Thursday, November 11, 1999 - The Micrigan Daily - 23A
:M' part of endless road trip for All-Stars
By Chris Duprey
Daily Sports Editor
Thirteen games in 18 days, some-
times as many as six nights in a row.
Logging more miles than a traveling
salesman.
But there are no briefcases in this
business - and no home games,
either.
Grab your gym bag, take three
weeks worth of clothes and wham!
- you're off to tour the nation and
serve as cannon fodder for
America's top college basketball
programs.
Those are just facts of life for
exhibition touring teams like the
California All-Stars, who came up
just short last night against a well-
rested, well-coiffed Michigan team.
The truth is, that's one of the best
efforts the All-Stars have put togeth-
er so far. And they lost.
NBA teams talk about playing
with tired legs when the schedule
has them on the court two nights in
a row.
Try six. It's absolute hell, but if
this is what it takes for these ex-col-
lege players to get noticed by some
league - any league - then it's all
worth it.
"Getting up early in the morning
is tough," said Chivo Anderson, who
had a tidy 15 points and five
rebounds last night. "And, of course,
guys want to have fun. '
"So when you go from city to city,
it's not like after you play, you go
back to your room and go to sleep.
You're out all night, and then you
get up early the next morning, and
travel to the next city and do the
same thing. So it wears and tears on
you."
Even advancing to the point where
you trust your teammates is a formi-
dable task.
The ultimate goal for everyone on
the roster is to make it to the NBA,
but most would settle for the CBA,
or Europe, or whoever will offer
them a contract.
Touring teams like the All-Stars
are vulnerable. With each player try-
ing to further his own career, selfish
motives can be a factor - but not on
this team.
"These guys are a good bunch of
guys and they want to work as a
team," coach Price Johnson said.
"The chemistry is really good.
They're really focused."
With every man on the roster in
the same position, they seem to pull
together, rather than isolate them-
selves. Stuff happens. There are
struggles on the court, but it's no
one's fault.
"With us being thrown together at
the last minute, you're not really
used to each other," said Mike Gill,
the All-Stars' high scorer with 20.
"You don't know where a guy's
going to throw the ball all the time
because you haven't played with
him.
"And it's not because he's a bad
ballplayer - you just don't have
that vibe for communicating with
each other."
The All-Stars are slowly develop-
ing the elusive team chemistry on
the court.
Too bad the tour ends in a week,
when the nine All-Stars will again
pack their gym bags in search of the
next opportunity.
CALIFORNIA
Continued from Page 18A
a huge role. While the All-Star; missed
plenty from the consolation line with the
game on the line (three of nine after the
10 minute mark), the Wolverines sank all
seven of their charity opportunities in the
second half and 76 percent for the game.
"We missed seven foul shots down the
stretch and they made seven in a row, so
they win,"said a dismayed All-Stars coach
Price Johnson. "Our legs might have gone
on us a little, but we should have won the
game. We gave the game to them"
Michigan feasted and famined on its
guards all night long. Either they played
well in transition - turning numerous
Michigan rebounds into fast breaks -- or
they sputtered and made poor choices on
a moment's notice.
The Wolverines built up an 11-point
lead in the first 11 minutes of the game,
primarily because they dominated the
boards, out-rebounding the smaller All-
Stars, 58-32 in all.
But Michigan squandered the early
adviantage cdue to Costly turniovers, !ce-
cold shooting and mised putbacks. The
All-Stars chumed out a 19-5 n, capped
by a four conered free throw1s to close
the first half with a 032 lead.
"It was our first time play ing against
another team, said Jones, explaiinIg all
the Michigan turnovers. So I think every-
body was a little nervou'
T he All-Stars seeked to contain
Michigan's running game all evening.
knowing that their players didn't match up
to the Wolverines physically or athletically.
"We obviously weren't expecting to see
32 minutes of zone (defense)," said
Ellerbe. "But that's good because adversi-
ty teaches you about your group.
Despite all the smiles present in Crisler
Arena following !ast night's game, the
exciting victory was merely a scrimmage
- a prelude to a long road ahead for a
young Michigan team. Tol Ellerbe, it is
only a 40 minute tape from which he will
discern Michigan's strengths and weak-
nesses.
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
'Michigan center Josh Asselin knocks away a California All-Star pass during last night's
game. The AllStars came close to knocking off the Wolverines, losing 84-79.
Caifornia All-stars (79
MIN MA M-A OTA F PTS
chell 3 2-8 3-6 1-4 7 4 7
ndon 15 3-6 2-4 0-2 1 1 8
And~erson 32 511 1-2 2-5 3 2 15
Pryor 13 1-5 0-0 2-4 0 2 13
Gray 27 2-5 6-6 4-5 1 4 10
Gil28 8-16 36 1-2 1 2 20
arrmsen 16 1-5 0.0 0-2 0 0 2
,Neson 2 01 0-0 0-0 0 10
Tals 200 2767 172611.3217 19 79
-FG%: .403. FT%: 654. 3-point FG: 8-26_ 308
(Anderson 4-9, McLinn 3-8, Gill 12, Brandon 0-3,
Mitchell 0-2, Pryor 0-1, Gray 0-1). Blocks:1
(Nelson). Steals: 16 (Mitchell 4, McLinn 3,
Anderson 3, Gray 2, Harmsen 2, Brandon, Pryor).
Turnovers: 16 (Mitchell 5, McLinn 3, Gill 3, Gray 2,
Brandon, Pryor). Technical Fouts: none.
- - FG FT RED
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Blanchard 24 8-15 2-2 4-9 0 5 19
Anderson 19 1-9 0-0 1-3 0 0 2
Vignier 17 2-6 0-0 3-7 1 0 4
Jones 27 5-10 68 5-7 6 4 18
Gaes 20 3-7 2-2 0-3 8 4 10
Crawford 30 511 2-2 1-5 1 2 14
Groninger 20 1.5 0-0 01 0 1 3
Asselin 24 5-10 45 613 1 2 14
Young 19 01 02 2-5 0 3 0
Totals 200 30-74 16-212558 17 21 84
FG%:.405. FTb: .762. 3-point FG: 8-21,-381.
(Crawford 2-6, Ganes 2-4, Jnes 2-2 Blanchard 1-
4, Groninger 1-4). Blocks: 3 (Blanchard, Vignier.
Crawford). Steals: 7 (Ganes 3, Crawford 3, Jones
1). Turnovers: 28 (Asselin 6. Anderson 5, Crawford
5, Gaines 4, Blanchard 2, Vignier 2, Jones 2,
Groninger, Young). Technical Fouls: none.
California All-Stars------36 43 -- 79
Michigan-------------32 52-84
At: Crisler Arena
Attendance: 8,788
Swimmers hope to rebound in State College
Football not only big event this weekend, as swimmers face Penn State in first Big 10 meet
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Benjamin Singer
+Daily Sports Writer
State College is going to host a
tough competition between two talent-
ed rivals this weekend.
Oh yeah, there is a football game
too.
The No. 9 Michigan swimming and
diving team goes on the road to chal-
lenge defending Big Ten champions
Penn State tomorrow. The Wolverines
pped from eighth in the national
kings after their 175-125 loss to
-No. 7 Georgia.
Michigan's loss makes them 1-1,
but its record does not reflect their
first place finish out of four teams in
the Michigan Quadrangular. The
Wolverines placed first in 11 of the 13
events for a total of 73.6 points.
Eastern Michigan was a distant sec-
ond with 539.
The Nittany Lions are unranked and
not stacked with superstars,. but
Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek still
views this meet as a challenge.
"They are a very good Big Ten-cal-
iber team," Urbanchek said. "They
have a lot of talent. They don't have
the same elite swimmers that
Michigan does, but they have a lot of
depth."
Though the meet itself is not a lock,
Urbanchek is sure that Michigan will
win certain events. Junior All-
Americans Chris Thompson and Scott
Werner should run away with their
events. Thompson races in the 1,650-
yard and 500-yard freestyle and
Werner competes in the breaststroke
and Individual Medley. Thompson
currently is ranked third in the world
in the 800-meter free.
Urbanchek also has confidence in
the freshmen to perform well in their
Big Ten opener. He called Paul Ely,
Tony Kurth, Garrett Mangieri and
Ryan Earheart the "backbone of the
freshmen class."
"I expect the freshmen to step it
up," Urbanchek said. "They have had
experience in national competitions,
and some even in international. They
are freshmen but definitely not rook-
ies-"
While Michigan expects to clean up
on the long races, Urbanchek said
Penn State is a sprint-oriented team.
The Lions could rack up points in
the short races and relays.
Whatever the outcome, Urbanchek
does not feel that the result will make
or break the Wolverine's season.
"You focus in on one or two meets,
Urbanchek said.
"The Big Ten Championship is the
biggest event. These dual meets are
sort of a stepping stone."
M' Clai
~econd
tourney
win eve
ms
r
WRIGHT
'Continued from Page 18A
"They play a great style, similar
to us," Belkin said. "They like to
play to feet."
It will be an interesting test for
Michigan, whose recent opponents
like to create opportunities off long
runs and balls played over the top.
Michigan has won four straight
mes, and Belkin believes the
team can pull off the upset.
"We're peaking at the right time,"
Belkin said. "Mentally we're strong
even though we have a lot of pres-
sure on us, and we're confident."
Michigan's victory against Wright
State was only the team's second
tournament victory ever. They have
never been past the second round of
the NCAA tournament before.
But Belkin believes that the
Wolverines have the leadership to
move into unchartered territory.
"The more you go through it, the
more you know what to expect,"
Belkin said. "Every year we've got-
ten better and better, and we're on
the rise."
Still, every game for the rest of
the season has the potential to be
the last for the seniors. It's an espe-
ally tough prospect since every
Team but one will lose their final
game. But the seniors do their best
to maintain a productive focus.
"I try not to think about losing,"
Schmitt said. "We're just trying to
win each game, but I definitely
have my moments when I think, this
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
Marie Spaccarotella fires from the top of the box for one of her two goals in yes-
terday's NCAA Tournament first-round home game against Wright State.
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