0 age 10 -The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, January 15, 1992 GRADES Continued from page 9 selection Patrick Neaton (4, 12), honorable mention pick David Harlock (1, 3) and the No. 5 pick in the NHL draft, Aaron Ward (2, 5). To go along with this trio are veterans Doug Evans (1, 2) and Chris Tamer (2, 7), and rookies Tim Hogan (0, 3) and Al Sinclair (0, 2). However, this has probably been the weak point for the Wolverines thus far. Point production has dropped from the blueline partly because Berenson often plays Roberts and Stiver at the points during power plays, but also because of the defensemen's own struggles. But the defense's biggest problem this season has been its play in its own zone. Michigan has struggled moving the puck out of the zone and has made too many costly turnovers inside its blueline. Also, the defense- men have not stayed with their men enough, allowing too many scoring opportunities off rebounds. Grade: B- GOALTENDING: On the whole, goaltenders Chris Gordon (4-1-1, 4.73 goals against average) and Steve Shields (11-2-2, 2.67) have done the job for Michigan. Except for a few bad periods, both netminders have kept the Wolverines in the game and come up with big saves when necessary. The only awful performance came in the 10-0 shel- lacking at Lake Superior, but the goalies cannot take full blame for that debacle. While both Shields and Gordon have done commendable jobs, neither is a fran- chise goalie. Grade: B+ SPECIAL TEAMS: While the power play (.280 ef- ficiency) has been one of the top in the nation, the Wolverines have struggled shorthanded (.780). Mich- igan's first unit of Wiseman, Felsner, Oliver, Neaton and Roberts is one of the most prolific in the country. However, the Wolverines need more production from their second unit. Although Michigan has scored 42 power-play goals, it has allowed 35 for its opponents, down from a plus 15 at this point last season. The biggest problems have been unnecessary penalties and play inside the defensive zone. The Wolverines have been forced to kill too many man-advantages, and seem to tire when shorthanded. Many goals have come in the final seconds of the opposition's power play. Most of the problems within the zone are similar to those the defense has as a whole. Grade: B COACHING: Berenson's juggling of the lines has been successful, but his handling of the defensive pair- ings has not been met with the same success. The de- fense seems to be suffering from a lack of communica- tion or chemistry. Whether the constant changes are the problem or an attempt at a solution, it is difficult to determine. Also, instead of adjusting for particuiar teams, Berenson has relied on Michigan's superior talent to win. While most of the time it has worked, the team hasn't been able to make many mid-game adjustments when this strategy fails. Grade: B OVERALL: Because preseason expectations were so high, a 15-3-3 record is not as good as it should be. Too often the Wolverines have come out flat and either held on for a victory or lost valuable points. Michigan has yet to put together the string of solid 60-minute efforts which is necessary in the postseason. There are still nine weeks to solve these problems before the playoffs, but these deficiencies have not been addressed during much of the first half. Going into the season, Michigan was a national championship contender, but the Wolverines have not yet shown themselves worthy of that distinction. Michigan still needs to take the step from being a very good team to being the top team in the nation that they should be. Grade: B .....d w .............' .tik~y~s u . ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. >rg tT w4~0o OYUind < cin ihtodafros b~*k my A4i ... .. .. ... .. ..r a ... .. .. .. ... .. ..c. ... .. .. .. *~~~ Ji.Jakso..d...Q~a Cr is Jes ddd. & ndLa ...... e..... y.... a........... e...... u....... t~~Iw~ye*sW*t * h Hier ee a ~ i ....................................... C he.... e........ ............................ ... . . . .. . . ... .. .. .. fnit boigtuhn .. . .. . .. . .9.. ... . .. . . .. o........ ... .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .. .. ... ... ... ... ..........y .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . ... .. .. .. .. ..... .... .... ... ... .:. ... ADVENTURE Continued from page 9 with a free education. The idea of intercollegiate athletics is that the teams represent their institutions as true members of the student body, not as hired hands." The NCAA is the only organi- zation that can adequately control the situation because it is made up of university presidents and ath- letic directors. If athletes are truly students and the athletic program is part of the university, the presi- dent should have ultimate control over and responsibility for the ath- letic department, just as he or she would any other part of the col- lege. Recent voting at the last two conventions suggests that this is the direction the NCAA is taking. So what has changed and what still needs to be changed? Student-athletes must be able to compete in the classroom. If they can't meet the minimum aca- demic standards the university re- quiressof regular students, then they should be forced to sit out from the playing field so they can catch up. "It seems to me that a student who comes in at that margin aca- demically, for whatever reason, needs a year to reach a level of com- petitiveness so that they can sur- vive in a university," Michigan State president John DiBiaggio said. The new NCAA legislation, whichtakes effect in 1995 and will require a 2.5 grade point average in 13 core-curriculum courses, is a step in the right direction. But en- trance requirements should be higher than that for schools like Michigan, where academic re- quirements are much higher than a 2.5 GPA and a 700 on the SAT. Once the athlete reaches the uni- versity, more must be done to make sure he or she is making progress toward a degree. The NCAA has made strides in this area. At last year's convention, an amendment was passed requiring student-ath- letes to have completed at least 50 percent of their degree require- ments before their fourth year. This year's convention added that at least 75 percent of their degree requirements be met before their fifth year. The NCAA has gotten over the toughest hurdle in re-establishing academic integrity in terms of the student-athlete - it has begun re- forms. But there is a lot to do be- fore it is finished. 0 WRITE FOR THE MICHIGAN DAILY I , t 764-assltU l AV %0 V -W w w w U U WOLVERINE VIDEO voted by far the "worst video store" by TMD IS DEAD, BURIED, & s, GONE FOR GOOD! (SEE YAI) * PREMIERING IN ITS PLACE... AMER'S DELICATESSEN PROUDLY PRESENTS w k l A f 1 1- I A-- A1 A A A A A A A A AL i CAMPUS VIDEO F. p.. p. L A&AMLA y ,M r ,IL r6,M.MI, MLL, A A l - r rm m v M -r- 10,000% BETTER SERVICE AND ATTITUDE!! OVER 500 NEW RELEASES & FOREIGN FILMS ADDED FREE MEMBERSHIP (WITH DRIVER'S LICENSE & MAJOR CREDIT CARD) ALL MOVIES $3.00 NEW RELEASES ALL OTHER MOVIES - ONE DAY RENTAL - TWO DAY RENTAL VCR RENTAL: ONE DAY $6.00 TWO DAY 10.00