10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 7, 2004 0 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. A ST HMA R ESEA RCH ST UDY Doctors in the area are conducting a research study comparing a combination inhaled steroid to Advair in the treatment of asthma. You may be eligible for the study if: " You are at least 12 years old " You are generally healthy with the diagnosis of asthma for at least 6 months " You have been using an inhaled steroid " You have not been a smoker within the last 5 years " Study-related assessments, albuterol inhalIrc andci itd mpdiration at no chara 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