14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 12, 2001 44 Michigan's 'microwave' continues to ignite Wolverines off the bench Toledo, on downward spiral, welcomes Blue By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor Michigan certainly doesn't bring back memories of the tough, rough and mean Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys" teams of a decade ago, but the Wolverines do have their own version of a Vinnie Johnson "microwave." Just as the nickname was given to Johnson for igniting the Pistons off the bench with instant offense and a sweet stroke from the outside, Michi- gan freshman Dommanic Ingerson has- earned the title by fearlessly making his presence felt as a valuable sixth man for the Wolverines. While the shooting guard averages just 20 min- utes per game, he doesn't waste any opportunities. He ranks third on the Wolverines in scoring at 11.4 points per game and has reached double-figures in four of Michigan's seven games. But Ingerson's playing time may increase as the Wolverines take on two more nonconference foes before starting the Big Ten season on Jan. 1. Michi- gan hosts Eastern Michigan on Dec. 22 and faces San Francisco in the Pete Newell Classic in Califor- nia on Dec. 29. After starting the season behind last year's sharpshooter, junior Gavin Groninger, Inger- son received more than double the minutes of Groninger against Duke and has been inserted more often during key situations. "He has helped us a lot," said Michigan coach Tommy Amaker. "Dom has given us an opportunity to go to him off the bench. He is able to create his own shot, and when you are playing a tough defense like (Duke's) it's hard to run things. Then you need an individual to break a defense down. (Chuck) Bailey and him are giving us minutes and they made some good plays, but they also had some glaring mistakes like we all did." The knock on Ingerson prior to the season was his controversial past. Emotional meltdowns and suspensions in high school led some to believe Michigan's "microwave" would let his animated and emotional past resurfabe at the collegiate level. But the only thing visible from Ingerson's past is his accuracy from 3-point range, as the freshman leads the Wolverines and is second in the Big Ten with a scorching 58-percent efficiency from behind the arc - and sometimes even further. Ingerson's breakout performance came in Michi- gan's second game against Fairfield, when he exploded for 23 points in just 21 minutes. Most of his points came on his stellar 6-8 shooting from 3- point range, including several he took from five feet beyond the line. Ever since, the Maize Rage student section has instituted a cheer called the "Dom Bomb," in which each fan drops from their standstill position onto their behinds in the new student bleachers. And Ingerson's aggressive shot selection keeps those fans on the edge of their seats. He's never afraid to take a shot, which sometimes leads Amak- er to pull him aside on the court and say, "slow down." The streaky shooting guard has also been one of the least intimidated Wolverines in big games and tough road environments. When Michigan desper- ately needs to stop a daunting run by an opponent, Ingerson is inserted to stop the bleeding and create some much-needed offense. Ingerson tallied 16 points and posted a career- high 32 minutes against then-No. 15 Boston Col- lege two weeks ago, and last Saturday against No. 1 Duke, he notched 13 points in 24 minutes, which included some time at point guard. DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Freshman guard Dommanic Ingerson averaged 14.5. points per game against Boston College and Duke. The Michigan coaching staff has wanted to slow- ly adjust Ingerson to the point, but early on, the freshman's shot selection and ball-handling wasn't at its best. But with Ingerson's recent success with post-entry passes and with his increasing ability to create his own shot, a move to point guard may be something that both the coaches and Ingerson can grow comfortable with. "It's a different mindset," Ingerson said. "But, you know, I can bring up the ball. Whatever coach wants." By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer Usually, beating Duke in basket- ball is considered a good thing, but don't tell that to Mark Ehlen. Ehlen, the head coach of Toledo's women's basketball team, will admit that it was a good thing when his Rockets upset then No. 4 Duke on Nov. 18. But he will also point out that the 71-65 upset of the Blue Devils had some negative effects on the team as well. "It hurt us a little bit because we thought we were better than what we are," Ehlen said. That thought carried over to Tole- do's next games. The Rockets hit the road and it has not been pretty since then, as they dropped winnable games to Evansville and DePaul. The DePaul loss was especially poignant for Toledo (3-4) because it was a result of a failure to capitalize on opportunities. By stunning Duke in its home opener, Toledo established itself as a premier defensive team. The Rockets have allowed just one team (Xavier) to score more than 70 points in a regular season game. The 105 points put up by the Muskateers was not indicative of the Rockets defense, as the game went to three overtime periods and two of the Rockets' best players fouled out before the third overtime expired. The Xavier loss was one of the low points for Toledo this sea- son. "A three-overtime loss at Xavier is not where we want to be," Ehlen lamented. Toledo, like Michigan, has been on the road for most of its noncon- ference schedule. This schedule has taken its toll on the Rockets, who have won just two out of six games on the road this season. Fortunately for Toledo, it will be returning home tonight to face No. 14 Michigan (7- 1) at 7 p.m. Ehlen hopes the team will be able to turn things around during this four game home stint. The Rockets must ask themselves if they can pull out another upset at home this week. But Toledo will not face another shell-shocked team like Duke. Michigan is coming off an incredible finish in a hostile envi- ronment against Washington. "I think the lesson to be learned from that is that we are a very capa- ble basketball team of weathering the storm, weathering the momen- tum change, the changes in the game and playing in front of a noisy, boisterous crowd," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "I think we found out that we can really main- tain our composure;" Tonight's game will test the Wolverines' poise. The game fea- tures a desperate Toledo team that has shown flashes of brilliance and a Michigan team that has won seven games in a row. These wins have come in different ways for the Wolverines. They have blown out teams like Notre Dame and New Hampshire and they have won in the last minute, as they did against Washington. One key to Michigan's success in all of its vic- tories has been the balance it pos- sesses. "I think you play a team like Michigan,kand there is not just one thing they do well," Ehlen said. "They are strong inside, but if you take that away, they are strong on the outside. Any time you have that, you have a good thing going." A Tumblin' into break Senior All-Americans will rest until midseason for men gymnasts ... 4 By Melanie Kebler Daily Sports Writer The past six years have been very successful ones for the Michigan men's gymnastics team. Since Kurt Golder's appointment to the head coaching position in July of 1996, the team has gone from an 0-16 record and a last place finish in the Big Ten to the national spotlight. The Wolverines captured the national title in 1999, and have finished in the top four ever since. The team will depend on the strength of its experi- enced seniors, many of whom have participated in national and international meets in the last year. However, because of recent surgeries or an exhausting year of competition, many of the seniors need time to recover and rest before jumping back into collegiate competition. "That's going to take until midseason for that to happen," Golder said of his seniors' return to action. Getting the seniors healthy should be a priority, as they are the main reason for the Wolverines' high ranking. Brad Kenna, Daniel Diaz-Luong and Scott Vetere were All-Americans last season. The injury situation with many of the senior gym- nasts - co-captains Justin Teman and Vetere are both recovering from shoulder surgery - and the fact that there are only three juniors and one sophomore on the team means that its success will also depend on the performance of the six incoming freshmen. The Wolverines can place 15 men on the roster at each meet, and for the first part of the year, the bulk of those 15 will be freshman. In the long run, this should benefit the new class of gymnasts. "With a large freshman class, it reduces the pres- sure to bring the seniors back while they're recover- ing," Golder said. "It also gives the freshmen much better opportunities to participate. "We're coming into the preseason ranked No. 2 because of who's on our roster, and we're not going to compete those guys. I think it's going to hurt our rankings, but we're all aware of that." To begin competition, the team will host the Maize and Blue intrasquad meet at Cliff Keen Arena this weekend. Golder and the other men's gymnastics coaches will get a chance to take a good look at their team and assess each gymnast individually, especially the freshmen. "For the freshmen, who are establishing themselves and wearing the maize and blue for the first time, it's very important for them," Golder said. "This is their audition for their spot in the lineup." Although the exhibition meet has no effect on national rankings or team scoring, it is still a vital part of the season and an excellent evaluation tool for both the coaches and the gymnasts. Even though the team is competing against itself, there is still considerable pressure to perform and the results from this weekend could affect how the lineup looks throughout the sea- son - even at the national championships. "There's great pressure, I'd imagine, for someone competing for the first time in a Michigan uniform. It's real important to start out on a good note," Golder said. "If you impress the coaches and you impress the crowd and so forth, it's so much better to start out your career that way." For the upperclassmen, this weekend's meet holds a different purpose. "The main thing that I'm trying to emphasize with the more experienced guys on our team is that they're doing shorter routines, but trying to put new elements in," Golder said. 4 .,; ... While women mix up routine, travel to Hawaii for Maui Invitational 0 I By Matt Kramer "We~p're verv scfronp _"PlockLi cs.ad"Tf Daily Sports Writer Some coaches love to downplay their team before the season starts. They seem to always call the upcoming year a "rebuilding year" or say that their team "has a lot of work to do" if it wants to be successful. But Bev Plocki doesn't need to do that. The Michigan women's gymnas- tics coach knows when she sees a solid team early on, and she expects it to per- form at a championship level. For Ploc- ki, this is one of those teams. YYG1G ~ l bull,,rimm~ b -, 11 we can stay healthy and keep the fire burning then we could be good or better than any other team we've ever had." Coming off a 2001 season in which it finished third at the NCAA Champi- onships, behind perennial powers UCLA and Georgia, Michigan opens its season with the annual intrasquad meet this Sunday at Cliff Keen Arena at 2 p.m. After that the Wolverines head to Hawaii to participate in the Maui Invita- tional on Jan. 4. In recent years, the Wolverines have opened up competition in the Super Six, a televised meet with some of the nation's strongest teams competing for early bragging rights. This year, howev- er, Plocki decided to take the team in another direction and travel to Maui. "This year, we aren't going to go out and try to prove that we are No. 1 like we do at the Super Sixes," Plocki said. "So I decided to take a different approach to the early season and go to Hawaii." The trip is a reward funded by alum- nus Larry Johnson, who sponsored the Leaders and Best Award for 2001, which is given out to the athletic team at Michigan with the highest grade point average. While academic problems may not be a big concern for Plocki, health issues are. Senior captain Janessa Grieco will miss both the intrasquad and the Maui Invitational while she recovers from surgery on her shoulder. In addition, senior Shannon MacKenzie may be able to participate, but she is recovering from surgery on her ankle. Plocki has also decided to play it safe and hold back two more Wolverines. Senior Melissa Peterson and freshman Chelsea Kroll, who Plocki says will have a "big impact this year," will not be competing. But Plocki isn't worried because the Wolverines still have the captain of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team Elise Ray, as well as sophomore Calli Ryals. "We have so many leaders on this team," Plocki said. "And obviously the reigning all-around champion Elise Ray is one of them, but Ryals is also doing a fantastic job early on as well." The early injuries will give Plocki a closer look at her other freshmen, Lau- ren Mirkovich and Kallie Steffes. "I'm expecting big things from Mirkovich in the vaulting and uneven bars," Plocki said. "And Kallie is going to be a big vaulter for us. She could really sneak in on the beam, bars and floor exercise too." L\ LESLIE WARD/Daily Forward Jennifer Smith has been a driving force in Michigan's inside prowess. lson's simp1e go-to move difficult to, stop By Eric Chan Daily Sports Writer Every world-class wrestler has "his" move. This is a move that gets him to an elite level and a move which he uses so well, it is sometimes named after him. Olympic Gold medalist John Smith had his "Smith Single Leg" and Iowa wrestling legend and two-time NCAA For guaranteed pickup, call 800-351-5466 313-963-1000 24 hours, 7 days a week U-. Executive style transportation at non-executive prices. Ask for Ann Arbor Student Discounted Rate. i Home or away? It's all the same to your minutes. 30O0/$2911 min. per mo. Nationwide Long Distance Included. Every Minute. Every Day. 200 Anytime Minutes 2800 Night & Weekend Minutes 3000 Total Minutes with a one-year Sprint PCs Advantage Agreement Save $100 with a mail-in rebate on any two new Sprint PCs Phones-or save $30 on Any one new phone-when you Choose any Sprint PCs Service Plan. You can call to anywhere in the country, From anywhere on the Sprint PCS Nationwide Network serving over 300 Major metropolitan areas. IS,-ave '790each] ater malinj fete A look at the underside of U of M www.universityseerets.com Winter Term Apply now at the Law Library- * non-Law Students " Law Students * S. I Students champion Lincoln Mcllravy had his "Lincoln McIlravy Boot Scoot." Putting Michigan two-time All Amer- ican 174-pounder Otto Olson on the list along with Smith and Mcllravy may be jumping the gun, but Olson definitely does have "his" move - a move he uses to great effect. The "Inside Leg Trip" is a fairly sim- ple takedown - simple but unstoppable. Once the move is deep enough on the opponent, the referee might as well give Olson the two takedown points. "It's definitely my favorte takedown from neutral, and it's a really low-risk move," said Olson, after he used the move to score six of his 12 points against Michigan State's Rashad Evans last week. .Olson and the rest of the fourth- ranked Wolverines will take on No. 13 Lehigh on January 4. The big matches of the evening should be at 184 pounds and 197 pounds. At 184, No. 3 Andy Hrovat will wrestle No. 12 Rob Rohn, Lehigh's senior captain. At the 2000 NCAA Championships, Rohn met up with Hrovat, and Rohn emerged the winner, 6-5. Hrovat will no doubt be looking for payback. At 197 pounds, Michigan's Kyle Smith will take on No. 3 Jon Trenge. Trenge, a sophomore, was 34-3 last year as a freshman but didn't compete at the NCAA Championships due to a torn retina. Trenge is one of the obstacles in Smith's road to All-America status, so this match should be a close and excit- ina one. 9 a IL" Clear Digital Sprint PCS Touchpoint Phone"M Imodel TP1 100) Hurry! Offer ends soon. I I MM0ue is Iwtr JIRN IRuukw n Tl__ _I_,.. .li .....1.... 1. 11..1 ..