10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 7, 2004
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Freshman odd couple
starts to gel for icers
By Gennaro Filce
Daily Sports Writer
It's almost perfect imperfection. The
TV show "Blind Date" challenges for that
dubious title, and the Bowl Champi-
onship Series comes close, but when it
comes to disastrous pairing structures,
the freshman dorm room takes the cake.
Slamming together polar opposites with
fast-food efficiency, dorms spawn "Odd
Couple" reruns on a daily basis.
Freshman hockey players Tim Cook
and T.J. Hensick know the dorm's strange
ability firsthand.
Cook stands at an imposing 6-foot-4,
225 pounds. The 19-year-old defenseman
from Montclair, N.J., enjoys hip-hop
music and carries an extremely boisterous
personality, always running his mouth at
a rapid pace. Known as "Cookie," he
describes his style of play as "physical."
Hensick - a Howell native - packs
his 180 pounds into a listed height of 5-
foot-10. Having fast-tracked through high
school in three years, Hensick just turned
18 in December. Known for his quiet, no-
nonsense demeanor, Hensick listens to
country music. While on the ice, the cen-
ter relies on his speed.
At the beginning of the year, this duo
boasting numerous differences saddled up
in the same room on the second floor of
Adams Hall in West Quad.
Cook remembers his first impression
of Hensick.
"My personality is real loud and talka-
tive, where he on the other hand is real
quiet and business-like," Cook said. "I
didn't know if we were going to get
along "
But Cook's initial uncertainty quickly
proved inconsequential, as the duo
clicked right off the bat.
"We get along great," Cook said. "So it
worked out really well."
Hensick describes their relationship as
the tightest of bonds.
"He's more like the big brother, and
I'm the little brother - you can tell this
by the height, too," Hensick said with a
smile.
Said Cook: "I guess I just take care of
him a little bit and make sure he doesn't
get into trouble. I got two years on him
(Cook turns 20 in March), so I guess I
show him the ropes a little bit."
Although many of their interests con-
flict, both Hensick and Cook enjoy duk-
ing it out on the Playstation2, especially
in NHL 2004. Hensick takes the modest
approach in regard to his skill level.
"I'm a middle-of-the-pack player,"
Hensick said.
As usual, Cook brings the noise.
"I run (Hensick's) show all the time,"
Cook said.
Hensick and Cook have continued to
PARKERS
Continued from Page 9
season, the only way T.J. can watch his brother is on the NBA
League Pass, which televises most of the league's games.
Those roles were reversed after Northwestern's 63-61 win
over Arizona State on Dec. 17, when T.J. made the game-win-
ning bucket as time expired, good enough for a spot on Sports-
Center's top-10.
"(Tony) was happy about that, and surprised," T.J. said. "I
was like, 'Watch SportsCenter. Somebody's on the top-10, and
he's pretty good."'
Parker continued to play up the sibling rivalry.
"I've never seen him on the Top-10," T.J. joked.
Having a brother in the NBA has given Parker a chance to
meet and play against many of his brother's Spurs teammates
- and not just in basketball.
Parker squared off against Kevin Willis, David Robinson
and other Spurs this summer, not on the basketball court, but
in a game of paintball. Parker didn't say who won, but he had a
smile on his face when he said that his opponents were "big
targets."
Besides paintball, T.J. also had a chance to play some pickup
games with Tony and his teammates, an experience which he
said helped him realize just how good NBA players really are
- they didn't miss any shots.
Aside from all they have in common, the brothers have at
least one noticeable difference, as T.J.'s Northwestern team-
mate Jitim Young noticed when he met Tony.
"T.J.'s more fiery than Tony is," Young said. "Tony's more
chill. T.J.'s got more energy, more fire than Tony."
T.J. agreed: "I want to win so bad, sometimes I overreact a
little bit and get a little mad. (Tony) keeps cool all the time."
Parker will need to be fired up as he looks to lead 5-6
Northwestern to a victory tonight at Crisler Arena. That won't
be an easy task. The Wildcats have started the season with only
seven scholarship players, which has significantly cut their
depth.
"(Michigan's) a very good team, a tough team to beat, espe-
cially in Ann Arbor," said Northwestern coach Bill Carmody,
whose squad has lost three straight. "Right now, the way we're
playing, it's gonna be hard for us, 'cause we just don't have
enough guys, and the team's wearing down."
DAVID TUMAN/Daily
T.J. Hensick crashes the net against Quinniplac earlier this season. The freshman rooms
with his classmate and polar-opposite, Tim Cook.
gel, as evidenced by their new open-
mindedness in music.
"I couldn't stand country," Cook said.
"He would have country music on all the
time. But it's kind of growing on me a lit-
tle bit. I'm starting to listen to it a little
bit. I'm turning him on to a little hip hop,
and he's turning me on to a little country."
But the freshmen still possess distinct
differences, such as their approach toward
University co-eds.
"I'm doing fine," Cook said. "T.J.'s got
a 'wife' back in Howell, so he's not too
worried about the ladies."
'M' runners prepared Scoring not the only thing for cager duo
to et off to fast start By Megan Kolodgy and freshman Kelly Helvey have been day one - and those are dives and age. The junior averages 20.3 point
Ellen McGarrity working behind the scenes to help charges and deflections," Burnett per game. The Hoosier is sixth i
D il S n t W it .t _ c i -- -- - r- i _ -_ _- -_' - _ 'A.I
Is
n.
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Writer
For the Michigan women's track and
field team, winter break isn't a time to
The Wolverines have little time to
prepare. They return to competition
when they host the Jack Harvey Invita-
tional on Saturday. Michigan's first
intercollegiate meet of the indoor sea-
uaiy opors wr iers
Seniors Jennifer Smith and
Stephanie Gandy and junior Tabitha
Pool may lead the Michigan women's
lay out in a La-Z-Boy
recliner, munching on
cheese doodles while
watching meaningless
bowl games and "Real
World" reruns. These stu-
dent-athletes must main-
tain peak physical
condition while enjoying
the comforts of home. As
SATURDAY
Michigan in the Jack
Harvey Invitational
Time:9 a.m.
Indoor Track Building
son should be an important
indication of how the team
dealt with the break.
"I think that this is one
of those meets where peo-
ple will begin to see where
they are," said Brosius.
"Obviously everyone won't
be in as good shape as they
could be, but you'll be able
basketball team in
scoring - account-
ing for 72 percent
of Wolverine points
this season - but
sometimes it's the
less glamorous sta-
ts$oog
the Wolverines. In their recent wins
against Northwestern, Detroit and
Xavier, the two racked up an
impressive number of steals, assists
and rebounds.
Reams now leads the team with
39 assists and 34 offensive
rebounds.
"Niki has just been incredible in
terms of offensive rebounding,"
Burnett said. "She's such an
unselfish player - she's willing to
give up a shot for a better shot."
And Helvey cannot be overlooked
with her team-high 24 steals. Burnett
started the freshman in the team's
first two Big Ten games, against
Minnesota and Northwestern.
"Kelly Helvey has led us in
effort-driven statistics really since
said.
JEN MEETS HER MATCH: Smith is
well on her way to having her name
added to the short list of the most
prolific scorers in team history.
Smith is a mere 24 points away from
a career total of 1,400 and could
potentially hit the mark in Satur-
day's contest against Indiana. The
captain averages 21.5 points per
game, despite being held under 20
in the three games prior to last
weekend's matchup against North-
western. At this pace, Smith is on
the path to becoming the second-
highest scorer in Michigan history
by year's end. She currently sits at
third in the Big Ten in scoring.
Indiana forward Jenny DeMuth is
right on Smith's tail in points aver-
the conference in total points.
ENCOURAGING TREND: In recent
series history, the scales have tipped
in Michigan's favor. It has won
seven out of the last. 10 games
against Indiana.
But the Wolverines haven't
always dominated the Hoosiers. In
Michigan's first 30 matchups with
Indiana, the Hoosiers won 25
times. It wasn't until Sue Guevara,
Michigan's all-time winningest
coach, took the helm of the pro-
gram in 1996 that Michigan started
beating Indiana regularly. Even
during last year's three-win Big Ten
season, two of those wins were
over Indiana.
So far this season, Michigan is 5-
1 at home.
some of their classmates spent the two-
and-a-half-week break wasting away,
the Wolverines put in long hours train-
ing in preparation for the upcoming
indoor track season.
Just a few seconds can be the differ-
ence between a successful race and a
disappointing finish. To keep their
times low, locals participated in two or
three structured workouts per week in
Ann Arbor. Those from outside the
Ann Arbor area trained on their own
according to guidelines set by their
coaches.
And how about the big holiday
meals? While aware of the need to stay
in shape, the Wolverines still enjoyed an
occasional feast.
"We don't want to come back 10
pounds heavier, we want to stay healthy,
but nothing too extreme," freshman
Rachel Ward said.
With the entire squad back in town,
the team has resumed its normal routine.
"We had a workout yesterday, and
people are getting back into the college
groove," said sophomore Laura Brosius.
to see what you need to do for the next
couple months."
tistics that reel in the win.
"We want our program to thrive
off of blue-collar work and the
effort-driven things as well as the
totally team-oriented types of
things," Michigan coach Cheryl Bur-
nett said.
Sophomore Niki Reams and
Tankers bond during mile-high experience
By Gabe Edelson
Daily Sports Writer
After spending nine days of the holiday break at the
U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,
Colo., the members of the No. 6 Michigan men's
swimming and diving team returned with conflicting
impressions regarding their accommodations. The
team stayed in an old army barracks.
"It wasn't fun," said senior captain Dan Ketchum.
"It was like being in prison for a week."
The general consensus was slightly more upbeat.
"It's good for team camaraderie," said junior Bren-
dan Neligan. "It was like freshman year all over again.
You become more like a team since everyone has to
y stay together."
The squad participated in high-altitude training ses-
sions with the No. 4 California men's team and the
No. 4 Stanford women's team. Coach Jon Urbanchek
hopes the experience will give his swimmers an edge
heading into the Big Ten season and the ensuing
NCAA Championships.
"The altitude training was phenomenal," Urbanchek
said. "Probably the best thing we got out of training
camp was unifying the team. It was nice to live in
close quarters, eat as a whole team and sightsee
the Wolverines' final nonconference opponent. The
two-day meet will be held on Friday and Saturday at
Canham Natatorium. The teams share a heated rivalry,
and the swimmers and their coach know what is at
4
together."
The swimmers did get some time off
for New Year's, so it was not entirely
business as usual.
"On New Year's Eve we had a very
nice dinner with the Stanford girls at a
restaurant overlooking Pike's Peak,"
Urbanchek said. "Until their 12:30 cur-
few (the swimmers) went to a local
dancing hall. The band wasn't that
good."
THIS WEEKEND
Michigan vs.
Stanford
Time: 6 p.m. Friday,
1 p.m. Saturday
Canham Natatorium
stake.
"Stanford has some advantages over us
in the shorter races," Urbanchek said.
"We'll make up for it in the longer races. I
hope it comes down to the last relay again
(as it did when the teams met in 2002)."
Neligan couldn't help but draw com-
parisons.
"This is like Ohio State in football or
Minnesota in hockey," Neligan said.
4
SETH LOWER/Dail
Vera Simms and the rest of the Wolverines
kept up their training during winter break.
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combination inhaled steroid to
Advair in the treatment of asthma.
You may be eligible for the study if:
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The team also made time to watch the football team
represent the University on the gridiron in Pasadena.
"We sat in the cafeteria and watched the Rose Bowl
with the California team," Chris DeJong said.
"We cheered as hard as we could, but I don't think
the team could hear us," said Urbanchek. "We kept hop-
ing that Southern Cal. would make a mistake like a
fumble or something, but it's only a game, right?"
No. 3 Stanford comes to Ann Arbor this weekend as
"They're No. 3 for a reason. They're really good and
well-coached, but they have some weaknesses, and I
think we can exploit them."
Sophomore Peter Vanderkaay frames the team's
goal clearly.
"We want a victory, plain and simple," he said. "I
think we can do it, too."
Nine days in "prison" breathing thin air just might
4
O'NEILL
Continued from Page 9
parity in college football is running
as rampant as it is in the NFL (ahem,
Northwestern's constant revivals,
then falls from grace), one dominant
team is needed. And with so much
youth at important positions, the Tro-
jans can reload a year or two in
advance instead of the year of their
success. Seniors who leave will have
experienced juniors or sophomores
ready to step in. Then if a freshman
can step up, it's an added bonus.
The importance of a dynasty
should not be lost on sports fans. As
parity sets in for pro football, gener-
al fans get bored if their team cannot
be in postseason contention (espe-
cially following a Super Bowl sea-
son). Baseball fans everywhere unite
in rooting against the Yankees
(unless you're one of those heartless,
gutless, &*^%$$%, %^$%^&@
pieces of $%^& who roots for the
pinstripes).
So, root for Southern Cal. Wish
them nothing but success over the
next decade. Before you know it, the
War Chant will be haunting you in
your dreams, Carroll's smugness will
inspire violent loathing within you
and college football will unite yearly
in hoping that any team can knock
off the mighty Trojans.
Kyle O'Neill refuses to listen to any
national championship debate until
Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks are brought
into discussion. He can be reached at
' kylero@umich.edu.
d