The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 4, 2003 - 9 BI ES Continued from Page 8 Discipline move by Michigan coach Sue Guevara? Try again. Truth is, senior captain and pre- season All-Big Ten pick LeeAnn Bies was absent from the Wolver- ines lineup in the deciding portion of Michigan's loss to Wisconsin because her production has dropped to its lowest level since her fresh- man year. Although Guevara claims that Bies didn't see the floor for most of the second half because Michigan was running a full-court press and needed speed, the fact is the senior forward's ineffectiveness this season has forced her to become a role player on a team she once owned. By the end of last season, Bies had established herself as one of the BigTen's premier forwards. Then a junior, Bies led the Wolverines in both points (15.8) and rebounds (8.2) per game for the second con- secutive year. She finished with the conference's most double-doubles (9) and dominated offensively throughout the year - scoring 15 or more points in 16 of the Wolverines' 30 games. A staple in the Michigan lineup, Bies started 29 games, aver- aging 31.5 minutes a game. For her impressive 2001-2002 campaign, Bies capped off a brilliant year by earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. But this season has been a completely different story. Both Big Ten media and coaches chose Bies as the only senior on the five-woman all-conference squad before this season kicked off. But two-thirds of the way through the year, she has fallen out of Michi- gan's starting lineup - coming off the bench the last six games. Her minutes (24.5), points (11.1) and rebounds (5.3) have significantly declined from last year. And Bies has recorded just two double-dou- bles this season. Lacking a rock in the post that Michigan used to exploit, the Wolverines have struggled to find a consistent threat - something no Big Ten team can afford to go with- out. Having eight underclassmen this year, Michigan has seen many flash- in-the-pan performances, but has yet to showcase a legitimate gamer. Freshman Niki Reams is one of the steadiest players on the team, but her struggles with injury have limit- ed her court time. Fellow freshman guards Lauren Andrews, Rachel Carney and Mie Burlin have each experienced the usual ups and downs of a first-year player. Sopho- more Tabita Pool has the potential to be a superstar in the conference, but still shows signs of immaturity, especialy in taking care of the ball Of the upperclassmen, Michigan's junior duo, Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Gandy, has supplied the Maize and Blue with surges of greatness and given many opposing coaches nightmares with their versa- tility. But, Smith's injuries and Gandy's offensive inconsistency have hampered the two from manu- facturing solid numbers on a nightly basis. Bies holding her own inside can solve most of the Wolverines' problems. When Bies is producing, she combines with Smith to create a major problem for opponents in the frontcourt. If Michigan's twin tow- ers are clicking, most defenses will have to sag inside, giving slashers Gandy and Pool more room to cre- ate. Also, post-oriented defenses will give Michigan's talented, but youthful, guards the open looks they need. The lack of a reliable play by Bies causes Michigan's offense to crum- ble, and has led to the Wolverines sandwiching their only two wins in conference play within two three- game losing streaks. With eight games remaining in the regular season, Guevara says the Wolverines "need to make some changes" in order to finish the year off strong. She has switched lineups multiple times, and still hasn't set- tled on a starting group. The Wolverines are blessed with an array of talented youngsters, and look to become major Big Ten con- tenders in a few years. But, in terms of this season, the answer to a pos- sible late run lies in one place. The Wolverines' success relies on whether a certain 6-foot-3 forward can rediscover her game. Simply put, Michigan needs the senior, they must have the captain, and the All- Big Ten performer is an absolute necessity. If the Wolverines want to finish the year with a bang, they need LeeAnn Bies. FOOD9 FOR THOUGHT Manipulating Opinion In 1969, alarmed at the success of Richard Nixon's Vietnamiza- tion policy, the NLF and "Alli- Crumpton drafted by Atlanta Beat By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer The event may not have been on ESPN, but on Sunday, a Wolverine's dream of going pro became a reality. Women's soccer senior All-Ameri- can Abby Crumpton became the sec- ond Wolverine ever drafted into the Women's United Soccer Association when the Atlanta Beat took her in the second round. Crumpton was the 13th overall pick in the eight-team league's fourth-annual draft held in Atlanta. The Rochester Hills native is expected to fill the Beat's need for an extra striker. "She's in a great situation going to Atlanta," Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher said. "They're a great team with a lot of quality players, and that will help her as she learns how to play on the next level. This has been something Abby has wanted to do for a long time, and she's trained and pre- pared hard to get there." Crumpton is Michigan's all-time leading scorer with 116 points, as she has accumulated 43 goals and 30 assists during her career. While lead- ing the Wolverines with 35 points on 11 goals and 13 assists in 2002, she helped them to their best-ever final national ranking (11th) and their first- ever trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. These achievements made her the 2002 Big Ten Athlete of the Year and a second-team National Soccer Coaches Association of Ameri- ca All-American. This past summer, she represented the United States in the Nordic Cup in Finland, the most prominent under-21 international women's soccer tournament. Crumpton was the second Big Ten player drafted into the league that was started after U. S. Women's National Soccer Team won the most successful women's sporting event ever, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup held in the United States. "When Abby started here, the opportunity to play professionally wasn't a reality," Rademacher said. "We had always thought she had the potential to take the next step and play the Under-21 National Team and maybe go on from there with the national team. But now with the WUSA available, you can see a player like Abby have the ability to regularly play with the best players there are and really see her true potential." FILE PHOTO Michigan senior Abby Crumpton was drafted by the Atlanta Beat in the second round of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) Draft Sunday. __--- I M -_.,, . ""' _ ' . 's. 3. , ts; .y tr. r t il, ".s t.Jt2 t,,{ sIt3 Yt "i i!I i li 1. 1 Il Y !:1 11 /'^" 0 I- " At Ernst & Young everything revolves around our people. Here, you will be listened to, respected, trusted and . recognized for your achievements. We not only value your individuality and what it can bring to our firm, we encourage it. And we give you challenging opportunities so you feel empowered to succeed. Welcome to our world. FORTUNE AA l1rAT i BEiNllULL I I I