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SPORTS

TUESDAY
JANUARY 23, 2001

11


Irsh offer tune-up
1if1celers fac ie S1a te :

CHRIS
DUPREY

I

By Ryan C. Mtansy
Daily Sports Writer
After practice yesterday, Michigan
hockey coach Red Beren son was asked
about the expected crowd turnout for a
rare Tuesday night game at Yost Arena.
"If we get half the people who go to
the radio show it should be a good
crowd," Berenson joked.
"The Red Berenson Show" is a
Tuesday night radio institution in Ann
Arbor.
Instead, the Wolverines will play host
to a Notre Dame team that has stumbled
in the year following an unlikely and
impressive run to the semifinals of the
CCHA championship.
The Fighting Irish (3-11-4 CCHA, 5-
17-5 overall) are tied with Bowling
Green for last place in the CCHA with
10 points. Though Notre Dame features
five players with NHL rights, the team

Jan. 22 standings
Team Record
1. Michigan State 20-1-4
2. Boston College 17-61
3. North Dakota 16-5-5
4. St. Cloud 19-4-1
5. Colorado College 17-5-1
6. New Hampshire 16-5-5
7. Michigan I76-4
8. Minnesota 16-7-2
9. Western Mich. 16-54
10. Maine 10-7-6

Pts
600
541
511
470
441
389
363
320
309
194

Mason embarrassed seof
Minrnesota witk deczions

:struggles to score goals -
- its powerplay per.-
centage, 11.4, ranks last
in the league.
"There are definitely
some great players over
there," forward Andy
filbert said. "People
don't know how good
they are."r
Whether or not Hilber

TONIG
YOsT ICE
Wh: Notre Dame
CCHA, 517-5 over
Michigan f1142
When: 7:05 pm.
TV: FOX SportsDO

could be a trap if Michigan takes the
bait and indulges in its tendency to over-
look mediocre teams.
"We've got to stay focused - they
are a dangerous team because they've
.got nothing to lose," goaltender Josh
Blackburn said.
Like Michigan, Notre Dame came
out of its last two weekends against
Western Michigan and
7H T Ohio State with only one
ARENA loss. Notably, the Fighting
(3-4 Irish won and tied in their
eraI) vs. weekend series with the
17-44) then-No. 5 Broncos, as
Michigan did this week-
etroit end.
"That gives our team a
barometer," Berenson said. "They are
not a last-place team-they might be in
the standings, but the way they played
against Western and Ohio State -
there's not much to choose between the
two teams right now"
DEFENSIVE ROTATION: Berenson

Mike Cammalleri's eyes can't afford toI
plans on sitting defensemen Dave
Huntzicker and Bob Gassoff tonight in
favor of Jay Vancik and Brad Fraser.
Vancik will make his return to the ice
after twisting his right knee three
weeks ago in the Great Lakes
Invitational.
Huntzicker stepped onto the ice
Friday night for the first time since
injuring the MCL in his left knee on
Nov. 17. The ill effects have not com-
pletely subsided.
"It will give Huntzicker more time to

ALYSSA WOOD/Daily
look past Notre Dame tonight.
recover and get him ready for the next
game,' Berenson said.
CAMMALLERI HONOREE): Center
Mike Cammalleri picked up his second
CCHA Offensive Player of the Week
award this week after scoring five points
against Western Michigan this past
weekend.
In a clutch performance, the sopho-
more scored two goals in a span of six
minutes in the third period of Saturday
night's game to launch Michigan to
within a goal of tying for the lead.

is feigning

respect, the intent is to not take the
Fighting Irish lightly. With Saturday
night's showdown with CCHA-leading
Michigan State a brighter and louder
blip on the radar screen, tonight's game

Senior 'M' tumblers bring talent together

f there's one thing Minnesota
learned over the past three weeks
-in case it didn't already know
- it's that Minneapolis is not a desti-
nation for coaches. It is merely a thor-
oughfare.
That much was evident in 1986,
when Lou Holtz satisfied the one
restriction placed on
him before he couldJ
seek other jobs: He took:
the Gophers to a bowl
game. Then, Notre
Dame, his Mecca, came
calling, and he left' x{
Minneapolis faster than
Joe Smith.
Now it's Glen
Mason's turn to forsake
the university. Having
served as Ohio State's
offensive coordinator
from 1980-85, he was Mason
more than interested in
the position vacated by the fired John
Cooper earlier this month.
There was one small issue. Mason
already had a job - coaching another
team in the same conference, no less.
Surely, good ethics would intercede.
Searching for a new challenge is
natural for coaches. Very few are
coaching at what they would like to be
their ultimate destination. Often, one
job is a pathway to another. That's the
only reason the Mid-American
Conference even exists.
But selling one's self to a confer-
ence rival is a kick in the nuts to
Minnesota. It crosses the line of pro-
fessional behavior on the part of
Mason - and The Ohio State
University. .
Marquee-conference teams needing
coaches scavenge the feeder leagues
for talent, as the Buckeyes did with
Jim Tressel. Or they take a chance on a
recovering failure, like Oregon State
did with Dennis Erickson. They do not
steal their brother's wife.
When Mason and his 59-64 career
record said "I do" to Minnesota in
1997, he renounced all rights to pursue
other jobs in the Big Ten. And Ohio
State lost the opportunity to court
Mason. At least that's the way it should
be.
How, I ask, does Mason return to
the Metrodome and tell his team that
he's excited to be its coach? How does
he tell recruits that he'll be there for all
four of their years? He has the credibil-
ity of Derrick Coleman.

"I can tell you something: This guy
is done interviewing for jobs' Mason
said at a press conference this past
Friday. "Regardless of what I say, and 1
really believe this, people are going to
say, 'Oh, sure.' ... I guess I'll let my
actions speak for themselves, and let
time be the judge."
Whatever. The only
reason Mason still has
a job is because
Minnesota lacks the
Bo Schembechler-type
athletic director needed
to give this Bill Frieder
the boot.
Watch the sports
news every day and
see the stories of col-
lege athletes acting in
ways devoid of charac-
ter and common sense.
AP PHOTO Never have their
coaches, their sup-
posed role models, been ripped for the
same behaviors.
The ethics within the coaching fra-
ternity are nonexistent. Last season,
Matt Doherty left Notre Dame's bas-
ketball program after one season. One
season. Why? North Carolina, his alma
mater, had an opening.
At least Doherty didn't go to
Syracuse, Connecticut, or another Big
East school. The ACC is a step up.
Failing to stay at least three years in
South Bend is a questionable choice,
but somewhat understandable given the
opportunity.
Just a month ago, Oregon's Mike
Bellotti considered taking the Southern
Cal job. Perhaps the financial package
wasn't enough or the situation just
wasn't right, but Bellotti made the
right move in pulling his name from
contention.
Maybe his conscience - and the
thought of his welcome reception at
Oregon's Autzen Stadium every other
year if he were to take the job dis-
suaded him from leaving Eugene.
Either way, it was the moral thing to
do.
Mason is a cut below. He would
have sold his soul for an office on
Woody Hayes Drive. Actually, he did
sell his soul.
As an example to every other coach
that's contemplating such disloyalty,
let's hope this egg stays on Mason's
face for a long, long time.
-_Chris Duprex' can be reached
at cdupre( iunich.edu.

By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Writer
For one event, senior Bridget Knaeble became
Michigan gymnastics superfan.
The Wolverines headed to the balance beam com-
petition this past Friday with a commanding lead
o,,er Big Ten foes Iowa and Minnesota.
Knaeble was right in the thick of the all-around
competition heading into the beam. But she gra-
ciously sat out the beam so freshman Elise Ray could
perform the event as a Wolverine for the first time.
Not sulking about it, Knaeble placed herself in the
middle of her teammates, and screamed out deafen-
ing cheers.
"!t wasn't frustrating at all foc me," Knaeble said
*of sitting out the event. "Personally, I would much
rather be confident in my teammates, knowing that

they'll make it and do a good job."
This became a perfect example of how Knaeble,
Christine Michaud, and Karina Senior - all seniors
- have taken charge of this year's team, both emo-
tionally and in competition.
"I try to be a leader in the gym," Michaud said. "I
work really hard on trying to lead by example and
keep the team going."
Michaud is one of the team's leading scorers on
vault despite a preseason injury.
Senior was solid for the Wolverines vet again, fin-
ishing sixth in the all-around. Add in an uneven bars
title in the Super Six to open the year, and an all-
around victory against Oregon State, and Senior is
meeting all expectations set forth for her final
Michigan season.
"I think you always want to finish off strong,"
Senior said. "If you want to accomplish something

here, you have to do it by your senior year and we're
all really excited with what we can do here."
The guidance of the three senior veterans is defi-
nitely needed - especially for the next three weeks as
No. 5 Michigan will have to go on the road for three
tough meets.
"I think they're experience is very valuable,"
Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "These seniors
have been all the places we compete, and they really
help the underclassmen as far as getting them pre-
pared."
In addition to being leaders, there's no question
that the seniors desire to finish their careers on a
high note.
"We've been a really close class since the begin-
ning," Michaud said. "We try to savor every moment
and every memory because we know it's the last time
we'll be able to do it."

Sanderson
leaves foes
in the dust
By Nathan Unsley
Daily Sports Writer
STATE COLLEGE -- After nearly
13 hours of dual meet wrestling, the
r84-pound class took the mat in the
semifinal match between top-ranked
Oklahoma State and fourth-ranked
*owa State.
A tired spectator turned to his
friend and muttered that No. 1 Cael
Sanderson was handling No. 2
ranked Daniel Cormier of Oklahoma
ate.
"Big surprise," the friend said.
Watching the second-best wrestler
1 a weight class absorb a resounding
major decision would be surprising
-- in any other weight class.
(ael Sanderson is -ust that good.
on fact, Cael Sanderson is good to the
oint of being boring.
Last weekend against Ralph
Everett of Hofstra, Sanderson tied
one of the oldest records in sports -
100 consecutive wins, established in
1970 by Iowa State wrestler Dan
Gab e.
There was some disagreement
upon whether or not the record had
already been broken - the NCAA
*ad the mark at 98 while Iowa State
claimed that it was 100.
There was no argument thata win
in the Cyclones' first match in the
National Duals would solidify
Sanderson's place in collegiate
wrestling record books.
A technical fall aoainst Ed

105-0 and counting ...
Last weekend, Iowa
State's Cael
Sanderson broke fel-
low Cyclone Dan
Gable's 31-year-old
record of 100 con-
secutive wins.
Sanderson is hoping
to become the first
wrestler to go unde-
feated and win four {
national titles. Sanderson
National Duals, Sanderson's career
record improved to 105-0.
Before the semifinal matchup
against Oklahoma State, Sanderson
was awarded a plaque in a ceremony
with Gable.
I he Utah native has become the
spokesman for collegiate wrestling, a
role that Michigan coach Joe
McFarland thinks will greatly benefit
the sport.
"Not only is he a great wrestler,
but he comes from a great family,"
McFarland said. "I've watched him
and his brothers compete over the
years, and they're just a class act.
"Any time you can get a citizen
like Cael Sanderson and put him out
in front of the public, as your
spokesperson or as your model
wrestler - he does everything right."
Sanderson is more than undefeat-
ed. To this point in the season, he is
nearly unchallenged, winning only
two of his first 25 matches by less
than a major decision.
In the consolation semifinal match
with Michigan's Andy Hrovat -- the
No. 8 wrestler in the country,
Sanderson scored a fall in only 38
seconds.
Like the 103 other opponents,
Hrovat relished the opportunity to
break the streak, but befell the same
bewildering fate.
"I was just trying to go out there
and wrestle my offense and I walked

Pitino takes job

- as

CBS hoops analyst

NEW YORK (AP) - Rick Pitino is
headed back to work in college basket-
ball - not on the sideline, though.
The well-traveled Pitino, who
resigned two weeks ago as coach and
president of the
Boston Celtics,
is joining CBS BASKETBALL
Sports as a game Notebook
analyst and stu-_
dio commentator
for the NCAA tournament,
The television work appears to be a
time-filler until the offseason, when
Pitino is expected to land a coaching
job, probably in college.
Pitino, coach of Kentucky's 1996
NCAA championship team, will part-
ner a play-by-play announcer in the
booth for the first two rounds of the
tournament, then move into the studio
for the rest.
"Rick will be a great addition to our
NCAA tournament lineup. His analysis
will be both informative and entertain-
ing, based on his successful collegiate
career and his previous work in televi-
sion," CBS Sports president Sean
McManus said yesterday.
When he was a college coach, Pitino
appeared as a guest commentator for
CBS during the NCAAs.
SPTOON IN A SKIRT: Virginia center
Chris Moss left the team for personal
reasons yesterday and apologized for
spitting on a Notre Dame cheerleader.

"I'm sorry for my behavior that
occurred within the heat of competi-
tion, which caused me to overreact to a
situation," Moss said. "This was totally
out of character for me."
Coach Gale Catlett said yesterday he
would allow Moss to take an unspeci-
fied leave to "get his personal life in
order." The player's mother has multiple
sclerosis, Catlett said.
"He wants to take some time away
from the team," Catlett said. "He's a
great young man. He has never been a
problem. Chris comes from a great
family. I'm sure he will get this correct-
ed and get on with his life."
Moss had to be restrained after foul-
ing out during a 78-61 loss Sunday.
Catlett sent assistant coach Lester
Rowe to escort Moss to the locker
room.
As Moss walked in front of the Notre
Dame student section, fans began taunt-
ing him. He turned quickly and spit
toward the crowd, hitting a female
cheerleader sitting on the floor along
the baseline.
"I embarrassed myself as well as
West Virginia University," Moss said.
"This will never happen again."

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