S x, ara s frt TAPS COLLEGE BASKETBALL No 19 Michigan St. 84, OHIO STATE 58 No 3 Kansas 83, IOWA STATE 62 No. 9 Kentucky 63, LOUISIANA STATE 61 No. 10 Stanford 74, CALIFORNIA 72 PRO BASKETBALL UTAH 101. Chicago 93 MINNESOTA 95, New York 88 Miami 98, PHILADELPHIA 84 WASHINGTON 104. Cleveland 88 PRO HOCKEY BUFFALO 2. Boston 2 TORONTO 3. St. Louis 2 DALLAS 1. Philadelphia 0 NEW JERSEY 2. Ottawa 0 Ulb £d$ftm lati Need something to do tomorrow night? The men's swim team and wrestling team both host meets in Ann Arbor. Thursday February 5, 1998 .Carr 'couldn't be happier' after reeling in football recruits By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Editor After a long night and an even longer morning, Lloyd Carr can finally relax after signing what experts are calling the finest recruiting class in the nation. Yesterday, on the first day of the spring signing period, 19 players sent in their letters of intent, securing Michigan's football future for years to come as Carr and recruiting coordinator Bobby Morrison watched the commitments roll in. The class, loaded with talented players in nearly all of Michigan's weak areas, is a group about which Carr said he "couldn't be happier." Hailing from II states and two countries fight end Deitan Dubuc lives in Montreal - the players committed to the National Champions early and often. Twelve of the players ensured their arrival before Michigan played in the Rose Bowl. Following a season in which Michigan's strin- gent defense dominated games and gained admir- ers, it was the offensive skill positions that creat- ed the largest stir on the recruiting scene. The first commitment - more than a year ago - came from Brighton quarterback Drew Henson. His decision got the ball rolling for the Wolverines. Despite Michigan's existing depth at quarter- back - Scott Driesbach may return for a fifth year while Tom Brady and Jason Kapsner have multiple seasons of eligibility remaining - Carr maintains Henson will have an opportunity to compete for playing time from the start of the season. "He's had the advantage of playing in an out- standing (high school) program," Carr said. "He's coming in more developed than the average guy, but we'll have to see how he reacts to the speed of the game. "He is a guy who will have an opportunity to compete." Henson's multiple talents -- he also throws a 90-mph fastball that has professional baseball scouts drooling .- extended into Carr's domain. Unworried about overstepping his bounds. Henson did a little recruiting of his own. "Drew understands to win a championship, the better players you have to have with you -and he did (help) during the course of this recruiting process," Carr said. "There were a number of occasions he talked to some guys who were visit- ing and I understand he made some phone calls." While depth at quarterback may not be a sig- nificant question for Michigan, finding targets for those gunslingers was a bit more difficult. But with just two commitments, Michigan's receiving corps improved from suspect to excep- tional. "Particularly, it was important for us to recruit two receivers," Carr said. "With Russell Shaw leaving, Charles Woodson played an integral part of our passing game, and Tai Streets will be a senior - we did an excel- lent job there. We recruited two guys who will have an immediate opportunity." Carr The loss or near-departure of those three receivers would probably not have altered Carr's praise. though. "Marquise Walker and Dave Terrell would play no matter who was here," Carr said. "They have that kind of ability." Walker, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver from Syracuse, N.Y., and Terrell, who stands 6-4 and hails from Richmond, Va., are two of the top receiver prospects in the nation and fill the largest hole on the Michigan depth chart. "Probably seven or eight of (the recruits) were in our (summer) camp - of the 12 early commit- ments," Carr said. "And most of those guys looked at the school before the heavy recruiting began." But the cornerstone of this season's class, run- ning back Justin Fargas, nearly gave Carr a heart attack at the last minute. On Tuesday night, while most of the football commitments were sitting down to quiet dinners at home after cementing their positions as Wolverines, Fargas was sweating from outside pressure. Meanwhile, Carr was doing his best to retain the nation's top tailback. A 40-minute phone conversation - which Carr said must have endured "30 interruptions" - swayed the California native back to Michigan, a choice he announced last Saturday but didn't confirm until late yesterday morning. "I thought that fax was never going to come in," Carr said. "In the final analysis, (UCLA and USC) made a pitch to keep him at home. And 1 simply reminded him of the goals See RECRUITS, Page 10A Signing Day Yesterday was the first day for college football recruits to sign binding letters of intent. Michigan's incoming class, judged by many experts to be the best in the nation, features blue-chip prospects from all over the country. For a complete list- ing of Michigan's signees as of yesterday, turn to page 14A. The recruiting class was filled with tailbacks, wide receivers and even a punter. The 19 recruits all sent in their letters yesterday and, according to Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, there will be no more commit- ments for Michigan. Crisler is nextso for 'Cats * O'NeillI By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Editor For Kevin O'Neill, another dawn brings another realization that he needs to regain his bearings. Years of traveling and upward progression through the collegiate *coaching ranks have landed O'Neill in the heart of snowy misery, but being the workhorse he is, the job is 'M' wrestlers fall short of victory at Jenison Today's Game Who: Northwestern vs. No. 18 Michigan Where: Crisler Arena When: 8 p.m. Notable: Northwestern center Ean Eschmneyer leads the Blig Ten in both scoring an rebounding. ideal. As the coach of the Northwestern basketball team, his office is the Windy City and the com- petition is fierce. T h e Chicago Bulls domi- By Evan Braunstein Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - When rivals Michigan and Michigan State locked horns in an intrastate wrestling meet last night, everyone at Jlenison Field match was expecting to see a close match. They were right, the meet went down to the wire -- but it was the first match that proved to be the deciding factor. The No. 12 Wolverines fell to the ninth-ranked Spartans, 18-16, in a nail- biter that was tied at two different times during the competition. It was David Morgan's victory over No. 16 Chris Viola at I18 pounds, however, that tipped the outcome in Michigan State's favor. Morgan pinned Viola 1:56 into the match to give the Spartans a 6-0 lead. The fall was the only one of the night. "The pin was definitely the differ- ence," Michigan coach Dale Bahr said. Morgan, who is ranked No. I in his weight class, had wrestled Viola twice before but never pinned him. "It felt great," Morgan said. "I knew if I went out and picked it up I would win. Those guys weren't in shape and he wasn't ready to wrestle." The next match also featured two ranked wrestlers, this time at 126 pounds. Michigan's Joe Warren, ranked 14th, faced No. 8 Pat McNamara of Michigan State. Warren fell behind early as McNamara scored a takedown and three near-fall points. Warren never recovered, losing 8-3 and increasing the Wolverines deficit to nine. The Wolverines pulled even in the next three matches with victories by Damion Logan, Corey Grant and Bill Lacure. A loss by Michigan's Jason Rawls at 158 pounds gave the Spartans a 12-9 lead, but co-captain Jeff Catrabone tied the score again by defeating Greg Degrand. With three matches remaining, the Wolverines looked to be in good shape. Second-ranked Airron Richardson was a virtual lock at heavyweight, meaning the Wolverines had to win only one of the next two bouts. Their best chance came at 1 77 pounds as Joe Degain faced James Brimm, who had yet to record a victory this season. Degain scored first with an escape in the second period, but gave up three points in the third and lost the closest match of the night, 3-2. "The pin may have been the differ- ence," Bahr said. "But the key was the match at 177 (pounds). After the first five matches, I knew it would come down to (the 177 weight class). We needed to win that match." After Ryan Balcom lost at 190 pounds, Richardson's major decision over Matt Lamb could not change the outcome. The loss dropped the Wolverines to 2-2 in the Big Ten and 5- 7 on the season. "I've never come in this gym and lost before," Catrabone said. "And I know I didn't want this to happen my senior year. I'm holding everything back right now. Tears should be coming from my eyes. "I know we're a better team. A one- point match here or there could have changed the outcome of this meet." The Wolverines have a chance to redeem themselves this weekend when two conference foes travel to Cliff Keen Arena for the first home meets of the season. Michigan will face Ohio State tomorrow before taking on 10th-ranked Purdue on Saturday. The Boilermakers boast seven ranked wrestlers and should give the Wolverines all they can handle. "We need to pull through and win both meets," Catrabone said. "We're still making our comeback, and things will be different when (the Big Ten tour- nament) comes around." nate the sports landscape in a city not known for college athletics - let alone quality college basketball. But O'Neill, who makes his Ann Arbor debut as Northwestern coach tonight at Crisler Arena, persists with his methods and is making believers out of his players. His new home, Evanston, lies on the outskirts of Chicago, instead of in Knoxville, Tenn., Marquette, Wis. or Tuscon, Ariz. - O'Neill's last three stops on his meteoric rise to a Big Ten position. His flighty nature seems to have' found a resting place in Evanston and his plans follow accordingly. "I would like to stay here for awhile," O'Neill said. "I like it here. But as a coach, you never know what is going to happen." His hands-on approach to coach- ing has produced a noticeable dif- ferenc among his players. "Coach O'Neill's a much more involved, much more intense player on the floor watching the game," All-Big Ten center Evan Eschmeyer *said. "There will be a lot of yelling and screaming but he does it for a reason. He does a lot more than (former) coach (Ricky) Byrdsong See WILDCATS, Page 12A AP PHOTO Despite Michigan wrestler Jeff Catrabone's 4-1 victory last night at 267 pounds, the Wolverines fell short of victory, losing 18-16 to arch-rival Michigan State. The match took place at Jension Field House in East Lansing. Spartans also boast solid signings i EAST LANSING - (AP) There were smiles in East Lansing after Michigan State announced a football recruiting class that included at least five players who earned All-American honors from various prep scouting reports. Coach Nick Saban received letters from 22 players, some of whom might be in the Spartans' starting lineup next season. Probably the best player to sign with the Spartans was already in the neigh- borhood. Josh Thornhill, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker who was named to at least eight prep All-American teams, was right up the road at Lansing Eastern. "Michigan State had a very, very good class," Lemming said. "Michigan also wanted Thornhill, I know that." Saban also did well in talent-rich Florida, signing South Broward wide receiver Broderick Nelson and defen- sive back Jimel Cofer, Fort Lauderdale defensive tackle Josh Shaw, Riviera Beach linebacker Pierre Wilson, and Sarasota defensive back Cedric Henry. Nelson may be the best of that group. Last season, the two-time Florida all- stater caught 32 passes for 550 yards and eight touchdowns, despite heavy coverage. "He's not just a receiver. He can run," South Broward coach Matt Lococo told the Lansing State Journal. "He becomes a running back after the catch." - 1 NEW YORK PIZZA DEPOT 605 E. William St. * Ann Arbor AAO.AO73 * AA-NYPD l On the road to your future, become a part of history. Summer sessions for 1998: May 4-9 May 11-16 August 23-28 Applications available at: " Dean of Students Office 3000 Michigan Union Adutt Video Magazine Star { s Feb.iq-25 Capture your EAT-IN TAKE-OUT CATERING I E mm