I it Daily yforum something about Michigan's hockey team bothering you? re you disappointed by your favorite team's coverage Just plain bored? Stop yelling from the sidelines. Speak your mind at michigandaly.com/fonrm. We'll see you there. michigandaily.com/sports U~je mlg TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2001 11 .4 1,9 'V *DAN WILLIAMS Students call for head of beleaguered coach *Two oits to ponder in E llerbe' tryig time don't know if there's any sport where emotions boil quite like they do in college basketball. An atmosphere riddled with tension is created by fans, by consistently fran- tic last-second endings, and of course *y the grueling competition. Anyone who listens to the commentary of the sensational Dick Vitale or Bill Raftery can tell that this sport thrives on the dramatic. With so many emotions and so much stress building during Michigan's painstaking 2000-'01 season regarding the future of coach Brian Ellerbe, pas- sions on all sides have gone unchecked cool reason. Everyone concerned Ivith the program - from players to media to coaches to spectators - has had his vision blurred at one time or another by the heat of battle. Now the season is over, and so is Ellerbe's tenure as Michigan's basket- ball coach. It's time to take a step back from the X's and O's of basketball and consider how the loss of a job affects a life. Here's one reason to feel sorry for rian Ellerbe, and one reason to harbor no pity: At 8:57 on a Tuesday night in January, as Michigan State brings in Matt Ishbia, the last man on its bench, because the Spartans have domineered the Wolverines for nearly two hours en route to an easy victory, it seems the proper time to bellow the phrase, "Fire ~llerbe." With the season finally over, it's ough to think about Ellerbe, packing up his belongings and moving out of Weidenbach Hall, pausing every few minutes to savor the good memories he's collected in four years, and not feel bad for the guy. Firing Ellerbe isn't like making a transaction in fantasy baseball, this is a real man who will have to find a real new home and a real new job to pro- vide him with personal fulfillment. - The way Ellerbe exited makes me &ven more condolent. To be honest, for much of the season, I saw Ellerbe as rather snide and standoffish. At the very least, it was clear he didn't trust the press, even when dealing with seemingly trivial subjects. But as the year waned, I saw Ellerbe in a new light. Fielding a bombardment of questions about his future, phrased and rephrased in every possible pattern of words, begging him to make a story, he became poised and graceful. "How does all the speculation about your job affect you personally?" He wasn't concerned for himself, men had triumphed in the face of greater misfortune, he was concerned for his family. Next question. "Do you think the University has given you a fair shake?" He thinks Bill Martin, Lee Bollinger and Michigan have had integrity throughout the process, and he'd like to think that he has integrity as well, that's why he isn't getting involved in the hoopla. Watching the press search for a reac- tion and seeing Ellerbe respond with class each time will forever change my memory of the man. The flip side: It's hard to feel too sorry for a man who is making hun- dreds of thousands of dollars annually to coach college basketball. I know plenty of people who would not only perform that task for free, they would also be willing to saw off their limbs if it could assist their candidacy. I certainly hope that Ellerbe isn't presently sitting somewhere, simmering about what was taken away from him rather than reflecting on the unbeliev- able opportunity he was given. And his coaching life isn't over, nor is he poor or homeless. All over the country Ellerbe is a renowned recruiter, and he will surely land at least an assis- tant's job quickly. There will again be a chance for Brian Ellerbe to rise to lead a Division I basketball program; to learn from the mistakes he made as a young coach at Michigan and become great. So with that, I say don't hold a heavy heart, Michigan, toward Brian Ellerbe, who couldn't win consistently but never represented this school without class, even under the most adverse circum- stances. Nor should you, Brian Ellerbe, hold a heavy heart toward Michigan, which gave you every chance it could while you were here, and wishes you well in all future endeavors. Dan Williams can be reached at dbw@umich.edu By Steve Jackson and J. Brady McCoHough Daily Sports Writers As the cloud of impending doom descends upon Michigan basketball coach Brian Ellerbe, students across campus are clamoring for his dismissal. "You don't want a coach who spends half the game staring at the floor," Kinesiology sophomore Mike Raspatello said. Some students have even started pools to determine when Ellerbe's final day will be. "I bet on him losing his job nine days after the season, so I hope he doesn't get fired tomorrow," LSA freshman Allison Topp said last night. But Ellerbe does have some support- em on campus. "He hasn't had a recruiting class go all the way through," LSA freshman 1 Tyler King said. "Give him a couple years with his own seniors on the team and then decide." After a disappointing 10-18 season, many students are trying to dwell fondly on more prosperous days the program enjoyed. "It hasn't been fun since we had Dugan Fife, Maceo Baston and them," LSA sophomore Adam Hamilton said. "They just can't keep good players here." Last year the Wolverines lost Jamal Crawford to the NBA and Kevin Gaines for disciplinary reasons, and this year's freshman class has had off-the-court problems of its own. "There's like 100 people on the foot- ball team, and they don't cause half as much trouble as the 10 basketball play- ers do," Engineering sophomore Sean: Augenstein said. Some think that a big name coach is the answer to Michigan fans' prayers. "We need Pitino," LSA freshman Deepak Diwan said. "Tell Pitino I'm issuing the call for him to come here. I'll be at every single home game if he does." For many the bottom line is winning, and winning is not something Ellerbe has done consistently. Over the last ihiee seasons, the team has a 37-51 regord under Ellerbe. : . - "If we're not a winning team, there it' time for a change," SNRE sophon ro Shannon Charney said. "We didn't win," LSA freshman Peter Janowski said. "If you don't win at Michigan, you're out." While most students think that Michigan needs a change in the coaching position, the general consensus is that the dismissal should be done with class. "We should treat him with respect," LSA freshman Kenneth Wall said. "He gave it his best shot, but it wasn't good enough." w r __. DAVID KATZ/Daily Despite his own contention that he expects to ret an as Michigan's head coach next year, a press conference to announce Elerbe' s firing could come at any time. a 0 4 -A FUN working envirc'ment, with FUN activitieE; -Swimming, lake sports, arts $ crafts, drama, computers, athletics and nature programs *Located on over 20 acreis in Novi -staff of 70 College Students C and graduates -Over 33 years of camping summer fun in Bloomfield, Farmington, Troy, Not', r e or ad acent sites -M ust reside WE'LL BE ON CAMPUS MARCH 14TH, 12-41 1 AT T 1E 7C GAN UN;ON IF YOUTHINK ANIGHT IN A FOXHOLE IS TOUGH, TRY A LIFETIME 11'N A CUBICLE. The U.S. Army offers 212 different career opporl:un~ies in fields ranging from medicine, construction and law enforcement to accounting, engineering and intelligence.You'll be trained. Then you'll use those skills from th e first day en the jut,. '°agreat way to start moving in the direction you want to go;.