0 0 208 - The Michigan Daily - Tipoff '96 - Thursday, November 14, 1996 BIG TEN PosmON PREVIEW The Michigan Daily - Tipoff '96 - TI Gophers' season could be Golden Big things expected of big Blue's I Taylor, Baston,- Traylor bulk up, slim down to become Big Ten's top fr< By John Lxroi If history meant anything to Minnesota coach Clem Haskins last season, it sure doesn't now. The NCAA Tournament selection committee made the Golden Gophers the first Big Ten team ever to be snubbed with at least a 10-8 conference record. That shouldn't happen again. The Gophers should be better than 10-8 and, barring any freak bus crashes, they will make a tournament appearance. In fact, don't be surprised if Minnesota wins its first Big Ten title since 1982. The Gophers return five starters, four of which were second- team All-Big Ten picks, and 10 of their top 11 scorers from last season. Six- foot-nine, 265-pound center John Thomas wears opponents down with his size and has the post moves to take advantage of his strength. Sophomore Courtney James is also a bruiser at 6-foot-8, 265 and is a better passer than anyone his size should be. Mark Jones and Quincy Lewis provide ample backup. Minnesota is rough inside and can afford to take fouls with six centers or power forwards on its roster In fact, nobody in the Big Ten has as much talent, flexibility and depth up front - not even Michigan. But the real prize of the Gophers is swingman Sam Jacobson, an outstand- ing leaper and legitimate scoring threat from behind the arc and in the paint. Jacobson is on the verge of being an All-Big Ten pick. If he plays like he did at the end of last season, the Gophers will be difficult to beat. "If we are to achieve our team goals, (Jacobson) needs to take his game to the next level," Haskins said. "He has all the tools to be an elite player." In the backcourt, Haskins has an experienced senior scorer in 6-foot-I Bobby Jackson, who averaged over 13 points per game last season. Outside shooting is Haskins' only major concern, especially when Jackson is at the point. But if Jacobson can hit threes consis- tently and still play inside, Minnesota may have a Big Ten Player of the Year and a Big Ten championship. Keady will need deep bag of tricks to win 4th title By John Leroi No Big Ten team has won four straight conference titles. Then again, no Big Ten team has Gene Keady - except Purdue. The six-time Big Ten Coach of the Year is more the reason for the Boilermakers' success than anybody. Recognized as a national coach of the year for the third consecutive season, Keady led Purdue to its third confer- ence title after being picked to finish fifth. SELF-SERVE COPIES 90 copies per minute, automatic feed, COUPON collate & staple, reduce & enlarge. COLOR COPIES Vivid copies of color photos! 1 Make color calendars, each transparencies, & add color to COUPON graphs. Use color to enhance your projects & reports. QUPS SHIPPING 10* Ship all your packages with us! OF Express delivery services & COUPON packaging services available. valid with this ad. No other discounts apply. Expires I2130/96 1 930-2800 24hr. FAX Step into Our Future Preparing for the challenges of tomorrow's information careers takes a school with exceptional resources and faculty commitment. It takes the School of Information at the University of Michigan. Apply now for summer and fall 1997. So although it looks as if the Boilermakers will finish fourth or fifth this year, that might be as stupid a pick as choosing Bob Dole to win a conge- niality contest. Purdue boasts the league's top-rated incoming class as well as 6-foot-2 guard Chad Austin, who dropped in 13 points per game last year, and 6-11 cen- ter Brad Miller. Austin is the Big Ten's top 3-point gunner, and Miller is more athletic than he looks. The only problem is the Boilers lost four starters and three other lettermen, including their entire front line of Justin Jennings, Roy Hairston and Brandon Brantley, who comprised the most well- rounded frontcourt in the Big Ten. Also gone are guards Herb Dove and Porter Roberts, leaving a gaping hole at the point-guard position. Keady expects the freshmen to step in immediately, especially small for- ward Michael Robinson, a long-range magician, who will compete for a start- ing spot on the perimeter. "I'm excited, because I think we'll be able to run a lot," Keady said. "We're going to score some points this year." The biggest points may be scored by Keady himself. He lost Glenn Robinson and spurred his squad to a Big Ten title. Then Cuonzo Martin and Matt Waddell left, and Keady managed to take Purdue to the top of the league again. Keady knows his team is inexperi- enced, and he's willing to work with his player's strengths. Instead of experi- ence, he's got athleticism. If Austin has the year he did last year, and Miller plays like he did when he won a starting spot in his freshman sea- son, Keady will have all the ingredients he needs to work with. And remember, this is exactly the position Keady wants to be in: picked to finish fifth and without his top guns from a season ago. So, while Purdue looks mediocre on paper, somehow, Keady always makes things work. By Alan Goldenbach Jenny Craig might be as valuable a coach for the Michigan frontcourt as Steve Fisher. The theme this summer for Michigan's returning big men - Maurice Taylor, Maceo Baston and Robert Traylor - was weight, both the loss and the gaining of it. The result of this flab-bergasting summer for this trio should transform it into the Big Ten's top frontcourt and one. of the nation's best, if not the meatiest. But the three do know that they are the go-to guys on this team and will be counted on during crunch time. "In order for us to be successful this year, we have to play within ourselves," Baston said. "We're the cornerstone of the team." At the base of that cornerstone is Taylor. The 6-foot-9 junior was a second- team All-Big Ten selection last year and this season is a preseason candidate for the Naismith Player of the Year Award. One of the knocks on Taylor last sea- son was that he needed to fill out his NBA-size body. Over the summer, he took huge steps in getting to that point, bulking up to a Karl-Malonesque 250 pounds, and is beginning to look more like the prototypical power forward. Taylor showed solid progress in all statistical areas last year, improving his scoring (14 points per game), rebound- ing (7 rebounds per game) and field- goal percentage (51 percent). But much bigger numbers are expected of him this season. The biggest attribute that Taylor will be expected to assume is the role of team leader, something he learned a great deal about from playing on the under-22 Junior National Team over the summer. Among his teammates were Wake Forest's Tim Duncan, Stanford's Brevin Knight and other top collegians. His opposition included the Olympic Dream Team which remembers him most for a sensational dunk over Shaquille O'Neal on national television. "(Playing on the Junior National Team) was a tremendous learning expe- rience," Taylor said. "It's something that I'll bring over to my teammates here." For the time being, Fisher hasn't named a permanent team captain. In fact, Fisher himself will carry that role until someone "wrestles it away from him." However, he hopes that someone does that before the season gets too far along. Taylor should take on this role before the start of the Big Ten season, which comes after the new year. Also hitting the weight room this summer was Baston, who significantly upgraded his upper-body strength. Yet it still doesn't show when he steps onto the scale, as his weight still teeters around 210 pounds --not enough for a 6-foot-9 power forward in the Big Ten, and certainly not enough if he has plans for the NBA. "(Baston) bulked up, but not nearly enough," Fisher said. "Maceo is small- boned to start with. He's going to be 25 before he's big. "But he is a lot stronger. Even though he may only be six or seven heavier, he'll be able to take a lot more pushing. He has to use his quickness over strength." It will be his quickness that will take Baston to the next level as a player. Already an accomplished defensive player and one of the conference's pre- mier shot-blockers (he secured three Michigan victories last season by swat- ting away last-second shots), Baston needs to work on his low-post moves, which will make him an equally talent- ed offensive player. "I have to play within myself," Baston said. "I have to keep myself within the flow of the offense." In his first two years at Michigan, that hasn't been much of a problem. Baston is the Wolverines' all-time leader in career field-goal percentage at .679. However, a good chunk of his scoring comes as a result of layups and thunderous dunks. He will need to establish some sort of an outside game to become a more complete player. Traylor's weight has gone in the oppo- site direction than Taylor's and Baston's. He's "slimmed down" to 300 pounds, which makes you wonder what he was playing at last year. The weight loss has made it a lot easier for him to get up and down the court, giving Michigan a much more agile center. "(Traylor's weight) is a whole lot bet- ter than it was a year ago," Fisher said. "But he still needs to pare down, firm up, and burn some more of that body fat. "But in the same breath, the stamina that he's had in practices so far is much greater than he had a year ago. So I'm very happy about that.' Traylor will BIG J be one of the more eager Np. Playr Wolverines to 23 M urie Tyloir get this season 30 Mac> Bastor going. He 54 Robert Traylo missed the final 55 Peter Vignler eight games of last season after < sustaining a bro-" ken arm in the4 infamous recruiting-trip- gone-wrong car accident in March.: "I'm real: excited to get out on the court;' Traylor said after one of the final presea- son practices. "I think me, Brandun (Hughes) and Pete (Vignier) are the most excited to get the season going." Freshman Peter Vignier is the team's project for this year. The 6-foot-I11 cen- ter won't be counted on to contribute much right away, but he will rather learn from the likes of Taylor, Baston and Traylor. His talents are very raw, but he is regarded by the coaching staff as a quick learner and possesses a strong knowledge of the game. At Teaneck High School last year, he only averaged 11.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, so big numbers shouldn't be expected any- time soon. But Yr. lt. wt. Fisher has liked Jr. 69 250 what he has done Jr. 69 210 in practice by So. 6- 300 banging bodies Fr. 611 235 with Michigan's other big men. "Pete has occa- sionally shown me a glimmer of 'Boy, I like that,"' Fisher said. "He's going through a baptism by fire." However, with Albert White's departure and the transfer of Willie Mitchell, Michigan's big men, Taylor and Baston, in particular, may be asked to share some of the small forward duties. While many may consider this an unnecessary burden, Baston sees a sil- ver lining in White's exit. "We have to pick up the job that Albert did for us," Baston said. "That may mean us do jw fc Iv an T L sn 0' u or of fo B T i sp ca of ha Ix 1t p Our Master of Science in Information and doctoral programs value tradition yet boldly embrace technological advances. 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(313) 763-2285 SIAdmissions@umich.edu http://www.si.umich.edu/, The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution FILE PHOTO/Daily Junior forward Maurice Taylor Is expected to grab the leadership role and guide the Wolverines past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A preseason All-Big Ten selection, Taylor is considered one of the premier power forwards in the nation. I