e lOB - The Michigan Daily - Tipoff 2001 - Thursday, November 8, 2001 0 The Michigan Daily - Tipoff 20t i's not easy following the footsteps and trans- gressions of past freshmen on the Michigan basketball team. One's only models to follow over the past three years have been players who have jumped to the NBA, transferred, gotten sus- pended, or got kicked off the team completely It's no joke. The probability of an incoming frosh of the past three years staying with the pro- gram is an embarrassing 57 percent, as six of the 14 newcomers are no longer a part of the program. The survivors have had their share of problems as well. From violating team rules to criminal. activity, Michigan freshmen haven't had an easy shake. Even this year's class couldn't escape a case of the freshman fallout, as it was rocked before it even got a chance to start. Blue-chip recruits JaQuan Hart and Kelly Whitney were expected to come on the scene and add some depth to Michi- gan's bench. But neither could make the cut aca- demically, as each failed to achieve the minimum test scores to fit Michigan's high standards. "It was obviously an unfortunate situation," coach Tommy Amaker said. "But it's good to hear that the two have turned it into good situations for themselves." Hart is attending Ohio State, and will have to gain academic eligibility before playing for the Buckeyes, while Amaker said that Whitney will go to prep school and, ironically, join Amaker's for- mer program, Seton Hall. So who's left to pick up the pieces? Three Michigan freshmen - power forward Chuck Bailey and two guards in Domminac Inger- son and Marcus Bennett - survived the storm and will try to save face for a once highly-touted class. Amaker's plan to revitalize the program depends on the contribution from the trio. "Obviously because we're not a deep team, all the freshmen have to be prepared to play," assis- tant coach Chuck Swenson said. "I could see all of them getting significant minutes." What makes these freshmen any different from the rest? Teammates say their attitude and willing- ness to learn. Ingerson and Bailey came to Ann Arbor after they graduated and started a Summer Bridge Program that helps students make the diffi- cult adjustment to college classes. They immedi- ately hit the hardwood as well, sharpening their skills and getting stronger. A new "big brother" system has also been established, matching up an underclassman with a senior he can look up to for advice and guidance, while adjusting to life on and off the court. "We are just trying to keep their heads straight and they actually listen," said senior tri-captain Leon Jones, who is Ingerson's "big brother." "A lot A N MARuI(EDr MAN Robinson must overcome his controversial past us to be successful. I mean, he doesn have to average 30 points, but he h to have a solid night at all times." A revitalized Robinson with a ne attitude accepts the larger role, ar knows he'll be a marked man this yea as no one will be surprised by h high-wire acts and improved jumpe He will also have to face the ne demands on his versatility by playir both guard and forward to counte Michigan's lack of depth on the fron line - while also proving to be one c Amaker's defensive stoppers. But an even tougher obstacle tha mono or opponents for Robinson wi be putting his freshman troubles, c and off the court, behind him. A "marked man" is about as wori some as a gnat if he's sitting on th bench, and avoiding that predicame would be Robinson's definin achievement and an important key 1 Michigan's success. FROM STANDOUT TO FALLOUT Before he became the go-to-gu Robinson nearly tarnished his fresl man season before it even began. On Labor Day weekend, after trav eling with fellow freshman Jos Moore's car on their way back from fraternity party, Robinson,. Aver Queen and former Wolverine Kevi Gaines were spotted by polic wrestling in the middle of Telegrap Road in Taylor. All three minors ha been drinking that night, and the antics not only put their lives in dan ger from oncoming cars, but also the careers. Robinson and Queen wei arrested for misdemeanor charges o suspicion of disorderly intoxicatic and Ellerbe kicked Gaines off thi team shortly thereafter. )ly Ellerbe also suspende hts. Robinson and Queen during !iy not midseason for violatin it it out unspecified team rules. Are." "It was just us being sti pid," Robinson said. "It wa obinson nothing to do with being he 2002 freshman. BA draft. "It just taught me a lot o things quickly here - wha to do and what not to do." It doesn't look like he's learned h: lesson, and it didn't take him ver long to show it. This past Sunday, i Michigan's first exhibition game c the season, Robinson was suspende for a "violation of team rules. of times in the past they wouldn't listen and just brush us off - and now these guys are - which will help them a lot." FIERY FRESHMAN For Ingerson, having a strong influence in his life couldn't be more important - especially after what he's been through. While Ingerson was a top- 20 recruit nationally last year, most of the buzz surrounding him was a cloud of controversy over his troublesome behavior. That's why his coach at Santa Barbara, Jeff Lavender, made sure he knew what he was inherit- ing when Ingerson transferred from a school in Oakland, Calif. He sat down with Ingerson and his mother, and "called his old coach to try to figure out what was going on." What Lavender said he found was a kid who Freshmen file CHUCK BAILEY "CQ" Hometown: Detroit Position: Forward, Swingman M' Big Brother: Mike Gotfredson X-factor: Was in church choir, labeled a "ham" Notable quotable: "He's like a little pretty boy who's always acting cool in front of the ladies." -Leon Jones MARCUS BENNET "Snake" Hometown: Detroit Position: Guard- M' Big Brother: Leon Jones X-factor: impersonates team- .motes in lockerrom Notable quotable: "He's going to be a leader on this team someday." - Leon Jones DOMMINAC INGERSON "Dom" Hometown: Oakland, Calif. Position: Shooting guard M' Big Brother: Leon Jones X-factor: Writes own rap lyrics, excels at Playstation 2 games Notable quotable: "Dom's a scoring machine. But I'd just back him down and take it to him." - Chuck Bailey FORGOTTEN FRESHMEN The missing links from this year's "Fob Five" are JaQuan Hart and Kelly Whitney. Both planned on attending Michigan, but were academically ineli- gible. Hart went to Ohio State and Whitney decid- ed to go to prep school before attending Seton Hall. didn't have an easy life, a guard who "played with a certain type of anger" and "the most skilled guard" he had seen in 17 years of coaching. Not only could Ingerson pull up from over six feet behind the arc - shooting about 60 percent from that range - but he could also attack the basket and creatively engineer his offense to the point that he even surprised his teammates. "I remember over 20 times where he'd pass to a teammate and the ball would hit him in the head or chest," Lavender said. Lavender remembers Ingerson exploding for 39 points and six treys against one of the top teams in Southern California. But he also remembered Ingerson's several suspensions, the time he almost booted Ingerson off the team and the time when Ingerson got kicked out of his aunt's house and Lavender had to host him for a while. "He's a pretty good kid and always showed me respect;" said Santa Barbara assistant coach Adam Sjovold. "Half of his edge is that he plays with a chip on his shoulder and that can also get him in trouble sometimes." Ingerson insists that he's changed, has put the past behind him and has placed himself in a posi- tion where he can start fresh with Michigan. Lavender said Ingerson is maturing and that he will "gravitate to any influences he has - good or bad." Despite Lavender's thoughts, Michigan's coaching staff worried about his turbulent past. "Going into it, quite honestly, I was (worried)," Swenson said. "But having gotten to know him, I don't worry about him. He's been a class guy. In practice he's been tremendous so far as his attitude." Teammates agree, and can attest for Ingerson's new attitude. "The reputation that he got in high school is not accurate of how he actually is," said senior tri-cap- tain Chris Young. As far as Ingerson's performance on the court, Amaker knows he has a talented kid who can flat out score, as evident in his 11-point debut this past Sunday against the EA Sports All-Stars, when he gave Michigan a "shot in the arm," according to his new coach. But Amaker's worry is the same as Lavender's Feelin' da flow As one of Domminac Ingerson's many tal- ents, he releases his rough life experiences through his own form of creative expression - rap lyrics. This lyrical thesis was printed in a basketball program at Santa Barbara High School during Ingerson's junior year. I grew up in the O/Where you gotta go trap a 44/Or yo' kids won't grow. Where the only way of living is selling the snow/Had no food in m refrigerator/Never had a pager/lus we saw the minimum of wager Times were hard/Sometimes I feel emo- tionally scarred/But where I lived/Nobody had a backyard I done been through what you seen on TV/Gun shot wounds to children's chest/I thought it was the way it was supposed to be/But now I'm herein S.B./I thank God he set me free I'm on the other side of da road - where the sun shines. - Ingerson's play on the other end of the court. "He's going to have serious problems defensive- ly," Lavender said. "He could cruise here, but at Michigan he can't." CHOIR BoY Ingerson's roommate is Bailey (Detroit King), who along with fellow recruit Bennett (Detroit Renaissance) are from down the road in Detroit. Bailey and Bennett played on the same AAU team, The Family, and knew each other for awhile before coming to Michigan. "Playing on the same team and with my father working with his father, we've gone through a lot of the same issues," Bailey said. Bailey came from a very religious background, with both his parents being "raised in the church." He even considers his pastor as "a second father" "Singing in the church choir when I was younger, being with my church family and going See FRESHMEN, Page 13B t one point this summer, Michigan's sophomore Bernard Robinson didn't think he'd play basketball ever again. Mononucleosis humbled Michi- gan's high-flying swingman and the Big Ten's best dunker as he couldn't even grab the rim. The energy-drain- ing virus worsened because Robinson couldn't take Aspirin due to an allergy. To make matters worse, his morale plummeted below his vertical leap. "I know when I first started, I couldn't even walk down steps," Robinson said. "I couldn't even touch the rim. It felt like I was never going to play again." While in Los Angeles visiting DeMarr Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, a hometown friend, Robinson felt sharp pains in his left side, with nagging headaches and a frustrating inability to become active turning his vacation into a nightmare. "I had to fly back home to Washing- ton, D.C. and called my mother and asked her to take care of me," a hum- bled Robinson said. "It was a very low time." Michigan's co-MVP from the year before, an outstanding slasher with a knack for scoring was bed-stricken and depleted. The player that new coach Tommy Amaker labeled "vital to the team's success" could only play one pickup game all summer. He dropped nearly 30 pounds and then gained it all back the wrong way due to his prolonged inactivity and his mother's cooking. Robinson took the time to do some soul searching. He re-evaluated in his ingerson Michigan's one-two punch Bernord Robinson Year: Sophomore Height:6-foot-6 Weight: 185 Pts: 14.4 Reb: 4.9 Robinson uses quick- ness and slashing abili- ry to tear up defenses. LoVell Blanchord Year: Junior Height: 6-foot-7 Weight:205 Pts: 17.8 " Reb: 8.4 One of best rebound- ers in Big Ten. Can step out and nail a 3-point- er when needed. There was definitely a reason why Lovell Blanchard and Bernard Robinson were named Michigan's co-MVP's last season, as they created most of the Wolverines' offense-and energy. But both superstars admit that their relationship wasn't there, which inhibited their potential on the court. Robinson said that both are talking more, and are ready to bring Michigan back to where it should be - on top. mind a roller-coaster freshman season, Michigan's 10-19 finish, its worse in 19 years. What started off as impres- sive accomplishments on the court led to "stupid" offcourt antics and his realization that he didn't take the time to know his teammates. Brian Ellerbe, the coach who recruited him, was fired, but his successor made an impression on an ailing Robinson that he'd never "I'll probal forget. have thoug Amaker took a break I'm definit from his summer recruit- going to pi ing to fly down to Wash- of the pict ington D.C. and visit his fallen star - whether - Bernardt Robinson wanted him to on entering t or not.. "I flew all the way there and he didn't want me to see him like that," Amaker said. "In the fact that he was sick and lost weight, and the things he was going through and I said 'I don't give a damn - I'm coming anyways.' " Amaker's thoughtful and sincere act of concern delightfully surprised Robinson, who connected with his new coach right away. "With me having mono, I think the average coach would try to rush me back," Robinson said. "But he was understanding and was just taking care of me - and that's what I liked. "He showed me love, and I was very appreciative." Robinson not only realized that he had a coach he could trust, but also how much he had taken the game of basketball for granted. He wasn't going to let it happen again. While the illness allowed him to participate in just 25 percent of Michi- gan's drills in September, Robinson has come along and gained most of his strength and wind back, along with a new outlook on what is expected to be a breakout season. "Bernard's role is huge," said senior co-captain Chris Young. "He has to come out every night and play well for BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR As MICHIGAN'S SECOND-LEADING SCORER, ROBINSON PROVED EVEN BETTER IN CLUTCH SITUATIONS. HIS BEST PERFORMANCES WERE AGAINST MICLIGAN'S TOP OPPONENTS. (ALL AVERAGES) PENN STATE (BIG TEN TOURNEY) 23 POINTS (*CAREER HIGH) 5 REBOUNDS 5 ASSISTS DUKE (ONE GAME) 19 POINTS 2 REBOUNDS 2 ASSISTS MICHIGAN STATE (TWO GAME.S) 14.5 POINTS 2.0 REBOUNDS' 2.0 ASSISTS ILLIONOIS (TWO GAMES) 12.0 POINTS 5.5 REBOUNDS 2 STEALS b e R( U 14B Bennett Hart and Whitney 0