“We’re excited to welcome coach Chatman and coach Kahler to our Titan family,” said coach Alexander. “From the very beginning of our search, we wanted to identify men with an understanding of our University’s mission and vision. In addition, we wanted to find a blend of skills such as teaching the game, mentorship, player development and regional as well as national recruiting connections. Our core values of Unity, Perseverance, Appreciation, Integrity and Diligence were evident in their body of experiences. These men, along with coach Jackson, fit our Titan program 100 percent!”
Chatman is a well known and highly successful AAU coach serving as the Adidas Grassroots Basketball Northwest Regional Director from 1999-2007 and the Nike Elite Youth Basketball Northwest Regional Director for the last eight years. In those positions, he was able to evaluate and develop relationships with some of the top high school and college players, as well as high school and college coaches in the game.
He was the director of the Adidas Superstar Camp from 2002-2007, where he planned and coordinated, in accordance with the NCAA, a five-day athletic and academic skill-building session for 200 elite U.S. and international basketball players.
Chatman has also been the director of the Great Northwest Summer League since 1999, a seven-week skill development basketball summer league for all regional collegiate and professional basketball players, as well as director of the SEI/ Nike Boys Basketball Camp since 1993, which is a one-week life skills camp that uses basketball as the incentive in understanding that “Life has Options”.
“Coach Chatman’s national AAU and high school connections provide a borderless aspect that helps bolster our recruiting efforts at Detroit Mercy,” said coach Alexander. “His deep connections, specifically in Baltimore, Illinois, Northern Indiana and Washington D.C., will prove to be valuable in the immediate future. The fact that he is originally from Chicago provides instant credibility for our program in that area. His ability to connect and mentor young people was something that stood out as well in our discussions over recent years.”
As a collegiate player, Chatman was a standout for two seasons at the University of Portland, earning team MVP honors in 1994 and 1995. He led the Pilots in rebounding both years, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game in 1993-94 and 6.8 in 1994-95, while also topping the team in scoring with 18.3 points as a senior. A two-time First Team All-West Coast Conference selection, he is the fastest person to reach 1,000 points in Portland history needing just 58 games, while his 1,021 overall points is 31st in school history and his 17.3 points per game ranking fifth. He would go on to play professionally for seven seasons in the CBA as well as overseas in Australia, Dubai, Israel, Japan, Poland, Switzerland and Turkey.
Kahler is well acquainted with coach Alexander as they worked together at Ohio University and the University of Michigan.
He spent the last six seasons with U-M serving as the Director of Basketball Operations for the last three years and the team’s video analyst for his first three.
“Pete has been a reliable and tireless worker at various stops in Division I,” said coach Alexander. “His reputation as a clinician and student of the game resonates with coaches throughout the basketball landscape. We value his contacts in Ohio, New England and several Catholic Leagues throughout the Midwest.”
In addition to general administration of the program, Kahler managed the Wolverines budget, scheduling, team travel and training table, as well as assisting in the direction of the Wolverines’ basketball camps. He also assisted the staff with the video operations for the program.
He was a part of some of the greatest years in Michigan basketball history, aiding the program to win a pair of Big Ten championships as well as a Final Four and national runner-up appearance. In his six years, U-M averaged 23 wins per season and made five NCAA tournaments.
Before that, he worked with head coach Tim O’Shea at Bryant and Ohio University. He was the Director of Basketball Operations at Bryant from 2008-10 and was responsible for the program’s video coordination, team travel, the monitoring of player’s academics and directing all of Bryant’s summer basketball camps. As a graduate assistant at Ohio from 2006-08, Kahler helped the Bobcats’ coaching staff with video scouting reports and handling the team’s travel and operational activities, all while serving as the program’s assistant director of summer basketball camps.
The pair joins a staff that includes Director of Program Personnel and Operations Mickey Barrett and graduate assistant Kal Riebau, who were both formally announced last week.
“It’s an exciting time in our men’s basketball program,” added coach Alexander. “The group of men we attracted for our staff all share experiences in Catholic educational circles. What compelled me most in our selections was the understanding of our university’s mission, which strives to provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes intellectually, spiritually, ethically and socially. We wanted men who exemplify a high level of developing young people.”
