Michigan shocked the college basketball world on Tuesday night when they picked up a commitment from Kameron Chatman, a top 30 recruit, according to Rivals.
Chatman, a Portland, OR, native, picked the Wolverines over Oregon, USC and Arizona, among others. He had just taken his final official visit to Arizona this past weekend, but John Beilein scheduled an in-home visit for Tuesday night and brought his entire staff -- Bacari Alexander, LaVall Jordan and Jeff Meyer -- with him. That was enough to convince Chatman to pledge to Michigan.
Chatman is a 6-foot-7 wing forward with a pretty solid all-around game. He can score off the dribble, he has range to the three-point line and he’s an impressive passer for someone his size. His athleticism isn’t quite there yet and you can still see a bit of the awkwardness in his gait that comes with a teenager growing into his body, but the potential and the talent is evident.
This is a good pickup for the Wolverines.
This past season was not one that Chatman would want to remember. He transferred to Long Beach Poly to play for his Godfather who just so happens to be his AAU coach, but a rule in California HS basketball is that transferring to play for a travel team coach means you have to sit out for a year. Chatman did that. He also stirred up a bit of controversy when he coach subbed him into a game in which Poly was losing by 20 with a minute left to prove a point.
Chatman joins Ricky Doyle and Austin Hatch in Michigan’s Class of 2014.