a lot of people.
Early impressions of the squad
I feel like we are going to be a real hard-nosed team that’s going to be able to do a lot. We’re going to be able to score at a high level, but I feel like our biggest thing is we’re going to be able to guard with our length, size, guys that can get in gaps, be handsy, little things like that. A lot of our guys really got God-given gifts when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. Basketball, you’ve got to play offense, but defensively, I feel like that’s where we are going to be able to hang our hat.
