Caris LeVert

Caris Coleman LeVert (born August 25, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines.

On January 18, Michigan defeated (#3 AP/#3 Coaches) Wisconsin at the Kohl Center for the first time since the 1998–99 team did so on February 27, 1999.

It was the highest ranked team Michigan has ever beaten on the road.

LeVert contributed a career-high 4 steals and 20 points.

LeVert posted his first double-double on January 30 at home against Purdue with a career-high 11 rebounds and 14 points.

He committed to play basketball for John Groce and the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball program in November 2011.

Meanwhile, when future teammates Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas joined Glenn Robinson III by committing to Michigan in November 2011, Michigan became the fifth best recruiting class in the country.

Ironically, Groce's 2011–12 Ohio Bobcats' upset of the 2011–12 Michigan team in the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was probably the reason that Groce was hired by Illinois and LeVert withdrew his National Letter of Intent to play for Ohio.

The 2011-12 Michigan Wolverines had been co-champions of the Big Ten, but lost both captains, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, to graduation and three other players as transfers.

The team was returning a nucleus of All-Big Ten players Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr..

LeVert arrived at Michigan weighing 162 lbs.

As a freshman, he began the year behind Stauskas, Robinson, Tim Hardaway Jr.., and Matt Vogrich on the depth chart for the shooting guard/small forward positions and did not play in the first six games as a result.

LeVert was a part of an incoming class that included McGary, Stauskas, Robinson, and Spike Albrecht.

Eventually, Michigan head coach John Beilein decided that LeVert had value as a perimeter defender and decided to play him rather than redshirt him.

On December 1 against Bradley Beilein juggled his lineup: Stauskas made his first career regular season start and LeVert saw his first action.

By late December, LeVert became the one-on-one partner for Burke after practices.

LeVert made his first start on December 29 against Central Michigan, when Tim Hardaway Jr.. was unavailable.

The 3 freshmen in the starting lineup—Robinson, Stauskas and LeVert—combined for 48 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists.

That night LeVert tallied 9 points and 5 assists.

LeVert averaged 2.3 points in under 11 minutes of play per game.

As a freshman for the 2012–13 team, he nearly redshirted but earned a key role off the bench as the team went on to reach the championship game in the 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

As a high school senior, he led Pickerington Central to a 26–2 record and the 2012 OHSAA Division I state championship.

LeVert was a 2012 Associated Press All-Ohio Second Team high school basketball player and the 2012 Columbus Dispatch Metro Player of the Year for Pickerington High School Central.

He was not heavily recruited in high school and his only official visit was to Alabama State.

When Groce got hired by Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball in March 2012, LeVert got lost in the shuffle and decided to commit to Michigan.

As a sophomore for the 2013–14 team, he became a regular starter and was selected as a second team 2013–14 All-Big Ten player for the outright Big Ten regular season champions.

His junior and senior seasons were interrupted by injury.

LeVert was originally drafted by the Indiana Pacers but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on draft night.

During his tenure with the Nets he struggled to stay healthy in his first 5 seasons.

He was traded back to the Pacers in 2021 as part of the four-team blockbuster James Harden trade.

He was traded to the Cavaliers in 2022 midseason.

LeVert grew up in Columbus but moved to Pickerington, Ohio in second grade.

One of his teammates at Pickerington High School Central was future Ohio State forward Jae'Sean Tate.

He never scored in double digits as a freshman, but he scored 8 points each in conference wins over Illinois and Michigan State as well as the 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament final four victory over Syracuse in 21 minutes of play.

LeVert's classmates all made names for themselves as freshmen.

During the Spring and Summer semesters (the offseason) of 2013 LeVert and Stauskas trained together on the court and in the weight room.

He followed fellow Columbus native and National Player of the Year Burke as a key contributor to Michigan basketball as a sophomore.

After opening the season with career-highs of 17 points and 5 rebounds on November 8 against UMass Lowell, he posted 24 points on November 12 against South Carolina State.

When Michigan played (#10 AP Poll/ #8 Coaches' Poll) Duke in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge on December 3, LeVert again posted 24 points, including a 7–7 free throw performance.