8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Bailey leaves Cagers because of
By Seth Klempner
Daily Sports Writer
Yesterday, junior Bernard Robinson
became the sole surviving member of
the Brian Ellerbe era in the Michigan
basketball program.
Sophomore forward Chuck Bailey
announced that he was planning to
transfer after this academic year.
While Michigan gave no explanation
for the decision, Bailey's Detroit Martin
Luther King High School coach, Benny
White, said that Bailey's lack of playing
time was a major factor in the decision-
making.
"He felt he was not getting the play-
ing time that he had worked to deserve,
White said of a conversation the two had
late last week. "He is looking to get an
opportunity to play more in games, and
hopefully this will do that."
Bailey, who was the backup power
forward behind senior captain LaVell
Blanchard, saw his minutes starting to
decrease when Michigan entered into
conference play. Just once did he play
more than 10 minutes in a game during
the Big Ten season, while he received
less than five minutes six times. In
Michigan's final game against Indiana,
Bailey did not play at all.
Bailey showed great promise during
his freshman campaign, in which he
averaged 3.8 points and three rebounds
per game. His athleticism and above-par
play led the way to three starts. He aver-
aged 13.6 minutes per game.
But this year, while receiving only
spot duty behind Blanchard, Bailey's
scoring average decreased from 3.8 in
nonconference play to 1.3 against Big
Ten opponents.
"We think a great deal of Chuck and
his family," Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker said. "We wish him the best as
he continues his education and playing
career."
White said that the decision to trans-
fer was a mutual decision between the
two, and that Amaker had supported
him in the decision.
Bailey is currently unsure of where he
will transfer. White said that he is likely
to look at schools that originally recruit-
ed him, though he is willing to look at
any school in which he could receive
playing time.
"He wants to go where he will get a
chance to play," White said. "But he
does not want a long, drawn out recruit-
ment process like he had in high
school."
a ying time
Central Michigan, Marquette, Toledo,
Detroit-Mercy and Oakland were among
the list of schools that recruited Bailey
while in high school when he was a
member of the Class-A All-State team.
The Detroit native was the only soph-
omore member of the team in the rota-
tion after guard Dommanic Ingerson
transferred to San Francisco last Decem-
ber. Bailey becomes the third player to
leave the program during Amaker's sec-
ond year as coach at Michigan. Junior
Avery Queen, who is currently a mem-
ber of Division II Southern Indiana's
basketball team, was dismissed for vio-
lated team rules in November.
Bailey's scholarship will not be made
available until the 2004 recruiting class,
due to NCAA rules which restrict the
number of recruits in a two-year period
to nine.
Myfriend
is wrong;
Cornell is
touch able
0
TONY DING/Daily
Chuck Bailey's decline In playing time
has caused him to look at other schools.
__-----
,
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---_._
DAVID HORN
Tooting my own
6 don't think anybody's gonna
touch us." That statement by a
friend of mine from Cornell was a
catalyst for me. I was preparing to
ignore the forthcoming Frozen Four,
because, well, I don't trust the Maize
and Blue to get the job done. They've
been so close so many years in my
Michigan career, but have fallen short
each time. I am always hesitant to
invest my heart in a hockey team that
has a history of near misses.
I came to Michigan on the heels of a
national championship in football, and
two out of three championships in
hockey. I, of course, expected to be
dancing naked at the President's house
on South University a half dozen times
before I left Ann Arbor. As it hap-
pened, I did so just once - and it was
due to a bad reaction to a bottle of
tequila, not a national championship
for the Wolverines.
On one occasion - the one occa-
sion - in my four years that a
Michigan team won a national cham-
pionship (field hockey, 2001) I spent
the night at the Daily, trying to fig-
ure out the first goddamn thing
about field hockey.
A national championship in ice hock-
ey, however, would be a very different
story. And my friend's confidence in
The Big Red was enough to fire up my
competitive spirit and evaluate the com-
petition for Jed Ortmeyer and Co.
Ohio State, Boston College, Cornell
and MSU-Mankato will play in the
East Regional, at the Dunkin' Donuts
Center in Providence. That sucks that
there's a Dunkin' Donuts Center some-
where in the world and I've never been
there- But if their media hospitality is
anything like the Outback Bowl's, then
they will be serving salad and gyros,
not donuts. Mmmmm ... donuts.
As for the teams, Cornell has
indeed looked stellar this season, and
will advance out of the regional even
though MSU-Mankato - the Maver-
icks - is possibly the best team from
the greater Mankato area. Their
goalie, Dave LeNeveu, has been noth-
ing short of awesome all year. The
first-round game between Ohio State
and Boston College pits two of my
least favorite sports programs against
each other. I'm making my prediction
based on sports karma, which dictates
that the Buckeyes' will not be awarded
any more bullshit calls for a while.
Advantage: Eagles.
The Northeast Regional is com-
prised of Harvard, Boston University,
St. Cloud State and New Hampshire.
The unranked Huskies of St. Cloud
will find New Hampshire to be a bit
too much. But this region's other
game - between Harvard and B.U. -
pits two Beanpot powers against each
other in big-time brawl, Boston style
(although the game is actually being
played in Worcester - "$1.25, sir").
Advantage goes to B.U. They're going
to be celebrating on Commonwealth
Avenue - at least until the Terriers
have to match up with New Hamp-
shire. B.U. won two previous meetings
with Harvard, including the semifinals
of the Beanpot. The Crimson can get
back to their Nietzsche and nuclear
physics and watch the rest of the tour-
nament on the Deuce.
Our regional - the Midwest -
might be the fiercest. Wayne State
makes a short trip to Ann Arbor to join
Colorado College, Maine and our own
Maize and Blue. Michigan should be a
two seed, but instead ends up playing
the Black Bears of Maine, who should
be a one seed. It will take all the magic
of Yost to propel the Wolverines out of
this bracket and onward to Buffalo,
N.Y. for the Frozen Four, especially
when we match up with Colorado Col-
lege. The Tigers are arguably the elite
team in the country this year, and will
have no problem with Wayne State.
Forward Peter Sejna and the Tigers
may even have enough to win it all.
In the West, No. 1 seed Minnesota
hosts North Dakota, CCHA Tourna-
ment runner-up Ferris State and Mer-
cyhurst. The Mariucci Center will be
rockin' after the Gophers handle Mer-
cyhurst and face either Ferris State or
the Fighting Sioux. Look for Minneso-
ta to advance in its pursuit to put
together back-to-back championships.
So will Michigan make champions
of us all, or will it yet again find the
national competition to be just too
much to handle? The 16-team bracket
0
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revolves around our people.
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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
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Welcome to our world.
FORTUNE"
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