Daily forum 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 michiandaiy.com/forum. We'll see you there. nichigandaily.com/sports 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 READ THE DAILY. L F I Check Us Out !! 2!~*~ Great Check Us Out H .! www.homecityice.como Job Opportunities!! i i _ Hiring Students Part-Time NOW and Full-Time During Summer & Breaks Flexible Hours & GREAT PAY!! 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