Former UK player Charles Matthews thought for sure he was a one-and-done player when he committed to the Wildcats.
After being humbled during his freshman season in Lexington, Matthews decided to transfer to Michigan.
Now, Matthews is sitting out the season under NCAA transfer rules and preparing for his second run at college basketball.
Great read from MLive.com:
First, graduate from Chicago powerhouse St. Rita’s in 2015. Then, spend one year under John Calipari. Then, go to the NBA.
One. Done. Money.
“For sure,” Matthews said. “No doubt it my mind.”
It’s a Tuesday afternoon and Matthews in on the first floor of the Ross Academic Center at the University of Michigan. He’s in a cubicle in the back of the room, laptop open, getting some work done. The 20-year-old is pursuing a sports management degree from U-M’s School of Kinesiology.
People seem to forget Matthews is here. Not here, in the cubicle, but, here, as part of the Michigan basketball program.
“All the time,” Matthews said, “People will ask, like, ‘Do you play?'”
Since transferring to U-M last June, Matthews has spent the last seven months in relative anonymity. He’s sitting out this season as a redshirt sophomore. He’s deep in the shadows, practicing, working on the scout team. The irony is that, for a program oft-criticized for not landing bluechip recruits, he represents the holy grail that’s usually out of reach. When he committed to Kentucky, he was the No. 11 prospect in the 2015 class, per Rivals, and the No. 3 shooting guard in the country. Under John Beilein, Michigan has never received a verbal commitment from someone with such a lofty ranking, other than Mitch McGary. The program never recruited Matthews as a high schooler. He picked the Kentucky over Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State and Marquette.
Now, Matthews is Michigan’s catalyst in-waiting. As Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton’s careers wind down in a season that’s sliding down the well, some are starting to wonder what the Wolverines will look like a year from now. They consider the program’s three incoming freshmen (Eli Brooks, Jordan Poole, Isaiah Livers) and if they might be able to contribute. They wonder if Moritz Wagner and D.J. Wilson can take the next steps in their development.
The name that’s forgotten is Matthews.
He smiles.
“I feel like I can bring what they’ll be missing,” Matthew said.
