Blue recruit is clear academically

By Raphael Goodstein

Daily Sports Writer

The newest verbal commitment to the Michigan basketball team, Dommanic Ingerson, a 6-foot-3 guard ranked by most recruiting analysts in the top 25, is academically eligible and has received a qualifying test score.

Ingerson averaged 20.2 points per game last season and 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Monday, Hoop Scoop recruiting analyst Clark Francis said, Academically "he's a question mark, a big question mark. I've heard he might not make the grades."

Ingerson's coach at Santa Barbara High School, Jeff Lavender, disputed this statement. "He has a 3.3 grade point average, and he passed his tests," Lavender said.

Francis recanted: "I was wrong. I didn't know firsthand. I'd never seen his transcript."

Francis also previously said that there are "real attitude questions" about Ingerson.

But the only attitude questions that Lavender had about Ingerson was with his trash-talking at summer camps, which most camp players do.

"He (trash) talked a lot this summer at some camps," Lavender said. "While he was playing for me, he didn't. I wouldn't allow it."

Lavender said that Ingerson's trash-talking stems from a me-against-the-world attitude instilled in him when he was growing up in Oakland, Calif.

Last year, Ingerson moved to the Santa Barbara area, where he now lives with his aunt. Ingerson also knew a friend he played with in All-Star games, who lives in Santa Barbara.

"He'll gravitate to whatever influences he has - good or bad," Lavender said.

Lavender went on to say that since Ingerson began living with his aunt in Santa Barbara, he has gravitated to Lavender.

Even a fresh start didn't make Ingerson want to stay on the west coast for college.

"He wasn't interested in the west coast," Lavender said.

Ingerson considered attending Villanova, Saint Louis and Georgetown.

Ingerson's grandfather and great-grandfather live in Milwaukee and Ingerson anticipates seeing them often.

More recruiting news: Tyson Chandler, a 7-foot-1 center, considered one of the best three prospects in the country, has scheduled only one in-home recruiting visit - with Michigan, Lavender said.

Some expected that Chandler would jump straight to the NBA, but apparantly that decision has been put on hold.

Chandler is from Compton, Calif., and received a "We want Tyson" chant during Michigan's 104-97 loss to Duke last season. Chandler attended the game on his own.

"Obviously, Tyson is a great basketball player," Lavender said. "He and Dommanic would continue to help Coach Ellerbe rebuild."