Blue crew
'Head'-ing
to Boston
B1anie Peri
F e Daily
Since torrential rains cancelled
last year's Head of the Charles
Regatta, Michigan's crew team will
compete in this storied event for the
first time as a varsity program this
Sunday in Boston.
The Wolverines kicked off their
1997 campaign two weeks ago in
fine style by placing second behind
B vn at the Head of the Ohio.
e 33rd-annual Head of the
Charles is one of the sport's most
famous regattas. More than 300,000
spectators are expected to line the
Charles River to watch about 5,000
competitors.
The large crowd should contribute
to a festive and raucous atmosphere,
Which coach Mark Rothstein said
wille be a motivating factor for the
squad.
's a big spectacle, and it's a lot
ol fun," Rothstein said. "But the
competition is strong, and we would
really like to do well."
Freshman Kate Johnson is looking
forward to rowing in front of such a
large crowd.
"We have been coming together
lately, and I think we are going to
have a better race this week,"
Johnson said. "It pumps you up
tn there are more people there.
It's going to be great."
Junior coxswain Belinda Koo said
that- although the crowd could be
distracting, the team is experienced
and knows what its mission is.
"It will be interesting and exciting
will all the spectators," Koo said.
"But we've rowed in front of big
crowds before, and it should be fine.
Basically, we have to stay relaxed
a focused to have a good row."
e competition will be tough for
Michigan as virtually all the top col-
legiate programs, including
Princeton, Brown, Virginia and
Massachusetts, should be there.
At. the Head of the Ohio,
Michigan beat Cornell for the first
time ever, and Rothstein said that the
squad will again be looking to go
after the Ivy League teams.
the Ivy League has been domi-
nant in rowing for a long time, and
things are starting to change,"
Rothstein said. "It's fun to see that
there is a lot of parity developing.
"But in five years, there is going to
be -a shift away from the Ivy
Leagues, and obviously we want to
be the ones leading that charge."
;Johnson said that the thought of
knocking off the traditional power-
h ses is a motivation for the
erines.
"We are coming from behind and
the Ivys aren't considering us to be
in the race. But we are going to go
out and try to make our mark," she
said.
In addition to all the collegiate
teams in this regatta, there are many
other types of programs that will
compete, including the U.S. and
C dian national teams.
While Rothstein realizes that the
national teams are incredibly chal-
lenging, he said that their appear-
ance adds to the spirit of competi-
tion.
"The gap between collegiate
teams and national teams is getting
closer," Rothstein said. "It is fun to
race against them and see how you
do against them, because you know
y re racing against the best."
UIjigan Dil
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Thursday
October 16, 1997
Bye-Bye Braun,
hello Russell
By James Goldstein
Daily Sports Writer
Tom Goss was California Dreaming
but now he's got Georgia on his Mind.
Tuesday night, word leaked out that
there would be an 8 p.m. news confer-
ence at California, announcing the inten-
tions of Golden Bears' men's basketball
coach Ben Braun.
As chaos ensued, the overall thought
was that Braun would be announcing
that he was
leaving Cal to
take the coach-
ing position atA
Michigan, left
open after the
firing of Steve
Fisher.
Potential
questions
crossed every-
one's minds:
How are the players going to react,
knowing that Braun stepped in just days
after Fisher was fired?
Would Fisher believe that this was the
University's plan a long time ago?
Would Braun retain the Michigan
assistants whom the players demanded
be retained?
Will angry players lash out at Goss for
the speedy decision?
Well, those questions can be held off
for another day, because Braun isn't pur-
chasing a Michigan tie. At Tuesday's
press conference at Cal, it was
announced that his contract had been
extended another two years, to 2004.
Cross Braun off the list. Goss said he
has talked to about 25 candidates and
has narrowed the choices to eight. He
wants to make the list four or five by the
beginning of next week.
But today, it is Cazzie Russell's turn.
Goss said Russell, Michigan's sixth-.
leading scorer all time who plaed from
1963-66, and who will be starting his
second year as coach of the Savannah
College of Art and Design, a division Ill
school - the man who turned Crisler
Arena into "The House that Cazzie
Built" in the 1960s - is scheduled for
an interview today.
But let's get something straight about
the man who seemed to be the lead can-
didate:
No, Braun wasn't in Ann Arbor the
past few days, contrary to radio reports
that he was in town.
No, Goss didn't speak with Braun,
even though Goss said the former 11-
year Eastern Michigan coach "would
have been in his top five."
No, Braun didn't want to leave Cal for
an equally beleagured Michigan pro-
gram.
But oh yes, he would have been the
right choice.
The man took Eastern Michigan to
the NCAA Tournament in 1996 and led
the Eagles to a first-round upset of
Duke. Eastern Michigan made it to the
Sweet 16 in 1991.
And three times he was named Mid-
American Conference Coach of the Year.
He has turned a mediocre program
into an annual NCAA Tournament
sleeper.
Then he stepped into a program
amidst scandal. Bears' coach Todd
Bozeman was forced to resign as coach
in August 1996. Bozeman admitted he
supplied money to a players' family,
Braun took the job that September,
knowing that the school was under
NCAA investigation.
All Braun did in his first year was lead
the Golden Bears to a 23-9 record - the
most victories by a Cal team in 37 years
- and a berth to the Sweet 16.
Nonetheless, the Cal program was
placed on three years' probation in July,
and Braun remained.
Look at what the administration has
done. They extended Braun's contract
on top of a five-year extension he
received in August.
Braun said timing was the issue and
See SEARCH Page SA
FILE PHOTO
Until Tom Goss finds a replacement for former Michigan men's basketball coach Steve Fisher, the courtside seats at Crisier
will be missing a little fire. California coach Ben Braun signed a contract extension with the Golden Bears through 2004.
'M soccer faces first-year teams
I I
By Jacob R. Wheeler
Daily Sports XX iiter
Michigan women's soccer coach
Debbie Belkin knows what it's like to be
the youngest kid on the block.
She distinctly remembers the days
when the Wolverines were the ones
looking up at older, stronger teams in
the Big Ten. In those days, Michigan
received sound beatings almost every
time it faced the bullies.
The Wolverines began their first sea-
son of play only four years ago - a
daunting task to which Michigan's two
upcoming opponents can relate.
Michigan will face a couple strug-
gling, first-year Big Ten teams this
weekend. The Wolverines host confer-
ence cellar-dweller Illinois (1-6 Big Ten,
6-7 overall) on Friday before traveling to
Iowa (2-5, 5-8) on Sunday. If Michigan
wins its final three games, the
Wolverines could finish in second place
in the Big Ten.
"It's extremely difficult in their cases
because when I started four years ago,
the conference was very young," Belkin
said. "Now there aren't really that many
young teams. They're up against nation-
ally ranked opponents:
Illinois and Iowa are feeling that heat.
Before their first-ever conference victo-
ry against Northwestern, the Fighting
Illini suffered through a seven-match
losing streak in the middle of the season.
See ILLINI, Page 9A
Volunteers ages 18 years and up, who have
athlete's foot, are needed for a research study at
the University of Michigan Department of
Dermatology.
Eligible participants will be
compensated for their time and effort.
For more information, please call: (313) 936-4070
Monday-Friday, 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.
E ' . University of Michigan
--.... m Medical Center
KEVIN KRUPRITZ ER/Daily
Deb Flaherty played for the Wolverines in their first varsity season In 1994, and
she can relate to the Fighting lilini and Hawkeyes.
-- ................ I.-I - -1
U I
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