|
Ron in his brand new M hat! |
Click to enlarge |
In a day that he has anticipated for more than a year and a half, Ronnie Coleman
finally made his commitment to attend the University of Michigan official when
he signed his letter of intent in front of a number of interested onlookers
in the Romulus media center today. With family, coaches, and teachers by his
side…and donning a fresh new Michigan cap, Coleman’s happiness and
relief were patently obvious. One might expect that the pressure would have
subsided after his early pledge to the Wolverines during his sophomore year.
But as is frequently the case with players of his talent level, Ron was still
targeted by other schools. A number of programs came calling, but there was
only one situation that gave Ronnie brief pause. “Coach Walker (of The
Family) told me that Clemson was offering me, Malik, AND Joe scholarships…as
well as starting positions,” Coleman exclaimed! People were telling us
that we’d be on the cover of ESPN the magazine (laughing)! So, we definitely
thought about it. But I had dedicated myself to Michigan and I didn’t
want to just drop them. I had already told them how much I wanted to come up
there, and that’s the truth. I really do want to go there.” It’s
that type of loyalty that certainly isn’t lost on this Michigan staff.
|
Ron makes it official! |
Click to enlarge |
Now that he has signed, Ron can focus on the upcoming season without any distractions.
He is concentrating solely on helping his squad reach its goals. Most of his
preparation has been centered on strengthening the areas of his game that need
improvement. “I’ve been working on my quickness, speed, defense,
and my ball handling skills,” Ron said. “At Michigan I’m going
to be playing on the wing so sometimes I might have to bring the ball up court
and I’ll have to be able to blow past guys and get my jumpshot off. Those
are the things I’ve been working on the most.” Coach Oats spoke
in depth about the necessary improvements in a conversation I had with him late
last school year. Today he indicated that he has seen visible evidence of the
maturation of his star player’s game. “I have seen improvements
from last year until now,” Oats said. “There were basically two
things that we really concentrated on. One was his strength and the other was
to be able to take guys off the dribble. I wanted him to be able to explode
on his first step. He was a very good shooter and had great touch, but it was
his in-between game that needed work. If they crowded him on the perimeter he
wasn’t really comfortable blowing right by the guy, pulling up, or finishing
strong inside. So he got on the weights early in the spring and he’s up
210 lbs. now, whereas he was 195 lbs. last year. Then, we got in the gym A LOT
in the spring and worked on developing a good hard pump fake, staying low, and
exploding. He’s gotten pretty good. He got a lot stronger so when he goes
two dribbles into the paint, he finishes well. When he goes one dribble, he
pulls up and knocks it down well. So if you crowd him now, you’re going
to pay. If you don’t crowd him, he’s knocking down shots as well
as he ever has. There was an open gym last night and I heard he stayed after
for over an hour and shot 500 shots. That’s just the kind of kid he is.”
|
Coach Nate Oats and Ronnie |
Click to enlarge |
The fact that a player of Ron’s skill level still has the work ethic
to get better is refreshing. The fact that he is still humble despite that talent
is even more so. In the fifteen or so times I’ve seen him play he’s
always been a kid that went out and handled his business without saying too
much. He was a doer rather than a sayer. However, with his roll as senior leader
of this years Romulus squad, Coach Oats expressed a desire for Ron’s words
to resonate as loudly as his play. Apparently Ronnie has taken that to heart
and really relishes his new responsibility. “Last year he was the best
player, but there were some seniors that were good kids…and it was a bit
difficult for him, being a junior,” Oats said. So he was a leader, but
he wasn’t as vocal. He played hard and led by example. We talked about
how this year he was going to have to be a vocal leader, and he has been! When
I need guys at weight training he’ll go and talk to them. When I get on
a guy about his work ethic, Ronnie will come and back me up, and then try to
encourage the kid. He’s doing a great job moving into that roll!”
In covering this young man over the past year it’s become quite obvious
that he is even a better person than he is a player (and he’s pretty darn
good on the hardwood!). Not only that, he takes his academics seriously…sporting
a 3.6 GPA and planning to major in business management. He is truly a player
that will improve the team both on the court and off it!
Check back tomorrow for comments from Ronnie and Coach Oats on their upcoming
season.