14B - The Michigan Daily - TIPOFF 2000 - Thursday, November 9, 2000 -~ -~ - - _______________________________ w _ _ V - V __ __ _ Fresh guard talent abundant as Big Ten reloads CROP Continued from Page 13B If these players can share, the Fighting Illini could have the best backcourt in the nation. KEN JOHNSON, SENIOR CENTER, OHIO STATE: It's one thing to concen- trate on becoming the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year when you have Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn - to control the offense - a situation Ken Johnson flourished in last season. He averaged 5.37 blocks per game, and Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien called him the most dominating shot-. alterer in the game. But this year, Johnson will have to be offense, defense and special teams for an Ohio State squad that's wet behind the cars. "For the last couple of years, our strength was on the perimeter. We have to go inside this year," O'Brien said. "We try to go to our strength, and Ken Johnson is our strength." JOE CRISPIN, SENIOR GUARD, PENN STATE: Penn State has mainly devel- oped a reputation for two things since joining the Big Ten in basketball eight years ago - long-range chuckers and runs in the NIT. Crispin, its current champion of the former, hopes to fulfill his collegiate- career goals and avoid another dose of the latter by finally leading Penn State into the NCAA tournament. 02 SamT STATE S~T. STEP WVfDOS 0 D41ILU IN OH VOtUi WXDVTO T49[ U4I D Tt.Uf TiOR 0 X6'lh TSH IR T PRINTING LOWEST PRICES! HIGHEST QUALITY! * FASTESTSERVICE! * 1002 PONTIAC TR. - 994-1367 The Nittany Lions haven't been to the Big Dance since the 1995-96 sea- son. But Crispin believes the planets are aligned this year for Penn State to be a surprise team. "This vear it's different," Crispin said. "Chemistry wise, we're all on the same page." The Nittany Lions have been plagued by an inability to make enough big shots in the last four years. Crispin has never been shy about tak- ing the last shot or any other that pre- sents itself. He will have to be Mr. Clutch for Penn State if the team wants to overcome its NIT penchant. LUKf: RECKER, JUNIOR GUARD, IOwA: A year and a half ago, former Indiana star Luke Recker appeared to have played his last game in the Big Ten when a clash in style with Bobby Knight caused him to transfer to Arizona. But in his first year at Arizona, a serious car accident prior to the bas- ketball season left Recker injured and his former uirlfriend in a wheelchair. Recker then decided to leave the trau- ma behind and return to the midwest - this time for the Hawkeyes. Ironically, Recker returns healthy and eager to a Knightless Big Ten. "He's very fortunate he came out of a tragic accident that really hasn't affected any of his basketball play- ing," Iowa coach Steve Alford said. "He runs the floor as well as he's ever ran it. He has no problems with any of the things that might of occurred dur- ing that injury." If Recker's back to peak form, Iowa could be the Big Ten surprise team this season. Recker's inside/outside effectiveness- makes him ultra-diffi- cult to guard. DANE FIFE, JUNIOR GUARD, INDIAN.NA: The firing of Knight almost caused Dane Fife to leave Indiana, but he decided to stay and lead the crew under Make Davis. Fife was public about his disap- proval for the Indiana administration and the media's treatment of Knight and continues to be today. But he also believes in Davis and hopes to start a new era of Hoosier basketball. Indiana lost 30 points a game from last year's starting lineup to gradua- tion. The Hoosiers plan to fully utilize Fife as an offensive threat this season. "We lost Michael Lewis and A.J. Guyton. We're a young team," Fife said. "I'm looking to take a scoring role" eir The Michigan Daily - TIPOFF 2001 It looked like his cohorts would be Jamal Crawford ar Kevin Gaines. But now they're gone. And out of Michigan's glorious past step LaVell Blanchard's nev kindred spirits: Cazzie Russell and Chris Webber. Alone at the top, and ready or not, he is ... By Raphael Goodstein Daily Sports Writer 5> >u .. y><:<. ,:-:., ,, Courtesy of Michigan Athlet c Department -7 .~(4h~ (.IO~[4NVQIIIm UOWP flmU 91 an .. QID',OtQfLO94fl. PhDUDVTPINST CADH-RU NN-P A When it comes to spending your paycheck, it goes a lot farther in Oakland County, Michigan. This is one of the nation's most affluent counties. Yet, the cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. Per capita income here exceeds both Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128. Housing rates are nearly half of those on the West Coast and well below other technology cluster areas. Sales tax is the 12th lowest in the country. Medical facilities, colleges and school districts are some of the nation's top-rank- ing. Plus, commute time is a breeze compared to other regions. Log on to the web site. Check out all the advantages. Money matters. So does job security. You need to explore all your options to figure out where you want to begin your career. If you are planning a career in engineering, computer systems or information technology, Automation Alley, the nation's newest and fastest growing technology cluster, is a smart place to start. It's an exciting setting. 1,800 corporate world headquarters. Nearly 400 foreign-owned firms representing 21 countries. Breakthrough technologies in virtually every realm of R&D. Working for an Automation Alley company, you'll earn salaries and benefit packages that match or far exceed those in Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128. Automation Alley's job growth rate is almost three times higher than Silicon Valley's rate and our unemployment is lower than other top clus- ters. The dream is passed on. UPPER LEFT: Chris Webber slams home a dunk on h way to the NCAA Final. RIGHT: Cazzie Russell shoots a hook shot, on his way to the Final. LEFT: LaVell Blanchard po ders what his future holds. Courtesy of Michigar Ahietc Deoartn efore the Fab Five, before the three-week run to a national title in 1989 and even before Crisler Arena, there were Cazzie Russell and Yost Fieldhouse where Michigan played basketball. Michigan was coming off o another mediocre Big Ten campaigt when Russell played his first gam for what he calls The Big Blue. Ir just his sophomore year - th( NCAA pi'ohibited freshmen fronr competing at the time - Russel turned the program around, leadin the Wolverines to the 1964 Big Ter title. The following two years were more of the same for Russell and Michigan. They repeated as Big Ter champions and made it to the Fina Four in 1965 and in 1966, competing in the national title game in 1966. From one player, a national powei was born. "There wasn't any pressure on mc coming in," Russell recalls. "Two years earlier we weren't very good (eighth place in the Big Ten). Aftei our sophomore season, we were sur- prised with our success. We shocked a lot of people." Russell paused. "But there's something missing," he said. A national title. THE TIINE OF GREXNESS CONTINUES A similar situation unfolds today. When LaVell Blanchard Jr. com- mitted to second-year coach Brian Ellerbe and Michigan after the 1999 season - its worst Big Ten showing since the year after Russell left - the program had one of its most impoitant recruits since Russell. At Ann Arbor Pioneer, "he won just- one game his freshman year, four games the next year, and then six games his junior year," LaVell' Blanchard Sr. said. "Then he came home one day and told me he could win the state title. I just laughed." Ak H' igA A U T O M A T I O N w. .auto0m atI ona8I Iey-. co mA L L ""