The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN IN THE PROS after inking a two-year, $8 million contract (with $4.5 million guaran- teed) in March. The veteran started 13 games last season (including the last 11) and played in 15 in replac- ing the injury-prone Blaine Gabbert, throwing for 3,241 yards with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Henne started all four of the Jag- uars' wins last season, completing 60.6 percent of his passes. He called Jacksonville his "first choice" after he inked the deal. "[Henne] was really committed to Jacksonville and he has a good comfort level here," Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said. "He likes the community and likes the city and wanted to be a part of this as we grow." Head coach Gus Bradley called re-signing Henne "very important" given the quarterback's knowledge of offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch's system. "We talked about Chad being a top priority right after the season and now to get it done prior to free agent starting, I think it opens up some other options for us," Bradley said. Henne enters spring camp as the Jaguars' No. 1 quarterback and is ex- pected to start fall in the same capac- ity (Gabbert was traded in March). NFL NOTES Former Michigan receiver Jason Avant, released by Philadelphia in March, visited New England in mid- March, ESPN.com reported. Avant has played his entire eight-year ca- reer with the Eagles after being se- lected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Avant has notched 297 catches for 3,646 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career. Last season, he had 38 recep- tions for 447 yards and two scores. The NBA TIM HARDAWAY JR. HELPING LEAD KNICKS OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS The New York Knicks, consid- ered one of the NBA's moribund franchises at the beginning of the year, have become a team to be reckoned with, and former Michi- gan guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is a big reason why. Hardaway helped lead the Knicks on a six-game winning streak from March 5-15 following the team's seven-game losing skid from Feb. 21-March 3. The rookie and former Wolver- ine was averaging 10.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game through March 17. During the win streak, he was scoring at a clip of 15.2 points per game. He poured in 28, 20 and 22 points in the last three, shoot- ing 63 percent or better in all three wins while coming off the bench. The Wall Street Journal reports he's the first rookie reserve to accomplish that since 2010. Knicks head coach Mike Woodson decided to play Hardaway next to Iman Shumpert, the team's best de- fensive wing, and the move paid off. "It's fun, because we give a lot of energy, and that's what we were hoping for," Hardaway said. "We