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Friday
November 1, 2002
michigandaily.com
sportsdesk@umich.edu

cbe Ailichigan ail
SPORTS

8A 1


Five freshmen cagers will
debut tonight in Crisler

By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's basketball team will have a rela-
tively new look in tonight's opening exhibition game
against Wayne State.
After an 11-18 record last year, that might not be such a

bad thing.
Gone are Chris Young, Leon Jones and Mike
Gotfredson - steadfast fixtures in the Wolver-
ines' lineup last year. The three started 70 total
games last year, paced by Young who started all
29 of Michigan's contests.
Filling the collective shoes of the departed
veterans will be freshmen Graham Brown,
Lester Abram, Daniel Horton, Sherrod Harrell
and Chris Hunter. The matchup against Wayne
State will be the first opportunity for Michigan
coach Tommy Amaker's first recruiting class to
show off its talents against real competition.

CRISLERA
Who: Michigan{(
Wayne State (0-
When: 7 p.m.
Latest: LaVell Blar
ankle appears to b
go, and five freshr
make their debutf
Wolverines in thef
exhibitions at Cris

tling on eight,' Amaker said. "We'll have to mix and match
- we're not ruling anything out right now."
The biggest hurdle facing Amaker and his staff as the
season rapidly approaches has been Michigan's inability to
stay healthy through the preseason's rigorous practice
schedule.
"I've been displeased with the injuries we have had, it's
really fragmented our team," Amaker said. "But
there's nothing we can do about it - teams that
ARENA can deal with different types of disruptions like
(-0) vs. these are the best."
0) Hunter and LaVell Blanchard were both
banged up last week, causing them to miss time,
inchard's and the injury bug spread during workouts this
be ready to week as well.
men will "(Tuesday) Graham Brown wasn't complete-
forthe ly healthy and Daniel Horton didn't practice
first of two because of a stubbed toe he suffered during the
ler' beginning of the scrimmage (last Saturday),"
Amaker said. "LaVell practiced yesterday - he


"This will give us a chance to compete," Amaker
said. "We've had a number of guys who have shown
they can help us."
The expected contribution of all five freshmen in addition
to seven players who played significant minutes on last
year's team has left the Wolverines with the ability put any
number of player combinations on the floor. Those combi-
nations are something Amaker hopes to start figuring out as
early as tonight.
"We could be nine or 10 deep, but I also could see us set-

looks good and he's feeling good."
That news probably helped Amaker sleep a little easier
this week. The second-year head man of the Wolverines has
made no bones about Blanchard's need to take the reigns of
the team this year.
"He's been our best worker and our best player - things
will start from there," Amaker said. "We have other captains
and leaders who are supposed to be vocal leaders. We have
set guidelines for LaVell and he's living up to them. We hope
our younger guys will respond and react to him."

Football Saturday Spartans
NO. 1 AMich n
totie jEiI. suspend
TOMORROW, 1205 PM, ESPN2 an te
another
REMEMBE R?
Player
Michigan State defensive end Greg
Taplin has been suspended from Sat-
urday's game against Michigan for
violating team rules, coach Bobby
Williams announced yesterday.
Williams didn't say what rules
Taplin violated or whether the suspen-
sion was related to
the indefinite sus-
pension of quar-
terback Jeff
Smoker.
Smoker was
suspended from
last week's game
against Wisconsin
and won't start
this Saturday.
Smoker was wide- Taplin
Michigan State (1-3 Big Ten, 3-5 overall) is in disarray ly considered the top quarterback in
after starting quarterback Jeff Smoker was suspend- the Big Ten coming into the season
ed last week. Several other players have been sus- "It was a very tough decision,
eded oreftk.heeveramsinthen.ayevery disappointing, but it was the
pended or left the team since then. best decision for him and the pro-
gram," Williams said of Smoker's
Michigan (3-, 6-2) is coming off its worst home suspension.
defeat since 1967 - a 34-9 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Taplin, a 6-foot-5, 258-pound junior
from Hollywood, Fla., has started in
six of Michigan State's first eight
Inside this edition of Football Saturday, you will find: games in 2002. He has recorded 27
tackles and one sack.
Bo simply being Bo - The Wolverines' legendary Williams said he will announce
Taplin's replacement following pre-
former coach Bo Schembechler sits down with Daily game warm-ups tomorrow.
Sports Editor David Hom to discuss the issues on the On Tuesday, Williams confirmed
minds of Michigan football fans. that two redshirt sophomores, fullback
Jason Bradley and linebacker James
smack. The Michigan Daily's Cooper, voluntarily left the team.
* Talking - Joe Smith Bradley, who hails from Sarasota,
takes on The State News' Ryan Wallace in the annual Fla., played mostly on special teams for
battle of wits and words to determine which school is the Spartans. Cooper, a St. Louis native,
played two games this season and
prrecorded three tackles in limited duty.
--Staff and wire reports
Harers foCused on Big Ten title
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY IHITEN WEST LAFAYETTE
CONFERENCE

I
I

wfilpose
chalenge
for icerS
By Courtney Lewis
Daily Sports Writer
Freshman goaltender Al Montoya
will be feeling a little extra pressure
when Michigan meets the U.S. Nation-
al Team Development Program Under-
18 team tonight. It's not that the game
is particularly important - the exhibi-
tion doesn't count toward the standings
- or that the Wolverines will be rely-
ing on him any more than usual. But
there is one reason he doesn't want to
let in any goals.
"I'll never hear the end of it," Mon-
toya said. "All those guys are my best
friends and till the day I die they won't
let me (hear the end of it)."
Montoya spent last year with the
Under-17 team, but instead of moving
on to the Under-18 squad, he fast-
tracked through high school so he
could join the Wolverines. The US-
NDTP program is based in Ann Arbor,
so Montoya still gets to see his old
teammates on a weekly basis, and he
said playing against them will probably
be a little weird.
Montoya's not the only one who
will find the US-NTDP's red, white
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41

BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
Michigan goaltender Al Montoya will face his former teammates tonight, when the
Wolverines battle the U.S. National Development Program Under-18 Team.

and blue jerseys familiar. Michigan
has six current players who. came
through the program, and four will
dress tonight.
But once the teams hit the ice, there
won't be any mixed loyalties. The
Wolverines (2-0 CCHA, 5-1 overall)
hope to continue the strong start to
their season, and they know the U.S.
players would love to upset the fifth-
ranked college team in the country.
"You know the kids on the other
team are going to try and prove some-
thing," Michigan coach Red Berenson
said. "They'll play one of their best
games of the year against Michigan."
The game may be a little more
intense than an average exhibition. The
US-NTDP roster features the best
young players in the country, and the
team is 3-6-1 against college squads
this season, including a 4-3 loss to
Michigan State.
"They'll be competitive," Berenson

YOST ICE ARENA
Who: No. 5 Michigan (2-0 CCHA, 5-1 overall)
vs. US-NTDP Under 18 Team (7-8-1)
When: 7:35 p.m.
Latest: If Michigan goaltender Al Montoya had
not fast-tracked through high school, he would
be playing for the Under-18 Team this season.
said. "They're skilled, they're quick,
they're fast. They're just like playing
another Division I team, except they're
a little younger. I mean, you wouldn't
want to play them when they're all 20
years old."
Berenson will use the game to look
at some Wolverines who haven't seen
much ice time this season.
"It's early in the year and our team is
still finding ourselves," he said. "We're
not 100 percent in terms of our health,
but we're also not 100 percent in terms
of our depth chart and who's who, and
who can play and who can't."
One guy who hasn't played is
defenseman David Wyzgowski. The
junior, who switched from forward to
defense in the offseason, will dress for
the first time since the Toronto exhibi-
tion on Oct. 5. Redshirt freshman Reil-
ly Olson has been filling in on the blue
line for junior Andy Burnes, who's out
with mono, but tonight could be Wyz-
gowski's chance to prove he's ready to
be the sixth defender. Backup goalie
Noah Ruden and forwards Charlie
Henderson and J.J. Swistak also stand
to play extra minutes.
Defenseman Mike Roemensky will
be scratched to make room for Wyz-
gowski, and captain Jed Ortmeyer will
also sit out, unless Jeff Tambellini,
who took a puck off his foot in practice
yesterday, can't skate.
Despite its altered lineup and the
break in CCHA competition, Michigan
still hopes to have a productive week-
end.

By Megan Kolodgy
Daily Sports Writer
This weekend, Michigan's
women's cross country team will
travel to Purdue to compete in the
first Big Ten Championships on the
Boilermakers' new Varsity Cross
Country Course. Though the layout
is foreign to the Wolverines, the goal
remains the same: To come out in
front of the pack.
"We are focused and ready to go,"
coach Mike McGuire said. "We are
better than we were last year, but so is-
the rest of the conference."
Winning will be no small feat for
Michigan, but in McGuire's opinion,
the team has one weapon that could
help it pull ahead of teams such as
No. I1 Wisconsin, which is the top
conference team in national rankings,
and the defending champion, Michi-
gan State.
"We have nine really solid runners,"
McGuire said. "We have the depth
that we need, we just need to make
sure that we have nine people on the

line with a big-meet mindset."
In order to achieve this, McGuire
motivates the runners during practices
by reminding them of the stiff compe-
tition that they will be up against on
Sunday.
"When we are doing intervals,
Coach will shout 'This one's for
MSU,' or 'This one's for Wisconsin,'
before we start each one;" captain
Jeanne Spink said. "It helps to men-
tally prepare us for the race."
As far as race strategy is concerned,
McGuire is confident in his team's
ability to scope out their opponents.
"There will only be 99 runners at
this meet. Last week, there were
259," McGuire said. "It will be easier
to find people and match up with
people. We just have to commit to
finding them."
Junior Lindsay Gallo also believes
that a win will require a team effort.
"Our goal is to stay in a pack up
towards the front," she said. "Every-
one needs to contribute to attain the
team result that we want."
McGuire hopes that the cross coun-

WEST LAFAYETTE
What: Big Ten Championship
When: 11:40 a.m.
Latest: Last year's champion Wisconsin leads a
talented pack, with four other teams in the top
30 looking to give the Wolverines a run for their
money. Michigan finished second last year.
try program's history of excellence
will help inspire the Wolverines to be
at the top of their games on Sunday.
"This is the most important meet
on the schedule," he said. "I want
them to go to the line knowing about
the legacy of the program. For the
past 10 years, we have come in either
first or second at this meet, except for
one year, when we came in third. The
standard for excellence is high, and I
hope that knowledge of this appeals to
their competitive nature, so that they
will foster and sustain this legacy."
The runners are Also confident
about Big Tens.
"We're excited," Gallo said. "We
are optimistic about our chances to
do well."

r
a

Soccer preps for Big
Tens against Wildcats

11

By Michael Nisson
Daily Sports Writer
After an impressive victory
sparked by a second-half charge
against Oakland last week, the Michi-
gan women's soccer team looks finish
off the regular season with a bang.
If the Wolverines win on the road
today against Kentucky, they will end
the season on a high-note with a two-
game winning streak.
"Any time you win it gives you

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some momentum and confidence,"
Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher
said. "It's going to be really impor-
tant. With the injuries that we've had,
coming off a win (heading into the
Big Ten Tournament) is important
emotionally and mentally.
Rademacher also noted the
importance of facing opponents like
Kentucky.
"Because they are a regional oppo-
nent outside our conference,-it's
extremely important," Rademacher
said. "It looks good for our confer-
ence, and it helps situate us better in
the NCAA Tournament.
"It's going to be so competitive.
The better the teams you play, the
better experience you get. The games
in the Big Ten Tournament are going

LEXINGTON, KY.
Who: No. 21 Michigan (7-2-1 Big Ten, 13-4-1
overall) vs. Kentucky (4-4 SEC, 9-7)
When: 7:30 p.m.
Latest: The Wolverines close out the regular
season with a nonconference matchup before
the Big Ten Tournament next weekend.
the postseason. She said that the team
has been preparing for Kentucky in
much the same fashion that it will
prepare for postseason play.
"The bulk of our focus is going to
be our attacking schemes and also a
lot of finishing," said Radmacher,
whose teams are 12-6 overall in the
Big Ten Tournament.
Last year Michigan lost a close-
fought battle at home. That loss
gives the Wolverines additional
motivation to play hard and bring
home a victory.
The Wildcats come into the contest
hoping to extend a two-game winning
streak. They have a 9-7 record, and
are 2-0 in games outside of confer-



The Mioigan Daily Display Team

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