Wolverines to Celebrate Draft Day by Signing Monroe's Jude Stamper
11/4/2017 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
• Team IMPACT Site
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan David and Meredith Kaplan Men's Basketball Head Coach John Beilein and his Wolverines are joining together with Team IMPACT for a special Draft Day ceremony celebrating the signing of Monroe's Jude Stamper to a National Letter of Intent.
"We are so very pleased to welcome Jude to the Michigan basketball family," said Beilein. "Jude brings great passion and enthusiasm to this program and we are honored to have him on our team. We will continue to work hard toward another championship and know that Jude's presence will be an important part of our journey."
Stamper, a 12-year-old from Monroe, was born with Arthrogryposis Multi-Congenital disorder with Escobar Syndrome. This condition prevents him from getting any normal bend in his joints (ankles, knees, hips, neck, etc.).
After undergoing 10 surgeries at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital throughout his life, Stamper has been a Wolverine since he was born. The relationships formed with his doctors, specialists and therapists created an unbreakable bond and sealed him to U-M from the start.
Joining him at the ceremony will be his mother (Courtney), father (Nate) and three siblings (Parker, Gabriel and Rowan) as well as the entire Wolverine team and staff. He will also become Team IMPACT Michigan teammates with Larry Prout (football), Brendan Randolph (men's lacrosse) and Aiden Hansen (men's soccer).
Driven by a competitive spirit, Stamper is a sports statistics nut and does whatever he can to make it to any sort of sporting event at U-M. Whether it is basketball, football or volleyball, he is sure to be seen in the stands dressed head to toe in Michigan gear.
Stamper is a jazz connoisseur and has played the piano since he was 9 years old. Recently, he started playing the saxophone at school. One of his favorite activities is to listen and jam to jazz in the car while his father drives them around.
The "Draft Day" is facilitated by Team IMPACT, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that connects children facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes.
Children are "drafted" onto local college athletic teams and, in effect, become official members of the team from Draft Day through to graduation. During that time they attend practices, games and social events while forming unparalleled relationships with the student-athletes and coaching staffs.
The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team, from Draft Day to graduation. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage and resiliency they cannot learn in a classroom.
Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,300 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching over 35,000 participating student-athletes.
