The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING "Jalen Rose is a decent comparison at the high school level, but I call him Magic [Johnson] all the time," he said of the former MSU and Los Angeles Lakers great. "Not in a sense that he's Magic Johnson caliber, but the way he sees the game. Put a little, super-quick guard on him, he can turn on you and put his back on you and thread the needle from 35 feet. Someone closer to his size, he's quick enough to go around him. "We averaged close to 80 points a game, and he's a big reason for it. We have several guys who can run, and he's special at the end when finish- ing. At 6-8, with the body control he has — and then you have to re- spect him passing the ball. It's hard to know whether to stop him or play the pass." Shooting has been the knock on Chatman, but he knocked down tri- ples at a rate of 43 percent this year, taking five or six a game. That's one of the aspects that makes him a great fit at Michigan, Moody said. Another is the Michigan offense. "The way Coach [John] Beilein runs it, it gives structure but free- dom for kids to make plays," Moody added. "There's great balance on the court. It's not cramped, and that's where he'll excel putting it on the floor, setting people up. Of course, if you run some set plays he's a good enough shooter." Columbia Christian is a kinder- garten through 12th grade school with all the kids together, and Chat- man is a role model to the younger ones. "That's the best part of him," Moody said. "Kam has every rea- son to be a prima donna in today's world, in the way a lot of kids view their athletic ability. Kam comes in and fits right in. "One of the comments I've gotten from teachers and administrators is they wish they had him longer, not for basketball but for the kind of kid he is." Soon, U-M's faculty and adminis- tration will find out for themselves. RICKY DOYLE PREPARING FOR MICHIGAN His senior season ended prema- turely with a district loss to rival Dunbar High School Feb. 5, but Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot big man and Michigan pledge Ricky Doyle (6-9, 235, Rivals.com three-star pros- pect nationally) hasn't stopped pre- paring for the next level. Doyle was the center of attention — literally — for just about every team on the schedule this year, but still put up big numbers. "By the end of the year he aver- aged 25 points, 10 rebounds and shot 71 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the free throw line despite every team throwing three guys at him," Bishop Verot head coach Matt Herting said. "He played well, but it's frustrating when you have three guys packed around you all the time. "He just had to be sure he was being patient and getting others around him involved. That was the key all year, getting other guys to hit