6

SPORTS

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WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 6, 2002

8


Despite his struggles,
Ingerson still growing

Playing days helped
shape feisty Guevara

By Joe SMith
Daily Sports Editor
It's not that Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker isn't pleased with Dommanic
Ingerson's numbers in his first 19 games
at the collegiate level. In fact, Amaker
admits that Ingerson has "done a hell of
a job for a first-year kid" - even better
than the new coach expected coming in.
But Amaker said he was disappointed
with Ingerson's play at the end of the
Michigan State game, when even
though the game was out of reach,
Ingerson's body language and lack of
effort was "disturbing." Amaker wants
to build a program, and how players
carry themselves matters - a lot.
"There are times that we show our
kids it doesn't matter what the score is,
or how much time is left," Amaker said.
"If there's time on the clock, there's a
certain way we play.
"I was disappointed in that he didn't
uphold to that."
So that's why Ingerson didn't even
tear off his warm-ups during the first
half of the Wisconsin game - the sec-
ond time Amaker has benched Ingerson
for a half this season because he didn't
like his effort. Tougher competition and
a shooting slump have also kept Inger-
son on the bench for much of the Big
Ten season.
Sometimes after games, it seems as
though Ingerson doesn't know why he
didn't make it off the bench, but he's
starting to understand how tough the
collegiate game is.
"You aren't babied anymore, and the

coaches aren't always going to come up
to you and tell you what's going bad,"
Ingerson said. "You have to find it with-
in yourself."
The sharpshooter has always been a
star, a player who wants the ball in his
hands. Throughout his prep career, and
even early on in his freshman campaign,
he proved why.
In his first nine games, Ingerson was
one of Amaker's go-to guys, as the
freshman played more than 20 minutes
per game and ranked second on the
team in scoring with 13 points per out-
ing.
He even shot a scorching 60 percent
from behind the arc.
But then came Big Ten play, which
hasn't been too friendly to the 18-year-
old from the San Francisco Bay Area.
"It's tough" Ingerson said. "But I just
have to be tougher. I have a lot of pride
in my game, but I need to prepare more
defensively and stay focused at all
times." 4
Ingerson has struggled and has seen
his minutes dwindle in the nine confer-
ence games. In those games, he's aver-
aging just 4.8 points in 12 minutes off
the bench. Worst of all for Ingerson, he's
knocking down less than 30 percent of
his shots from the field and behind the
arc - which coaches say could have an
effect on other areas.
"When you have success on offense it
usually picks them up on the other end,"
Michigan assistant coach Charles Ram-
sey said. Ingerson "has to learn that the
great players - no matter what they're
doing on offense - play both ends of

By Charles Paradis
Daily Sports Writer

. Michigan women's basketball coach
Sue Guevara is the perfect fit for her
squad. It is not only her 22 years of col-
lege basketball coaching experience
that makes Guevara so good for the
Wolverines, but it is also what she did
before she picked up her whistle and
clipboard.
Before taking a job as an assistant
coach at Saginaw Valley State in 1980,
Guevara played guard there for two
years. Her years on the court and the
attitude she developed are what make
her the most successful women's bas-
ketball coach in Michigan history.
"I used to play the game before any-
body ever told me to play the game"
Guevara said.
Guevara was never the tallest nor,
fastest player on the court, but she did
not let that stop her. With her drive and
focus, she was able to transcend her
physical limitations. Defensively, Gue-
vara felt that no one could beat her if
she used her brain instead of her brawn.
"I knew what I wanted to do when I
stepped out on the floor," Guevara said.
"I knew if I was defending you I could
kick your ass. Even though you might
have been quicker and faster, I knew.
Because I knew I had to be smarter
than you."
For two years, Guevara played under
coach Archie Robinson, a man who
pushed her and the team to the limit.
"We ran and ran and ran," Guevara
said. "We ran four miles before we

even started practicing."
In spite of - or maybe because of
- the vigorous practices, Guevara
flourished. Her motivation and love for
the game of basketball kept her coming
back to practice even though it was so
demanding.
"I just know I loved coming to prac-
tice," Guevara said.
Her intensity in practice earned her
time on the court. Guevara's intense
play continued - despite her size, she
was able to fight for rebounds.
"That's one thing; as short as I was I
could rebound because I pushed and
shoved and used that butt and got posi-
tion" Guevara said.
Under Robinson, Guevara also
learned the importance of knowing her
place. As a point guard, it was her job
to distribute the ball. She always
describes herself as a passer not a
shooter, and she cherished her respon-
sibility on the court.
"I knew my role - I relished that
role. I had to get the ball to the big
kids, that was my role," Guevara said.
Guevara is and always has been a
competitor, especially when it comes to
rebounding. Her attitude on rebounding
is. a holdover from her days on the
court, when she would not let anyone
push her around. This is the mindset
she wants to instill into her players.
"(Robinson) had to pull me out of a
game one time, because some chick
just shoved me," Guevara said. "I was
going in for a rebound and she shoved
me. And I was so pissed I turned
around and I was going after that kid."

A.LYSS WOU/Dily
Tommy Amaker has benched Dommanic Ingerson twice for lack of effort.

the floor."
Simply stated by Amaker: "For a
young kid like Dom, he has to learn that
we're not just shooting, we're playing
basketball."
Ramsey has known Ingerson for a
while - as an assistant coach at Cali-
fornia, he recruited the highly touted
prospect. Ramsey said that for an 18-
year-old kid, Ingerson has grown by
"leaps and bounds."
"He's really working at it," Ramsey
said. "From a mental standpoint, you
can't have those same lapses that you

have with preseason opponents. The
margin for error is not thre - if you
make mistakes, those lead to runs. You
have to play every play, every minute,
every second or you get burned."
Ingerson knows that since he's still
learning, solid communication and a
good relationship with the coaching,
staff is a must.
"The most important thing is commu-
nicating with the coaches on and off the
court," Ingerson said. "If I had a real
good relationship with the coaches, then
things would be better off."

0

Icers must ph
By J. Brady McCoflough
Daily Sports Writer
When the Michigan Athletic Department
agreed to host this season's NCAA Tourna-
ment West Regional, it
probably assumed that HOCKEY
its hockey team would
be playing in it. Commentary
But if the WolverinesI
lose one or two more contests this season,
they will be facing the humiliating scenario
of watching six other teams duke it out inI
their own barn:
With his team currently ranked 12th in the
Pairwise Rankings (which mirror the selec-
tion process used by the NCAA), Michigan
coach Red Berenson knows that the Wolver-
ines' record of 16-8-5 has put them on "the ;
bubble" for making the tournament.
He knows that his team needs to be ranked
in the top eight of the Pairwise to solidify a
berth, and he legitimately believes that every
game could "bury us or make us."

ly with pride
But does his team believe it?
The Wolverines have talked all season
about how much parity there is in the
CCHA, and how any team can beat them on
any given night. One of their favorites is
"every team comes ready to play against
Michigan."
But thus far, it's been a lot of talk from the
Wolverines - and not much action. Most
recently, they've been victimized by Alaska-
Fairbanks and Bowling Green at Yost Ice
Arena. Their 4-2 loss to the Falcons knocked
them down four spots in the Pairwise and
kept them out of first place in the confer-
ence.
The time for action is now, with a two-
game series against Nebraska-Omaha on the
slate this weekend. The Mavericks are riding
an eight-game winning streak into Ann
Arbor and could knock Michigan out of the
NCAA Tournament and end its CCHA
championship hopes with a sweep.
The time has come for Michigan to take
on its opponent's mindset for each game,

I

to earn spot i
before it's too late. Instead of every team
being ready for Michigan, how about Michi-
gan being ready for every team?
The time for excuses has passed. The
freshmen are not freshmen any longer. The
Wolverines are missing just one skater, jun-
ior standout Mike Cammalleri, and they
proved that they could play to their full
potential without him in their 1-1 tie against
Michigan State.
Each and every player in the lockerroom
has to dig deep inside and find a way to play
with pride - especially at Yost, where
Michigan has struggled (5-5-2) and plays
five of its last seven games.
Pride has been the backbone of Beren-
sun's program, and it shouldn't take any-
thing more than gazing up into the rafters at
Yost and seeing the championship banners
to generate the emotion and passion needed
to perform.
And if that's not enough to get the Wolver-
ines ready to play night in and night out, all
they need to do is take a look at their penal-
isfied with he

i tournament
ty-killing unit.
Michigan has extended its streak to 46
consecutive penalty kills and has not allowed
a powerplay goal in 640 minutes of hockey.
Berenson feels that the Wolverines' success
when down a man has become a "source of
pride" for his team.
The four penalty killers on the ice play
together with a reckless abandon, blocking
shots by sacrificing their bodies and inflict-
ing pain on their opponents. They play hard-
er and tougher because when they are down
a man for two minutes their backs are
against the wall.
It's human nature to play with more desire
when you feel like the world is against you,
and right now, whether Michigan wants to
believe it or not, the world is against it.
Because of their inability to play with
pride at Yost, the Wolverines' season has just
become one "do or die" penalty kill.
And for Michigan's postseason dreams to
materialize, it better hope the streak contin-
ues.
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DAVID KATZ/Daily
Michigan is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament.

dr-Mi

'M' gymnast Ray sat

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By Matt Kramer
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan gymnast Elise Ray's fresh-
man year was something few students
could ever relate to. Ray had a previous
obligation - captaining the 2000 U.S.
Summer Olympic gymnastics team -
which forced her to skip out of the fall
semester. She concluded the second
semester in style by winning the NCAA
all-around championship last April.
Ray had a binding contract that obli-
gated her to go on a post-Olympic tour,
which caused her to miss Michigan's
first two events last season. After joining
the team, Ray competed in all four
events in every single meet for the
Wolverines and never once scored
below a 9.35 in 52 rotations. She set a
Michigan record by scoring better than a
39.0 overall in 11 straight meets and
earned All-America honors.

But things have changed this year.
In the Wolverines' season-opening
meet a month ago in Maui, Ray compet-
ed in the all-around but scored a career
low 38.6. Since Maui, her troublesome
heel injury has gotten progressively
worse. Ray has yet to compete in an all-
around competition in six meets since.
She still competed in every meet in
the uneven bars and balance beam and
just returned to the vault last weekend.
Yet she has not competed on the floor
since the first meet, which has kept her
out of the all-around competition.
But that's not all bad.
Instead of always being the one to
rely on, Ray is now welcoming more of
a supporting role.
"It's been good (being out of the spot-
light)," Ray said. "I can concentrate on
being healthy and get things together. I
feel more of a team player this year. Last
year was a new environment for me
because I had to be on a team and step
out of the individual role. But this year I
knew what to expect."
Not being the main attraction off the
floor hasn't seemed to affect Ray's on-
floor performances.

Elise Ray has performed well on uneven bars and beam while nursing a heel Injury

Although she hasn't been able to
compete in the all-around competition,
Ray still posted a career-high 9.975 in
the uneven bars last Friday against Flori-
da. Her 9.908 average on the uneven
bars is the third best in the nation.
"I feel like I've been in my own world
a little bit this year and that's been nice,"
she said.
Part of the reason Ray has taken a
supporting role on the floor this year is
because of the emergence of fellow
sophomore Calli Ryals, who is having a

career year. Ryals' own dominance in
the all-around competition has allowed
the Michigan coaches to not force Ray
into any events that may further push
her injury.
But Ray fully plans to be competing
in the all-around when it really matters,
at the NCAA Championships in April.
"It's hard to sit out," Ray said, "But I
think it's important to look towards the
end of the season when Nationals are,
because I don't want to push myself now
and be hurt later"

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