White Sox share this trait with reigning NCAAM champions

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – When I was told of Morez Johnson Jr. throwing out a first pitch at Rate Field this past Sunday, my first thought was "How can I translate this into a story or a newsletter?"

Johnson was the 9th pick overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, selected by the Dallas Mavericks, for those of you who might not be aware. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound 20-year-old also was an integral part of the University of Michigan men’s basketball team’s recent national title.

For those of you who don't know, I graduated from Michigan during the Ronald Reagan era and remain an ardent fan of their high-level athletic programs. So, of course, there was this obvious angle -- two champion-level Wolverines conversing before the White Sox played host to the Mets on Sunday.

There’s also the CHISOX Athlete program of which Johnson is a part, an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) initiative of the White Sox “created to help empower student-athletes, their voices and careers both on and off the field,” as stated on its web page. I’ve heard nothing but great things from many who are involved as CHISOX Athletes, including the niece of a good friend, who's been a valued member of the program. So, there was another angle.

I ultimately decided to talk with Johnson and play off the direction of our interview. Johnson looked younger than I pictured from seeing him on television, or when I watched the Wolverines live in Las Vegas back in November.

I’m 5-foot-6 on a very good day, so talking to him in the sunlight near the White Sox dugout might have gotten me momentarily dizzy. But I pressed on before Johnson threw out the ceremonial first pitch to White Sox reliever Bryan Hudson.

My first statement to Johnson was the year I departed Ann Arbor with a degree in Political Science, followed quickly by a hearty congratulations on the national championship.

“Go Blue!” said a smiling Johnson in response.

We quickly moved to the CHISOX Athlete program. And while he might not have taken as much out of it as some of the others involved -- with the opportunity available for personalized career mentorship from leading sports executives as well as professional resources from the White Sox -- Johnson was “blessed” to have his name attached.

“A lot of the guys who were CHISOX Athletes, like [former Saint Louis basketball player] Robbie Avila, I saw them throw a first pitch last year,” Johnson told me. “I said, ‘Let’s go, let me be part of that.’ I told my agent.”

Life's focus for Johnson understandably is basketball. But the native of Riverdale, a south suburb of Chicago, and graduate of Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Ill., is a baseball and White Sox supporter through his father.

“That’s my favorite baseball team,” said Johnson of the White Sox. “I’m throwing the first pitch out for the team my dad always talked about when I was younger.”

It took me 1 minute and 10 seconds into the interview to ask Johnson if many other obsessed graduates/fans congratulated him on the championship. Johnson laughed and added he never knew how big Michigan was until he became part of the family.

Here’s where our short talk took an interesting, baseball-related turn.

Michigan finished 37-3 and 19-1 in the Big 10, posting one of the more dominant -- and maybe even a little surprising -- seasons in recent memory. Johnson spoke of how the team fought against each other every day in practice, and how they had a team full of starters, whether it was the actual starters or the second unit.

This explanation reminded me somewhat of the 2026 White Sox, where everyone has contributed to the team’s American League Central leadership with 30 games to play.

“We had a great group of guys to help us mature over the years and keep us humble,” Johnson added.

Michigan men’s basketball thought about a championship at the earliest stages of this past campaign, even with a number of new faces, such as Johnson, in the mix. If that mantra sounds familiar, well, it could be transferred over to the White Sox.

They believed this season could be special as far back as SoxFest in January.

“Even when I went to Davis’ [Martin's] ranch [from Nov. 17-21], we were talking about that,” right-hander Sean Burke told me on Tuesday. “I live with Colson [Montgomery] in the offseason [in Nashville], and we are out with some of the guys in the [training] facility from around the AL Central.

“Other guys on the Royals and Twins, we were talking about we could be a really good team, they were kind of giving us [grief]. They thought we were joking around saying that. But now they see that’s the truth.”

Some doubted the Wolverines and look what happened. The same could hold true for the White Sox.

It looks as if I found my angle.