Women's Swimming
vs. Eastern Michigan
Friday, 7 p.m.
Matt Mann Pool
SPORTS
Men's Swimming
vs. Ohio State
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Matt Mann Pool
The Michigan Daily Wednesday, February 13, 1985 Page9
3
The Neffer:
Daily Photo by STU WEIDENBACH
Michigan defenseman Mile Neff stickhandles past Illinois-Chicago's Mike
Rucinski last weekend at Yost Ice Arena. Neff's leadership and solid play
have made him one of the Wolverines' most reliable contributors this
season.
By MIKE REDSTONE
Every time Mike Neff has skated onto
the ice since he started playing hockey
at the age of seven, he has concentrated
on a single aspect of the game - defen-
se.
And now, after 15 years of playing
organized hockey, including four as a
Michigan defenseman, Neff still plays
with one over-whelming theme in mind
-- give 100 percent on defense every
day.
"I HAVE ALWAYS basically been a
defensive defenseman," said Neff. "I
just try to give a consistent 110 percent
all the time. I never really worried
about getting points."
In fact, while the senior has scored
only 12 goals while wearing a Michigan
uniform, he has been a starter on the
defensive unit since being recruited by
former head coach John Giordano in
1981.
AND THIS season under first-year
coach Red Berenson, the West Bloom-
field native has established himself as
the leader on a defensive unit on which
he is the only senior.
In less than a year as Michigan
coach, Berenson has devised his own
opinion of Neff's determined playing
style. "Mike has patterned himself as a
'lunchpail defenseman'. He comes to
work every day and he comes to play
every day."
Although Neff may not pack his lunch
every day before practice, he still con-
centrates on picking up new tricks of
his trade and on teaching the younger
defenseman what he has learned in his
years at Michigan.
"I LIKE TO think of myself as a
leader on the ice," said Neff, who
shares the alternate captain duties for
the Maize and Blue with Paul Kobylarz.
"I also want us to have a sense of pride
in our defensive unit."
Neff's linemate on defense, Gary
Lorden, feels "the Neffer" is a
strengthening force on a defensive unit
which has often been inconsistent this
season.
"He is definitely a leader on defen-
se," said Lorden, a freshman from
Warwick, R.I. "He tells me what to do
and I try to listen to him. He's been here
four years and he knows what's going
on a lot better than I do.
"ME AND MIKE are pretty close. I
look up to him and he helps me out a lot.
We sometimes stay after practice and
work together."
Because Neff does not inspire his
teammates by scoring a lot of goals, he
hopes his physical style of play can help
fire up the team when it is down during
a game.
This year alone, the 6-0, 202-pounder
has leveled Michigan State's Craig
Simpson, the CCHA's leading scorer,
with a vicious right hook because "he
cross-checked me from behind.
IN ACTION last week against Illinois-
Chicago at Yost Arena, Neff charged
the Flames' bench after a UIC player
Senior defenseman
1s leader on the ice
job is to keep the other team off the mer NHL player and coach h
scoreboard." him become a better hockey
Against Illinois-Chicago, Berenson his last year of organized hoc
handed Neff and Lorden one of the "n
toughest jobs available - keeping the "e oachid change has
nation's top-scoring line of Ray me tons," said the economi
Staszak, Colin Chin, and Mike Rucinski me play my game. He has co
off the scoreboard. The
senior/freshman duo came through as meadta oiecshw
they allowed the high-scoring line only improved play.
one goal in the series.
"I loved playing against their top With only four regular seas
line," said Neff. "If we shut their best left on the Michigan schedu
line down that has to be good for our final goal is to make the CCH
team." for only the second time in
DESPITE playing under Berenson years at Michigan.
for only one year, Neff thinks the for-
EVEN IF THE Wolverin
make .the playoffs, Neff.
second-guess his decision
Michigan.
I like to think of myself
as a leader on the ice. I
try to stir things up by
hitting - by leading by
example.'
- Mike Neff
"I think it's a great school and in, a
couple of years will have a great hockey
program" said Neff, who also had 'a
scholarship offer at Notre Dame. "I
decided to play close to home so my
parents could see me play as often as
possible."
While Neff leaves his home of the last
four years to pursue a job with Proctor
and Gamble, his leadership and deter-
mination will most likely be implanted
in an improved, but still young, defen-
sive unit.
4l
d
has helped
player in
key.
benefited
ics major?!
ence to let
nfidence in
s up in my
son games
ule, Neff's
A playoffs
n his four
.es do not
does not
to attend
MICHIGAN
BASKETBALL STATISTICS
G-S FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct REB-AVG
Tarpley ...........................
Joubert ...........................
Grant .............................
Relford ...........................
Wade ..............................
Rockymore ........................
Henderson ........................
Thompson .......................
Stoyko .................... .....
Gibas ...................... ......
DeGlopper ........................
21-21
20-20
21-21
21-21
21-21
19-0
20-0
21-1
16-0
7-0
4-0
158-291
119-244
125-221
89-157
64-128
46-86
39-90
36-72
4-10
1-6
0-1
.543
.488
.566
.567
.500
.535
.433
.500
.400
.167
.000
91-120
55-77
41-49
56-71
28-52
27-37
22-33
23-31
6-10
0-0
0-0
.758
.714
.837
.789
.538
.730
.667
.742
.600
.000
.000
207-9.9
64-3.2
65-3.1
85-4.0
162-7.7
32-1.7
79-4.0
30-1.4
10-0.6
1-0.1
0.0.0
A Pts Avg
40 407 19.4
114 29314.7
102 29113.9
4 23411.1
14 156 7.4
27 119 6.3
11 100 5.0
46 95 4.5
2 14 0.9
1 2 0.3
0 0 0.0
on the bench grabbed at Doug May's
uniform. The result - a near-bench
clearing brawl and six penalties. After
that third-period donnybrook, however,
the Wolverines scored two goals and
beat the Flames,4-3.
"I try to stir things up by hitting - by
leading by example," said Neff, who
rushed for 987 yards on the Brother
Rice football team which won the Class
A state championship in 1980. "I don't
usually start things but I'm not going to
take anything either. I think I'm at my
best when I'm playing physical."
Despite mixing it up on more than one
occasion this season, Neff has earned
the respect of his coach and his team-
mates.
"HE'S MADE UP for lack of talent
with determination," said Berenson.
"He's not an offensive defenseman. His
MICHIGAN ....................... 21 .681-1306 .521 349-480 .727 792-37.7 361171181.5
OPPONENTS .................... 21 615-1242 .495 249-341 .730 611-29.1 293 147970.4
"'tNp Miohigras
BAT L'sOF Hr-' rne !
t3Q LS O T, Bup fear oal club~
BATTLOF V .RsreC r id More'
r LE OF TH Dbtp5 gdates accstdessor~
F 13pIDS oat uC
cL Von~s atbe n ~chi
Q 0p _ ,,ilk e ept at 163'
V !o :pN jj nUFbraY1
BIG TEN STATISTICS
Scoring Leaders
Vincent, MSU .............
Stokes, Iowa. ..........
Skiles, MSU.............
Blab, Ind ..................
TARPLEY, MICH .........
Alford,Ind...........,..
Roth, Wis..................
Davis, Minn ...............
Olson, Wis .................
JOUBERT, MICH........
Shasky, Minn ..............
G FG
11 91
10 84
11 92
11 89
11 77
10 -74
11 80
10 77
11 77
11 73
10 58
FT Pts Avg
57 239 21.7
35 203 20.3
36 220 20.0
35 213 19.4
54 208 18.9
41 189 18.9
46 206 18.7
26 180 18.0
21 175 15.9
23 169 15.4
38 154 15.4
eb Avg
6 9.6
0 9.1
8 8.9
9 8.9
4 8.2
WADE, MICH .........
Wright, Iowa ..........
Weber, Wis..........
Bullock, Pur........
Montgomery, IIll...
11
10
11
11
9
83
71
77
77
62
7.5
7.1
7.0
7.0
6.9
Field Goal Percentage
G FG
Blab, Ind .............. 11 89
Shasky, Minn ..........10 58
Bullock, Pur ........... 11 64
Skiles, MsU ........... 11 92
Roth, Wis .............. 11 80
I
Johnson, OSU
Sellers, OSU.
TARPLEY, M
Stokes, Iowa.
Payne, Iowa
Rebounding Leaders
G Re
U ......... 10 9
11 10
WICH ..... 11 9f
........... 10 8
........... 9 7
FGA
142
102
117
169
147
FTA
42
38
67
32
47
Alford, Ind
Stokes, OSU
Vincent, MS
Davis, Minn
Shasky, Min
Pct
.627
.569
.563
.544
.544
Pct
.953
.868
.851
.813
.809
Free Throw Percentage
G FT 1
............ 10 41
i........... 11 33
SU ......... 11 57
........... 10 26
n.......... 10 38
"
t
G
1
More people
have survived
cancer than
now live in
the City of
Los Angeles.
We are winning.