11 Thursday, June 22, 2017 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS PHOTO CREDIT/GATORADE Soccer recruit Umar Farouk Osman, pictured with New York City FC’s Jack Harrison, was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Michigan soccer recruit named Gatorade Player of the Year Incoming Michigan soccer recruit Umar Farouk Osman earned the Gatorade National Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year award last week. The 5-foot- 9 midfielder scored 19 goals and added six assists for his Hotchkiss, Conn. squad. Osman will be the second member of the Wolverines from Hotchkiss as well as the second player from Ghana, along with junior midfielder Francis Atuahene. The two played with each other in high school, and Osman is looking forward to joining his fellow Ghanaian once again. “I knew him way back before we came to the United States,” Osman said. “At Hotchkiss we had a great bond. I always looked up to him and I’d go to him for advice. He’d tell what to do and what not to do. “I can’t wait to play with him. He’s a very dangerous player with a lot of pace, so I can’t wait to play with him, connect passes with him and run with him.” Last season, Osman was named the 2016 Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association’s Player of the Year. During the campaign, Osman had a direct hand in 28 of Hotchkiss’ 30 goals. For his career at Hotchkiss, he accumulated 63 goals and 45 assists in total. Osman aims to attend the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at Michigan because he believes it is one of the best in the world. Away from the classroom and on the pitch at U-M Soccer Stadium, Osman is excited by Michigan coach Chaka Daley’s style of play. He’s also encouraged by the kind and welcoming atmosphere Daley has fostered in Ann Arbor. “I like the system he plays with,” Osman said. “He doesn’t just want to attack, attack and attack. He likes to keep the ball, play good soccer and I really like that a lot.” Within that locker room though, is something else that epitomizes what attracts Osman to Michigan — a sign that led him to commit to the Wolverines. It’s a sign that combines his passion for teamwork and friendliness. “There’s a writing that says ‘the team, the team, the team’, and it really speaks a lot to me,” Osman said. “Because everything is about the team. It’s not just about the individual. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. You have to put the team ahead of you before you do anything else.” At Michigan, he’ll look to take those lessons on the field in order to help a team that finished with just four wins last season. With Atuahene by his side and Daley advising from afar, Osman looks like he could be in the right place. AVI SHOLKOFF Daily Sports Writer Osman scored 19 goals for his Hotchkiss, Conn. squad. “It really speaks a lot to me. Everything is about the team.” Michigan adds Muckalt as associate head coach To say Bill Muckalt and Mel Pearson have some shared history would be an understatement. With Pearson — now the head coach of the Michigan hockey team — as assistant coach, Muckalt helped lead the Wolverines to two national championships, in 1996 and 1998, as a player. Then, after a lengthy professional hockey career, Muckalt joined Pearson’s staff at Michigan Tech as an assistant coach between 2011 and 2015. Now, the pair will be reunited once again after Michigan officially announced Muckalt’s hiring as associate head coach Tuesday. “Billy has had great success everywhere he has coached,” Pearson said in a statement Tuesday. “Having won two national championships, he is familiar with the winning tradition of Michigan hockey. “Billy will be a great addition to our staff, and I’m extremely excited to be bringing him back to Ann Arbor. Our players will really benefit from his experience and knowledge of the game.” Muckalt’s rise through the coaching ranks has been remarkable. He began his coaching career in 2006 as an assistant with Eastern Michigan University; in the next four years, he would hold three head coaching jobs — with the Eagles, the Valencia Flyers of the Western States Hockey League and the New Mexico Mustangs of the North American Hockey League, respectively. In 2011, he departed the Mustangs to become an assistant once more — this time under Pearson as he sought to rebuild the Huskies. Under Pearson and Muckalt’s direction, Michigan Tech reached unforeseen heights, posting a nation- best 29-win season in 2014 — its first 20-win season in over 30 years — that also included a No. 1 national ranking and an NCAA Tournament berth. Muckalt left the Huskies in 2015 to become a head coach once more — this time for the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League, where he was also named general manager. In his first year, the Storm won their first-ever championship. Muckalt’s hiring at Michigan appears to round out Pearson’s staff — one with a lot of familiar faces and ties to the program. Brian Wiseman and Steve Shields, both of whom are also prominent alumni, will return after serving as assistant coaches under former coach Red Berenson. “I am humbled and privileged to be back at Michigan — it’s a special place,” Muckalt said in a statement Tuesday. “I’m excited to work with Mel again and looking forward to working with Brian (Wiseman), Steve (Shields) and the rest of the staff. “I can’t wait to start getting to know our student-athletes and helping them develop and help them reach their dreams and goals. I look forward to embracing the tradition and enriching the future of Michigan Hockey.” HOCKEY Muckalt was an assistant coach under Pearson at Michigan Tech for four years ORION SANG Senior Sports Editor “Our players will really benefit from his experience” “I am humbled and privileged to be back at Michigan”