The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, March 20, 1995 - 5
Blue endures .
trail of struggles
in tough year
By Paul Barger
gaily Basketball Writer
Every year, it seems that the Michi-
gan men's basketball season is filled
with highs and lows.
Even with the victory at Indiana and
the double-overtime thriller against
Iowa, this has been a disappointing
season. The following list of lowlights
is a reminder of a year that most would
like to forget.
10. Jerod Ward was rated the top
*layer in the country coming out of
high school. His performance this sea-
son has been a disappointment to say
the least. The knee injury he suffered
against Michigan State Jan. 22 greatly
hindered any development he was
making.
Willie Mitchell was Mr. Basketball
in the state of Michigan. He was re-
cruited as a pure shooter who could
*ightup the scoreboard. For the season,
he shot 37.3 percent from the field, 28.2
percent from 3-point range and 58 per-
cent from the free throw line.
9. When the schedule came out, the
Wolverines looked to have two easy
victories in the holiday U.S. Cellular
Air Time Tournament. Yet Michigan
traveled to Seattle and left with one
tough win and an embarrassing loss.
In the semifinal game, Michigan
lefeated Portland in overtime, 88-84.
Things got worse the next night when
Michigan lost to Washington in the
final, 65-61.
8. Any team that makes a 24-0 run
during a game should win. However,
when the Wolverines headed to
Durham, N.C. to take on Duke, they
went on a 24-0 run and still lost.
The game was a sign of things to
come. Throughout the year, Michigan
consistently proved that it could not
give its top effort for 40 minutes.
7. The losses to Michigan State
were far from embarrassing, but they
were disheartening. The Wolverines
had a legitimate shot at of winning
both contests. However, the team froze
in the final minutes both times and a
theme of struggling down the stretch
became prevalent throughout the sea-
son.
6. After the Wolverines beat Pur-
due to begin the Big Ten season, they
had a seemingly easy game at Penn
State. The Nittany Lions handed Michi-
gan a 10-point loss and put the entire
season in doubt. The Wolverines were
looking like a team headed to the NIT.
5. Super Bowl Sunday. Michigan
was on a roll, facing a St. John's team
that was struggling badly. The Wolver-
ines lost, 82-77, on national television,
breaking the momentum gained after a
road win at Indiana.
4. By the middle of February, Michi-
gan was in a win one-lose one rut. The
team headed to Wisconsin Feb. 11 in
desperate need for a victory. The game
looked like it would go right down to
the wire. However, Dugan Fife and
'M9 wraps
up season
with no
direction
T hursday's season-ending 86 72
loss to Western Kentucky
resembled much of the
Michigan basketball team's
campaign. It was an up-and-down
roller coaster ride that lacked any
kind of direction.
Just when you thought the
Wolverines were about to make a
breakthrough, Michigan stumbled
and fell flat on its back.
Western Kentucky fought back
from a 14-point deficit to tie the game
and then went on to score the first 10
points in overtime to bury Michigan.
One minute the Wolverines looked to
blow the
Hilltoppers
out by 20,
leading the
television
analysts to
remark that
Michigan
ANTOINE might give
ANTOINEKansas a run
PITTS for its money
Pitts in the second
Stop round, then
they were
gone from the
EVAN PETRIE/Daily
Willie Mitchell stares at the scoreboard late in the second half during Michigan's loss to Western Kentucky.
* Jimmy King both missed front ends of
one-and-ones in key situations to end
any hope that Michigan had.
3. A two-game winning streak and
perhaps an NCAA Tournament bid
were on the line when the Wolverines
faced the Hawkeyes in Iowa City March
5. Michigan walked out with its fourth
consecutive road loss. This one wasn't
even close, as Iowa eroded the Wol-
verines' defense for a 89-69 victory.
Michigan lost to Purdue a week
later to finish the Big Ten season with
five straight road losses.
2. The Ivy League is not known for
its basketball teams. Pennsylvania may
be much better than the norm, butclearly
the Quakers should not be able to beat
a powerful Big Ten school.
Jerome Allen's shot at the buzzer
sunk Michigan and shocked people
around the country. The 62-60 loss on
national television knocked the Wol-
verines out of the top 25 for the rest of
the season. The squad neverbven came
close to making its way back into the
rankings.
1. It is not even worth talking about
Thursday's loss to Western Kentucky.
When Michael Fraliex hit a 3-pointer to
tie the game with 9.1 seconds remain-
ing, the game and the season were basi-
cally over.
The Hilltoppers went on to domi-
nate overtime and advance to the sec-
ond round. For the final time, the Wol-
verines struggled down the stretch and
walked off the court scratching their
heads.
The best and worst in Dayton, from Davis to Stoudamire
By Scott Burton
Daily Basketball Writer R
0 DAYTON, Ohio - A recap of the
best and worst at the Midwest Re-
gional:
ALL-DAYTON TEAM:
Guard: Jacque Vaughn, Kan-
sas - Although Vaughn didn't pour
in a whole lot of points, he played the
point guard position to its purest form.
He was smooth and silky, and effi-
ciently found the right man in Kan-
*sas' offensive attack.
Guard: Harold Deane, Virginia
--Much like last season, Deane filled
in exceptionally for injured starting
guard Cory Alexander. He scored 22
points against Nicholls State, forcing
his game on the overmatched Colo-
nels' defenders.
He struggled from the field against
Miami (Ohio) in the Cavaliers' sec-
ond-round game but hit a number of.
clutch shots.
Guard: Jimmy King, Michigan
- In what was a bitterly ironic mo-
ment, King's best game as a Wolverine
was also his last. For an off-guard, his
numbers against Western Kentucky are
close to unprecedented -17 rebounds,
seven of them offensive, eight assists
and 23 points.
Forward: Junior Burrough,
Virginia - The senior was the dif-
ference in Virginia's second-round
victory over the Redskins. He scored
the Cavaliers' first seven points in
overtime, and finished with 28
points. Although he didn't domi-
nate against Nicholls State, his 16
points and nine rebounds set the
pace for the victory.
Forward: Devin Davis, Miami
- Although only a sophomore, Davis
terrorized Arizona in the Redskins'
upset first-round victory. He had a
number of exceptional buckets en
route to a game-high 24 points. Just as
important, he drew fouls on the Wild-
cats' most important big men, and all
but eliminated Joseph Blair from
Arizona's game plan.
U BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFOR-
MANCES:
1. King vs. Western Kentucky
2. Burrough vs. Miami
3. Davis vs. Arizona
4. Colgate's Tucker Neale vs.
Kansas-The spunky senior lit up the
scoreboard and led Colgate to one of
the best performances by a No. 16 seed
in a long time.
5. Western Kentucky's Chris
Robinson vs. Michigan -
Robinson was a terror from both the
perimeter and in taking it to the
hole, and was the Hilltoppers' most
dependable scorer.
6. Miami's Chris McGuire vs.
Arizona - Coming off the bench for
the Redskins, he checked Arizona's
Damon Stoudamire and made him eat
his pre-game boasts.
WORST INDIVIDUAL PER-
FORMANCE:
Stoudamire vs. Miami - The
Wildcats were Stoudamire's team to
lead, and he talked a big game going
into the contest. Unfortunately, his 6-
for-18 shooting effort and less-than-
headsy play defied his All-American
status.
BEST GAMES:
1. Western Kentucky 82, Michi-
gan 76 (OT) - It wasn't the prettiest
game, but nothing can beat the excite-
ment of miracle 3-pointers, exceptional
individual performances and a befud-
dling overtime.
2. Virginia 60, Miami 54 (OT)
- After knocking off Arizona, the
Redskins proved that they were five
steps above their No. 12 seeding. They
then looked like a Sweet 16 team after
opening a 10-point lead on the Cava-
liers, yet couldn't hold off the heroics
of Burrough.
However, no team in any region
played with as much character as Mi-
ami.
3. Kansas 82, Colgate 68 - Once
in a while, a No. 16 team will chal-
lenge a No. I seed, but usually the
threat is mild at best. However, the
Red Raiders had a legitimate shot at
knocking off the Jayhawks, thanks to
fantastic individual performances
from Neale and freshmen sensation
Adonal Foyle.
The Dayton crowd feverishly
stood behind the underdogs as Colgate
narrowed Kansas' lead to four in the
second half, only to see the Jayhawks
pull away late.
BEST COACHING PERFOR-
MANCE:
Miami's Herb Sendek - He had
the Redskins' defense perfectly
prepped for Stoudamire and the rest
of the Wildcats, and his team chal-
lenged Virginia to overtime despite
some blatant match-up difficulties.
Appropriately, Sendek may be first in
line to fill some of the coaching va-
cancies that open up over the sum-
mer.
WORST COACHING PERFOR-
MANCE:
Arizona's Lute Olson -Despite
the Wildcats' run to the Final Four
last year, no coach this side of Bill
Frieder has bombed in the NCAA
Tournament more than Olson.
To his credit, he is not blaming the
Wildcats' loss on the distractions cre-
ated by Stoudamire and Ben Davis'
NCAA violations. So what is his ex-
cuse this time? Three first-round loses
in four years does not a coaching
legend make.
........Tankers initiate change
k ~Michigan ranks second in the nation
tournament altogether.
In fact, the 1994-95 season was a
struggle from day one.
Michigan began the season by
blowing a 17-point lead against
Tulane. The Wolverines held on to
win, but the game served as a fitting
forecast for the upcoming season.
The next night out, Michigan was
embarrassed by Arizona State and got
whipped a week later by Arizona.
The rest of the non-conference season
saw the Wolverines take their annual
loss at the hands of Duke, and drop a
home contest to Pennsylvania.
The most humiliating defeat of the
season, though, came when
Washington, a perennial doormat in
the Pac-10, beat Michigan in Seattle.
It was clear the Wolverines wouldn't
be making a return trip to the Emerald
City at the beginning of April.
Through this early-season period,
Michigan coach Steve Fisher tinkered
with the starting lineup, looking for
just the right combination.
Fisher answered that question by
teaming Makhtar Ndiaye and
Maurice Taylor with Dugan Fife,
Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. But
there were still plenty of questions
left unanswered.
Michigan needed leadership
coming into the season. Fisher hoped
to get that from the team's two
seniors, Jackson and King.
Jackson came through, topping
the Wolverines in points, rebounds
and assists, but most important he
was the vocal leader on the floor.
King never looked comfortable in
his role as a leader and struggled for
another season to find a consistent
jump shot. He saved the best game of
his season for last, scoring 23 points
with 17 rebounds against Western
Kentucky. Where was this version of
King during the rest of the season?
Lack of perimeter shooting killed
the Wolverines all season long.
Michigan did not have a guard who
could step up and hit an outside
jumper on a consistent basis.
Fife didn't necessarily show an
inability to score, but definitely
lacked a desire to. He continually
passed up wide-open shots and very;
rarely took it upon himself to drive
the lane and create something.
This brings us to Travis Conlan.
Fisher showed plenty of confidence
in the freshman guard down the
stretch. When it came down to crunch
time against Western Kentucky,
Conlan was on the floor, not Fife.
One of the biggest question marks-
of the season was Jerod Ward. He
never showed anyone why he was the
best high-school player in the
country. All season, Ward had to
shake off reports that he was
extremely homesick and would
transfer back to a school in his native
Mississippi.
Willie Mitchell never showed
anything but an ability to launch shots
with no conscience whatsoever.
There were good points to the
Wolverines' season.
Taylor established himself as a
By Rebecca Moatz
Daily Sports Writer
AUSTIN, Texas - If three days
of competition at the Jamail Texas
Swimming Center at the University
of Texas proved anything at all, they
proved that the sport of swimming
has seen a change. The main culprit of
this change is the Michigan women's
swimming team which broke through
the barrier created by Stanford, Texas
and Florida to become the second
best team in the nation.
And while much of this accom-
plishment can be attributed to the
individual Wolverine swimmers, none
of it would be possible without the
hard work and dedication of one man
- Michigan coach Jim Richardson.
As head coach of the Wolverine
swimming team for the past 10 years,
Richardson has moved the program
from 31st to second place. Perhaps
this is why he was named NCAA
Coach of the Year, or perhaps it is
because the coaches of the 40 partici-
pating teams recognized his love and
devotion to his sport and team both in
and out of the water.
"He deserves (Coach of the Year),"
Stanford coach Richard Quick said.
"He's done a fantastic job. I mean, this
was the first time anyone has broken
into the top three ... and Itake my hat off
to them, they've done a great job."
77nhacnn' orrm :4lic-ma
national champions, 33 Big Ten cham-
pions, and two Olympians.
However, Richardson's accolades
do not solely rest in the pool. In his
past ten years at Michigan, as well as
his three years as assistant coach to
Pete Kennedy at Iowa, Richardson
has developed a coaching philosophy
that has obviously worked.
"The staff and I believe in in-
volvement," he said. "We really be-
lieve it is important for the kids to
take a lot more responsibility in what's
happening with them, how they do
things and where they're going rather
than waiting for the coach to say jump.
"I wish we understood (competi-
tion) more in athletics. We can't dig
down deep inside to bring out the best
in us unless we have somebody chal-
lenging us in a healthy way."
This attitude helped him land the
No. 2 recruiting class in the nation
last year, an accomplishment that is
no easy feat for a coach whose school
is located in the snowbelt.
The nation's top swim programs
have always been located in the nation's
hot spots, many of which have outdoor
training facilities. Thus it is not easy to
lure the nation's top swimmers to Ann
Arbor. YetRichardson's coaching style
has outbattled the weather and attracted
many of the nation's top swimmers
recently.
:- nn r ..:hricc, ( nw lr ha nc
i
I
-- - ---------- - ----
the women's swimming and diving team almost ended Stanford's reign at the National Championships.
SWIMMING
yontlnued from page 1.
"It was a lot of pressure because
he team really needed my points,"
2ichetelli said. "I just wanted to con-
:entrate on myself."
Zarse, the Wolverines' All-Ameri-
I an dir'.r hnased the NCAAs to
well, she led the Wolverines to their
first-ever NCAA championship re-
lay victory in the 400-yard medley
relay (2:38.40) and also a second
place finish in the 200-yard medley
relay (1:40.97).
Each of Humphrey's four races re-
sulted in Michigan and Big Ten records.
"I fait onarn hae-n hn e- mt-
gan and Big Ten records. In the 200-
yard breaststroke, Gustin established
herself as the second fastest Ameri-
can in the event with a tremendous
2:10.37.
Gustin's time was good enough to
for a new NCAA record, but Arizona
State's Beata Kaszuba outlasted
Gustin to clim the title for herself
I