Monday, June 8, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
11l
Grady trades court for field
By RUTH LINCOLN
Daily Sports Writer
Kelvin Grady may have left the
men's basketball team, but he didn't
go very far.
An Athletic Department spokes-
person confirmed Thursday that
the former Michigan men's bas-
ketball point guard has joined the
football team and is working out in
the Wolverines' summer condition-
ing program. Grady played two sea-
sons under Michigan coach John
Beilein and will have three years of
remaining eligibility.
The Grand Rapids native earned
all-state honors as a senior at East
Grand Rapids with over 2,000
yards and 28 touchdowns, and
would likely play slot receiver
under Michigan coach Rich Rodri-
guez. The Wolverines have avail-
able scholarships, and the quick,
able-bodied former point guard
could fit in well with Rodriguez's
system. Or could he? Check out our
breakdown and decide for yourself.
THE GOOD
ALWAYS THE PLAN
When Grady verbally committed
to Michigan under former men's
basketball coach Tommy Amaker
on Jan. 30, 2006, Grady wasn't just
signing a one-way ticket.
But after garnering all-state
honors on the gridiron his junior
year of high school with 1,716 yards
and 19 touchdowns, his verbal sig-
nature was loaded.
"Before, when you asked me if I
wanted to play basketball or foot-
ball, I said, 'Basketball, no ques-
tion,' " Grady told the Grand Rapids
Press in 2006. "Then came foot-
ball season, and I had fun, and I
thought, 'Maybe I would like to do
this, too.'
"Italkedaboutthiswith(football
coach Lloyd) Carr and (basketball
coach Tommy) Amaker, and they
are both down with it. So I decided
to do it. It is a great opportunity for
me to do it. I feel like I have been
doing both sports my whole life,
why not in college, too?"
Of course, Grady ended up
focusing solely on basketball, but
Rodriguez can't complain about
a guy who intended to be the first
to play football and basketball for
Michigan since Tai Streets did in
1996-97.
WATCH ME RUN
Slot receivers who excel in a
spread offense often have a knack
for making things happen in open
space. Sophomore Martavious
Odoms will likely be the top slot
receiver in Michigan's home opener
on Sept. 5, but Grady has the talent
to potentially challenge Odoms.
Although he sat on the bench
for the latter half of the Wolver-
ines' best season in more than a
decade, Grady's best attribute was
his speed.
Breaking defensive traps and
opponents' full-court pressure
came naturally to Grady. After the
Wolverines beat Minnesota 74-62
on Feb.19, Grady was asked what he
thought of the Gophers' full-court
pressure. His answer was clear.
"Oh, I love it," Grady said. "That's
when I smile."
TH ENOT-SO-GOOD
MESHING WITH RICHROD
We've all heard at length how
difficult it is to master Rodriguez's
spread offense in the first season, .
and the Wolverines have last sea-
son's 3-9 record to prove it. Will
Grady skip that transition period?
History says probably not.
As a freshman, Grady struggled
to learn Beilein's system - evi-
denced by his turnovers and poor
shot selection. And even with a
year under his belt, Grady never
developed into a consistent point
guard. Beilein put him in the start-
ing lineup for eight straight games
(beginning with his uplifting per-
formance in Bloomington), but
after that his minutes dwindled
significantly.
Grady may struggle initially,
but having experienced receivers
like Odoms nearby could make the
transition a little easier.
IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY
Grady will have to deal with his
transition to the Big House in the
fall, but his older brother could be
dealing with bigger problems.
Last month, a Wyoming District
court judge jailed Kevin Grady, a
fifth-year senior tailback, for seven
days for ,a probation violation.
Grady was serving probation due
to a drunk driving conviction last
July.
Grady paid his court fines but
otherwise, "did none of those
things," said Chris Kittman, a court
administrator for the Wyoming
District.
Grady served five days last
month, and his status with the
team is still uncertain. But accord-
ing to his father, the accusations of
violating his probation are false.
"Those are not correct - those
accusations are not - that he did
not fulfill any of his obligations,"
Kevin Grady Sr. told WTKA 1050
on May 28. "He had to have it done
before his probation was done in
July, and Kevin did complete three-
fourths of it. Those accusations are
not right."
Before Kelvin decided to offi-
cially try his hand on the gridiron,
the Grady family drama was epic
See GRADY, Page 12
Sophomore Kelvin Grady left the basketball team in April due to playing-time issues
4"_'
U,-,,~IKI
Scooters starting at $995