Kornacki: LeVert Discusses Why He Decided to Stay the Course at Michigan
4/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Caris LeVert is going to experience something few college basketball players with NBA futures ever do. He's going to play his senior season for the University of Michigan.
It was a difficult decision that caused him to play a mental tug of war. He said he thought about what his late father, Darryl Wayne LeVert, would be telling him. He thought of his mother, Kim, a first grade teacher, and his younger brother, Darryl Marcus, who played college basketball just up the road in Flint. His Wolverine teammates and coaches stayed in the front of his mind, too.
But in the end, at some point during the weekend, the factors pulling the "stay" side of the rope won out.
"I went back and forth a lot over the last couple months," LeVert said Tuesday (April 21) in an interview with MGoBlue.com. "And a couple days ago, it was, 'This is what I am going to do. I'm going to stay here.' "
LeVert was an All-Big Ten second teamer as a sophomore and was a pre-season All-Big Ten first team selection going into his junior year. However, he broke his left foot on the final play of the Northwestern game and his season was over after 18 games, and speculation began over whether or not he would leave early for the NBA Draft.
What brought him back?
"There were a couple of factors," LeVert said. "First, there was the feedback I got from the (NBA) advisory committee. But the biggest thing to me is that this is where my heart was throughout the whole process. I went back and forth a couple of times, but at the end of the day it felt like this is where I needed to be, and this was where I was going to be happiest."
What makes LeVert happy about being here?
"There are a lot of things to be happy about," he said. "First of all, the team, we're like brothers. We do everything together. And it's going to be great winning championships with this team again next year. And then the coaching staff -- they really embraced the fact that we're getting better every game. They are great coaches and great mentors to us. And the third thing is just getting closer to graduating. I'm really close right now, and I'm working toward it every day."
LeVert, enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, said he is on track to graduate next spring.
His mother, back home in Columbus, Ohio, was the first person he told of the decision.
"Being a school teacher," said LeVert, "my mom was extremely happy -- she was really happy. She was one of the people I talked to when I was going back and forth. She's just happy I found peace of mind with the decision."
He thought his father would be proud of his decision, too. Caris and his younger brother found their father, his heart having given out, on that Easter Sunday morning in 2010. And while they lost the man who influenced them most, he's never far from their thoughts.
"I was thinking of him," said Caris, "and thinking of what he would want me to do. And he was somebody who always preached to me and my brother to stick things out and to not really quit on anything."
LeVert's voice lowered while emphasizing his father's words.
"The NBA would've been great," LeVert added, "but I'm really close to closing out here, and this is the right decision for me."
Caris said his brother, Darryl, is finished at Mott Community College in Flint and seeking a four-year school.
"I'm not sure what he's doing," said Caris, "and so it didn't factor into the decision at all."
LeVert ended up leading Michigan this past season with a 14.9 scoring average, and his 269 total points were surpassed only by Zak Irvin despite missing 14 games. LeVert averaged 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals -- setting career bests in all four statistical categories.
But he spent the last two months on the sideline, offering tips to teammates and riding a push scooter around. Now the scooter and protective boot are discarded, and LeVert said he'll be 100 percent by sometime in May.
"It was tough," LeVert said. "Going out in the middle of the season was a horrible experience for me. Was I supposed to be mad about it? Am I allowed to be mad about it? I know I'm supposed to be here cheering on the team, but it's tough. But after a couple of weeks, I took pride in trying to instill confidence in the guys and telling the guys what I saw out there. I tried to be that other voice for the team and keep them motivated."
And so LeVert, who at times can be quiet, grew as a leader.
He will return with roommate and fellow co-captain Spike Albrecht, who is recovering from hip surgeries but expected to be completely healthy next season.
"This will be an incredible opportunity for us," said LeVert. "It's an incredible honor, and we're both extremely honored and blessed to be in this situation. We're really excited to lead this team. Last year, you saw how we grew despite all the hardships we overcame. We saw young guys like Muhammad (-Ali Abdur-Rahkman) and Aubrey (Dawkins) really stepping up, Kam (Chatman) stepping up, and Zak really just growing up and playing as great as he did down the stretch.
"And to bring us all together with Spike healthy and Derrick (Walton Jr.) healthy, that will be a great team we have coming back."
Wolverine head coach John Beilein said LeVert could play either guard position or small forward -- labeled the 1, 2 and 3 positions on the court. The 6-7, 200-pounder from Pickerington (Ohio) Central also is a strong defender.
"I'll play wherever coach sees fit," said LeVert. "I'm comfortable being out on the floor, and really excited to be out on the floor again. Whatever position doesn't matter -- I'll play the 5 (center) if I have to. I'm just excited to play.
"There are a lot of areas I can improve in. The area that's still growing is my strength. And I can get more efficient in my jump shot, get my shooting percentage up. It's repetition, mechanics and seeing how I can get the shot off quicker."
The Wolverines (16-16) hope to return to the form of LeVert's freshman season, when they reached the NCAA championship game, and sophomore year, when they reached the Elite Eight. But last season they had to deal with three injured starters and lost four overtime games in the Big Ten.
What will it take to return to the top?
"We have to be hungry to win those games," said LeVert. "We were extremely close, and that's good and everyone wants to give us moral victories. But we're not about that. We want to win those games next year. We want to be the best team.
"It was especially hard missing the tournaments, the NIT and the NCAA tournaments. Man, that's disrespectful. This is Michigan. And I feel all the guys on the team feel that exact same way. We feel like we have a chip on our shoulders."
When we finished talking at a lounge in the Crisler Center, LeVert had about 30 minutes before a press conference. He walked down the stairs to the practice courts and shot baskets, a smile crossing his face.
This was the right decision, no doubt.
