Lincoln Cosby has not played a single minute of college basketball yet, but the way he talks about his game, as well as his teammates and his future in Ann Arbor, you would never know it.
The highly touted freshman wing suffered an ACL injury early last season and has spent the months since working his way back to the court. In a recent appearance on the Defend the Block podcast, Cosby opened up about his recovery, the freshman class, his relationship with Mike Boynton Jr., and what fans can expect
when he is finally healthy.
Cosby has never dealt with a significant injury before this one, which has made the mental side of the recovery as challenging as the physical side.
“Obviously being away from the court is very difficult,” Cosby said. “It’s very hard, especially being away from something you love. But just I’ve been trying to focus on having a mindset of getting better every day and getting back to that point.”
The silver lining, Cosby said, has been a shift in perspective that he believes will make him a better player in the long run.
“Just realizing that anything can be taken away from you in the snap of a finger,” he said. “Having that in mind at all times just makes you want to go so much harder because you never know when it can be taken away from you again.”
As of late September, Cosby is not yet doing full movement work on the court, but he has been getting reintroduced to live action to start feeling the physicality of the game again. Despite the limitations, his outlook is genuinely positive.
“In terms of how I’m moving and how I feel, I feel amazing, man. Feel great,” Cosby said.
Cosby’s situation took on added meaning recently when fellow freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. suffered a torn ACL of his own while on the European trip in August. That was a gut punch for a program that was counting on the five-star to contribute immediately this season.
Cosby, who knows exactly what McCoy is going through, has made it a point to give him his support.
“With me and Brandon both being in a similar situation and that also be one of my closest friends, just being in his corner,” Cosby said. “But he’s probably one of the most strong and strong minded people I ever met. So just, obviously, he knows just to take it one day at a time, and you have to make the best out of the situation that you have now.”
When Cosby does return to the court, Michigan fans will be getting a versatile, fluid wing with size, athleticism and a high basketball IQ. He views himself as capable of impacting the game in multiple ways on both ends of the floor.
“I would like to think of myself as a player who can impact the game in many facets,” Cosby said. “Whether that’s offensively or defensively. Just being able to be versatile in a system, just doing whatever I can to help my team win. I have all the tools — I’m blessed with height, I’m able to shoot the ball, move and see the game. In a way, I would say is pretty beneficial to me. So just being able to be versatile and being able to just find a role on the team to just help us win. I saw this culture here; this is about teams, so whatever I need to help the team win.”
Cosby has been leaning heavily on veteran teammates to understand what the jump to Big Ten basketball will require. Chief among those has been Jalen Reed — who has dealt with his own injury battles, including an ACL — as well as Elliot Cadeau and others. Strength and conditioning coach Matt Aldred and trainer Chris Williams have also been central figures in his recovery process, and Cosby spoke warmly about both, calling them “amazing people that push me to get better every day.”
Cosby has also bonded with the other freshmen, saying they are “some of my best friends,” and that they are “always together, always doing everything together.” Cosby believes the bond with his classmates will make them all better.
He was also asked about the coaching change and whether the system that drew him to Michigan is still intact.
“Coach Mike (Boynton Jr.) is the truth, man,” Cosby said. “And he was honestly, before I committed, the guy I really had the relationship with. So I have no doubt about it that the culture that Dusty had right here is going to continue to flourish like one hundred.”
Whatever the timeline for Cosby’s return, one thing is clear from this interview: Michigan is getting a thoughtful, mature and genuinely hungry player when he gets back on the floor.
