The Michigan Daily- Sports Tuesday- January21, 1992 - Page 5
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BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Coaches guide 'M'
into rigorous year
by Ryan Herrington
and Jeff Williams
Daily Basketball Writers
In this the information age, it is only fitting that we take some time and
get to know what the Michigan women's basketball team is all about.
Starting from the top.
Michigan head coach Bud VanDeWege enters his eighth season at the
Wolverines' helm. Having compiled an 86-112 overall record and a 38-88
Big Ten record, VanDeWege has the third longest tenure of active Big Ten
coaches. He was named Big Ten coach of the year in 1990 when his team
finished 20-10 and went to Michigan's first NCAA tournament. The
Wolverines lost in the second round to North Carolina State.
First-year assistant coach Nikita Lowry is no stranger to the Big Ten.
Having played four years at Ohio State, Lowry was a member of three Big
Ten Championship teams. She was a Kodak all-American and a member of
the Big Ten's all-decade team. Lowry was the Big Ten scoring leader in both
1988 and 1989. After her college career she played one season of profes-
sional basketball for Bari, Italy.
TAKING THE HIGH ROAD: Last Friday's game against No. 11
Northwestern marked the Wolverines' fourth contest versus top-15 ranked
opponents in the Last six games. The Wildcats easily defeated the
Wolverines, 83-57.
Michigan faced No.15 Washington in the Seattle Times Husky Classic
over winter break and lost, 67-62, but bounced right back to defeat then-No.
11 Western Kentucky, 77-73, to take.third place. It marked the Wolverines'
first victory over a team ranked that highly in the polls.
Michigan's next contest was its Big Ten opener against No.10 Purdue, in
which the Wolverines were defeated, 85-68.
In addition, the Wolverines play 15 of their 28 games against teams that
saw postseason action in 1991.
MORE TOURNAMENT NEWS: The Wolverines had two all-tourna-
ment players in the Husky Classic. Char Durand and Trish Andrew were
among the five players named by the coaches and the media during the break.
Durand led Michigan in scoring in both games, scoring 19 against Wash-
ington and 21 in the Wolverines' victory over Western Kentucky. In that
game, she set new tournament records for free throws in a single game (11-
14) and free throws attempted for the tournament (20-25). She sank four
free-throws in the final seconds of the Western Kentucky game to ice the
victory for the Wolverines.
Andrew set a career-high in rebounds with 20 in the Wolverines' loss to
Washington. She set tournament blocked shots records for a single game (7
against Washington) and overall blocked shots (10). Andrew also con-
tributed 15. points against Washington and 18 against Western Kentucky.
Junior forward Nikki Beaudry tied Michigan's free-throw percentage
record with an 11-11 performance against Western Kentucky.
SHOOTING WOES: Thus far in the 1991-92 season, the Wolverines
have shot under 40 percent in seven games out of 11, winning only one of
those contests.
TOP OF THE HEAP: Michigan has three individuals among the confer-
ence leaders in statistical categories. Andrew leads the conference in re-
bounding with a 12.1 average and in blocks with 4.3 per game. Her 4.3 also
leads the entire nation.
Beaudry leads the league in free throw percentage at 84 percent. Leah
Wooldridge is the conference's most accurate shooter from three-point
territory, shooting an even 60 percent. She hit on a Wolverine season best
with three three-point shots in Michigan's 67-58 victory over Indiana
State, Dec. 21.
A LITTLE OLYMPIC FLAVOR: Five Wolverines participated in the
1991 Olympic Sports Festival tryouts. Among them were Andrew,
Nuanes, Shimmy Gray, LaTara Jones and Valarie Turner.
INJURY UPDATE: Jones, a sophomore forward, saw her first action of
the year in the game against Washington. She had been sidelined with a dis-
located knee and spent the first month of the season in rehabilitation.
Sophomore forward Michelle Hall is still sidelined by a broken bone in
her right foot. Hall suffered the injury after playing only two games.
Against Central Michigan Dec. 3 she made six steals, which remains a sea-
son high for the Wolverines.
HITTING THE BOOKS: Junior Jen Nuanes was the third Michigan
basketball player ever to receive academic all-Big Ten honors when she re-
ceived the honor in 1991.
Trish 1
Andrew lights
by Tim Spolar
Daily Basketball Writer
Sunshine.
While Ann Arbor residents
haven't seen much of the sun lately,
one need only attend a women's
basketball game at Crisler Arena
to catch a few of her rays.
So far this season, Trish
Andrew has been the brightest spot
for the Wolverines in a somewhat
turbulent season. Yet the name
'Sunshine' is nothing new to An-
drew. She has heard it for quite a
while.
"I nicknamed her Sunshine a
long time ago, and if you hang
around her for a while you can see
why," Daniel Andrew, one of her
five brothers, said. "She's always
laughing, just cutting herself up
and laughing about it. It just really
describes her personality."
Andrew, a 6'2" junior, starts at
center for the Wolverines. An hon-
orable mention all-Big Ten selec-
tion last year, Andrew is the
team's leading returning scorer and
rebounder. Andrew is also Michi-
gan's all-time blocked shots leader,
having led the conference each of
her first two years.
This season, Andrew has been
dominating in every game Michi-
gan has played. She is fourth in the
conference in scoring, first in re-
bounds, and first in the nation in
shot blocks, swatting over five
each game.
However, Andrew is not the
typical 'big' player. She prefers the
three-point shot to a low post
hook, but is deadly no matter
where she shoots from. While the
Wolverines have other scoring op-
tions, none have been as consis-
tently dominating.
"(Trish) is such a great player,
especially in her shooting," team-
mate Jen Nuanes said. "We've come
to expect consistent great play
from her. For example, she has this
habit of yelling 'off' after she
shoots, to let us know that she
thinks she's missed. When we hear
that, we know it's going in and we
don't even go for the rebound.
Hopefully some of her game will
rub off on the rest of us."
With ability like this, and the
numbers to back it up, an attitude is
nearly inevitable. However, An-
drew is the exception that forces
one to say 'nearly.' Her trademark
off the court is an outgoing, ami-
able personality, a far cry from the
prima donna personna that so often
enshrouds athletes of this caliber.
"Off the court, she just has a
tremendous personality and atti-
tude," Michigan coach Bud Van-
DeWege said. "She stays loose and
has a great sense of humor. I think
she's really got a good balance in
her life."
Yet, from speaking with An-
drew, one wouldn't even know
ets the sun shine in
up Michigan on and off the court
she's on a varsity team. She is mod-
est to the point that when one first
meets her, the modesty seems
nearly false. Asked to list the
strengths and weaknesses of her
game, Andrew rattles off fault af-
ter fault before conceding that she
"can shoot a little bit." Those
closest-to her, however, insist that
her modesty is entirely genuine.
"She is very self-critical and
very modest," Daniel stated. "If
you talk to her, she never thinks she
is great; it is just her personality
and it has always been that way."
exciting to hear."
This desire to be the absolute
best brings an intense, unforgiving
style of play on the court, almost
as if she expects perfection every
time she touches the ball. Andrew
will bury five 18-footers consecu-
tively, but show no emotion while
running the court back to her de-
fensive position. However, after a
missed shot or a lost rebound, An-
drew is furious with herself all the
way down the court.
"You see Trish and you don't
expect her to be a fierce competitor
t
r
t
s
t
I
letes.
"We had a very athletic family.
My father put us in every sports
program that existed," Andrew
said. "We could pick any sport we
wanted. I swam and played basket-
ball, but you just had to be activein
something.
"Originally, I played lots of
sports, but I eventually narrowed
it down to swimming and basket-
ball, and I chose basketball."
The choice came at an age when
Andrew was able to see that the
advantage of her combination of
natural gifts and competitiveness
could take her a long way in the
game she loved.
"When you're by far the tallest
one out there, starting in the fifth
or sixth grade, it makes it easier to
excel," she said. "You feel like it's
something you could be good at if
you kept working. I just took hold
of the advantage and used it to my
benefit."
Andrew did continue to work
through junior high, and began to
reap the benefits in high school.
After transferring to New Trier
High in the suburbs of Chicago,
Andrew's star began to shine as a
junior. However, her senior year
was one that most prep stars can
only dream about. She was named a
high school all-American after she
led New Trier to a 29-2 mark be-
fore bowing out in the champi-
onship game.
With such accolades under her
belt, Andrew was one of the few
athletes to have their choice of col-
legiate programs. Her reasons for
choosing Michigan speak strongly
of both her character and her accep-
tance of the present realities of
women's athletics.
"I saw a lot of players basing
their choice just on the school's
basketball program," she said. "I
realize as a female athlete that I'm
going to school and that I should
take advantage of the fact that
someone is going to pay my educa-
tion. However, I realized that there
is nothing out there (athletically)
for me after I graduate. Sure I'd
like to be on a team that was guar-
anteed NCAA tournaments. But at
the same time, I knew that the
most important thing I'd do in col-
lege is get an education, because
that's going to help me in the fu-
ture."
While an education may be of
primary concern to Andrew, it is
her personality that is most impor-
tant to those around her.
"Basketball is a game for her
and something she enjoys," Daniel
said. "We just want her to keep en-
joying the game and never look at it
as a burden or a job.
"If Bud ever takes the smile off
Sunshine's face," he chided, "then
he'll have to deal with the broth-
ers."
Andrew
The self-analysis may stem
from a burning desire to compete
and win. While she shrugs off per-
sonal statistics as meaningless and
focuses nearly every ounce of en-
ergy into the good of the team, the
drive to be the absolute best has
given her a few goals to chase.
"I look at personal achieve-
ments like if it happens, that's
great, but it's not what I'm after,"
she said. "Sort of the icing on the
cake idea. (Assistant coach) Nikita
(Lowry) walked in this year and
said 'Hey, this is what I want from
you and I know you can do it. All-
Big Ten first team this year, all-
American senior year.' That was
because of that pleasant de-
meanor," VanDeWege said. "She
takes things easy, but she's a fierce
competitor and I think that' s the
side of her most people don't real-
ize. She really battles and doesn't
back down from anybody or any
game situation. She's very tough."
That toughness may come from
being the second-youngest of seven
siblings. Growing up with four
older brothers who went on to
compete in collegiate athletics
(three in swimming and one in bas-
ketball), friendly games of one-on-
one provided Andrew with bigger,
better competition - the sharpen-
ing stone for all developing ath-
CAGERS
Continued from page 1
Franke, who finished with 20 and 15
points respectively, the Badgers
pushed the lead to as large as 27
points in the first half before going
into the lockerroom ahead, 49-28.
"It was a great first half," Wis-
consin coach Mary Murphy said.
"Mynette really picked it up
(today) and I thought Barb re-
bounded well. We need to start get-
ting some people into double fig-
ures in rebounds."
To their credit, the Wolverines
did not stop playing in the second
half as they continued to search for a
lineup which would score. Michigan
was able to trim the lead down to
14 with five minutes remaining in
the game before Wisconsin re-
grouped and made sure there would
be no surprise comebacks today.
"We tried to slow down the
tempo and lull them in the second
half and we got the lead to 14,"
Michigan coach Bud VanDeWege
enough about Trish Andrew," Mur-
phy said. "She's the best center in
the Big Ten."
If Sunday's performance was
ugly, then Friday's 83-57 thrashing
by Northwestern was even worse.
The Wildcats executed a zone press
to near perfection, outscoring
Michigan 26-4 in an eight-minute
span early in the first half.
The Wildcats constantly forced
Michigan ballhandlers to pick up
their dribble and throw errant
passes to Wildcat defenders, as evi-
dent in the fact that Michigan had
26 turnovers and Northwestern ac-
cumulated 20 steals.
"I don't think we've executed
the press that well all season,"
Wildcat point guard Moira Ken-
nelly said. "1 know, being a guard,
that the press can be so discouraging,
especially when you can't even get
the ball inbounds."
When the Wildcats weren't scor-
ing off the press, they were able to
set up a half court offense which
exploited Michigan's zone with
shooting from the floor.
"I think Northwestern is under-
rated athletically," VanDeWege
said. "Certainly (Savage) is one of
those people. She's so smart and an-
ticipates so well."
While Michigan showed signs of
inconsistency, its anchor, Andrew,
recorded her usual numbers - 24
points, 10 rebounds, eight blocked
shots - while no other Wolverine
cracked double figures in any cate-
gory.
"Trish had the team on her back
all night," VanDeWege said. "I've
never seen a player have to carry a
team that much - ever."
Andrew was visibly frustrated
during the game and afterwards.
"This was probably the most
discouraging game I've ever played
in the game of basketball in my
life," shetsaid. "I don't even know
an adjective to describe how we
played that is acceptable."
VanDeWege will now be chal-
lenged to refocus his group to sal-
vage the remainder of the Big Ten
"."" " l
lENO'S
TJ91
No.
10
12
21
23
24
25
30
32
33
42
44
45
50
54
Name
Stacie McCall
Molly Heikkenen
Valarie Turner
Jen Nuanes
Sherell Stanley
Carrie Stewart
Nikki Beaudry
Leah Wooldridge
Yeshimbra Gray
LaTara Jones
Char Durand
Trish Andrew
Michelle Hall
Rhonda Jokisch
Pos.
G
Height
5-foot-5
Clas
Jr.
G-F 5-foot-11
F
G
F
G-F
F;
G.
F
F
G
F-C
F-C
C
5-foot-11
5-foot-6
5-foot-11
5-foot-11
6-foot-0
5-foot-6
5-foot-11
6-foot-0
5-foot-9
6-foot-2
6-foot-3
6-foot-1
Fr.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Fr.
Jr.
Sr.
So.
So.
Sr.
Jr.
Jr.
So.
ROSTEk
s Elig. Hometown
Jr. Columbus, Ohio
Fr. Howell, Mich.
Fr. Gahanna, Ohio
Jr. Denver, Colo.
Jr. Dowagiac, Mich.
Fr. Olathe, Kan.
Jr. Grand Blanc, Mich.
Sr. Anderson, Ind.
Fr. Flint, Mich.
So. Chicago, Ill.
Sr. Applegate, Mich.
Jr. Northbrook, Ill.
So. Milford, Mich.
So. Clarkston, Mich.
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