Profile Of Lester Abram

Lester Abram, a 6-5, 188 pound swingman from Northern H.S. in Pontiac, Mich., recently spoke in depth with the Insiders Report about his decision to recommit to Michigan.

Abram, a lefty with bouncy athleticism (recovers well on leap), impressed this summer with his ability to score on the drive or from beyond the arc. He's got great body control, uses alert fakes and quick moves to gain advantages on defenders and has a knack for drawing contact and getting to the free throw line.

Abram averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game as a junior at Pontiac Northern. He said he has a 3.1 GPA, and attained a score of 18 on the ACT as a freshman in high school.

Here is the transcript of our interview with Abram, in Q&A form:

Insiders Report: Lester, you had made an early verbal commitment to Michigan, then pulled it back after a coaching change at the Big 10 school. After some time, you recommitted to the Wolverine program. Can you talk about your indecision and your eventual college choice?

Lester Abram: I went up there [Ann Arbor] and had a one on one conversation with Coach Amaker. I was kind of scared to recommit, because I did not know if he wanted me or not. But then when I went up there, he made it clear that he still wanted me. He came to a couple of my practices and saw me play. I just like what he was talking about doing for the program and what my role was going to be. And that's where I really wanted to go, and he really wanted me. So that's where I'm going.

IR: Were you upset initially that Coach Ellerbe got fired?

LA: I was kind of upset, because he got caught in an unfortunate situation, with all of the kids being bad. He could not help that -- he was just caught up in it. Things happen. But it happened for the better this time, because I think Coach Amaker is going to Michigan to the top.

IR: Can you talk about your initial thoughts on Amaker getting the job, and then your thoughts after finally meeting him?

LA: My initial thoughts were that I liked what he was doing at Seton Hall. I watched them closely this year. I like what he is talking about doing, because they did not play yet. This season, I think they [Michigan] are going to do better and have a better record. They'll be over .500, which they should be, and maybe top 25 in the country. Back again like they were when they were the Fab Five.

IR: Was there anybody else that was in the picture seriously, besides Michigan?

LA: Michigan State and Indiana. Indiana wanted me to come here, and I was kind of interested in them because of the coach saw me play at Boo Williams. Illinois, Iowa State and Iowa -- mostly all of the Big 10 schools.