Danny Wolf

Daniel Wolf (born May 5, 2004; דניאל וולף) is an American-Israeli college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Yale Bulldogs, where as a sophomore in 2023-24 he was a first-team All-Ivy League selection, the 2024 Ivy League men's basketball tournament MVP, and led the Ivy League in rebounds and in blocks per game. He competed for Team Israel at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship, winning a silver medal, and was named to the all-tournament team.

Early and personal life
Wolf was born in Glencoe, Illinois, in the United States. His father is 6' 8", and his mother is 5' 10". His oldest brother Josh played basketball at Lehigh University, and his other older brother Jake plays basketball at Washington University in St. Louis. He is 7 feet (2.13 m) tall, and weighs 255 pounds (116 kg).

High school career
Wolf attended Northfield Mount Hermon School, where he helped the team reach the finals in both the NEPSAC Triple-A championship and the national prep championship. Under his leadership, the team was ranked number 11 in the country for the majority of the season. Additionally, he received a McDonald's All-American Game nomination, and was a three-star recruit. He committed to Yale University for his collegiate career because of the elite combination of academics and basketball that the school provided.

Yale
In his freshman season at Yale University, Wolf primarily played for the Bulldogs as a backup to forwards EJ Jarvis, Isaiah Kelly, and Matt Knowling averaging 2.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks. His best performances came in the final two games of the regular season, where he averaged 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks. After the season, he received Yale's John C Cobb Award, which is given to the team’s rookies of the year.

At the start of his 2023-24 sophomore season, Wolf moved into a starting role and became the focal point of the Bulldog’s offense. On November 19, 2023, he posted then-career-highs 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in an overtime win over Gardner-Webb University. Wolf’s play earned him Ivy League Player of the Week five times, including three straight from January 23, 2024, to February 12, 2024. During this stretch, he averaged 17.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and .8 blocks and led the Bulldog's to an undefeated record. Wolf was just the seventh player in Ivy League history to earn five Player of the Week awards in a single season.

In 2023-24, Wolf led the Ivy League with 310 rebounds, 247 defensive rebounds, 9.7 rebounds per game, and 1.3 blocks per game. He scored 14.1 points per game (10th in the league), and had 43 blocks (2nd), 63 offensive rebounds and 176 field goals (3rd), a .472 field goal percentage (4th), and 33 steals (10th). He earned unanimous first team All-Ivy and National Association of Basketball Coaches District 13 first team honors, and was named the most outstanding player at the Ivy League tournament.

Michigan
Following the 2023–24 season, Wolf transferred to the University of Michigan on April 20, 2024, to play for the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Conference.

Team Israel career
While from Glencoe, Wolf’s Jewish background and heritage allow him to compete for Team Israel as a naturalized citizen. In his first national-level competition, Wolf represented Israel at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece. Playing for Israel men's national under-20 basketball team he averaged 17.7 points (2nd in the tournament), a tournament-high 12.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game (9th), leading Team Israel to a second-place silver medal, and was recognized for his stellar play by being named to the all-tournament team.