2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 8, 2002
CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY
Dance team makes
debut at Big House
AHeL iTgaEWilE
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Who: Molly Powers
Hometown: Oak Park, IIl.
Position: forward
Sport: Field Hockey
Year: Senior
By Kyle O'Neill
Daily Sports Writer
Last weekend, there were some new
faces on the sidelines during Michigan's
football game against Washington. And
none of them were wearing pads or
headphones.
The Michigan dance team made its
football debut on Aug. 31 when it per-
formed in the same corner as Michi-
gan's band.
Though this wasn't its first perform-
ance in front of a large crowd, it was the
first time that the dance team had to
deal with entertaining a sold-out crowd
at Michigan Stadium. It had previously
performed at Michigan's spring game
this past April.
"We are excited for what we can do
for Michigan athletics and we're ready
to go forward with it," coach Valerie
Stead Potsos said. "In Michigan Stadi-
um the atmosphere and emotions are
larger. We're the public relations ambas-
sadors to basketball and we're trying to
sell football as well."
Michigan's dance team is known
more for its sideline and timeout per-
formances, but it has competed nation-
ally and done well in the one-and-a-half
years that Potsos has been coach. Last
January, Michigan finished eighth at the
Universal Dance Association National
College Dance Team Championship in
Orlando. This year the team is hoping
for a top-five finish.
But until then, the dance team will be
concentrating on its home dates. Three
things that the dance team has been
working on for those performances has
been keeping eye contact with the crowd
at all times, having solid turns on grass
and working better with the band and
cheerleaders on combined routines.
"We will be in the Big House just for
Washington and Utah, and we'll go for-
ward from there," Potsos said. "We're
coordinating three spirit groups we
haven't done in the past. And we'll
script routines for the games, encourage
fans and entertain."
Although the team hasn't reached
varsity status, they haven't wavered in
their enthusiasm when performing.
"It was about time that they were out
there on the field," Potsos said. "We're
grateful that the Michigan Athletic
Department allowed us two football
games. And we respect any decision that
they make in the future, whether to
allow us back or not."
The dance team's next performances
will include Sept. 20 at Elbel Field,
Sept. 21 at Michigan Stadium and Oct.
13 at Varsity Field.
Why: Tied 1-1 against Ball State yesterday, Powers scored two goals,
including the game-winner, to help Michigan to a 5-1 victory. She record-
ed the fifth multi-goal game of her career as the Wolverines improved
their record to 3-1 this season.
Powers
QM 'SCHEDULE
Tomorrow
Volleyball vs. Bowling Green, 7 p.m.
Friday. Sept. 13
W Soccer vs. Massachusetts at Alabama-Birmingham Nike Classic, 5 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Alabama at Nebraska Invitational, 6 p.m.
M Soccer at Brown, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
W Cross Country at Mel Brodt Invitational (Bowling Green), 11:15 a.m.
Field Hockey vs. Boston College, 1 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Santa Clara at Nebraska Invitational, 12 p.m.
Football at Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m.
Volleyball at Nebraska, 8.p.m.
W Golf hosts Wolverine Invitational
M Golf at The Ridges Intercollegiate (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Sunday. Sept. 15
Field Hockey vs. Connecticut, 1 p.m.
M Soccer vs. Yale at Brown Invitational (Providence, R.I.), 11 a.m.
W Soccer vs. Georgia at Alabama-Birmingham Nike Classic, 12 p.m.
W Golf hosts Wolverine Invitational
M Golf at The Ridges Intercollegiate (Johnson City, Tenn.)
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Michigan dance team captain Lorin O'Toole performs at Crisler Arena last year. She and
the rest of her squad has also begun to perform at Michigan Stadium.
NBA blamed for U.S. embarrassment DAMY SCOREBOARD
MLB STANDINGS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - On one of the darkest nights
in the history of American basketball, George Karl shed
some light on the root of the problem.
"The money and greed of the NBA. Does that have an
effect on our competitive nature? Yeah, you can write
that," Karl said.
The U.S: team lost again late Saturday night at the
World Championships, dropping an 81-75 decision to
Spain in the fifth-place game. The Americans finished
sixth - the worst showing ever by a U.S. men's team at a
major international competition.
Many of the American players were in the lobby of their
hotel with their bags packed an hour after the loss to
Spain, eager to get out of town as quickly as possible and
put this monumental failure behind them.
"I still think we're the best, the model for the world, but
people are catching up. They beat us, and they beat us in
our own country. We have to tip our hat to them," Karl
said.
There will be much debate in the American basketball
community in the upcoming months about how to correct
the problem.
The problem, however, might have deeper roots than
any quick fix can repair.
Basketball purists in the United States have been com-
plaining for years about the glorification of the dunk and
decreased emphasis on fundamentals.
A look at the U.S. teams statistics bolsters their point.
The Americans shot just 63 percent from the foul line
during their nine games, a number that would have been
even lower if Michael Finley's 83 percent success rate is
removed from the equation.
Among the top 15 scorers in the tournament, there was
one American - Paul Pierce. Among the top 15 in free
throw shooting, the top 13 in rebounding and top 12 in
field goal percentage, there were no Americans (Yao
Ming of China shot an astounding 75.3 percent from the
field).
The American team repeatedly gave up layups and
dunks off backdoor plays. On offense, especially in late-
game situations, the U.S. players often freelanced them-
selves into one-on-one situations resulting in missed
shots.
In the loss to Spain, the Americans blew a 13-point lead
in the fourth quarter.
In the loss to Yugoslavia, they blew a 10-point lead.
In the loss to Argentina, they never even held a lead.
"I personally think European and international basket-
ball is doing some things better than we are," Karl said.
"There's no question in my mind that the 16-, 17-, 18-
year-old is getting more coaching. He's in the gym more
often than our young players.''
Part of the reason for that problem is the rules that
American players must follow.
The NCAA limits the amount of time that college
coaches can spend tutoring their players. Those who jump
to the pros after a year or two of college, or straight out of
high school, are making plenty of money and staying at
five-star hotels but are spending their developmental
years at the end of NBA benches.
"This is a good experience (for the Americans) to estab-
lish what happens when you lose, and to analyze it,
because the world is changing," Spanish coach Javier
Imbroda said.
NFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Division
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Eastern Division
New York Yankees
Boston
Baltimore
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Central Division
Minnesota
ChicagoWhite Sox
Cleveland
Kansas City
Detroit
Western Division
Oakland
Anaheim
Seattle
Texas
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Eastern Division
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Montreal
Florida
New York Mets
Central Division
St. Louis
Houston
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
ChicagoCubs
Milwaukee
Western Division
Arizona
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Colorado
San Diego
w
89
79
64
63
48
W
82
69
64
55
52
W
89
88
84
65
w
90
70
70
69
67
w
81
75
69
63
60
51
w
87
82
80
65
61
L
53
62
77
80
94
L
60
74
78
87
91
L
52
54
58
77
L
51
72
73
73
74
L
61
67
73
80
83
92
L
55
59
61
78
82
Pct
.627
.560
.454
.441
.338
Pct
.577
.483
.451
.387
.364
Pct
.631
.620
.592
.458
Pot,
.638
.493
.490
.486
-475
Pct
.570
.528
.486
.441
.420
.357
Pt
.613
.582
.567
.455
.427
GB
9.5
24.5
26.5
41
GB
13.5
18
27
30.5
GB
1.5
5.5
24.5
GB
20.5
21
21.5
23
GB
6
12
18.5
21.5
30.5
GB
4.5
6.5
22.5
26.5
Miami
NY Jets
New England
Buffalo
North Division
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Baltimore
South Division
Indianapolis
Tennessee
Houston
Jacksonville
West Division
San Diego
Kansas City
Denver
Oakland
W
1
2
0
0
W
0
0
0
0
W
1
1
0
0
W
1
1
1
1
L
0
0
0
1
T Pct.
0 1.00
0 1.00
0 .000
0 .000
L T Pct.
0 0 .000
1 0 .000
1 0 .000
1 0-.000
T Pct.
0 1.00
0 1.00
0 .000
0 .000
TI
0
0
0
0
Pct.
1.00
1.00
.000
.000
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
East Division
W
Washington 1
Dallas 0
Philadelphia 0
NY Giants 0
North Division
W
Green Bay 1
Chicago 1
Minnesota 0
Detroit 0
South Division
W
Carolina 1
New Orleans 1
Tampa Bay 0
Atlanta 0
West Division
W
San Francisco 1
St. Louis 0
Seattle 0
Arizona 0
NFL GAMES
T Pct.
0 1.00
T .ooo
0 .00
o .00
T Pct.
0 1.00
0 .000
0 .000
0 OO
T Pct.
0 1.00
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0 .000
T Pct.
0 1.00
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0 .000
AP PHOTO
Dwayne Rudd looks on in disgust after
his penalty cost the Browns their game.
PR BTsRIEFS
Browns throw game
and helmet away
O a oe e
MLB SCORES
Yesterday's games
Toronto 12, BOsTON 6
Detroit 1, NEW YORK YANKEES O
ATLANTA 10, Montreal 2
Texas 4. TAMPA BAY 2
BALTIMORE 5, Anaheim 3
New York Mets 5, PHILADELPHIA 4
Florida 5, PITTSBURGH 3
CHICAGO WHITE Sox 5, Cleveland 4
KANSAS CITY 2, Seattle 1
MILWAUKEE 7, Cincinnati 3
ST. Louis 7, Chicago Cubs 6
San Diego at COLORADO INC.
Arizona at SAN FRANCISCO, INC.
Houston at Los ANGELES, INc.
Oakland at MINNESOTA, INC
Today's games
Toronto at CLEVELAND, 7:05 P.M.
New York Mets at PHILADELPHIA, 7:05 P.M.
Pittsburgh at CINCINNATI, 7:10 P.M.
Boston at TAMPA BAY, 7:15 P.M. .
Chicago White Sox at KANSAS CITY, 8:05 P.M.
St. Louis at MILWAUKEE, 8:05 P.M.
Detroit at MINNESOTA, 8:05 P.M.
Seattle at TEXAS, 8:05 P.M.
Montreal at CHICAGO CUBS, 8:05 P.M.
Colorado at HOUSToN, 8:05 P.M.
San Diego at ARIZONA, 9:35 P.M.
Oakland at ANAHEIM, 10:05 P.M.
Los Angeles at SAN FRANCISCO, 10:15 P.M.
Tomorrow's games
Baltimore at NEw YORK YANKEES, 1:05 P.M.
Florida at PHILADELPHIA, 5:05 P.M.
Toronto at CLEVELAND, 7:05 P.M.
New York Mets at ATLANTA, 7:05 P.M.
Baltimore at NEW YORK YANKEES, 7:05 P.M.
Pittsburgh at CINCINNATI, 7:10 P.M.
Boston at TAMPA BAY, 7:15 P.M.
Chicago White Sox at KANSAS CITY, 8:05 P.M.
St. Louis at MILWAUKEE, 8:05 P.M.
Last Thursday's game
San Francisco 16. N.Y. GIANTS 13
Yesterday's games
Kansas City 40, CLEVELAND 39
TENNESSEE 27, Philadelphia 24
Indianapolis 28, JACKSONVILLE 25
N.Y. Jets 37, BUFFALO 31
WASHINGTON 31, Arizona 23
CAROLINA 10, Baltimore 7
GREEN BAY 37, Atlanta 34
CHICAGO 27, Minnesota 23
MIAMI 49, Detroit 21
San Diego 34, CINCINNATI 6
DENVER 23, St. Louis 16
OAKLAND 31, Seattle 17
New Orleans 26, TAMPA BAY 20
Dallas at HOUSTON, INC.
Today's game
Pittsburgh at NEW ENGLAND, 9:00 p.m. ABC
Next week's games
Chicago at ATLANTA, 1:00 p.m.
Cincinnati at CLEVELAND, 1:00 p.m
Tennessee at DALLAS, 1:00 p.m
Miami at INDIANAPOLIS, 1:00 p.m
Jacksonville at KANSAS CITY, 1:00 p.m
Green Bay at NEW ORLEANS, 1:00 p.m
New England at NY JETS, 1:00 p.m
Detroit at CAROLINA, 1:00 p.m
Tampa Bay at BALTIMORE, 1:00 p.m
Arizona at SEATTLE, 4:05 p.m
Ny Giants at ST. Louis, 4:05 p.m
Buffalo at MINNESOTA, 4:15 p.m
Houston at SAN DIEGO, 4:15 p.m
Denver at SAN FRANCISCO, 4:15 p.m
Oakland at PITTSBURGH, 8:30 p.m
Philadelphia at WASHINGTON, 9/16 9:00 p.m.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Flying
bottles one year, thrown helmets the
next, and another bizarre finish for
the Cleveland Browns.
Kansas City's Morten Andersen
kicked a 30-yard field goal with no
time showing on the clock yesterday
as the Chiefs rallied for an improba-
ble 40-39 victory in their season
opener.
Andersen's game-winning kick
came after Browns linebacker
Dwayne Rudd was called for
unsportsmanlike conduct for fling-
ing his helmet in celebration when
he thought the game had ended.
Rudd had his back to the play and
didn't see Kansas City quarterback
Trent Green avoid a game-ending
sack by flipping the ball behind him
to 323-pound tackle John Tait, who
rumbled 28 yards to the Browns 25.
As Rudd retrieved his helmet -
which he tossed 15 yards down the
field - the officials moved the ball
half the distance to the goal line,
setting up Andersen's game-winning
kick which capped a 23-point fourth
quarter for Kansas City.
Cleveland fans stood in stunned
silence as the Chiefs mobbed each
other on the field. The Browns'
home opener ended as crazily as
their final home game last season
when an overturned call caused
Browns fans to litter the field with
empty bottles.
Priest Holmes matched a club
record with four TD runs - three in
the final 9:06 - and had 122 yards
for the Chiefs.
Lions on pace for
0-16 after defeat
MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Dol-
phins are off to another fast start, and
Ricky Williams may make them tough
to slow down.
Williams rushed for 111 yards and
two touchdowns in his Miami debut,
Jay Fiedler threw three touchdown
passes and the Dolphins won their
opener for the 1lth year in a row yes-
terday, beating the Detroit Lions 49-21.
Williams carried 20 times, scored on
runs of one and two yards and set up
another touchdown with a 37-yard run,
the second-longest of his career. Back-
up tailback Robert Edwards, playing
his first game in four seasons, scored
6
0
1
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All clinics are held at the Intramural Sports Building.
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