8- The Michigan Daily - Thursday, December 9, 1993 J C B&I 01 Li ines 'M' icers balance final. I _ Ar*ll - - - - By PAUL BARGER DAILY HOCKEY WRITER Imagine that it is 5:00 p.m., the day befon the big exam. You take a one hour nap an continue to study. You don't feel too muc pressure since preparing for this exam is you only obligation. Some people don't have this luxury. College athletes are expected to be stu dents first and athletes second. However, it very difficult to expect athletes to excel in th classroom and on the playing surface whe their schedules are overly demanding. Members of the Michigan hockey team mu overcome this dilemma every year--1993 is n exception. The team mustpracticefor, andplay i EVAN PETRIE/Daily two games on Dec.10-11 and then two more o Dec. 17-18, all while trying to study for finals. Freshman Jason Botterill and his classmates are learning their first lesson in what it takes to This can be a harrowing experience fo balance a week of final exams with four CCHA games and practice. Michigan travels to Kent anyone on the team, especially a freshman State for a pair this weekend, then returns home for a series against Illinois-Chicago. The adjustment to life as a student-athlel finally caught up to one member of the team exams, 1 freshman Mike Legg. He and the coaches have - decided that it is in everyone's best interest to re have him sit out a week to catch up in his d classes and to prepare for finals. ,h Legg should not be embarrassed with his ur situation. People should understand just how difficult it is to balance schoolwork and par- ticipation in major college sports. He should u- be commended for recognizing the problems is he was having and rectifying the situation. e Michigan head coach Red Berenson obvi- n ously understands the meaning of the student- athlete, and is responsive to the difficulties a st first-year player might encounter. o "We don't want (Legg) to have a negative in academic experience," he said. "It is not a n punishment, just a chance to get caught up." It takes a long time for many to learn the r balance necessary for success on and off the n. ice. With nine freshman on the team, the te veterans and coaching staff will have their n, hands full keeping the younger players fo- CHA games cased during the next week. If you take a look at the Michigan athletic schedule for the next two weeks there are only three squads that compete while exams are taking place, the hockey team and both bas- ketball teams. Only the hockey team must compete in league action. In aconference as competitive as theCCHA, every game counts. The Wolverines must beat the Kent State's and UIC's of the world if they want to remain in first place. That leads to a lot of pressure week in and week out. Something must be done so that the players can forget about the demands of hockey for a couple of days and devote themselves to their studies. "It is a definite problem with our schedule," Berenson said. "We've tried not to have agamein ourleague,buteveryonehasdifferentexamsched- ules.Hopefully itwillnot beaproblemnextyear." I am sure that Mike Legg, and the rest of the Michigan hockey team, would agree with this sentiment. ..... .............. Hill looks to become more cocky for Blue Devils Senior passes up NBA, returns as leader of Hurley-less Duke By GENE GORMAN DUKE CHRONICLE Senior Grant Hill, a member of the Duke men's basketball team, has a serious problem with arrogance - he desperately needs more of it. "I wasn't ready to step up lastyear," Hill said. "I don't think of myself as being different from other Duke stu- dents or my teammates. A couple inci- dents happened and I lost trust in people who I thought were my friends. In doing that, I went into deep thought about myself, my friends, and thought about my career." Hill admit- ted that every year the same things are writ- ten and said about him, that heis"unassum- Saturday, 1 p.m. ing" or "not ag- CBS gressive." Ev- Crisler Arena ery year, he is asked the same questions and forced to give the same answers. Every fall he struggles to explain the fact that what he is capable of doing physically just happens, while what he needs to do mentally, to realize his full potential, does not. "Maybe because things had always come easily for me on the court, I really didn't know the mental approach of what ittooktobeagreatplayerandto bethought ofinthatlight,"Hillsaid. "Ithink thatI've always believed that I could do it, but I don't know if I wanted to do it." In some way oranother, every talented person must overcome the natural fear of the responsibility that accompanies great- ness. Hill said that this is the year that he really wants to do just that. So what's the difference this year? Why should Hill's 1993-94 season be previewed any differently than his last three years? "I want to look back on my senior year and say, 'Hey, I did all I could do,"' Hill said. "In a way, I'm tired of people doubting me and saying that I'm not assertive." The loss of a great player, All- American point guard Bobby Hurley, means that Hill will have to step for- ward and be a true team leader. But wait a minute. Last year, the storyline was the departure of 1992 National Player of the Year Christian Laettner, and how Laettner's absence would result in Hill's presence. According to Hill and many of his Duke teammates, Laettner was brash and arrogant. Hill said that he thinks he might need a small dose of Laettner's cockiness in a way that would strengthen his on-court personality. "The team needs me to be selfish," Hill said. "I'm not going to go out there and be a jerk. But I'm going to go out there and be more confident in myself and more assertive." Hill (18 ppg, 6.4 rpg) has had a highly-lauded career at Duke. He is everybody's preseason All-American and one of the front-runners in the race for player of the year honors. But even he admitted that it has not been a great career when compared to those of Laettner, Hurley, or 1986 National Player of the Year Johnny Dawkins. Hill said that he sees this season as his chance to prove himself worthy of being talked about in the same way as the aforementioned former Duke stars. "I want to be the college player of the year," Hill said. " I want to win a (third) national championship. I want to be the first pick in the (NBA) draft. IfIdon't then in some ways I've failed." On his left arm, Hill sometimes wears a watch he was given for being selected a Playboy All-American. He is not really sure what it means. The watch shows a small figure standing before a group of other fig- ures, not exactly people, but the outline of them. Small black dollar signs are rising from the crowd. Across the top, against a yellow background are writ- ten the words "Excellence Saves." Hill's decision to remain at Duke for his senior year, despite the millions ofdollar signs floating around theNBA, was a function of who he and his family are. More importantly, coach Mike Krzyzewski said that he feels Hill needed the extra year. "I think he needed to stay and learn to be a dominant player," Krzyzewski said. "I think he has to be able to say and do what he thinks. That's it. He under- stands the game. He thinks dominant thoughts. In the last couple of years because we had some other outstand- ing players, when he had those domi- nant thoughts, he might defer them to Hurley or Laettner." Hill has had many dominant thoughts -dunking against Kansas in the 1991 NCAA title game, shooting eight of eight to help beat North Caro- lina in 1992, taking over for the last seven minutes in the 1992 NCAA final against Michigan. By his own admission, though, Hill has not always been a dominant figure on the hardwood in his first three years as a Blue Devil. "I know it's my time," Hill said. "I look back and regret (that) I didn't do the things that I can do." Krzyzewski and Virginiacoach Jeff Jones agree that he can do just about anything on the basketball court. "Grant Hill is probably the most versa- tile player in college basketball today," Jonessaid. "Notonlycanheplay anumber of different positions, but he can actually change his game based on what his team needs at the moment." For Hill and Duke, the time is now. The challenge of 1993-94 is to prove one more time that he is acollege super- star. Duke's coaches, players and fans are hoping that he will be able to figure out what the phrase on his watch means. His watch tells him that he is late for practice or that he has to stop signing basketballs and rush off to class. It also has one more thing to tell him: "Excel- lence Saves." It is a lesson that he must learn before he can become the player that everyone wants him to be. 0 Department of Recreational Sports INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM 1993, Fall Term Champions DUKE SPORTS INFORMATION,* Grant Hill hopes to strut his stuff against the Wolverines Saturday. FLAG FOOTBALL WRESTLING Ind AA Ind AB Ind BA Ind BB Res AA Res AB Res BA Res BB GFS AA GFS AB Frat AA Frat AB Frat BA Frat BB Sor Women CR A CR BA CR BB Lumberjacks Ole Skool Dutch I Hunt's Ketchup Defending Champs Mosh Pit #2 Hamilton Bros 4th Ham Burlodgers Well Jung Hooked on Phonics Sigma Nu Evans Scholars Sigma Nu Theta Chi Sigma Kappa Rumsey Gold Post Game Pounders Killer Mockingbirds Aiesec Avengers 134 Frat 142 Frat 142 Ind 150 Frat 150 Ind 158 Frat 158 Ind 167 Frat 167 Ind 172 Frat 182 Frat 190 Frat 198 Frat UnI Frat Team Keith Dobner Matt Liszt Tim Zisman Marcus Fillipek Keith Chene Paul Kosnik Matt Sims David Abel Matt Jaimes Sam Schwartz Jas Wladischkin Jeff O'Neill Justin Snyder Zach Voeltz Sigma Phi Eps Interested in Biotechnology? The Cellular Biotechnology Training Program will offer Cellular Blotechnology 504 in the Winter '94 term. Topics covered include cellular communication, cellular energetics, bioremeditation, production of bioactive molecules, biosensors, and engineering reactor design. P rerequisites: Introductory course in Biology and Biochemistry 1. Hall of Fame: Mich. vs. N.C. St.' 2. Rose: Wisconsin vs. UCLA 3. Citrus: Penn State vs. Tennessee '4. Holiday: Ohio State vs. BYU 5. Liberty: MSU vs. Louisville 6. Independence: ind. vs. Va. Tech 7. Alamo: Iowa vs. California 8. Orange: Nebraska vs. Florida St. 9. Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia 10. Cotton: Texas A&M vs. ND 11. Fiesta: Miami vs. Arizona 12. Carquest: B.C. vs. Virginia 13. Gator: Alabama vs. UNC 14. Peach: Clem. vs. Kentucky 15. Freedom: USC vs. Utah 16. Copper: Wyoming vs. Kan. St. 17. Aloha: Fres. St. vs. Colorado 18. Hancock: Tex. Tech vs. Okla. 19. Las Vegas: Ball St. vs. Utah St. 20. Heritage: Southern vs. S.C. St. Drop off your picks at 420 Maynard by noon Friday. The best prognosticator will receive a $15 gift certificate to O'Sullivan's Eatery & Pub. Only five entries per week. 01 Tiebreaker - Michigan vs. N.C. State - Total Points: Name" Phone: state Strt 4'. ports ' TOP 10 REASONS HATS MAKE GREAT GIFTS 3-on-3 BASKETBALL STATE OF MICHIGAN 19'9 FLAG FOOTBALL Ind A Ind B Res A Res B GFS Frat A Frat B Sor Women Why Play Cagers Rumsey Blue Rumsey Maize Throb Gristle Lam Chi Alpha Sigma Phi Eps Delta Zeta Hot Stuff CHAMPIONS Lumberjacks (U of M) [Note: Earned berth at Nationals] L. 10. Everybody has a head. 9. Sizes for all, the short and the tall. 8. Endless selection of teams, colors & logos. 7. Great for the roommate who never gets up in time to shower. 6. Good enough for Kris Kross, Gary Moeller, & Bill Clinton. 0 I I I