t~e~iahlli PORTS WEDNESDAY MARCH 14, 2001 10. Martin lays first brck in Michian rebuildzng process M ark down yesterday's date. Because that was the day tht the Michigan men's basketball program was ebor. Until the recent success of Michigan State, basketball was got a major priority for Michigan fans or alumni. Football was 4that really mattered. But no one likes to lose to their annoy- iJ ittle brother. So once the Spartans found success, a win- i basketball program suddenly became imperative. Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin says that all ?ichigan teams should finish on average in the top third of the Big Ten each year. "Wins and losses are important," Martin said. "It's fun to 6We expect to win. It's a part of the Michigan tradition." nWith 10th, seventh, and 10th place finishes over Brian Mebe's past three years, Michigan fell wvl1 short of that mark. Now, thanks to Ml4ehigan State, Ellerbe is out and a c'mmitment to winning is back. Martin and the athletic department are dy to do whatever it takes to restore 61:y to Michigan basketball. Despite th University's tradition of promoting from within or hiring a relative rknown, Martin said that none of the MICHAEL Mrchigan assistants would be offered a KERN chace at the job and that he was seek- iig a coach who had already succeeded Lnhe O4he Division I level. 'Martin wants a name. He wants some- :o e who can make Michigan a contender quickly. So do the Woverines' fans. Yesterday, Martin said that he believed the new coach Would be able to turn this team around in two to three years. H's right. Under Steve Fisher, Michigan went from a 14-15 season and a trip to the NIT in the 1990-'91 season to NCAA !rmners-up in 1991-'92. Even with the Wolverines' recent tioules, repeating that feat with the right coach in today's fast-paced world of college basketball is entirely possible. An his press conference, Martin named renovating Crisler Arena as another priority that could revamp the face of Michigan basketball. It should be No. 1 on his list. Crisler is the second worst arena in the Big Ten, just barely edging out Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena, which at 8,117 seats hardly qualifies as a Big Ten venue. Most game nights, Crisler is as quiet as the Law library and Ialf as full. Its amenities are terrible and the weightlifting and workout facilities, shared by many of the University's 25 var- sity athletic teams, are horribly out of date. Martin's goal is to create "a more hostile environment for visiting teams" while updating the facilities for all Michigan sports teams. He said yesterday that Crisler was more like a theatre than a basketball arena and that Yost, which hosted games until Crisler Arena's opened in 1967, was a much bet- ter venue despite its diminutive size. Martin added that he would like to remove a number of the padded seats that surround the arena floor and replace them with benches. But making Crisler more fan friendly is just the first step. Men's basketball is a revenue sport. But lately, it has been anything but. Martin said yesterday that in Ellerbe's tenure, paid atten- dance dropped an estimated 30 to 35 percent and that student ticket sales went from around 3,000 to around 600. But now Michigan is finally righting the ship. For the first time in a few years, the Wolverines appear to be on track. In the next couple of weeks, Martin will bring in a coach with the winning attitude that has been missing from this pro- gram for the last few years. Then come the players and a win- ning record. Michigan basketball finally has a plan for success. And yes- terday was just step one. Michael Kern can be reached at mkern@umich.edu. ": 1 JEFF HURVITZ/Daily Athletic Director Bill Martin ended the rumors yesterday by announcing that he had asked basketball coach Brian Ellerbe to step down on Sunday. Basketb all community responds to firing * Michigan players, Izzo express sadness over former coach's forced departure. By Dan Williams Daily Sports Editor As the dismissal of Michigan bas- ketball coach Brian Ellerbe became public knowledge yesterday follow- ing media reports and Athletic Director Bill Martin's official press conference, players, coaches and people close to the situation reacted. Throughout the season, nearly all the players rallied to the support of their coach, and yesterday's respons- es conveyed the same attitude. "I think everybody feels the same way," sophomore Gavin Groninger said. "Mr. Martin feels like this is best for the University, and we sup- portthat, but we also support coach Ellerbe. "He's going to move on and coach somewhere else. He's got a lot of time to be a coach." Freshman Bernard Robinson did exhibit some displeasure that the decision to fire Ellerbe was made so quickly after Martin met with the coach and some of the players. These meetings were completed on Sunday. "It wasn't that much of a surpise," freshman Bernard Robinson said. "But it was a surprise how fast they evaluated the situation. I thought they would at least consider things longei." The players met with Ellerbe at approximately 3 p.m. yesterday to bid farewell. The assistant coaches were also at the meeting. Ellerbe wished the players the best of luck, told them to mind their studies and advised them to stay at Michigan and complete their degrees. "You can never take something like that with a smile on your face," Michigan freshman Josh Moore said. After meeting with Ellerbe, the players stuck around to discuss how they would handle the transition period as a group. With players like Moore and Robinson publicly ques- tioning whether or not they would remain at Michigan after Ellerbe was fired, the team set groundrules for handling such decisions. "We talked about staying together See REACTIONS, Page 12 IN*IS ISSUE WA LOOK INTOY THE REACTIONS Q MARIN'S DECISIONC. PAG 12 * AN IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF REPLACEMENT CANDIDATES. PitinoAmaker top candidate s By Dan Williams Daily Sports Editor Yesterday, Athletic Director Bill Martin called his decision to ask Brian Ellerbe to step down, "extremely difficult" and "painful." Now Martin has possibly a m digestable decision ahead of him, and one that may up mately dictate his legacy. Over the next few weeks, Martin will meet with can- didates to replace Ellerbe as coach of the Michigan bas- ketball team. At or near the top of the list is former.-Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino. Before leaving for the NBA, Pitino led Kentucky t three Final Fours, including a national championship in 1996. He also led Providence to the Final Four in 1985; Since Pitino stepped down as Celtics' coach, his name has surfaced with nearly every possible major opening i Division I coaching positions, most prominently UCL, UNLV, Louisville and Michigan. He has said that bz wants to return to college coaching. On Feb. 8, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale reported that Pitino would not consider taking over the UCLA jo from Steve Lavin, who still holds the position. Then on March 5, it was reported that Pitino removef his name from consideration for the UNLV post, because he didn't feel he fit in with the program. Louisville, where legend Denny Crum is retiring, .s now considered the frontrunner for Pitino's serviAc Pitino has expressed interest in the job, and the Cardin hold him at the top of their list. "This program definately needs a shot in the arm, arid we're going to need somebody of the caliber of Coach See CANDIDATES, Page 13 1 r%;.'.. .. , ' ?.. s:::',q' ?' ., .z4E a . .,;' . . . ,..i .a ,a :'ยง' a# > ." r r . .:. ...hs.. , . ,? ; ?f: r F.. s.:,..... " x ,. ., ":-