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