0 Thursday October 3, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu PORactga TSil 8A Fraser gives student athlete new meaning JOE SMITH 40 By Kyle O'Neill Daily Sports Writer He can't be faulted for leaving the team. He did leave the team for himself. But he didn't leave to make some agent rich. Brad Fraser, a senior defenseman, left the Michigan hockey team last sea- son to improve his academic standing. "I'm doing pre-med now and I am going on to chiropracting school after, so there was a lot of work to be done," Fraser said. "It was hockey or school that had to give, and school was more important." It's been more than eight months since Fraser's departure on Jan. 15. But with his grades improved and his tougher classes now out of the way, the future chiropractor is looking to reclaim his spot on the team and help win a national title in his final year. But it won't be easy for Fraser, who is currently trying out for the team as a walk-on and is watching redshirt freshman Reilly Olson, freshman Danny Richmond and junior forward- turned-defenseman David Wyzgowski impress coaches. "Midway through the summer, when I really gave it a serious thought about coming back, I picked up my training and tried getting myself acclimated to these kinds of (practice) situations," Fraser said. "Unfortunately, the only way to keep tempo with these guys is to play with them, and I didn't get a whole lot of chances to skate with these guys." Fraser will make his return to com- petition tomorrow in the Blue/White game at Yost Ice Arena. He will be one of five walk-ons trying to impress coaches enough to get the chance to play. Yesterday, Fraser did get one opportunity that none of the other walk-ons have had: He played in a full practice. Normally walk-ons play in the first hour of practice, but do not return for the second hour after the break. Coach Red Berenson explained that it was pain in sophomore Nick Marten's foot - caused by a tight pair of skates -- that allowed Fraser to play more so that Martens could rest when he needed to. Although it wasn't the way he would want to get back in the everyday swing of things, Fraser did enjoy the full day. "It's not back to normal yet by any means, but it did feel good here being Blue's 'Killer B's'must make sting recognizable DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily After taking last year off to concentrate on his studies, pre-med senior Brad Fraser is trying to earn back his spot on the Michigan hockey team. out for the entire practice," Fraser said. Although the Michigan coaches don't usually support players leaving the team early, they understood Fras- er's unique situation. See FRASER, Page 9A Lentz bear crawls his way into M' lineup They've got a catchy nickname. Just not a lot of catches. While that may not seem like much of a problem to most folks, for the Wolverines' "Killer B's" - receivers Calvin Bell, Ron Bellamy and Tyrece Butler - that's a stigma they've been fighting their entire careers. They had so much promise. So much hype. But for one reason or another, so few results. The three upperclassmen have com- bined for just 52 catches in their seven total years of experience coming into this season. Just like a bee without a stinger, an intimidating reputation can only scare people for so long before they realize the most potent thing it can do is buzz around your ear. But this year, the Wolverines may need their "Killer B's" the most - especially if they're serious about smelling the roses in Pasadena. When they're catching balls, it means star sophomore Braylon Edwards isn't doing it all by himself. And if they're legitimate threats, it means teams won't be as likely to dou- ble-team Edwards, giving him a chance to make plays. And more importantly, it will mean John Navarre is spreading the ball around and checking off his primary options. That's essential to the "new offense," according to Bellamy, and that's when it works the best. You can expect Edwards and tight end Bennie Joppru to be consistent every game. But as shown so far this season, when Butler, Bellamy or Bell show up, the Wolverines have a significantly bet- ter shot to win. It's as simple as that. BUTLER: He was Michigan's savior in the Wolverines' dramatic, last-sec- ond win over Washington on Aug. 31. The junior caught six passes for 85 yards, most of which came on critical third down plays. And his heads-up fumble recovery after sophomore Edwards dropped the ball on the final drive made the game-winning field goal by Phil Brabbs possible. Edwards may have been flashy and gotten the attention. But Butler won the game. BELL: While the junior has the most career catches of the three "B's" with 27, Bell is more known for running Michigan's token reverse than being on the receiving end of long bombs. But Bell has benefited the most from But- ler's case of the dropsies against Notre Dame and Utah. As a result he saw a majority of the snaps in Champaign. The slot specialist caught five balls against Illinois and showed his play- making ability by accumulating most of his yards after catching crossing routes. BELLAMY: This was supposed to be his turn in the receiving "cycle." And after three years of fans asking, "What the heck happened to Ron Bellamy?" the senior finally made some big plays against Illinois last Saturday. His touchdown on a fade route - his first score since last year's Penn State game - not only gave him confidence, it may have also given Navarre some needed assurance that Bellamy's a legitimate target. "As a receiver, you never know when your number will be called," Bellamy said. "On Saturday, my number was called pretty often and I made plays." If the Wolverines have aspirations for Pasadena instead of central Florida, the "Killer B's" have to prove their mettle - and show they still have some sting left in them. By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor Michigan redshirt freshman guard Matt Lentz put plenty of mileage on his father's 1985 Chevy pickup truck as a teenager. But he didn't do it behind the wheel. After each time Lentz's high school football team lost a game, his father, Fred, made Matt push his 5,000- pound truck from his farm in Ortonville to the street corner and back - equivalent to nearly a mile round- trip. Matt said it wasn't so bad since the "drill" helped him learn how to keep his head low and gain leverage. But it didn't help that in his junior season, his team went 2-7. 1 "Everything he did was with football in mind," Matt said of his father. "Every now and then he'd tap on the brake to make sure I was still going." Joked Fred: "If he can push that pickup, he shouldn't have a problem moving any lineman." Lentz has utilized unique training methods such as doing bear crawls, bailing hay and pushing trucks to become Michigan's strongest player - and an impos- ing force on the offensive line. Along with fellow red- shirt freshman and "small-town boy" Adam Stenavich, Lentz has seen his playing time increase over the past few weeks as he's shared responsibilities with fifth- year senior Dave Petruziello. The boost of confidence from coach Lloyd Carr has the two younger lineman hoping to build a foundation for the next great Michi- gan offensive line. But Lentz said his main adjustment has been learn- ing how to properly take a step back during pass block- ing - especially since Michigan has been more apt to throw in the "new offense." His high school team fea- tured three other 300-pound kids, and Lentz said the game plan was simple: Run, run and then run again. "We passed the ball maybe three or four times each year," Lentz said. "It took a while to stop leaning for- ward when I pass blocked." But Carr said both Lentz and Stenavich have grown leaps and bounds in just a short amount of time. "They're both very talented guys, and they're both smart and tough," Carr said. "Physically, they have the tools to play the position. Both have improved dramatically since spring prac- tice. We've had a lot of great lineman and a lot of great lines, and those guys fit the mold of the people who played before them. It's just a matter of time." While Lentz said the quiet, mild-mannered Ste- navich bears closer resemblance to comedian Rodney Dangerfield than to an offensive lineman, Lentz admits that he still gets razzed by teammates about his back- ground and clothing style. Lentz said he's often called "farmboy" because of his heritage and his comfortable outfits, which consist of a red hat, old jeans and boots. His family's 27-acre lot in Ortonville - 10 miles north of Clarkston - included a mid-sized home, a barn and a stable for the See LENTZ, Page 9A S S 0 0 Joe Smith can be reached at josephms@umich.edu. We're good at fitting people to jobs. 0 4?:;,, :%: :l :} :;k ? {.:b. ? :b; iti ':'.'. ':-.tY: Si: 4k k: k, ' : is And It wouldn't be clear to every firm that a man with an M.E A. in poetry was the right choice to head an automated block trad- ing unit. Or that a designer of solar-powered race cars was the right woman to help launch a new venture in computational chemistry. But after we talked to them, it was clear to us. The D. E. Shaw group is an investment and technology devel- Sjobs to pec invent. A robotics guru. A nationally ranked blackjack player. A demolitions expert. An operatic mezzo-soprano. And a lot of people who are just exceptionally strong in CS, EE, math, and finance. The firm currently has openings in quantitative analysis, software development, trading, business development, )ple. ,q The D. E. Shaw group will host an information session on Monday, October 7, 2002 at 6 PM in Room P1004 of the Business School. On-campus interviews will take place October 8. To apply for an interview, send a resume and a cover letter stating your GPA and standardized test scores to oncampus@deshaw.com. opment firm. Since 1988 we've grown into a number of closely related entities with more than US $3 billion in aggregate cap- ital by hiring smart people from a wide range of backgrounds accounting, finance, and investor relations. We're looking for creative but pragmatic people, articulate, curious, and driven. Our working environment is intense but surprisingly casual. A ATo~ nrnwiri..4 A. nc n l nnnrvti iiitiCCfr r rnwIAth And 1AtP (rnm- A