Q0- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 21, 1996
The same game, the same name - but not the same fame
By Dan Stillman
Daily Sports Writer
Opening act for last Sunday's Michi-
gan-Indiana men's basketball game at
Crisler Arena: The Michigan women's
basketball team!
Title IX may be equaling out the
numbers of athletes between men's and
women's sports. But status-wise, the
women are still bringing up the rear.
Take, for example, Sunday's men's/
women's basketball home double-
header, the first and only of the season.
On the court, the women took the
floor at noon.
Off the court, the men's game, sched-
uled for 4 p.m., had already begun.
As the women tipped-off, CBS ac-
counted for most of the activity surround-
ing the court, set-
ting up cameras
and what-not in
V preparation forthe
afternoon's na-
tionally televised
men's game, still
four hours away.
Meanwhile,
the University's
" Sports Informa-
tion Department
was hard at work applying the final
touches on those little signs, taped to
the floor behind the baskets, that desig-
nate spots for press photographers -
for the men's game.
Strangely absent from press row dur-
ing the women's game - the press
covering the game. Displaced from its
usual seats, apparently due to more pre-
men's game preparation, the women's
basketball media viewed the contest
from the second-tier press row.
While the Michigan and Michigan
State women's teams might not have
realized the surrounding activity de-
voted to the upcoming men's game
during their own contest, they certainly
noticed afterward.
Post-game interviews, usually held
in the press room, were moved to the
film-video room, which is found at
the very end of a long, narrow, curv-
ing corridor in the depths of Crisler
Arena. The press room,just steps from
the court, had been conquered by CBS,
of course.
A minor piece of investigation re-
vealed that, in the CBS-controlled
press room, quite a spread was being
prepared - for the men's game.
We're talking salads, pastries and
what must have been some kind of
carved meat under the hot-lamps and
tinfoil -- a veritable feast.
In contrast to the spaciousness of the
press room, the film-video room -about
the size ofa dormitory single-provided
more of an intimate/claustrophobic set-
ting for the post-game press conference.
Soon after the women's game ended,
as the participants exited the stadium,
the Michigan and Indiana men were
just arriving, and the main eventneared.
Sunday at Crisler Arena had every-
thing to do with the nationally tele-
vised men's game, and very little to do
with the women's basketball undercard,
if you will.
Women's basketball has made great
strides in recent years. With each sea-
son comes increased exposure and pres-
tige for the sport.
For now though, at least at Michigan,
the men's game still reigns supreme.
Momson
ntthe onl
candida~lfte
Sfitting among piles of press
releases, media guides and stat
sheets at Joe Louis Arena last
weekend, a pile of bright yellow
papers stood out.
They were promotions for Michi-
gan hockey center Brendan Morrison.
They included his headshot. They
listed his personal information. They
even featured quotes from coaches
and NHL officials.
Morrison for the Hobey Baker
Award. The campaign is in full
swing.
Minnesota's Brian Bonin is the
national favorite
to grab the
trophy. He has
68 points and
plays in front of
a college
hockey-crazy
market. But
Michigan has NICHOLAS J.
some worthy COTSONIKA
men of its own.
Morrison The Greek
certainly Speaks
deserves heavy
consideration for hockey's Heisman,
but it is very interesting that he is the
only one with a campaign manager.
Other Wolverines are having
outstanding seasons just like
Morrison - the four top scorers in
the CCHA are Wolverines - but they
are being overshadowed by their
teammate.
* Kevin Hilton leads Morrison, and
the entire CCHA for that matter, in
scoring with nine goals and 48 assists
for 57 points. But his chances of
winning the Hobey are about as good
as his chances of playing pro .
basketball.
"Kevin has been the quietest star in
college hockey this year," Michigan
coach Red Berenson said. "He does a
lot of things for us. He's on our No. 1
power play. He's our No. I or No. 2
penalty killer. And he's been
productive, though he hasn't scored
many goals."
John Madden is third in the league
in scoring with 22 goals and 26 assist
for,48 points. He is first in short-
handed goals with eight.
Madden has been Michigan's most
valuable player this season. He has
been causing problems consistently
for the Wolverines' opposition and
rarely has an off night. No other
Michigan player has done more for
his team in 1995-96.
However, Madden won't even be .
mentioned in the same sentence as the
word . I'd put "Hobey" in
that blank, but then it would be in the
sentence.
Jason Botterill is just two points
behind Madden in the scoring ranks
with 46 points. Botterill is first in the
CCHA in goals with 27.
"He's definitely putting the puck in
the net this year," Berenson said.
"He's playing really well."
But he'll be traded to Michigan
State before he'll get the Hobey.
According to Berenson's philoso-
phy, Hilton, Madden and Botterill
should be candidates for the award.
"All of these guys are having great
years, and, to be considered, you have
to be one of the best players in your
league," said Berenson, who holds
one of the 18 Hobey votes. "On a
given night (you could make a case
for) any one of them." _
Yet, the Wolverines only have one
pamphlet promoting one player to the
press. If Berenson really wanted, he
could change that.
But he won't.
In 1993-94, three Michigan players
were finalists for the Hobey - David
Oliver, Brian Wiseman and Steve
Shields. Many feel that if only one
Wolverine had been considered, he
would have won. Instead, the votes
were split and none of them won.
Of course, that season all of
Michigan's standouts were seniors
and should have been on the ballot.
But this season, the leading Wolver-
ine, Morrison, is a junior. He's the
star, the flashiest, the best hope.
Like Morrison, Botterill and
Madden are juniors. Unlike Morrison,
they are not candidates.
Hilton is the senior, but he isn't
being promoted.
It isn't fair.
"It is important that they get
recognition," Berenson said. "The
program doesn't really promote
anybody, but Brendan promoted
himself the way he started off this
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