The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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L e Ve r t g a r n e r e d more direct input along the way, speaking with teammates about the decision. They proved patient and encourag- ing, understanding the difficulty of his situa- tion. "I talked to them a lot, whether they wanted to talk to me or not," LeVert said. "They probably think I'm a little crazy, too, because I went back and forth over the past couple of months a lot. "I told them about it. They were with me every step of the way. They were really sup- portive. At the end of the day, my heart was here with Michigan." That doesn't mean he didn't wrestle with the choice, LeVert cautioned. He found himself floating between dream worlds, and looking to make the call between one and the other. "The NBA is a lifetime dream of mine, a lifetime dream of a lot of young basketball play- ers, just playing against the best players in the world," LeVert said. "College is a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity. You don't get a chance to play alongside your brothers every day. "I have a year left, and I think if I'd have left, I may have looked back and kind of re- gretted that decision." There won't be any regrets along those lines. LeVert has a more protracted time to heal up, practice his craft and demonstrate his value for the 2016 NBA Draft, while help- ing push Michigan back among teams to be reckoned with in the Big Ten and beyond. Meanwhile, Beilein has a standout senior, along with a ready-made pair of captains in LeVert and Albrecht. So while the winter of 2014-15 seemed particularly cold for Michigan basketball fans, things are heating up again quickly. ❑ LeVert Could Shoot To The Top Among Beilein's Seniors John Beilein's Michigan teams have featured 10 seniors who came to Ann Arbor on scholarship. While some of them have performed professionally, none of them has appeared in an NBA regular-season game. Caris LeVert appears ready to not only enjoy the biggest senior season of them all, but to take the next step as well. Here's a look at the senior years of his predecessors. LeVert opted to return to U-M despite the fact he was pro- jected by a handful of NBA mock drafts to be selected in the latter half of the first round. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN