The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/315684
2014 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE could score and shoot and happened to be a good character guy. "I hear he lives in your house," Dawud Abdur-Rahkman recalled Beilein saying. Though humble and quiet off the court, Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahk- man has one trait in common with the boxer for whom he was named — he's not lacking for confidence. He had no doubt he could play at the high ma- jor level if someone would just give him a chance. When Beilein told him they were looking for a two guard who could handle the ball, score, cre- ate and play some defense, he knew he was on the brink of a special oppor- tunity. The 6-4, 180-pounder had done it for four years at Central Catholic, capping his career with a senior year in which he averaged 23.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He earned his fourth-straight Pennsylvania Class AAA all-state selection and was the first four-time all-state pick in Lehigh Valley history. Still, he had a hard time believing it when he was offered and committed MUHAMMAD ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN Shooting Guard • 6-4 · 180 • Central Catholic High School • Allentown, Pa. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State ✪✪✪ — — — ✪✪ — 102 9 ✪✪✪ — 63 8 ✪✪✪ — — — Statistics • Averaged 23.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as a senior in leading Central Catholic to a 29-1 re- cord and the state Class AAA semifinals. • Became Catholic Central's all-time leading scorer with 2,136 career points. • Ranks sixth all-time on the Pennsyl- vania District 11 scoring list and be- came the 10th player to surpass 2,000 career points. Honors • First player in Lehigh Valley history to earn four Pennsylvania Class AAA All-State honors … Twice named a first- team selection (2013, '14) and twice second-team (2011, '12). • Two-time Lehigh Valley Conference MVP (2013, '14). • Four-time Lehigh Valley All-Star Team member (2011, '12, '13, '14). • First freshman named to the all-con- ference team in Lehigh Valley history. They Said It Assistant Coach LaVall Jordan: "He's a good ball-handling guard. He's a win- ner, first and foremost, and that's the exciting thing. He went 29-1 in his se- nior year, so he comes from winning. He complements the guys we already have, and he shoots the ball pretty well. When he gets in we'll see how well, but on the film we saw he made shots." Rivals.com Analyst Eric Bossi: "I saw him a little last summer with a Team Final AAU squad, and he was good, but he didn't play big minutes. There were flashes that, 'This kid's pretty good.' I heard he blew up late in his high school year, so I looked at his film. He's a pretty good athlete, and he can score. Now it's about seeing if he can make quick deci- sions and adapt to the college game."