The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 21, 1997 - 15
'M' women cagers hope to
weather Storm in opener
By Josh Kleinbaum
Daily Sports Writer
The wait is over.
The Michigan women's basketball
team finally gets to play in a game
that counts.
After a month of practice and one
exhibition game, the Wolverines will
play in the MSU-Felpausch tourna-
ment tonight and tomorrow at
Michigan State's Breslin Center. The
Wolverines open their season tonight
at 6 against St. John's. Fresno State
will play the host Spartans at 8 p.m.
Tomorrow, the winners and losers
will pair off.
"We want to improve with every
game we play," Michigan coach Sue
Guevara said. "I'd like to see us cut
down on turnovers and improve our
free-throw percentage."
Turnovers and free-throws were
somewhat of a problem in the exhibi-
tion against Sporitelna Bratislava, a
Slovakian team, but the Wolverines
still dominated the game.
"We'd like to take care of the kinks
that we have - take care of us first
- and then worry about St. John's,"
Guevara said.
Michigan will see some familiar
faces on the Red Storm sideline. St.
John's starting backcourt of senior
Latricia Gunnells and junior Ebony
Dickinson both are Michigan natives,
and both played at Lansing
Community College.
"Ebony Dickinson is a good play-
er," Guevara said. "She's got a quick
shot and can penetrate to the basket."
The Red Storm are coming off a
lackluster year, winning only three of
its 18 Big East games and finishing
sixth in the conference.
But Dickinson, who is playing in
"We'd like to take
care of the kinks
that we have ...
and then worry
about St. John's"
- Sue Guevara
Michigan women's
basketball coach
her first year with the Red Storm,
adds a solid court presence and a
constant threat from anywhere on the
floor. Dickinson is part of a new-look
St. John's team - only two starters
return from last year's squad.
The Wolverines have a bit of a new
look themselves. Freshman Anne
Thorius will run the offense for the
Wolverines, starting in her first offi-
cial collegiate game. Thorius' solid
passing and court vision should help
Michigan get the ball into the low
post where Pollyanna Johns could
have a field day against a weaker St.
John's squad.
"I think we may have a stronger
inside game," Guevara said. "They're
big, but I don't think they're strong.
Pollyanna is much stronger."
The Red Storm are a perimeter-ori-
ented team, which means Thorius,
Stacey Thomas and Ann Lemire will
have to step it up defensively and
protect the outside. Johns is a pres-
ence in the paint on defense as well,
so the Red Storm will not likely ven-
ture inside too often.
Expect to see Michigan use the
press to solidify its defense - a
weakness last season. Against
The season begins ...
Who: Michigan vs. St. John's
What: The Wolverines play their first
game of the season in the MSU-
Felpausch Tournament
Where: East Lansing
When: Tonight. 6 o'clock
Sporitelna, the Wolverines used a
full-court press to force turnovers
and spur a 10-0 run late in the first
half.
But Guevara thinks St. John's is a
very athletic team, and that worries
her. The Red Storm run the floor
early and often in an attempt to tire
its their opponents. With only 10
players dressing for tonight's game,
conditioning may be a problem.
"They're a very athletic team,"
Guevara said. "They're going to get
up and down, they're going to play
the passing lanes, and they're going
to try to press us."
The Red Storm does have one dis-
tinct advantage - they already have
one official game under their belts.
They survived a scare from
Manhattan College, winning 56-53.
The Wolverines are not looking to
tomorrow, where they will likely face
Michigan State if they beat the Red
Storm, but are focusing on just the
St. John's game.
"Michigan State has to play Fresno
State," Guevara said. "Hopefully we
can beat St. John's, and we'll just be
ready for whoever they want to throw
at us next."
FILE PHOTO
Forward Tiffany Willard and the rest of the Michigan women's basketball team will be looking to start off its season on the
right foot with a win tonight against St. Johns.
Accolades rolling in
for Michigan stickers
FILE PHOTO Senior defender Sandra Cabrera, Wolverines also played in the cha
Senior midffelder Julie Flachs ended her career at Michigan on a strong note by being named a Regional freshman forward Kelli Gannon, onship game of the conference x
An-American, in addition to leading the Wolverines to their best season ever. senior defender Shelley Johnson, and season tournament for the first
s d ey sss rr r
i V. :From Staff Reports
Michigan men's cross country coach
Ron Warhurst was named NCAA
Region IV Coach of the Year this week
by fellow coaches in the region.
Warhurst's fourth-ranked Wolverines
captured both the Big Ten and NCAA
Region IV Championship this fall.
Warhurst, who was also named Big
Ten Coach of the Year, is now one of
nine other Regional Coaches of the Year
nominated for the NCAA National
Coach of the Year Award, to be
announced the week of the Nov. 24.
Michigan has claimed six Big Ten
... . titles under Warhurst, who has coached
the Wolverines since 1974. He was also
named Big Ten Coach of the Year in
1990 and 1993. Along with team cham-
pionships, Warhurst has also trained
:. Kevin Sullivan to four straight Big Ten
and regional titles.
He has coached 14 All-Americans,
"Al Wfour Big Ten champions, and trained
way with the honor like his team at a meet, Michigan coach Ron Michigan's 1995 distance medley relay
Warlrst snapped up his third Big Ten Coach of the Year title c to a NCAA track title.
': J ... ...: ii .;.;..d
m
In Ed I mo w. k...