14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 19, 1997 Howe an asset even on the sideline. By Jordan Field Daily Sports Writer Last year at this time, Michigan wrestler Brandon Howe was preparing for the NCAA tournament. This year, the All-American junior has to watch from the sideline as his team gets ready for championships that begin tomorrow. It's been this way all year for Howe, but he hasn't been alone on the sideline.during this injury-marred season for the Wolverines. "It's been tough sitting here and just watching everything," Howe said. "But I rehab hard and push myself to get back. I know what I need to do, and I knew what to expect when I got hurt." Howe knew what to expect because this isn't the first time an injury has kept him out of competition. He injured his knee his freshman year and spent the season rehabilitating his knee after surgery. "It was different then, Howe said. "I was nervous and didn't know too many guys on the team. I didn't know what to do, or how to get better." Howe explained that the older wrestlers helped him. get through the injury and understand how to rehabilitate the injury. Now considered a veteran himself, Howe is trying to help out the younger guys who are sidelined. Damion Logan, a true freshman and the wrestler who replaced Howe at 126 pounds, is one teammate Howe is trying to help. After posting an impressive 15-4 record early in the season, Logan injured his shoulder and has been sidelined since. The injury was a subluxating shoulder, the same injury Howe and redshirt freshman Luiey Haddad (134) are reha- bilitating. "Damion was real bummed when he got hurt," Howe said. "I knew what he was going through and I felt sorry for him. But he is working hard, and he'll be back in the lineup at the start of the season next year." As Howe, Logan and Haddad concentrate on rehabbing for next season, some Wolverines are returning to the mat now for the first time this sea- son. Junior Brian Aparo (134) and redshirt freshman Phil Klein (150), who both sat out all season, have finally been cleared by doctors to return to wrestling. "I hated being out," Klein said. "Wrestling is my first passion, and I just couldn't wait to be back on the mat." Aparo, who was the team's starter at 134 pounds last year, was just cleared to wrestle this past Tuesday after missing a year and a half. "Being away from wrestling for so long, I really was able to put things in perspective," Aparo said. "I found a life outside of wrestling, and realized I can't wrestle my whole life. But as long as I can, I want to be on the mat." Aparo said there were many practices he watched from the sideline when a teammate would turn to him during a grueling exercise and said he wished the two could trade places. "Every time someone said that to me I'd say 'Don't say that,"' Aparo said. "I would have given anything to be out there on the mat when I was sit- ting on the couch." All the wrestlers look forward to next season to return to the mat. "We aren't losing any starters to graduation so if we can only stay healthy, we can have an incredible* team," Howe said. "All I want is to have a healthy season. I feel like I haven't been able to reach my potential, neither has our team:' _._ Maurice Taylor drives MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily past Alonzo Mayes during Michigan's 75-65 win last night. i GOLDEN BACH Continued from Page 12 short of a catastrophe for a program like Michigan's. In addition, they undoubtedly knew about the investigation that was being conducted. They probably knew that the findings were being released the following day. And they definitely knew that these allegations were about themselves and not entirely about the Athletic Department hierar- chy. The whole team agreed on that bit- tersweet Sunday that they weren't ready to hung up their sneakers for the summer. They all wanted to play more basketball and win a tournament, no matter which one it was. "We said that if we want to play. we're going to play to win it," Robert Traylor said. "We didn't want to go out and waste each other's time." And now, looking at the attitude on this team, there's no turning back. No margin for a letdown. "We want to win the NIT," Louis Bullock said. "We made a commit- ment to be the last Big Ten team play- ing." With a victory tomorrow in South Bend, that is a very realistic possibili- ty. Alan Goldenbach can be reached over e-mrail at ago'ld@umich.edU. OKLAHOMA STATE (65) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Roberts 38 7-11 5-8 1-3 4 4 19 Mason 28 2-4 0-0 1-2 1 2 5 Robisch 31 2-8 0-0 2-6 2 5 4 Dorsey 25 3-7 0-0 0-4 5 2 8 Peterson 32 7-13 0-0 1-5 2 2 17 Mayes 17 2-5 0-0 1-5 0 4 4 Alexander 12 3-3 0-0 0-1 0 4 4 Adkins 12 0-4 0-0 2-3 2 1 0 McQuarters 5 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 2 0 Totalsr200 2656 5.812341625 65 FG%:.464. FT%:.625. 3-point FG: 8-18, .444 (Peterson 3-6, Dorsey 2-4, Mason 1-3, Adkins 0-3, Alexander 2-2). Blocks: 1 (Mason). Steals: 3 (DorseyP. eterson, Adk ins). Technical Fouls: Mayes. MICHIGAN (75) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Taylor, M. 34 6-11 3-5 1-4 0 4 15 Baston 14 1-1 0-3 4-4 0 1 2 Traylor 30 7-12 4-9 1-6 1 4 18 Bullock 34 9-13 4-5 0-2 1 0 28 Conlan 33 2-3 0-0 0-3 5 3 5 Hughes 27 2-3 1-3 0-4 4 2 6 Ward 13 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Vignier 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Streets 3 0-0' 1-2 1-1 1 0 1 DeKuiper 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Oliver 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Haratsaris 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Taylor, D. 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200 27-4613-279-261215 75 FG%: .587. FT%: .481. 3-point FG: 8-15, .533 (Bullock 6-9, Hughes 1-2, Ward 0-2, Conlan 1-1, M. Taylor 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Conlan 2, M. Taylor, Baston). Steals: 5 (Taylor, Baston, Traylor, Vignier, Oliver). Technical Fouls: M. Taylor Oklahoma State ..34 31 - 65 Michigan .............40 35 - 75 At: Crisler Arena. A: 5,670 X Garrity leads Irish to 82-72 win over Texas Christian SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - It wasn't n't give TCU any time to set its defense, enough for Notre Dame to take the home whipping passes down the court for easy court from Texas Christian. The Irish layups and dunks. went and stole the Horned Frogs' game "We knew it was going to be a high- plan, too. octane game and it was'" MacLeod said. Pat Garrity scored 20 points last night "We want to run. We just want to run it as Notre Dame outran Texas Christian for the way we feel is effective for us." an 82-72 victory in the second round of And TCU, usually a run-and-gun team, the NIT. Pete never got its offense out of neutral. It The National Miller was 5- managed to get within 78-72 on a 3- Invitation of-6 from 3- pointer from Fowler with nine seconds Tournament point range left, but the game had been all but over and finished since halftime. with 16 points for the Irish. "I don't think we played sound basket- "For us to keep playing after St. ball this whole game. You kind of expect Patrick's Day, we haven't done this in six that coming in," TCU coach Billy Tubbs years," coach John MacLeod said. "It's said. "I'd like to issue a challenge: exciting." Anytime Notre Dame wants to play us, The Irish (16-13) will host the winner they can come to Fort Worth." of the Oklahoma State-Michigan game The Frogs never quite figured out Thursday. This is their first postseason where the Irish were going. Any time they appearance (16-13) since 1992, when managed to cover Garrity, Miller would* they lost to Virginia in the NIT champi- work himself free. TCU outrebounded the onship. Irish 51-48, but Notre Dame always Damian Walker led the Horned Frogs seemed to get the ones that counted. with 16 points, Mike Jones had 14, "We have a front line going 6-7, 6-9, 6- Malcolm Johnson I1 and Prince Fowler 6" Garrity said. "We're going to be get- 10. ting rebounds and that's going to tngger The Horned Frogs (22-13) were the fast break.' already angry at having to travel despite TCU managed to keep it close for the having a better record and drawing a big- first five minutes of the game, and that's ger crowd in the first round, and the Irish when Garrity took over. His layup started did nothing.to improve their mood. the Irish on a 12-2 run, and he scored four Plodding is usually a good description more points as Notre Dame took a 21-12 for Notre Dame, but MacLeod had his lead with 11:30 left in the first half. The team running from the start. The Irish did- Irish never trailed again. "P'vT Notre Dame's Paul Hickey blocks Texas Christian's Mike Jones during the Fighting Irish's 82-72 win over the Horned Frogs yesterday in South Bend. °4