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Sports Desk: 647-3336
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Are you ready for some football? Michigan isn't yet
By John Leroi
Daily Sports Editor
It was business as usual for Lloyd Carr
fo Thursdays ago when he met the press at
higan's annual media day, marking the
beginning of fall practice.
Business as usual, of course, except for
the fact that the Wolverines were starting
practice on Aug. 21 - a late date by Carr's
estimation. Just two. seasons ago, Michigan
had a game on Aug. 25.
But NCAA rules mandate that a school
can only conduct 29 practices before its first
game -a Sept. 13 matchup at home against
-Colorado. So with two-a-days and a late
to the season, that means a late start to
practice.
"I think that gives our first opponents a
huge advantage, but those are the rules,"
For the first time in University history,
freshmen will receive split-season tickets
to Michigan home football games.
Story, Page 1A.
Carr said. "I'd rather start 29 practices
before your first opponent's first game:'
Carr also spent a lot of time dismissing a
quarterback controversy and hedging on
questions about Michigan's treacherous
schedule - a taboo topic around
Schembechler Hall.
But, Carr had plenty of praise for the
freshmen -who began workouts three days
earlier -' and his returning players. And
though he refused to name a starting quar-
terback, he said there was plenty of healthy
competition at the position.
"lf you could have seen our mile-and-a-
half run this morning, we had Brian Griese
and Scott Dreisbach in the same heat and
they finished 1-2," Carr said. "It was a thrill
to watch these two guys compete."
Carr had said he would pick a starting
quarterback by now, but he won't announce
his decision until at least a week before the
Colorado game. Though Carr said all four
quarterbacks -- Griese, Dreisbach, sopho-
more Tom Brady and redshirt freshman
Jasoh Kapsner -are in the hunt, all indica-
tions are that Griese and Dreisbach are on
the top of the depth chart with a slight edge
going to Griese.
Dreisbach was the starter for most of last
season, but Griese, one of only five fifth-
year seniors on the team, took over for an
injured Dreisbach in the second-half of the
Ohio State game, Behind a 69-yard touch-
down toss to Tai Streets, Griese led
Michigan to a win over Ohio State for the
second-straight season.
Griese also got the nod in the Outback
Bov L turning in a solid performance
marred only by a late-game interception that
Dwayne Rudd ieturned for the game-'win-
ning touchdown.
Thatsname is where Griese got anoppor-
tunityiand made a lot of it," Carr said. "He
carte tii in one of the most pressurized situ-
ations I can remember and was stellar.
But who ends up under center isn't Carr's
only questionable area. Promising sopho-
more fullback John Anes left school for
what Carr termed personal reasons.:The 6-
foot-2, 225-pound Anes was expected to
See FOOTBALL Page 18A
Junior All-
Everything
Charles
Woodson, a
Heisman Trophy
and Jim Thorpe
Award hopeful
was recently
named a finalist
for the Fred
Biletnikoff
Award, given
annually to the
nation's top
receiver.
FILE PHOTO/Deity
VanBuskirk
won't join
Michigan
frosh class
Botterill inks deal
with NHLs Stars
Kevin Kasiborsi
y ySports Writer
Nine departed seniors are replace-
able. The national championship expe-
rience they take with them isn't.
The Michigan hockey team said
good-bye to nine players last spring,
and a nine-member freshman class has
arrived this fall to take its place. The
Wolverines' first challenge this year
will be learning everybody's name.
Originally there were 10 recruits,
d 10 names to learn. But, Ryan
Vanouskirk, a 6-foot-I, 190-pound
defenseman from St. Clair Shores, has
backed out of his commitment to play
for Michigan this fall. He instead
signed with the Sarnia Sting, a major
junior team in the Ontario Hockey
League.
Michigan coach Red Berenson said
that VanBuskirk informed him of his
ision through an agent. Berenson's
*(mpts to talk to VanBuskirk since
then have been unsuccessful.
"I got the impression," Berenson
said, "that like a lot of kids, he got this
message from agents that it's a short-
cut to pro hockey to play junior hockey.
I think the kid weakened, and his par-
ents weakened, and I think he made a
serious error."
Berenson said most of the kids in his
program have to deal with the lure of
Dior hockey. When Berenson was
Bruited to play at Michigan 30years
See HOCKEY, Page 17A
CCHA boss
Beatgan to
9~l it qu1its.
By Sharat Raju
Daily Sports Writer
After overseeing the daily operations
of the conference for the past 12 sea-
sons, CCHA commissioner Bill
Beaan is retiring.
"I can think of no place on this plan-
et that I would have sooner spent the
past 12 years,' Beagan said.
~ eagan announced his retirement on
B.18 and it wvill be effective June 30,
1998, after the conclusion of the hock-
ey season.
Although he isn't stepping down
immediately, a search committee has
already been organized and is currently
investigating possible successors. No
candidates have been disclosed, but the
next commissioner will undoubtedly
have to live up to the high standards set
Beagan.
"Since he's been commissioner
we've had Notre Dame, Alaska-
Fairbanks and Northern Michigan
come back," CCHA assistant commis-
sioner Jeff Weiss said. "That kind of
thing is very important in college hock-
ey -- to save programs and help pro-
oramc alano"
ew
mission
BYU guard
Reid transfers
to Michigan
Point gard to fill void left
by Hughes' departure
By James Goldstein
and Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Xriters
After a summer where subtraction was the theme for
the Michigan basketball team, the Wolverines finally
received some good news in late August.
Michigan got much-needed help at the point guard
position when Robbie Reid, a transfer from Brigham
Young, made his decision to join the Wolverines.
Reid, son of fired BYU coach Roger Reid, told school
officials last spring that he would not be returning to play
for the Cougars after completing a two-year Mormon
Church mission in Greece.
Reid returned to the United States on July 11 and
immediately received calls from schools across the:
nation. Reid visited Ann Arbor on July 24 and 25 and
spoke with Michigan coach Steve Fisher. He narrowed
his choices to Utah, Virginia, Illinois and Michigan in
early August. Illini coach Lon Kruger heavily recruited
the 6-foot-2 point guard, but to no avail.
On August 24, Reid picked the Wolverines.
His father, Roger who coached BYU in Robbie'sfresh-
man and sophomore years, said that it wasn't just the ath-
letic program that impressed Robbie.
"The overall package means so much," Reid said.
"When you get down to the schools that Robbie had a
chance to go to, all of them had a place for him and basi-
cally said that you're our guy who is going to run our ball
club. When it came down to the overall situation, Robbie
had a good feel about his visit to Michigan."
The 6-foot-2 point guard played the first two seasons
under his father, averaging 10.1 points, 4.9 assists and 1.9
steals in the 1994-95 season. In that same year, he was
also named to the All-Western Athletic Conference
Defensive First Team.
But it was another sport that pulled Reid closer to
Michigan - baseball. Reid is a ballplayer, who had 31
victories as a left-handed prep pitcher and who platooned
in the outfield at BYU. He was also drafted by the San
Diego Padres.
Michigan baseball coach Geoff Zahn spoke to Reid as
well and told the junior he could play on the Michigan
baseball team - a deciding factor in his choice of
schools.
Reid, who was the valedictorian of his high school
See REID, Page 15A
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan men's basketball coach Steve Fisher has been tolling in a hurricane of media scrutiny during the last several months, after alleged
NCAA rules violations. But Fisher was still able to convince former BYU point guard Robbie Reid to transfer to Michigan.
Bollinger to announce law firm's findings Monday
By Heather Kamins
Daily Staff Reporter
University President Lee Bollinger is sched-
uled to announce Sept. 8 the results of an inyes-
tigation into numerous allegations made against
the men's basketball team.
In the beginning of March, through a seven-
month joint investigation with the Big Ten con-
ference, the University discovered that the bas-
ketball program had committed two minor
NCAA violations through contact with Detroit-
area basketball booster Ed Martin.
The acknowledgement of the violations set off
a chain reaction in the press, leading to an
onslaught of allegations of impropriety against
theitem
tigate the claims and present a complete report to
the University.
"Any time there is a credible allegation, we
will investigate it' "Bollinger said. "We have to
have a goal of no violations. We cannot have a
policy of no minor violations. We should be
scrupulous and energetic in investigating any
plausible allegations."
Sources say the firm has had difficulty inves-
tigating the validity of the claims because many
allegations came from unnamed sources who
have refused to publicly come forward.
Michigan guard Travis Conlan said the recent
controversies surrounding the program have
been hard on the team, but the players mitigate
the nreccne y tOiLino onpther
The initial confessions
Two confirmed NCAA violations were detect-
ed during an investigation into events surround-
ing an automobile accident in February 1996,
when a Ford Explorer - carrying several
Michigan players and a potential recruit - dri-
ven by former Michigan forward Maurice Taylor,
rolled over and crashed. Questions about how
Taylor came to possess the vehicle highlighted
problems regarding Martin's involvement with
Michigan players.
Martin was described in a report released by
the University as "someone who derives some
sort of satisfaction from forming close ties with
highly talented aothletes " Martin was nresent at
The other violation occurred when Martin
presented a player with a birthday cake.
These incidents are classified as NCAA
infractions because, although the University did
not sanction these interactions, Martin is consid-
ered as "a non-traditional representative of the
University's ... athletic interests."
Martin also attempted to provide players and
their families with more sizable benefits, includ-
ing the payment of security deposits on several
players' apartments and the purchase of airline
tickets.
When Fisher received knowledge of these
transactions, he prevented them from occurring
and avoided the accumulation of further viola-
tions.
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