The Wolverine

May 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MAY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 27 he could no longer light up the score- board. "Integrity is about following through on our commitments and doing what we said we would do even when our circumstances change," Hatch said. "He didn't have to honor my scholar- ship. The NCAA would have under- stood. It's a unique situation. "He recruited me to be a basketball player. I can't play basketball any- more. But he said you make a promise to someone, offer them a scholarship, you honor that." Beilein did, and Hatch will never forget. "It's just incredible, having spent four years learning from him — learn- ing about life, how to lead teams, how to lead people," Hatch said. "I'm ex- tremely blessed. There's no better place to spend four years, especially given the circumstances, obviously since I can't play. "He hasn't really treated me any different because I can't play. One thing I'll say about Coach Beilein is, he serves players' hearts and not their talent. He doesn't have lower stan- dards for me. Different standards, but not lower. He asks that I do what I do to the best of my ability. Perform in classroom, lead the team, fill a role I can fill. I do that to the best of my ability." Beilein has a top-10 recruiting class coming to Michigan for next season. He'll expect — make that demand — the best of them, regardless of their circumstances. Those close to him say he's enjoying coaching as much as he ever has. He's more relaxed, with greater perspec- tive. One loss can't ever derail him, because there's so much more to be gained. "The Big Ten championship drives me," Beilein noted, decidedly Bo-like in his assessment. "If you win a Big Ten championship, in any way, then you can win a national championship. After that, it's about breaks and any- thing can happen. "That's how I want to be judged at Michigan. We compete for Michigan. Did we compete for Big Ten champi- onships? That's how I term our suc- cess." Others want more, for him. That's a sure sign you're doing something right. "We love Coach, and we really wanted to win this for him to get that first championship," insisted moist- eyed freshman Jordan Poole follow- ing the title game. "That's one of the hardest parts about this, because we know what it would mean to the fans and everybody at Michigan, but espe- cially for him." Don't worry, Beilein assured. And nobody should. ❏ • Jay Wright, Villanova head coach (via USA Today): "When you're a head coach all those years, you watch every program he builds and are just impressed with the same character, class, dignity at each school. "When someone is a head coach, you kind of know who they are and you watch what they do. You watch them at Le Moyne, Canisius, Richmond, West Virginia, Michigan. "You saw the same consistency, qual- ity of character, quality of players he recruits, class of his team on the court, off the court." • Dennis Dodd, CBSSports.com: "This tournament, this game, needs John Beilein. "Oh sure, there are other good guys who are likeable and have clean repu- tations. But their numbers are shrink- ing faster than the tuna population. "In both cases, there are too many sharks. Michigan's coach has walked the walk again. In a sport of charlatans and blowhards, in a sport of millennial power brokers and unrepentant mil- lionaires, John Beilein literally rolls up his sleeves each night. … "He has produced his share of college short-timers and pros, but there was always a certain class about it. This off- season, before the FBI investigation had even taken over the college basketball landscape, rival coaches named Beilein the cleanest coach in the game as part of CBS Sports' annual Candid Coaches poll." • Tweet by senior Austin Hatch: "Thank you Coach B for being the man you are. You have the highest level of integrity I have ever seen. Shown not only by your commitment to me, but also by how you lead our team every day. You set an ex- ample of what servant leadership looks like. Character Wins." • Nick Baumgardner, The Detroit Free Press: " This is the best coach- ing performance of Beilein's career. It's the best coaching performance by anyone running a program in America this season. … " There are no five-star prospects here. [ Junior for ward Moe] Wag- ner has NBA potential, and [redshirt sophomore guard Charles] Matthews might get there with more polish. Who knows with some of the first- or second-year players. But this is a de- veloped group that fits together per- fectly. And it's a team that has pushed Michigan's program into a situation most thought impossible a decade ago. "In 2007, Beilein took over an injured, once-great program that had spent a decade being irrelevant. No one was opening the door for Michigan to re- turn. Not Michigan State up the road, not Ohio State, not anyone in the Big Ten or anywhere else nationally. The arena was dingy back then. The recruiting profile was non-existent. "Now, here they are. Four Sweet 16s. Three Elite Eights. Two Final Fours. Two Big Ten titles. Two Big Ten Tournament titles. A consistent, clean, basketball program, highlighted by a team that defied logic to make its latest run. Michigan basketball: Still finding a way." — John Borton What They're Saying About John Beilein Michigan has gone 15-2 during the last two postseasons under Beilein's watch. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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