2014 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE
on the spot April 19.
"It's what I was aiming for, but it
feels surreal," he said. "I never really
thought I'd play for Michigan or a
team of that caliber. It's what I worked
toward, but I never thought it would
happen."
Neither did Central Catholic head
coach Dennis Csencsits when Beilein
called him while both were at the Fi-
nal Four, Dawud Abdur-Rahkman re-
called. It wasn't that Csencsits didn't
think his player was good enough, but
few people had seen the Rivals.com
three-star prospect nationally due to
his remote location an hour north of
Philadelphia.
Pitt, Penn State and Boston College
tried to get involved after U-M did.
Rising junior Caris LeVert, though,
helped convince Abdur-Rahkman that
Beilein and staff could benefit him the
same way he had been helped.
"We both don't talk that much, but
I did play against him in AAU once,
and he was good," Abdur-Rahkman
recalled. "He was killing us, and I
was wondering who he was being re-
cruited by. Nobody had heard about
him, but I knew then he was a good
player."
Soon he hopes people realize he is,
too. Once overlooked, he hopes he will
be an early contributor on a program
that he's kept an eye on.
"It's my brother 's favorite team,"
he said. "We'd even watch games to-
gether sometimes.
"I always liked how they didn't al-
ways get the high-major recruits, just
players who knew how to play and
would turn them into great players.
What I was trying to do was find the
best fit, and I found it at Michigan." ❏
