The Wolverine

August 2016

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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  COMMITMENT PROFILE Michigan basketball has added a big piece to its 2017 recruiting class in Kentucky transfer small for- ward Charles Matthews, a former R iv als.com four- star (No. 48 pros- pect nationally in the 2015 class) out of Chicago St. Rita. Matthews saw ac- tion in all 36 games f o r t h e Wi l d c a t s last year and made t h re e s t a r t s , i n - cluding the season opener. He aver- a g e d 1 . 7 p o i n t s and 1.6 rebounds p e r g a m e w h i l e shooting 44.2 per- cent from the floor. "Matthews is re- covering from a re- cent medical proce- dure for a hip issue, but [Kentucky head coach John] Cali- pari said last week that he expected him to be fine and looked forward to him contributing more next season," The Chicago Tri- bune reported in May. Matthews said he gained great ex- perience at Kentucky and thanked Calipari and teammates, but added: "I felt like it was in my best interest to explore other options." "The hardest thing as a coach is to lose a player that you really want to coach," Calipari said in a statement. "In Charles' case, I believe he is go- ing to be a productive college player who has the ability to play at the next level. "I know Charles' best basketball is ahead of him, and while I'm saddened to see him go, I sup- port his decision and will help in any way I can." M a t t h e w s w i l l have to sit a year d u e t o t r a n s f e r rules and will have three years of eli- gibility remaining. He brings a wealth of potential and athleticism to the program, so much that he was rated the nation's No. 12 prep prospect when he initially committed to Kentucky. He has yet to meet the lofty stan- dards that accompany the ranking, but Rivals.com's Eric Bossi said the promise is there. Matthews does boast a 41.5-inch vertical jump and a 6-9 wing span. "He was a big, multi-position guard with athleticism," Bossi said, noting he "absolutely" looks the part Kentucky Basketball Transfer Charles Matthews Enrolls At Michigan Chicago native Charles Matthews played in all 36 games last year at Kentucky and started three times, including the season opener. PHOTO COURTESY KENTUCKY

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