IOB - The Michigan Daily - Tipoff '96 -- Thursday, November 14, 1996 AT A GLANCE The Michigan Daily - Tipoff '96 -1 FEATURE 3 RYAN DEKUIPER Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 200 lbs. Class: Senior Position: Guard Hometown: Freemont 4 Is he back? BRANDUN HUGHES Height: 6-foot-0 Weight: 180 lbs. Two injury-plagued years have dropped Jerod WardfroM malorfiop. Can he become the player everyone thought 2 1, Class: Junior Position: Guard Hometown: Peoria, Ill. County Community College, Kan.) 1995-96 Statistics G-GS FG-FGA Pct. PPG APG TO St. 14-0 3-6 .500 0.6 - 1 0 0 1995-96 Statistics (Barton G-GS FG-FGA Pct. PPG RPG APG Bk. 26-26 271-572 .474 28.2 2.9 6.5 N/A LOuIs BULLOCK Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 170 lbs. Class: Sophomore Position: Guard Hometown: Temple Hills, Md. TRAVIs CONLAN Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 190 lbs. Class: Junior Position: Guard Hometown: St. Clair Shores Jerod Ward stood on the sidelines all by himself. Even at 6-foot-9, he looked helpless, even awkward, chewing at his fingernails, watching his teammates practice. After missing a huge chunk of the past two seasons, Ward still hasn't gotten accustomed to being off the court - even when he's just tak- ing a five-minute breather. That's good news to the Michigan basketball program. Because with the losses of Albert White and Willie Mitchell, the Wolverines need Ward to play a larger role than he has so far in Ann Arbor. The only problem is that nobody knows what Jerod Ward can do. He's looked as uncomfort- able on the court as he has off it in his short, less-than-spectacular career. So when this starts - Ward's junior year - it is only natural for the fans, the media, even Ward's own coaches, to wonder what is going to become of Jerod Ward. Everyone knows his story. Sidelined with two different knee injuries in both of his first two seasons, Jerod Ward has been a no-show for the Wolverines. Ward was recognized as the best prep player in the nation his senior year at Clinton High School in Mississippi. And when Michigan coach Steve Fisher landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 1994, Ward was the headliner. Expectations were awfully high. Everything came easily to Ward in high school. He was big. He was agile. He could shoot the lights out from behind the arc, and he could even play center. Everybody loved him. Especially Fisher, who once thought Ward could be as dynamic a play- er as Chris Webber. You'd be hard pressed to find people who think that any longer. Most fans are frustrated. It would be easy to 1995-96 Statistics G-GS FG-FGA Pct. PPG APG TO St. 32-29 132-332 .398 13.5 54 56 31 1995-96 Statistics G-GS FG-FGA Pct. PPG APG TO St. 32-30 45-138 .326 4.5 155 85 47 By John Leroi label Jerod Ward a bust if he had only shown such futility in a full season. If only he had let the Todd Lindemans and Jaime Feicks of the Big Ten push him around for a couple of sea- sons. If only the oft-maligned Willie Mitchell had won Ward's starting position, then the fans and the critics would be satisfied enough to call Ward a failure. But even though Ward hasn't looked very sharp in two shortened seasons, his high school credentials and very brief flashes of brilliance at Michigan breathe wind into Ward's career - at least in the eyes of outsiders. Ward looked rather sloppy and intimidated in his first season as a Wolverine. He averaged a paltry six points per game and managed just under 3.7 in nine Big Ten games. Last season wasn't much better. Both, of course, ended abruptly with knee injuries - first, torn meniscus in his right knee, then a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left. It's impossible to blame Ward for his injuries, and yet, so many people feel let down. Ward feels about as uncomfortable talking about his injuries as he does playing through them. "I don't even pick up magazines and newspa- pers anymore," Ward says. "I try to satisfy my own goals, not other people's. I have to live life for myself. I can't please other people." The effects of multiple knee surgeries still linger. Physically, Ward's knees still ache on occasion. Mentally, and more significantly, he is a bit hesitant on the court. It's been a difficult process to overcome. Surgery and rehabilitation can have their ill effects, but to endure the agony twice in two years to a basketball player is devastating, espe- cially to a player of Ward's caliber. "I'm not bitter," Ward says of his seemingly bad luck with injuries. "It's upsetting and frus- trating - I admit it - but I'm not bitter. Everything happens for a reason. God must have wanted me to become stronger off the court." But even though Ward says he can ignore all of the outside pressure, it's not difficult to see that the criticism takes its toll. While expectations were lofty when he came to Michigan, they are at least as high now. Fisher is forced to rely on Ward to deliver the scoring punch that many think he's lost. Without White, Ward has no backup. When he's off the floor, Fisher must resort to a three- guard lineup or toss all three big men on the floor at once. The fans certainly won't let up. They can read. They've seen Ward's statistics from high school. They know the Naismith Award is no chintzy hunk of metal. When Dick Vitale speaks, fans around the country listen. Ward hasn't had it easy from the start. Even Webber didn't have to deal with pressure of being a prep player of the year. He also had Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard to relieve what- ever strain there was. And while Maurice Taylor and Maceo Baston are excellent players, neither is as extraordinary as either Rose or Howard. 23 MAURICE TAYLOR Height: 6-foot-9 Weight: 250 lbs. Class: Junior Position: Forward Hometown: Detroit Ward, a quiet kid from Mississippi, whose parents are both ordained Baptist ministers, was left to handle all the pressure by himself. "He had a lot hype to live up to," says Ward's frontcourt teammate Maurice Taylor, who has enjoyed far more success as a Wolverine. "I was lucky not to be under that sort of pressure." It was no secret that Ward wasn't content in Ann Arbor. He never criticized Fisher or his teammates, but rumors often floated that Ward, uncomfortable at Michigan, wanted to transfer. In actuality, he had few thoughts of doing so. And he isn't going anywhere soon. That would mean giving up - something Ward hates. Still, Ward, conservative and quiet, is a bit out of place in Ann Arbor during parts of his first two years. His team- mates are bold and brash. The town is eccentric. Michigan is cold. The bc appointe< doesn't h All-Big 1 piece of t A poor doom foi and prof< fault that his talent "All I ents," W 24 RON OLIVER Height: 6-foot-0 Weight: 175 lbs. Class: Sophomore Position: Guard Hometown: Little Rock, Ark. It's even harder to fit in when you haven't played in half your team's games. Sure, Ward was often at practice, but he was riding a bike, shooting set shots or rehabbing off the court. Ward has friendships with the other Wolverines,' but he certainly doesn't have a tight bond with any player this year. His best friend last season, who has since departed, was student manager Asher Stoller. Ward even stuck around " Ann Arbor this summer to hone his skills and work at a local law firm, but never once did he step on the court with his Michigan teammates. "We all have our little cliques off the court," Ward says. "I guess I really don't click with anybody. I'm just the kind of guy, who, if you need me, I'm there for you. "I'm friendly with everyone and they have all accepted the way I am, just as I've accepted them way they are. If we're going to win togeth- er, we have to. Whether Ward can help the Wolverines win still remains to be seen. It's hard for anyone, including Fisher, to know what to expect. Even Ward says he doesn't have the answers. He only wants to get through the 1997 conference season unscathed. All Fisher knows is that another injury would be devastating to the Wolverines. Other than that, he is just trying to tap Ward's potential, something that hasn't been done since he arrived at Michigan. "Jerod Ward has to have a big year," Fisher says. "He ought to. He's healthy. He's regained his confidence. We expect a lot." Ward does too, but he knows others may be disappointed with his perfor- mance. He says that won't bother him anymore. 1995-96&Statistics G4S FG-FGA Pct. PPG RPG APG Bk. 32-32 194-380 .511 14.0 7.0 42 25 G-GS FG-FGA Pct. PPG APG TO St. 22-0 2-10 .200 0.3 2 4 2 > .. Oki ' FILE PHOTO/Daily Jerod Ward gets helped off the court after tearing miniscus In his right knee his freshman season.