MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALL
DETROIT 10
Minnesota 4
KANSAS CITY 6
Baltimore 5
MILWAUKEE 5
Texas 3
COLORADO 13
Cincinnati 2

NY Yankees at
ANAHEIM, inc.
Boston at
OAKLAND, inc.
Cleveland at
SEATTLE, inc.
N.Y. Mets at
LOS ANGELES, inc.
PRO
BASKETBALL

Miami 94
DETROIT 88
Charlotte 110
CLEVELAND 105
CHICAGO 128
Philadelphia 102
Portland at
DENVER, inc.
PRO
HOCKEY

HARTFORD 4
Buffalo 2
MONTREAL 2
NY Islanders 1
NY RANGERS 3
Philadelphia 2
Dallas at
PHOENIX, inc.
Vancouver at
SAN JOSE, INC.

Tuesday
April 8, 1997

9.

*!% i .xs .....
...

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT MAURICE TAYLOR'S NBA PLANS

~ I

I

it

I

Report: Taylor
will declare for
NBA Draft soon

By John Leroi
Daily Sports Editor
The rumors about Michigan bas-
ketball player Maurice Taylor's
decision whether to enter the NBA
Draft got a little more interesting
yesterday.
The Detroit News quoted a
source close to Taylor's family say-
ing that the junior forward would
forgo his final year of eligibility
and make himself eligible for the
draft.
The source also said that Taylor
will make the announcement at a
news conference later this week,
sometime after Wednesday's bas-
ketball bust.
But Taylor's aunt, Sabrina Lloyd,
said that she did not know the iden-
tity of the source and said the infor-
mation was unreliable.
"Maurice hasn't decided what
he's going to do;" Lloyd said. "I
don't know who would have told
them that, but it wasn't me."
Lloyd said in an interview with
The Michigan Daily that Taylor
would make his decision public
this week, as expected, but then
said she couldn't say "for sure if it
will be this week or not, but he will
make the decision soon."
The source told the News that
Taylor "would be a much better pro
than he was a college player at
Michigan. There is little double-
teaming in the NBA like he had to
go through in college. When NBA
teams call him in they're going to
be surprised what he can do.'
But some people disagree with
that assessment. While Taylor, a 6-
foot-8 1/2, 245-pound power for-
ward, made a late season surge in
Michigan's last seven games to
help the Wolverines win the NIT
title, it may not have helped his
draft status.
ESPN NBA Draft analyst Don
Leventhal has Taylor as the 23rd
rated prospect, down from 17th
earlier in the season.
While scouts and coaches from
NBA teams aren't allowed to com-
ment on underclassmen until the
NBA receives a letter stating their
intent to enter the draft, NBA
Director of Scouting Marty Blake
said Taylor would be wise to stay in
school.
"If he goes pro, that's his prob-
lem," Blake said. "I think that's a
big mistake, but Maurice Taylor
can make his own decisions.
"He couldn't help Michigan.
How's he going to help an NBA

Captain
Beermann
braces for
Central
By T1racy Sander.,
Daily Sports Writer
When the Michigan baseball teai
(7-2 Big Ten, 17-12 overall) face
Central Michigan today at Ray Fisher
Stadium at 3 p.m., it will be countin5
on many things to lead it to victory. It
will need offensive production and
consistent pitching from the staff.
It will also be looking to second base'
man and team captain Kirk Beermann
to provide consistency in the field and
in the dugout. Beermann, Michigan's
lone senior, is the team's first captaiO
since coach Geoff Zahn came to
Michigan last season. They had no cap-
tain last year, but
Beermann was
elected by the g e
team for this sea- Wh:'M' vs.
son. Centra1 Michigan
"Everyone When:3pm.
wants to win," Where: Fisher
Beermann said. Stadium
"They're not N : Micigan
accepting losing. .Is 1.2 gainst
When I first MAC schOOls
came here, a lot of guys were concet-
trating on the draft. They weren't co-
centrating on the team. The last two
years we've been focusing on winning
a lot of games, winning the Big Ten and
getting to a regional:.
During Beermann's career at
Michigan, he has learned a lot from
observation. It has gone beyond attk-
tude. Historically a slow starter at the
plate, Beermann, who is currently ba-
ting .291, has learned how to do the lit-
tle things that help a team out.
"Each year, I try to see some things
that I did and that I worked on that I
could use the following year,"
Beermann said. "I saw things that my
teammates did to improve the team. It's
doing the small things, like bunting an1
moving the runners up"
Although he may not be an offensive
power, Beermann more than makes up
for it in the field. He was last season's
Ted Sizemore Award winner, given to
the Wolverines' best defensive playe
This year he has compiled a .951 field.
ing percentage, with 93 assists, while
committing only three errors.
"I love the execution of the gamet
Beermann said. "I love playing
defense. I've always loved it, ever since
I played tee-ball. I've taken a lot of
pride in being able to turn double plays,
because it helps the pitcher out and can
prevent a big inning.
"Baseball is such a detailed sport. It)
a game of inches. Anything you.d
depends greatly on what everyone else
does"
Part of the reason for Beermann's
success has been his ability to keep o
an even keel.
"Because the season's long, I try not
to get too high or too low," Beermann
said. "I don't get too excited, because I
know that in baseball, at any time,
things can reverse just as easily as they
started. I try to maintain the same atti-
tude and enthusiasm. throughout the
See BEERMANN, Page 10

team?"
What Blake was referring to was
Taylor's mid-season slump, when,
although his scoring average never
dipped below double-figures, his
offensive production was unspec-
tacular - especially for a player
who was the Big Ten freshman of
the year two seasons ago.
Taylor's rebounding effort also
came under question. Taylor
grabbed four rebounds or less in 12
different games this season and it
took a career-high 15 boards in the
NIT final against Florida State to
raise his season average above six.
Leventhal said that it was
Taylor's erratic play that makes
Taylor unattractive to teams with
lottery picks.
"I can't say he's someone I'm
excited about," Leventhal said. "He
doesn't have can't-miss potential,
but he has enough talent to play in
the NBA. He just needs to work
harder.
"Like so many players out of
Michigan, he's inconsistent.
See TAYLOR, Page 10

Published reports yesterday cited a source close to Maurice Taylor's family as saying the junior would skip his senior season
to turn pro. Taylor has been projected by many as a mid- to late4frst round pick, but others say his lack of production during
his junior season indicates he may not be ready for the NBA.



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