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Thursday, May 21, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Wake Forest transfer Chaundee Brown commits to Michigan
Just over three weeks ago,
it appeared the recruitment
of
Wake
Forest
transfer
Chaundee Brown was winding
down when he released a final
group of suitors that included
Gonzaga, Illinois, LSU and
Iowa State on Apr. 25.
That didn’t stop Michigan
coach Juwan Howard from
trying to get his foot in the
door. And now, less than a
month later, Brown is heading
to Ann Arbor.
Brown,
who
has
one
remaining year of eligibility,
announced his commitment
to Michigan via Instagram
on Tuesday. He averaged 12.1
points and 6.5 rebounds on
45.6 percent shooting across
23 games last season, with his
most impressive performance
coming in a 26-point effort
against Xavier on Dec. 14.
The Orlando, Fla. native
also declared for the NBA
Draft on Apr. 15, but now
appears set to return to
college. Brown is the third
transfer
to
commit
to
Michigan this spring, joining
Columbia graduate transfer
Mike
Smith
and
former
Purdue guard Nojel Eastern.
In his three years with the
Demon Deacons, the former
top-40
recruit
established
himself as a physical presence
around the rim. Brown’s
6-foot-5, 225-pound stature
will improve the Wolverines’
physicality
on
the
wing,
while his 74 career starts and
wealth of ACC experience
could prove invaluable from a
leadership standpoint.
Though he’s never shot
above 35 percent from beyond
the arc in a single season, he’s
shown an ability to stretch the
floor as a jump-shooter when
necessary and knock down
free
throws
consistently.
That versatility, success and
experience in a high-major
conference should translate
well to the Big Ten.
Like Eastern, who also
announced his intention to
transfer to Michigan last
week, Brown will not be
eligible for the upcoming
season without a waiver. But
given Wake Forest’s decision
to fire coach Danny Manning,
Brown may have a better
case for immediate eligibility,
though it’s worth noting he
entered the transfer portal
prior to Manning’s firing.
If Brown is ruled eligible
for next season, expect him to
carve out a sizable spot in the
rotation. While Michigan’s
biggest needs are backcourt
playmaking
and
defense,
Brown isn’t a conventional
‘2’ guard. His play style
resembles that of a strong
undersized power forward
rather than a shot creator.
That being said, Brown is
more than just an insurance
policy on junior forward
Isaiah
Livers’
impending
NBA Draft decision. Given his
ability to get to the rim, finish
through contact and cash
in at the free throw line, the
Wolverines could easily carve
out a role for Brown in either
of the next two seasons.
Without a waiver to play
this season, Brown would
be a fifth-year senior on an
inexperienced Michigan team
in 2021-22. As of now, the only
upperclassmen on scholarship
for that season will be Eastern,
Brandon Johns Jr., Adrien
Nunez and Franz Wagner, and
there’s a realistic possibility
the lattermost declares for the
2021 NBA Draft.
With the addition of Brown,
the
Wolverines
are
now
sitting at the 13-scholarship
limit for next season. If Livers
returns to school after testing
the NBA Draft waters and
there is no further attrition,
Michigan will not be able to
offer a scholarship to any high
school recruits who reclassify
from 2021 to 2020 or any
more high-profile transfers
that enter the portal over the
summer.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WAKE FOREST ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Chaundee Brown transferred to Michigan, filling its last remaining scholarship slot for 2020-21
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
Gattis ‘nowhere near’ naming starting quarterback
Leading up to last season’s
Citrus Bowl, Josh Gattis
was already planning for the
future.
In the waning days of his
first season as the Michigan
football
team’s
offensive
coordinator, he knew his
offense was only months
away from losing quarterback
Shea Patterson to graduation.
So as the Wolverines zeroed
in on their matchup against
Alabama, Gattis pulled aside
backup quarterbacks Dylan
McCaffrey, Joe Milton and
Cade McNamara to zero in on
a matchup of their own.
“This is the opportunity
right now to start this (starting
quarterback) competition and
compete,”
Gattis
recalled
telling them in December.
In hindsight, that trigger
might’ve been pulled too early.
“It was a little bit unfair
(at the time), because they
still (were) not taking the
reps needed,” Gattis said
during a teleconference on
Thursday.
“They’re
still
taking backup reps because
we had to prepare. Shea was
our starter — there were no
ands, ifs or buts about it. …
But I challenged all three of
those guys to step up in any
kind of way, show me that you
can lead this team, show me
that you can lead this offense.
And I met with them after
practices and I told them,
‘Hey guys, we’ve got to start
now.’
“So just challenging the
mentality
of
those
three
guys. We want a healthy
quarterback competition. We
want a balanced quarterback
competition where we can
give those guys the right reps
needed. We just couldn’t do it
right then in December.”
The Citrus Bowl practices
came and went, as did the
months
of
January
and
February. Soon enough, it
was time for a spring practice
slate that was supposed to
be defined by the much-
anticipated
quarterback
battle.
But
Michigan’s
spring
slate — like every other
program across the country
— was canceled amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, robbing
Gattis of the opportunity to
see McCaffrey, Milton and
McNamara duke it out over
the course of 15 practices.
Though leaving spring ball
with a clear starter never
seemed likely, its cancelation
only added more uncertainty
to the situation.
One
way
or
another,
someone
needs
to
fill
Patterson’s
shoes.
And
without a spring slate to
determine the best candidate,
one would think the natural
next step is an examination of
last season’s pecking order.
Not for Gattis.
“No guy is out front, no
guy is behind,” Gattis said
during a teleconference on
Thursday. “There is no order.
It’s not based on last year, it’s
not based on the depth chart
(from) last year. Those things
are not important. What the
depth chart last year was
irrelevant because we had
one quarterback who was our
starter.”
In Gattis’ eyes, it’s the
same three-horse race for the
job that he envisioned back
in
December.
Ultimately,
one of the quarterbacks will
win the keys to an up-tempo
offense that returns most of
its playmakers.
Now entering his fourth
year
with
the
program,
McCaffrey
has
the
most
experience of the group. He’s
attempted three times as
many career pass attempts
as Milton, even after missing
time due to injuries during
each of the last two seasons.
Milton, on the other hand,
boasts a cannon for an arm,
and
he
showed
flashes
of a high ceiling during
limited playing time in 2019.
McNamara did not see game
action last season, but his
passing accuracy and touch
drew praise as a four-star
recruit coming out of high
school.
Kick all that to the curb.
To Gattis, it’s an even playing
field heading into the summer.
“We’re
nowhere
near
having a frontrunner,” Gattis
said. “We lost our starter,
obviously. We’re in a three-
man competition, coming into
the spring, with Joe, Dylan
and Cade, and no one’s got a
competitive advantage over
anyone. We’re excited about
the guys that we have on the
roster. We’ve got to solve that
question later down the road
when we get the opportunity
to.
“… Every guy is going to get
the right opportunity to go
out there and lead this team.
When we have that answer is
when they’ll know.”
As of now, that answer
remains months away.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Dylan McCaffrey is just one of three quarterbacks vying for starting job
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer