Wednesday, September 8, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 15A

'M' basketball secures top in-state recruit

TJ.
BERKA .r
Teping Off
M ootball 'n 7
a~iallhas to ofe

A

realize you probably aren't ready
for any of this. The 9 a.m. lec-
tures, the book lines. And if you
are a freshman, trying to figure out
whether you are in Angell Hall,
Mason Hall, Tisch Hall or the
MLB.
So I don't blame you if you
aren't quite paying attention to this
colunin. Thoughts of summer par-
s, bar-hopping and welcome
ek. dance through your head as
you sift through the newspaper and
countless notebooks. So I'm not
going to get offended if you aren't

A great place to sit back, relax,
and still see high-quality athletic
action is the Michigan Soccer Field.
The soccer team is in its sixth sea-
son at the varsity level and is on the
verge of making a name for itself
on the national level.
The 15th-ranked Wolverines are a
hybrid of experienced upperclass-
men - led by all-time leading
scorer Amber Berendowsky - and
several talented freshmen.
Not only that, but you can lay on
the grass beside the field at
Michigan soccer games, making it
not only only entertain-

By Chris Duprey
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan women's basketball
coach Sue Guevara has strengthened
her hold on the in-state talent pool,
landing a verbal commitment from
6-foot high school senior Christine
Schumacher of nearby Milford.
Playing guard due to her pure
shooting skill, Schumacher was
instrumental in leading Milford High
School to the Kensington 'Valley
Conference title in 1998 - a cham-
pionship that the Redskins had failed
to capture in 10 years.
"We're very happy for her. She's
got a lot of talent, but she's worked
hard," Milford coach Don Palmer
said of his first-ever Division I
recruit. "She is a a scorer and she is
a shooter."
That much is obvious.
Schumacher attracted quite a bit of
attention from Division I schools
Duke and Boston College with by
averaging over 25 points a game her
junior season.- including an eye-
opening 55-point performance.
So far, her senior season has been
just as special.
Schumacher has averaged 34
points a game in two games this fall,
despite playing only half of each
game.
Schumacher could develop into
the kind of go-to player that is capa-
ble of pushing Michigan to the next
level. Although Schumacher has

"She is a scorer
and she is a
shooter."
- Don Palmer,
Milford High School girls basket-
ball coach, on new Michigan
recruit Christine Schumacher
spent her high school career at
guard, Palmer said that Michigan
might move her to the small forward
spot, a position where she could bet-
ter utilize her 6-foot frame.
Palmer is more than satisfied with
the decision of his star. "I know
Guevara from her days as an assis-
tant at Michigan State, and I know
the program is on the upswing," the
23-year veteran said.
Schumacher's verbal commitment
is just another example of
Michigan's prowess at recruiting in-
state.
Nine of this year's 12 Wolverines
hail from the state of Michigan, as
Guevara and her staff have made a
concerted effort to recruit from their
own backyard.
Due to NCAA rules, Guevara is
unable to comment on potential
recruits until a letter-of-intent is in
her hands. Schumacher will official-
ly commit in the November early
signing period.

really concentrating on
reading.
But perhaps you
should be. Not because
this is well-written
(nothjn.g seems well-
written in morning lec-
*e). Instead, this col-
umn contains a method
which will help you
break through the
mania which is a result
of the back to school
rush.

N

if you are
looking to get
away from
the back-to-
school
hoopla, foot-
ball games
aren't the
place to do it.

ing to watch, but
extremely comfortable
for the back as well.
Right next to the soc-
cer field is Phyllis Ocker
Field, home of the
Michigan field hockey
team. The field hockey
team is also on the verge
of entering the national
picture, narrowly miss-
ing NCAAs the last cou-
ple of years.

DANA LINNANE/Daily
Stacey Thomas will have some added help this season thanks to Christine
Schumacher. The recruit has already given the Wolverines a verbal commitment.
Jeers lose defensemen

F 1

Instead of spending hours on end
in line at a campus book store try-
ing to find the elusive Economics
textbook - which you don't really
* d till midterms anyway - take
some time and check out a
Michigan sporting event.
And I'm not talking about foot-
bafl.
Sure, football games are pretty
fun. Any place which contains
111,000-plus people cheering wild-
ly has a tendency to be.
The fact that the Wolverines beat
rival Notre Dame 26-22 in a nail-
ng thriller also has the potential
t make this football season special
But if you are looking to get
away from the back-to-school
hoopla, football games aren't the
place to do it.

Field hockey doesn't have the
comfortable grass that its soccer
counterparts possess, but it does
boast fast-paced action. And lots of
it. The goalies wear several pounds
of padding for a reason, as the balls
fly from the sticks at highway
speeds.
But volleyball competes pretty
evenly with field hockey in the
competition for fastest-paced fall
sport. Volleyball players compete
with total disregard for their body
or for others, as they dive for,
sprint after, and spike down balls
with incredible power.
And since the volleyball team
plays inside Cliff Keen Arena, the
energy which they possess on the
court turns itself into excitement
See TEEING OFF, Page 19A

VAN RYN
Continued from Page 13
Michigan's third off-season casualty if
he is ruled ineligible by an NCAA com-
mittee today.
"There are still some issues of
(Bannon's) NCAA eligibility." Berenson
said. "He's right on the bubble."
The NCAA is concerned with
Bannon's grade average in his core class-
es. Unlike American students, who are
judged in only 13 of their core high
school classes, the NCAA judges for-
eign students grades in all their core
classes. Bannon, a Canadian, has more
than enough credits. But he might not
have a high enough overall grade aver-
age and SAT score to attain eligibility.
Berenson attributes the problem to a
extenuating circumstances in Bannon's
last year of high school.
"He changed schools and did not do
as well," Berenson said. "He did very

well his first three years and he was tak-
ing high end AP-like courses"
The NCAA is expected to contact the
Wolverines today with its ruling on
Bannon's eligibility.
The Wolverines lost Crawford this
past summer, when he told the team he
would transfer to another Division I
school.
"He didn't get a lot of playing time the
past two years," Berenson said. "But this
season he would have gotten more."
Crawford played in only 18 of 42
games last season with one assist.
Berenson could not confirm which
school Crawford might attend, but he
might be looking into Niagara.
The loss of up to three defensemen
deals a big blow to what would have
been a deep pool of talent.
The Wolverines surplus of nine
defensemen last season may be depleted
to just six - the normal number
Berenson dresses for each game.


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