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How do you feel about Tommy Amaker?
Should Michigan have hired someone else?
Just plain bored?
Siop yelling from the sidelines. Speak your mind at
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TS
C)IR
8A
THURSDAY
MARCH 29, 2001
Players pleased with
Martin's decision
Argument over Amaker a
matter of pros and cons
I Several players who
cbnsidered transferring
will now stay with team
Byapha e Goodei
Daily Sports Editor
After Michigan's season finale - a
78-57 loss at Michigan State - fresh-
man center Josh Moore said that he
was loyal to coach Brian Ellerbe, and
that if fired, Moore would consider
transferring.
Three and a half weeks later, Moore
is singing a different tune.
"I'm definitely not going to trans-
fer," Moore said after hearing that
Stn Hall coach Tommy Amaker
would be named coach of Michigan
later this week. "After making a com-
mitment to be excellent, that says a lot
about the program. What Bill Martin
has done in the last couple of weeks,
really shows me that he's the right
man for the job. I'm loving what I'm
seeing out of him.
"This is great for everybody. This is
definitely a 10 in my book."
Moore's not the only one who feels
this way.
"I'm glad we're starting over,"
freshman guard Avery Queen said.
"(Ajnaker) will be able to come in
hfre and return Michigan back where
it used to be.
-"I'm staying at Michigan. This is a
good decision for Michigan. I've
heard from other players that he's a
good coach."
Amaker, 36, is considered by many
to be one of the premier young coach-
es in basketball.
'lie's a great young coach," ESPN
analyst Dick Vitale said last week.
"He'd be a great choice for Michigan."
Before coaching at Seton Hall,
Amaker was an assistant under Mike
Krzyzewski at Duke, his alma mater.
The hiring will add zest to the
Michigan-Duke rivalry - a rivalry
that has recently lost some luster
because of the Blue Devils' domi-
nance over the Wolverines.
"It's gonna blow up," freshman
guard Avery Queen said. But "we got
to start winning again."
Said freshman guard Bernard
Robinson: "It'll be a good chance for
him to come in and coach against his
old coach."
Many Blue Devils who played
under Amaker remained close with
him, even after he left for Seton Hall.
During the offseason, former Duke
standout Grant Hill would go to Seton
Hall and play with the Pirates, just so
that he could have the opportunity to
visit his former coach.
"This is now a team that can be
restored to some of its past glory with
this guy on the sidelines," Moore said.
"We have enough talent and we have
the right coach to get it done"
Moore was recruited by Amaker
but "lived three blocks away from
Seton Hall growing up. If it wasn't for
that, I would have gone there."
Queen thinks fans should attend
games next year to see how the team
does.
"The fans are going to come to
games if we win," Queen said. "They
didn't like Ellerbe so they should
come out to see how Amaker does."
THE EFFECT: Often when a coach is
fired, his recruits think about playing
elsewhere. This might not happen at
Michigan.
Forwards Chuck Bailey and Kelly
Whitney already pledged to Michigan
- regardless of who is on the bench,
and Dommanic Ingerson is happy
with the decision.
"I spoke with Dommanic and he's
happy coach Amaker got the posi-
tion," Moore said.
Jaquan Hart and junior verbal com-
mitment Lester Abrams have both
repeatedly said they will take a wait
and see attitude towards the new
coach. Both have said they hope assis-
tant coach Terrence Greene is
retained.
With the report that Seton
Hall coach Tommy Amaker
will be signing a deal to be
Michigan's next basketball coach,
debate surely will circulate among the
Maize and Blue faithful over the next
few days as to whether he is the right
man for the job.
His supporters will say that after
Rick Pitino signed
with Louisville,
Amaker was the
best coach left,.
while his critics
point to a 2000-01
campaign that
saw the Pirates
underachieve.
Before making MICHAEL
your decision, KERN
consider the Finish
whole argument. Line
Pro: He is a
Krzyzewski guy.
Coach K is renowned as one of if
not the best college coach in the coun-
try. He is one of just two coaches in
NCAA history, UCLA legend John
Wooden being the other, who has led
his team to five consecutive Final Four
appearances.
He is the last coach to win back-to-
back NCAA Tournaments.
Success breeds success. Bobby
Knight taught Krzyzewski how to win
at Army. Eight of Coach K's former
players or assistants are now head
coaches.
Two of those, Quinn Snyder at
Missouri and Mike Brey at Notre
Dame, led their teams into the second
round of the NCAA Tournament this
season.
Amaker has already shown a touch
of that Krzyzewski magic, leading No.
10 seed Seton Hall into the Sweet
Sixteen last season with an upset vic-
tory over No. 2 seed Temple.
Con: He is a Krzyzewski guy.
Coach K has been at Duke for 21
seasons and is 54 years old. While he
isn't retiring tomorrow, one can
assume that within the next 10 years or
so he'll be stepping down. When that
happens, you can be sure that
AP PHOTO
Tommy Amaker has a whole lot in his hands right now. He has the responsibilty of turn-
ing around Michigan's recently bismal basketball program.
What he's done
When Tommy Amaker inherited the Seton Hall basketball pro-
gram, the Pirates were in need of a total overhall. Under
coach George Blaney the team went 38-48 over the
previous three seasons.
After just two seasons, Amaker built the Pirates into a winner.
This year, the Pirates started the year strong and ranked in the
top 15. But internal disention led to a collapse during conference
play.
Amaker's name will be near the top f
the list of replacements.
At age 36, Amaker's youth will
place him in the prime of his career
when Krzyzewski retires at Duke.7
Much like Kansas' Roy Williams and
the opening at North Carolina this p
summer, Amaker will have to choose
between staying in a place where he
has built something special and fol-.
lowing a legendary mentor at his alma
mater. But we all know what Williars
chose.
Pro: He is an excellent recruiter
In his three seasons at Seton Hall,
Amaker built a strong base of talented
players. This year. he brought in wh*
many called the best class in the inton
- including 1999 national high school
player of the year and this season's
freshman of the year Eddie Griffin.
As an assistant for Krzyzewski,
Amaker played a large role in recruit
ing Shane Battier to Durham. He was
also instrumental in bringing Elton,'
Brand and William Avery, both cur-"^
rently in the NBA, to Duke that same
year.
Con: Seton Hall's 16-15 record.,
Many picked Seton Hall to finish n
the top 10in the nation this year.
Instead they finished the year with 15
losses and lst in the first round of the
NIT.
That type of performance when so-
much was expected of his team raise
doubts about Amaker's ability to coaph
a winner. In his defense, this season
was more about managing personalih
ties than coaching basketball.
A rift between the Pirates' veteran
leaders and talented freshmen divided
the team and made winning difficult,
Amaker got the players on track late in
the season when the Pirates upset
Connecticut to finish the season and,.
made a run in the Big East
Tournament, But it was too little, too
late.
When you get down to it, Amake
the best man for the Michigan job. H
fits all of the criteria that Michigan
Athletic Director Bill Martin set forth
at the beginning of the search.
Amaker is a proven winner at the
highest level and has shown he has t e
tools to recruit the players Michigan
needs to bring into the program.
Michael Kern can be reaced
mkern@umich.ec.
Food For Thought
Human Rights
The protesters accused the
U.S. of supporting a brutal
South Vietnamese regim4
Where are they now, when
leprosy, once under control
by American doctors, is'o
rampant amongst the
Montangards. who are
herded into "leprosygulags"
by communist Vietnam?
Gary Lillie & Assoc., Realtors
www.garyli"lie.com
YEAR
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
Total
OVERALL RECORD
15-15
15-15
22-10
16-15
68-55.
BIG EAST RECORD
9-9
8-10
10-6
5-11
32-36
POSTSEASON
NIT
NIT
NCAA Sweet Sixteen
NIT
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