ORTS Zee [itlfuJtu ttflp I michigandaily.comn/sports WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3, 2001 11I 'M' recruiting class ranks No. 6 in nation Shot in the foot By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor Michigan basketball fans heard that Tommy Amaker was a talented recruiter when he was an assistant at Duke and as head coach of Seton Hall. Now they know first-hand. With the latest verbal commitments from two big men this past weekend, Michigan's new basketball coach has landed a recruiting class for 2002 that is ranked No. 6 in the nation by recruiting analyst Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop. Francis said that as of now, six Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 16 recruiting classes for next year - with the Spartans rounding it out at No. 16. "He's got a top 10 class in his first year - and that's impressive," Francis said. "And I'm not surprised, because Amaker is one of the best and brightest in the country -he'll get the job done." Francis said that the combination of playmaking guard Daniel Horton and lanky swingman Lester Abram to go along with an "underrated" Graham Brown will bring Michigan's class among the best in the nation. According to analysts, while Michi- gan's two other commitments -- 6- foot-11 power forwards Chris Hunter and Amadou Ba - have an upside to their game, the jury is still out on whether they can contribute right away. Hunter "sees himself as a forward, but I think he's best suited at center, once he gets into that mindset," national recruit- ing analyst Clint Jackson said. "He runs the floor very well, can put the ball on the floor and has a decent little shot out to 14-15 feet or so. But he needs to bring his intensity on a consistent basis." Francis said Hunter's inconsistency at AAU camps in the summer forced him to drop out of his top-100 dramatically. "Chris was a major disappointment over the spring and summer," said Fran- cis, who admitted that the AAU team Hunter played on may have been a fac- tor in his performance. "But he does have the potential to make an impact - it's just a matter of when." "Amadou Ba falls in the same catego- ry. He's not a great player right now but has potential to make a difference. He'll get there, but he's not ready to be an impact player in the Big Ten." Michigan went after prized big men Chris Bosh, Sean May and Travis Garri- son, but had to settle for two big bodies with potential instead. Francis said that the class can be thought of as a success when taking Michigan's goals into account. "If you want to win a national title in the next two years - Michigan didn't do a good job," Francis said. )3ut if they wanted to develop and improve their depth - then they did really well." Michigan will now have solid depth in the front court in 2002 where it is severe- ly shorthanded now. After Chris Young graduates this year, the Wolverines would have had only had one player over 6-foot-7 - 7-foot-2 Josh Moore. And what if Flint Northern superstar Matt Trannon comes to Michigan? "If they get Trannon, they would be No. 2 in the nation behind Duke," Francis said. "Wouldn't that be something?" While Amaker has five commitments for five scholarship spots in 2002, Tran- non would likely come to Michigan on a football scholarship - but would still have the possibility to play basketball. The 6-foot-7 Trannon is also a talented wide receiver, who many say has a chance to play in either the NFL or the NBA. "Trannon is worth about three of those guys (Michigan recruits)," Francis said. "There's really a wide margin right there - he's ready to step in. "And I think he's going to Michigan.". Trannon, ranked No. 25 by Prep Spot- light, has been spotted at the last three Michigan football games, andi many say he's leaning toward Michigan. "Suddenly Michigan State isn't own- ing the state anymore," Francis said. "Michigan's going to be a power -- they got the right coach to do it at this point." Big Ten affected bymaj or errors in kicking game By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor It's no secret that special teams play a huge role in the outcome of college football games. But for anyone that wasn't convinced, this past weekend gave quite a bit of proof. In two games this weekend - Michigan State -Northwestern and Purdue -Minnesota - the kicking game had as much to do with the outcome as any other facet of play. In Evanston, Michigan State returned two kicks for touchdowns to make the game com- petitive, but missed two extra points, leaving the Wildcats with an opportunity to win on a last-second field goal. Likewise, Purdue kicked a game-tying last- second field goal as the clock ran out in Min- neapolis. The Gophers, who missed two short kicks earlier in the game, lost in overtime. "I don't know any coach that doesn't stress the importance of kicking games," said Min- nesota coach Glen Mason during the Big Ten's weekly football teleconference. "What you always talk about is that in close ballgames, normally the kicking game is what decides it. When you look at the fact that they made a last- second field goal and we missed two chip-shot field goals ... that would have been the differ- ence." If the Spartans converted on just one of the two blown point-after opportunities, they would have been able to avoid the one-point loss. "We've had some problems the last couple of years in our kicking game and I thought maybe we had it resolved, but obviously we didn't," Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said. "Special teams will always be a big part of the game. Obviously it played a big part in our AP PHOTO Northwestern kicker David Wasielewski put Northwestern ahead for good in the final seconds of last Satur= day's game against Michigan State. The Spartans missed two extra points in the fourth quarter. game last weekend, when we lost points that we could have produced in that game." Northwestern coach Randy Walker knows that his team was fortunate to pull out the win that should have gone the Spartans' way. "We're very fortunate to somehow come away with the win in spite of it," he said. "We did give up some plays that need to be addressed." NOT GIVING up: After last year's game against, Michigan, Illinois coach Ron Turner was hop- ping mad about poor officiating, which he felt cost his team the game. This year, he had no particular problems, but he's not yet droppine his hope that college football will institute instant replay. "I definitely think instant replay should be in," Turner said. "I think with modern technolo- gy, if you can let the players decide the out- comes of the games and let the teams decide, that's what should happen. If we have the tech- nology to do it we should take advantage of it." Cammalleri expects to play against State By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Writer Junior forward Mike Cammalleri, who has yet to suit up this season due to a nagging hip injury, began skating with the team at practice yesterday. Berenson feels that Cammal- leri is very close to returning to the lineup, but wants to take it on one day at a time. "I won't know till Friday, and - , maybe not even till Saturday," Berenson said. "But he feels good right now; he had a small workload today, but we'll give him a bigger work- load tomorrow. We think he is progressing, and I think there is a chance that he will play." "I felt great today," Cammalleri said. "I think that it's recovered, so I'm going to take it day to day, and prepare for this weekend." When asked if he expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's game, Cammalleri replied "defi- nitely." His presence on the ice as a leader and a scorer has been sorely missed. With him on the ice Sat- urday, the Wolverines will stand a much better chance of contending with Michigan State's tight defense. "Obviously, I'm hoping that he will be ready to play, " Berenson said. "But I don't want him to play if he's not 100 percent." FOCUSED ON TASK AT HAND: After crushing its first exhibition opponent, Queens, on Sunday afternoon, the Michigan hockey team now awaits what could be its biggest challenge of the year - the "Cold War" game against Michigan State. The game, which will be played on an ice rink constructed in the middle of Spartan Stadium, is expected to be a record-breaking event for college hockey. If 72,000 fans attend as expected, it will be the largest crowd in history to ever witness a hockey game. Despite the extravagance of the event, Michi- gan coach Red Berenson is trying to keep his team focused on the game within. Even with all this to contemplate, Berenson is confident that his team will be focused on the task at hand. "I think the intensity out on the ice is pretty good," Berenson said. "The exhibition games this past weekend helped our players gain some confi- dence and get comfortable with each other. They know it's a big game, so we'll work hard this week and I think you'll see the intensity level go up as the week goes on." ALYSSA WOOD/Daily Freshman Jennifer Gandolph (3) paced the Wolverines Sunday against 17th-ranked Minnesota with 12 kills and 10 digs for her third consecutive double-double. Spartans visit Cliff Keen in crucial clash of rivals See COLD WAR, Page 12 i-: - -J _ . I By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer Rivalries are the heart and soul of collegiate sports. While the players and coaches change over the years, the enmity never dies. "We look to beat them," said senior co-captain Shannon Melka who summed up this week's goal for the Michigan volleyball team (2-2 Big Ten, 5-5 overall) in five words. There will be no compromise in this week's match versus Michigan State(2-2, 9-2). The Wolverines are looking for a win and only a win will do. The first match of the State Pride Series will be played at Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m. tonight. Both teams are off to similarly rocky starts in Big Ten play. Both lost to Wis- consin and Northwestern on the road and both have beaten Iowa and Min- nesota at home. The Spattans, who lead the series 37- 22-1, will count on their star senior Erin Hartley, a preseason All-Big Ten selec- tion, to try to secure their first road win. A 6-foot-3 outside hitter, Hartley leads the team with an average of 4.16 kills per game this season. She is also second on the team in digs, averaging just over two dies a game. CLIFF KEEN ARENA Who: Michigan (2-2 Big Ten, 5-5 overall) vs. Michigan State (2-2 , 9-2) When: 7 p.m. Latest: The first 300 fans will receive free Nike water bottles as Michigan tries to win the first match of the State Pride series. outside hitters who are ready for the match as well. Freshman Jennifer Gan- dolph has had three consecutive double- doubles over the last two weekends. She - along with sophomore Chantel Reedus, who had a career best weekend - will provide a potent outside attack against the Spartans. As always, sophomore Erin Moore will be expected to supply Michigan with instant offense. Moore leads the Wolverines with 128 kills over the sea- son - her outstanding play and electri- fying kills have made her a fan favorite at Cliff Keen Arena. Last year, Michigan and Michigan State split the series at one match apiece with both wins coming at home. This year though, the Wolverines want to win at home and in East Lansing. "Our main goal is to beat them at home, at their place," Reedus said. To accomplish such a sweep, Michi-