The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 19, 1998 - 17A

.Coaches:
new rules
good for
wrestling
CLEVELAND (AP) - The deaths
of three wrestlers trying to make weight
have cast a shadow across this colle-
giate season that won't go away.
But with the NCAA Division I cham-
pionships set to start today at Cleveland
State, coaches say rule changes made in
the wake of those tragedies have turned
this year into one of the best ever for the
athletes.
* The reason: Wrestlers have spent
more time on their sport and less time
worrying about their weight.
"I think it's probably been one of the
most enjoyable years for athletes as well
as coaches that I've been apart of," said
Oklahoma State coach John Smith,
whose Cowboys are undefeated in dual
meets and ranked No. 1.headed into the
tournament.
"You've got athletes enjoying the
;port much more because the weight
issue has really been eliminated by the
new rules," Smith said yesterday at a
news conference.
The rules came after three wrestlers
died in six weeks trying to shed pounds.
They are to be remembered with a
moment of silence before the champi-
onships start.
Billy Saylor of Campbell University
in North Carolina and Joseph LaRosa,
of the University of Wisconsin-La
?sse; died in November.
t few weeks later, Michigan wrestler
Je44rey Reese died of kidney failure
and a heart malfunction while wearing a
rubber suit and riding a stationary bike.
Resse was trying to squeeze into the
153-pound weight class.
"The Centers for Disease Control
found each of the wrestlers suffered
from excessive dehydration. The Food
-nd Drug Administration is still study-
ng whether dietary supplements played
any role in the deaths.
The NCAA responded in January by
prohibiting the use of saunas for water
loss and banning rubber suits and
diuretics altogether.
It, also added a 7-pound weight
allowance to all classes for the rest of
the season, meaning a 118-pounder will
be able to compete in the champi-
nships at 125 pounds.
That freed up time for wrestlers who
would otherwise be sweating off
pounds, Smith said.
Iowa coach Jim Zalesky said the
allowance also helped his team stay fit
throughout the second half of the sea-
son.-
"I think guys are in better shape" he
said. "You don't see guys hitting the
wall like you do sometimes when kids
r utting weight.'
But even after this season of turmoil
is finished and a champion is crowned,
the weight loss issue is likely to linger.
The NCAA is expected to take up
weight rules again in April.

Seton Hall grants Michigan
permission to talk to Amaker

{ SThe Associated Press
terday evening. Bruce Madej, Michigan
Michigan has received permission from assistant athletic director for media rela-
Seton Hall to talk to basketball coach tions, said he did not know whether
Tommy Amaker about the Wolverines Michigan had made such a request.
coaching job. Goss has said he has five people in mind
Seton Hall athletic director Sue Regan for the job, including Brian Ellerbe.
said in a statement released yesterday that Ellerbe was a Michigan assistant who
Michigan officials had requested permis- took over as interim coach after Steve
' -sion to talk to Amaker and Seton Hall had Fisher was fired by Goss just before prac-
$ agreed to it. tices were scheduled to begin in the fall.
"However, we are confident that the Ellerbe guided the Wolverines to a 25-9
commitments made by Seton Hall and by mark, the title in the Big Ten's inaugural
Tommy Amaker are for the long term," she tournament and a seven-game winning
MARGARET MYERS/Daily said. streak that ended Sunday when the
After helping guide Michigan to a 25-9 record this season, A message was left at the office of Wolverines lost to UCLA in the NCAA
Brian Ellerbe's job status is once again uncertain. Michigan athletic director Tom Goss yes- Tournament.
Penn State, Minnesota advance;
Fresno players in legal trouble

Goss has declined to identify other can-
didates.
Amaker was an All-American point
guard at Duke and then joined Mike
Krzyzewski's staff for nine years.
Amaker was named Seton Hall coach
and led the Pirates to a 15-15 record and
their first postseason appearance since
1995.
The Pirates lost to Georgia Tech 88-78
last week in the first round of the National
Invitation Tournament.
Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson has
said he plans to meet with athletic officials
in Michigan and Virginia about coaching
jobs.

ATLANTA (AP) - Former
Southfield Lathrup high school star
Greg Grays scored 14 of his 18 points
in the second half, including the
tiebreaking 3-pointer, as the Nittany
Lions beat Georgia Tech 75-70 last
night to advance to the semifinals of
the NIT.
Penn State (18-12) will play the
winner of tonight's game between
Vanderbilt and Georgia on Tuesday.
night at Madison Square Garden.
Grays, a freshman reserve, hit a 3-
pointer with 6:36 remaining to give
the Nittany Lions a 57-54 lead they
would not relinquish.
The Yellow Jackets (19-14) closed

--------- --
NIT
Roundup
who had 16 points
scored two straight
the Nittany Lions a
1:30 left.

to within 65-64
on a 3-pointer
from Michael
Maddox with
3:36 left. But
Calvin Booth,
for Penn State,
baskets to give
69-64 lead with

both 1990 and 1995.
The Yellow Jackets had won 24 in a
row at Alexander Memorial Coliseum
against non-Atlantic Coast
Conference teams and were 100-3 at
home outside the conference under
coach Bobby Cremins before the
loss.
MINNESOTA 73, MARQUETTE 71
Eric Harris is going home and
Minnesota is going to another Final
Four, thanks to Sam Jacobson.
Jacobson hit two acrobatic, twist-
ing layups in the final minute last
night to rally Minnesota to a 73-71
victory over Marquette in the NIT
quarterfinals.
That sent the Golden Gophers (18-
15) to New York City, the hometown
of senior point guard Harris, for next
Tuesday's semifinals. Minnesota,
which won the NIT in 1993 and lost
in the NCAA Final Four last year,
will play either Fresno State or
Hawaii at Madison Square Garden.
Jacobson scored 16 of his 21 points
in the second half. Quincy Lewis led
the Gophers with 24 points.
Harris and Jacobson, two keys to
last year's NCAA run, have won 89
career games, more than any other
pair of players in Minnesota history.
Aaron Hutchins had 20 points for
Marquette (20-11), which rallied
from a nine-point deficit early in the
second half and led 71-67 when
Hutchins hit two free throws with
1:30 remaining.
After Harris hit two free throws
nine seconds later, Mike Bargen
missed the front end of a one-and-
one - he failed in the same situation
with 2:23 remaining - and Jacobson
hit a scoop layup to tie it with 57 sec-
onds left.
Sophomore John Cliff, who had
given the Eagles their first lead of the
second half with consecutive 3-point-
ers earlier, missed a hurried 3-pointer

and Jacobson rebounded. drove down
the left side of the lane at the other
end and flipped in a backhanded
layup for a 73-71 lead with 25 sec-
onds left. Cliff missed a wide open 3-
pointer with less than three seconds
left. Jarrod Lovette grabbed the
rebound, but missed a shot while
falling away and time ran out.
Minnesota advanced to the NIT
semifinals by winning all three
games on its home floor.
Tournament action continues
tomorrow as Georgia (18-14) plays
host to Vanderbilt (20-12) at 8 p.m.
Fresno State (20-11) travels to
Hawaii to take on the Rainbows (21-
8) in the last quarterfinal match.
The Bulldogs, however, are trotting
on thin ice. Fresno State president
John Welty announced yesterday that
he would pull the school's basketball
team out of the NIT if any more play-
ers get into trouble.
Senior Avondre Jones and fresh-
man transfer Kenny Brunner were
arrested Tuesday for investigation of
robbing and assaulting an acquain-
tance, Colin DeForrest, with a gun
and two samurai swords.
Jones and Brunner denied the
accusations, but coach Jerry
Tarkanian kicked Jones off the team
and indefinitely suspended Brunner.
The police report was submitted to
prosecutors yesterday. District
Attorney Ed Hunt said no action will
be taken until all the facts are fully
reviewed.

Tech's last chance failed when
Matt Harpring missed a game-tying
3-pointer in the final minute.
Penn State added four free throws
in the final 25 seconds to seal the
win.
Harpring scored five of his game-
high 25 points during a 9-0 run early
in the second half that gave Tech a
35-34 lead. Dion Glover added 14
points for the Yellow Jackets, the only
other Tech player in double figures.
Jarrett Stephens added 14 points
for Penn State.
Pete Lisicky scored 14 of his 18
points in the opening half to help
Penn State take a 34-26 halftime
lead.
The Nittany Lions, who beat Rider
and Dayton in the first two round, are
making their third semifinal appear-
ance in the NIT - finishing third in

AP PHOTO
Minnesota's Sam Jocobson scored 16 of his 21 points In the second half of the
Gophers' 73-71 victory over Marquette. The senior prolonged his final.college bas-
ketball season by scoring two critical layups in the final minute of the game, send-
ing the Gophers to the NIT semifinals in New York City.


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