Wrestling
Cliiff Keen National Team Duals
Saturday, 9 a.m.
Crisler Arena
SPORTS
Thursday, February 6, 1992
Ice Hockey
vs. Bowling Green
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Yost Ice Arena
The Michigan Daily
Page 5
Speed keys Mo's '92 class
Toomer, Law head verbal commitments to Blue football
If
by Jeff Sheran
Daily Football Writer
If Michigan coach Gary Moeller can
point to one weakness that caused his two
losses this season, it's a lack of speed. So it
comes as no surprise that Michigan's new
recruiting class is perhaps its fastest ever.
"If we do get who we expect, I think we
probably have more speed in this class than
in any of our previous classes," Moeller
said. "Without timing it, I don't know it's
the fastest, but compared to the other
classes, it seems to have more athletes and
more speed."
Yesterday was the first day high school
recruits could sign letters of intent to attend
the schools of their choice. Moeller is wait-
ing for the letters to arrive by Federal Ex-
press, and therefore could not provide a list
of the recruits.
However, Moeller offered scholarships
to 25 recruits, 21 of whom he has spoken to
on the phone and confirmed as definitely
coming to Michigan. He said he would be
disappointed if he did not receive at least
two more commitments.
Some speedsters who have orally com-
mitted to Michigan include: Amani
Toomer, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound wide re-
ceiver from Concord, Calif.; Ty Law, a 6-0,
185-pounder who may be used either as a
running back, defensive back or receiver,
and who runs a 4.3 40-yard dash; and
Shawn Collins, a 6-3, 205-pound
linebacker with 4.6 speed from Paterson,
N.J.
Moeller said the class' speed is not just
a result of the many receivers and defensive
backs Michigan recruited, remarking that
the linemen are faster than in the past.
Michigan 1991 class ranked among the
nation's top two. While this year's official
classes are still not known, Moeller said he
is pleased with his new recruits.
"I feel good about the class we got," he
said. "It's one of the better skilled classes
we've had. I'm also pleased with the class
in terms of academics, and the kids have
good character."
Other positions Moeller singled out as
having filled include offensive and defen-
sive line, running back, linebacker, and
placekicker.
Michigan established a strong recruiting
presence nationally, but may have slipped
on its home turf.
"We did well in California and Florida,
where there are a lot of skill players,"
Moeller said. "There are disappointments
in Michigan and Ohio. I would have antici-
pated getting more from there."
Two members of last year's class -
tailback Tyrone Wheatley and receiver
Felman Malveaux - earned playing time
in their first seasons. Moeller said even
more of this year's rookies' could play im-
mediately. -
"It all depends on talent and positional
need," he said. "I could realistically see
close to half a dozen kids with a possibility
of playing as freshmen."
Moeller said he hasn't heard any special
uniform requests from the recruits thus far.
"No one's asked me for No. 21 yet," he
said.
KENNEIM MULLEM
Michigan running back Tyrone Wheatley, one of last year's top recruits, saw plenty of
action this past season. This year's recruits could be the Wolverines' speediest ever.
Michigan
declaws
Wildcats,
81-58
Hunter comes off
bench to key rally
John Niyo
Blue on right track at
* conference midpoint
After last night's thrashing of Northwestern, the media are left to dis-
ect, and analyze the performance of the Michgan basketball team, now
midway through its Big Ten season.
The Wolverines are 5-4 in conference games. They are 13-5 overall. No-
body knew for sure at the start of the season whether a 13-5 record would
be wishful thinking, or a bit of a disappointment.
Unfortunately, it is both. The team has shown flashes of greatness in
nearly every contest, especially at home against Duke, at Iowa and at
Michigan State. But there have been low points as well - horrid outings
against Purdue and Minnesota, and a pathetic first half versus Ohio State.
Last night went according to the now-common Michigan scenario. They
came out ready to play, but spent too much time thinking the game, rather
than simply playing.
But the second half was just the opposite. The full-court press, sparked
by the insertion of Freddie Hunter into the lineup, jump-started the explo-
sive Wolverine offense.
Hunter teamed with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and
Jalen Rose to start the half, and the quintet spurred a 29-10 run. Hunter's
hustle and intensity are the keys - he grabbed four rebounds, created sev-
eral turnovers and drew three charges while he was in the game.
With him out of the lineup for much of the season, that intensity was
missing. Last night, though, a senior captain stepped forward, flanked by
four rookies.
The first-year players have been chastised for not working hard enough,
x for showboating, for talking too much trash, getting too much playing
time. Meanwhile, they've been cheered for their hard work on the offensive
boards, for their alley-oop dunks, for talking trash, and for their tremen-
dous play in general.
Hypocritical? Probably, but then that's nothing new to big-time athlet-
ics. That still doesn't make it right.
When Voshon Leonard, Minnesota's prized frosh, hits a slump or has a
bad game, the media is not seen scrambling, searching for answers. One bad
game. Or two. He'll bounce back. Voshon and his not-as-talented team-
mates lost by 46 points to Indiana, then came back to beat Michigan, Iowa,
Illinois and Michigan State. They bounced back.
Michigan has done the same. Losses to Minnesota and Purdue were fol-
lowed by strong outings at Illinois and league-leading Indiana. The team
bounced back. It is a learning process. But it is a process that is trying the
patience of many fans in Ann Arbor.
Before the season, many cautioned against being too optimistic about the
team's chances. Hope for a upper division conference finish, and a tourna-
ment bid, people said. Don't be surprised if they have their ups and downs,
they said.
And that is exactly what has happened. Michigan now sits poised behind
Indiana and Ohio State, ranked 15th in the nation and on track for a tourna-
ment bid. They've been great, and at times they've been awful.
So when you look at the contributions the five newcomers have made,
keeping in mind that that is all most. first-year players have to make -
contributions - it is impressive.
If you forget about that silly Fab Five label, and begin to think of them
as they are - five very talented players who have played only nine Big Ten
games - then the 13-5 and 5-4 records look pretty good.
So does the future.
by Albert Lin
Daily Basketball Writer
Northwestern coach Bill Foster
thought it couldn't get any worse.
His team was 1-7 in the conference,
8-10 overall, and had only 10 players
on the roster, including two walk-
ons.
But his top shooter, Todd Leslie,
injured his right foot Tuesday night
during practice and was not expected
to play last night. Leslie did not
start, but ended up playing 17 min-
utes and hitting a three-pointer dur-
ing last night's 81-58 loss.
Michigan coach Steve Fisher
thought it couldn't get any worse.
His team was coming off a tough
loss to Ohio State which included an
' abysmal 13-point first half. It had to
get better.
But his squad responded with a
24-point opening stanza last night.
That's better than Sunday, but not
much. The Wolverines (5-4, 13-5)
were outrebounded 22-10 in the first
half last night, but held a one-point
- lead.
That's because, luckily for
- Fisher, the Wildcats were the
opponent. Northwestern won its
previous outing last Saturday against
Illinois. But that broke a 29-g1eh
- conference losing streak.
So despite what happened in i he
first half, there was not w :hs
.' ,possibility of a Michigan loss.
"Northwestern is a team that you
look at tapes on, and they play lot
;j<x of teams close for extended
. ..:stretches," Fisher said. "So maybe
AP PHOTO (the tight first half was) not all us.
Michigan's Eric Riley blocks Northwestern forward Cedric Nelom's path here we hav bs. 'vead segrents
to the basket in the Wolverines' 81-58 victory over the Wildcats last Fisher's game plan in the irst
night at Crisler Arena. Rookie Chris Webber's 14 points led Michigan, half included the extended us f a
which blew the game open with 57 second-half points to Northwestern's full court press for the first time this.
35. The victory lifts the Wolverines to 13-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten. season. That meant frequent
substitutions, and the players were
not able to get into a rhythm.
"At halftime, everybody was
upset," guard Jimmy King said. "We
didn't want to lose a second game at
home in a row."
But by keeping the players fresh,
the Wolverines were able to soften
up Northwestern's undermanned
roster, and they reaped the benefits
early in the second half.
"I thought we did a great job for
24 minutes. We controlled the tempo
and we competed as best as we
could," Foster said. "But the press
hurt us; it really wore us down. It
was hard for us to get the ball over
their bigger players. When they
started to press, and put their big
people on our guards, they just over-
powered us."
Michigan blew the Wildcats
away in the second half.
Northwestern did not score without
the Wolverines answering until 7:51
left in the game, at which point the
Michigan lead stood at 25, 63-38.
"As soon as the dike started to
leak, it went big time," Foster said.
Keying the Wolverine awakening
was senior captain Freddie Hunter,
who started the second half last night
and may have earned a starting as-
signment again, much as he did last
year.
"He gave us a spark," Fisher said.
"Freddie sparks everyone, from the
fans to the players on the other team.
I don't know why, maybe it's how
hard he plays. He risks life and limb
every time he goes out there. You
don't (need 'to) worry about him
stepping in front of a guy if he's
driving down the lane."
"I want to be a spark; I like that
role," Hunter said. "You just gotta
bust it when you get in there."
M'
tankers look to dunk Big Ten rivals
MICHIGAN (81)
FQ FT Rob.
Min. MA MA O-T A F Pt.
Webber 24 7-13 0-0 2.6 3 4 14
Voskuil 18 2-3 0-0 2-3 3 1 4
Howard 23 5-11 0-1 0-1 0 2 10
Rose 23 6-9 0.0 0-2 5 3 13
King 28 4-7 24 2-2 4 1 11
Hunter 16 1-1 0-0 1-4 3 1 2
Riley 15 4.6 1-3 2-5 1 3 9
Jackson 15 1-3 0-0 1-1 1 3 2
Pelnka 12 1-2 2-2 0-3 1 0 4
Mciver 10 2-4 0-6 3-4 0 1 4
Talley 7 1-3 0-0 0-1 0 0 3
Bossard 4 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Seter 3 1-2 0-0 2-2 1 1 2
Armer 1 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2
Taylor 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
NORTHWESTERN (58)
FG FT Rob.
Min. MA MA OT A F Pts.
Neloms 35 6-13 11-15 2.5 1 2 23
Purdy 24 0-1 1-2 0-2 1 2 1
Rankin 32 3-10 5-8 4-9 5 3 11
Simpson 25 0-2 0-0 0-2 0 5 0
Kirkpatrick 38 5-8 2-2 1-7 3 4 14
Leslie 17 1-2 0-0 0-2 0 2 3
Howell 13 3-4 0-0 1-1 1 1 6
Raymond 11 0-2 0-0 1-1 2 1 0
Queen 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Ling 1 0-1 0-0 1-2 1 0 0
Totals 200 18-43 19-27 11-34 14 20 58
FG%- .419. FT%- .704. Three-point goals:
3-5,600 (Kirkpatrick 2-3, Leslie 1-1, Purdy 0-1).
Team rebounds: 3. Blocks: 1 (Rankin).
Turnovers: 23 (Kirkpatrick 7, Nelmos 5, Purdy 5,
by Chad Safran
Daily Sports Writer -
Some say history has a way of re-
peating itself. Well, the Michigan
men's swimming team will try to
make the proverb hold true as it at-
tempts once again to repeat its win-
ning performance in the Big Ten
Championships. The conference's
best will be heating up the pool be-
ginning today at noon and end
Saturday in Minneapolis.
Commencing with the Big Ten
title in 1986, the No. 3-ranked
Wolverines have captured six con-
secutive conference crowns, includ-
ing last season's 123-point victory
over runner-up Minnesota. But for
Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek, this
time will be different.
stars (Mike Barrowman, Eric
Namesnik and Eric Wunderlich),"
Van Tassell said. "We don't have a
bunch of seniors to take the top
spots. The team is a lot closer this
year than last. It will be more of a
team effort. It will mean more."
Part of that team effort will
fall upon the shoulders of juniors
Brian Gunn and Steve Bigelow and
senior captain Eric Bailey. Gunn,
who won the 100 and 200-yard but-
terfly in last year's championships
(48.60 seconds and 1:45.03 minutes,
respectively) will also be compet-
ing in the 500 freestyle event in
which he finished third at last sea-
son's Big Ten's.
Bigelow was the conference ti-
difficult. (No. 14) Indiana is strong
in the freestyle events and the re-
lays," Urbanchek said. "(No. 11)
Iowa has Artur Wojdat (from
Poland), an Olympian who has won
everything, including Big Ten and
national titles. But Minnesota is the.
most balanced in all the events, and
they have very strong relays.
"We don't have the capabilities
to dominate one stroke like in the
past. We have won every breast-
stroke race since 1985. It is our
weakest event and we entered only
one swimmer (rookie Steven West)
into the event."
Michigan has one strength that
the other nine teams should consider
carefully. "Our divers could make
i
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