The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1111798
LIFE-CHANGING COACH John Beilein's impact on his players goes far beyond the basketball court. Departing redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews may have illustrated it best at the annual team banquet when he relayed a story from early on in his tenure in Ann Arbor. "I first showed up to Coach Beilein's office wearing a wife beater with a hat cocked to the side, and he was like, 'What are you doing?'" Matthews remembered. "He taught me so much about being a Michigan Man, and I'd run through a wall for him. I appreciate you, Coach." Every player that has gone through Beilein's program probably has a story like that, one of the many reasons the veteran mentor was honored at the Final Four with the John Wooden "Keys to Life" Award for outstanding character and leadership on and off the court. Beilein was introduced by former player Austin Hatch (left) and is the second with U-M ties to win the annual award, which began in 1998, following former U-M star and No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cazzie Russell, who was be- stowed the honor in 2016. "What he does is not as important as how he does it," Hatch said of Beilein. "Independent of the great records we've had or the championships we've won, I'd like to talk about why Michigan is such a special place. "It all starts with the leadership of Coach Beilein." Hatch went on to explain that despite a plane crash taking away much of his playing ability, Beilein "never wavered" about Hatch's U-M scholarship. "I think Coach B honored my scholarship because he saw it as the right thing to do," Hatch said before an emotional Beilein took the stage to accept his award. "He always told us — more importantly, always showed us — to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do. … You led by example, Coach. "You've done more than just help others. You've changed lives." PHOTO BY MARK FIERST THE BIG PICTURE