,ils.E4'_________________________ It's a racket! The men's tennis team will take on Penn State at the Liberty Sports Complex at I p.m. Saturday. The men's and women's track and field teams will host the Red Simmons invitational tomorrow in the Track and Tennis Building at 12 noon. Page 11 Friday, January 19, 1996 Y __,_ Women's rebuilt illini, By James Goldstein in Daily Sports Writer I1 Thedefinition ofa"rebuilding year" M usually suggests a season where a team needs to start over, sometimes from w scratch and focus on things such as hi team attitude, chemistry and game-to- hi gahe effort. The expectations ofa rebuilding team pi S lowered, especially when the coach al says it will take a season or two for a program togetbackto itswinning ways. as The coach in question is Illinois' new it women's basketball general, Theresa dr Grentz. o Grentz, previously the coach of Rutgers for 19 years, stated in the pre- la season conference luncheon that this ho would be just such a season for the h ghtintg Illini. Even the preseason Big Ten basket- 2? ball poll agreed with Grentz, placing St the fl.ini second to last in the confer- th en& just ahead of the Michigan. The prediction has been right on for ci the WJIverines (0-5 Big Ten, 6-9, over- si all) Michigan is tied with two other tu teams in the conference cellar. But Illinois (2-3, 8-7) is moving in fo an opposite direction, having won its ag last-ee games. w *Michigan looks to be a streak-stop- per onboth sides, hoping to break its oi six-game losing streak against the surg- C in 1lini tonight at Huff Hall. The Wol- to vefnes then travel to Ohio State to play m the Buckeyes at 2 p.m Sunday at St. ki Joni Arena. MiThiganattributes Illinois' recent play o to rcntz. 1 am a little surprised (about the sr Illini record) with anew coach, but then sl ,o not because it's Theresa Grentz," th Michigan forward Amy Johnson said. ar "I know from her reputation that she is P a great coach." After getting blown out by the likes to of Northwestern, Iowa and Purdue, the b Illini surprised the nation by demolish- c >ops face Buckeyes g No. 14 Arkansas, 88-64. Since then, linois has beaten conference rivals linnesota and Indiana. Against Minnesota, sophomore for- ard Ashley Berggren tallied a career- gh 43 points on 15 of21 shooting and tting 15 of 21 foul shots. The Wolverines are not only im- ressed with -Berggren's statistics, but so with her work ethic. "She's a big-time hustle player as far sgetting her own rebound and putting back up," Johnson said. "She can rive to the hole and has little bit of an utside game." Johnson said the Wolverines do not ck hustle and effort. The problem isn't been going after the ball; it's olding onto it. The Wolverines turned the ball over 3 times in their 79-64 loss to Penn tate last Sunday, getting just under eiraverage of23.9 turnovers per game. Whenever Michigan made a run and utthe Nittany Lions' leadto eight andthen x points, the Wolverines made a costly mover that took the air out of the team. But Michigan thinks it has a solution or the sloppiness that could be used gainst the Illini and the Buckeyes this eekend. "I think if we're loose we can cut down n our turnovers," Michigan forward atherine DiGiacinto said. "Wejust need go out there relaxed, not thinking so nuch about it, but just playing like we now how." DiGiacinto knows only how to play ne way -emotional and with a smile. The 6-foot-I junior has provided a park coming off the bench whenever he plays. And she provided even more han that as she contributed 16 points nd 13 rebounds off the bench against enn State. "I'm usually a happy person, smiling a ot," DiGiacinto said. "Our team plays etter when we're relaxed and when we an have fun and smile. Especially for Penn State brings perfection to Clisler Wolverines hope to play spoilers By Michael Rosenberg Daily Editor in Chief Penn State -- No. 14 in the nation, undefeated, first in the Big Ten. Maceo Baston - not impressed. "You can win games against Huckabuck State or whatever," said Michigan's sophomore forward, mocking the Nittany Lions' schedule. Among Penn State's 13 victims are Virginia Military Institute, Morgan State and Vermont. Nonetheless, Penn State has won its first four Big Ten contests, includ- ing a 79-50 laughter over Wisconsin, which beat Michigan Jan. 3. Thatalone makes Sunday's noon contest at Crisler Arena interesting. "(We're) smart enough to know that we lost to Wisconsin and they beat Wisconsin by 29 points," said Michi- gan coach Steve Fisher. The Nittany Lions have heard com- ments about its schedule. "Some people are a little suspi- cious," Penn State guard Dan Earl said. "We just want to go out and prove we're a good basketball team." Fisher also dismisses any Bastonesque theories that Penn State is a paper 13-0. "I heard the same thing in football with Northwestern," Fisher said. "They are not doing it with mirrors." But neither is Michigan (13-4, 3- 1), which has dominated Northwest- ern, Illinois, and Michigan State in the past three games. The Wolverines haven't lost in Crisler Arena in al- most a year, winning 14 straight. "That's One of our goals, to go un- defeated at home this year," said Michigan point guard Travis Conlan. "You can win Y games against Huckabuck State or whatever" - Maceo Baston Michigan basketball player,, on Penn State's schedule That goal will face its toughest chal-. lenge Sunday. Under first-year coach Jerry Dunn, the Nittany Lions have transformed themselves into a con- tender for the Big Ten title. And they have done it without last year's star, All-Big Ten center John' Amaechi. To make up for the loss of Amaechi,. Dunn's team has distributed its scqr- ing among the five starters, all of whom average at least 11.6 points per game. The top gun is long-range shooter Pete Lisicky, who has shot 53 percent from the field, phenomenal for a guard. Lisicky's accuracy doesn't waver from beyond the 3-point strip , either - he's a deadly 53 perent from there as well. But the Wolverines may not even guard Lisicky. Not that they don.t respect him - it's just that Lisicky has a mild foot sprain and iay not play. "We're hoping to have him on Sun day," Dunn said. "I'm not totally sure on that. If Lisicky does play, Conlan will b6 See LIONS, Page 12 MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily The Michigan women's basketball team looks to score its first Big Ten victory tonight at Illinois. me, I know that I play better when I'm totally relaxed, smiling, and having fun." The Wolverines, however, will not have fun trying to track All-American Ohio StateforwardKatieSmithSunday. Smith is averaging 22.0 points per game this season and an amazing free throw per- centage of 87.3. Johnson will alternate guarding the Buckeye forward with Akisha Franklin and Molly Murray. The key to this game will be the battle on the boards. Michigan is a strong re- boundingteamhighlightedby Pollyanna Johns' conference leading 10.2 rebounds per game. But Ohio State, with the likes of 6- foot-2 forward Lisa Negri and the 6-foot- 3 center tandem of Tiffany Glosson and Kelly Fergus, can bang with the best of them, too. Notre Dame's Poulin hopes to bring prestige to his alma mater v -1. By Nicholas J. Cotsonika Dadiy Sports Writer There's a big difference between the Four Horsemen and a Few Guys with Hock~ey Sticks. At Notre Dame, football players are the ones dubbed with fearsome, apocalyptic monikers. They win 'em for the Gipper, appear on national television regardless of their record, and have devoted follow- Ss who couldn't find South Bend, Ind., on a niap. But if football is Notre Dame's golden goose, hockey is its goose egg. The Fighting Irish have slipped all over the ice for most of the hockey program's history. Notre Dame played its first year of varsity hockey in 1912- 13 and went 1-2. It hasn't gotten much better since. Few winning seasons, few titles and f Ie respect. "They haven't been that successful," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "But their4eam is starting to improve. They are capable ofknocking offateam like Michi- gan.' Dave Poulin is one of the reasons why. Notre Dame's rookie coach -a 12-year NHL veteran -- decided to return to his alma mater this season instead of taking a position in pro hockey. Though Poulin s never coached before, many felt his *iringmeantthe Irish were finally getting serious about hockey. "There is no question that our long- term goal is to make the program one of the elite," Poulin said. "I've played for coaches that have had distinctly differ- ent styles, methods and philosophies which they have used to be successful. Much of what works at the professional level will be applicable to the college ame." If it worked for Berenson, it might work for Poulin. When Berenson took over the Wol- verines in 1984, Michigan was a peren- nial also-ran intheCCHA. But Berenson was able to build his alma mater into national power with the experience he gained as a player and coach in the NHIL. Poulin will try to do the same. After illustrious pro career, in which he ' layed over 700 games, appeared in twoAll-Star games, and competed in Tomorrow's game Who: No. 3 Michigan vs. Notre Dame When and where: 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena What: The first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Irish defeated the Wolverines in one of the three games they played last year. Notre Dame plays at Illinois- Chicago tonight at 7 o'clock. three Stanley Cup finals, he has the tough task of helping the school for which he starred acquire a respectable program. But there is one crucial difference be- tween Poulin and Berenson. "He's never coached before." said Berenson, who was NHL Coach of the Year with the St. Louis Blues before taking the Michigan job. "It's a unique situation when someone leaves the pros to coach in college, but he has a soft spot for college hockey." Poulin has learned from some of the best, however, having played for Mike Keenan, Mike Milbury and Jim Schoenfeld,andhepreachesthegospel of Berenson and many other former N HL veterans. "The common strand through all the successful coaches which I have played under is that the hard way is the easy way," Poulin said. "If you can accom- plish the hard work and you can stay with the discipline, you will be success- ful." Notre Dame (4-10-3 CCHA, 5-13-3 overall) may be working hard, but the Irish haven't seen results yet. They are mired in an eighth-place tie with Miami (Ohio) and heading for a finish similar to last year's ninth-place showing. But Berenson says records matter little when the Wolverines take on the Irish. "Anytime Michigan and Notre Dame play each other, there'sarivalry," he said. "It doesn't matter what sport it is, it's still a chance to beat Notre Dame." 3erenson hopes Poulin can make the rivalry a little more competitive in the future, however. Michigan is a big name on the Irish's schedule. Notre Dame has faced the Wolverines more than any other team and holds a 36-39-2 record in the series. But even though they beat Michigan. 6-3, last year, the Irish need a few more victories over the elite teams to start rising toward the top. So tomorrow night's 7 o'clock game against the third- ranked Wolverines (14-3-0, 19-4-0) at Yost Ice Arena will be a big one for Notre Dame.. "Playing us is good for theirprogram," Berenson said. "I would like to see them become a powerhouse in our league." Poulin would too. "Many, many athletes dream ofcom- ing back to their alma mater to coach," Poulin said. "And now that's a reality for me. I want to open people's eyes to the Notre Dame experience which I believe has been the foundation of my success." He undoubtedly wants to win a few too - for the Gipper, of course. TONYA BROAD/Daily, The Wolverines will face Notre Dame tomorrow at Yost Ice Arena. The Fighting Irish are looking to build their program around their rookie coach Dave Poulin. SOPHOMORES... Career Planning & Placement offers programs designed 6OO pm. SATURDAY X~'~ F=-I.. Z I<=><=>1/'1 I-U T -H E 119 t 17 A UN'? M'AJOF2 EVENTS/EIViSIQN OF ',iLt)UNT AFFAIRS P-RESENTATION 2/,1996 __ LM i i 1 ... m * wo t - ® N&*