I
Thursday
November 11, 2004
sports. michigandaily. com
sports@michigandaily.com
cuE digau il
PORTS
12A
12A
Blue inconsistent,
in final exhibition
Clarett scandal
taints
By Josh Holman
Daily Sports Writer
It was everything you'd expect
from an early-season game against
an unfamiliar
opponent. Michi-
gan had its flares
of brilliance, but
they normally came after lulls of
sloppy play.
Michigan dropped in 29 points in
the final six minutes of its 67-54 vic-
tory over Wayne State, the Wolver-
ines' second and final exhibition of
the season.
But Michigan wouldn't have need-
ed all those late points if it had kept
Wayne State at bay. The Warriors
- after being down by double fig-
ures early in the game - actually
threatened the Wolverines in the sec-
ond half. A 14-3 run by Wayne State
closed the gap to 49-43 with 5:32
remaining.
"We didn't look very comfortable
at times," Amaker said. "I thought
that was one of the disappointing
factors for us. But you have to give
(Wayne State) credit for making us
look uncomfortable."
t
r
Michigan caught fire at just the
right moment, extinguishing any
thought of a miraculous comeback
by its Division II opponents. After a
three-pointer by Wayne State's Cort-
ney Jennings, Michigan sophomore
Dion Harris responded with a triple of
his own. On the following possession,
a block by sophomore Brent Petway
led to an uncontested fast-break layup
for junior wing Lester Abram.
Petway polished things off on
Michigan's next fast break, finish-
ing an alley-oop from guard Daniel
Horton.
Petway's dunks - he had three on
the night - were not the only mon-
strous aspects of his game. The for-
ward finished with a double-double,
scoring 11 points and pulling down a
game-high 15 rebounds.
"When you watch (Petway) play,
it's obvious that he has a passion for
playing." Amaker said. "He enjoys
himself out there and that becomes
contagious. Having him on the floor,
especially tonight, was something
that was sorely needed."
Petway's contributions couldn't
have come at a better time. Junior
forward Chris Hunter did not dress
RYAN WEINER/Daily
Michigan sophomore Brent Petway blocks one of his two shots last night.
because of a sore knee, and sopho-
more Courtney Sims had a relatively
slow night with just seven points and
four rebounds.
"If one guy is kind of down, you
have to have somebody else come in
and pick you up, or the team is going
to all fall off altogether," Petway
said. "I just like being able to come
in and energize the team in one way
or another."
Horton led all scorers in the game
with an extremely efficient 17 points.
He shot 4-for-7 from the field, includ-
ing 3-for-4 from three-point range
See EXHIBITION, page 13A
Cagers land three commitments for 2005
SHARAD MATTU
Mattu Fast, Mattu Furi
S ince this Maurice Clare
broke on Tuesday, one tl
stood out in my mind: T
may not be that big for a whil
In the last two days, I've do
thing I normally despise doing
checked the Internet messagel
to see what crazy things peop
anonymously saying. Right no
igan fans are taking extreme p
in pointing out that nothing O
has accomplished lately is legi
and Buckeye fans are saying C
- the man who won them a n
title - is a pathological liar, a
any program is investigated th
(like Michigan, for example),
tions would be discovered.
Unfortunately, both sides ar
ably correct.
The Game stands above eve
regular-season college football
It's a true event, no matter wha
teams' records are going in. T
pation may go up a notch or tw
they're playing for as much as
last year, but it's always a cont
the entire nation anticipates.
But now, imagine when th
teams face off next Saturday.
ESPN's College GameDay g
Columbus, do you think they
features on Ted Ginn Jr., the
eyes' freshman touchdown sp
or Michigan's freshmen back
of quarterback Chad Henne a
Michael Hart?
No. Expect Clarett, Clarett
more Clarett.
Clarett says that, during Oh
national championship run in
received money illegally from
ers, had tutors complete practi
his work for him, was set up bi
ning backs coach Dick Tressel
coach John Tressel's brother -
landscaping jobs which involv
work and a lot of pay. Clarett a
Tressel arranged for cars to be
to him.
Boosters giving money to p]
has happened before and will l
pen again - I don't think that
The Game
can be done about that. If the athletic
department tells the players not to
take money, and tells the boosters not
to offer money, and it doesn't know
what's going on, it can't really be
blamed.
But the allegation of academic fraud
and the way Clarett connects the Tres-
sels to what transpired is far more
ous serious. Remember, when handing
out the penalty to Michigan for the Ed
tt saga Martin-Fab Five scandal, a significant
hing has reason the punishment wasn't even
'he Game more severe was that it couldn't be
e. proven coach Steve Fisher was aware
ne some- of Martin's illegal activities within the
g - I basketball program.
boards So if an investigation is launched
le are - and if the allegations are proven to
w, Mich- be true - significant repercussions for
leasure the Buckeyes aren't just possible, but
hio State probable.
itimate, The timing couldn't be worse
'larett because, lately, the rivalry has been as
ational good as its ever been.
nd that if There have been great games at
oroughly Michigan Stadium the past few years,
viola- but the win over Ohio State last
November is the clear-cut No. 1, and
e prob- it's not even close. Heck, the Michi-
gan student section rushed the field.
ry other You know it's a big game when that
1 game. happens.
=t the Therewere games that were just
he antici- as exciting and with better finishes
vo when - Minnesota and Michigan State this
they did year, and Washington two years ago.
est that But what made last year's game with
the Buckeyes stand alone were the
e two stakes involved: Michigan and Ohio
If State were playing for the outright Big
oes to Ten regular-season title.
'll run Michigan and Ohio State's football
Buck- programs seem (I repeat, seem) to have
pecialist, always been clean, and even if that fact
field changes for one team, it's bad for the
nd other team, too.
After following the football pro-
and gram closely the last few months, I
really think Michigan, as Larry Brown
io State's would say, "does things the right way."
2002, he But so many people link Michigan and
boost- Ohio State that if one goes down, so
cally all will the other.
y run- So, if the student section was plan-
- head ning to rush the field on Nov. 19, 2005,
- with it better find another game. The Game
ed no may not be that big at all.
A
By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Writer
After this season, the Michigan basketball program
will lose just one player - fifth-year senior J.C. Mathis
- but it announced today that it will add at least three
more.
"We are very excited to have three quality youngsters
come and join our program," Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker said. "They are going to add to what we've tried
to build here. They are going to bring athleticism, more
length to the court for us, added depth."
In the early signing period, Michigan inked 6-foot-
8 forward Kendric Price from Boston, 6-foot-5 wing
Jevohn Shepherd from Toronto, and Jerret Smith, a 6-
foot-3 guard from Romulus and a high school teammate
of current freshman Ron Coleman.
"We're real cool," said Coleman about his relation-
ship with Smith. "He's my former teammate and we
talk a lot. He brings another point guard threat. He's a
pass-first, shoot-later point guard. He's always looking
for a pass, and can create off the dribble to find the open
player."
Smith is a candidate for the 2005 Mr. Basket-
ball Award, given annually to Michigan's top high
school basketball player. He has averaged 12.6
points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists over a three-
year span in high school. Smith transferred to
Romulus High School after his sophomore year at
Westland John Glenn.
Though Coleman and Smith played together at
Romulus, Coleman said he had no role in luring Smith
to Michigan.
"It was basically his own decision," Coleman said. "I
committed and then he committed. I didn't have much to
say to him. I was happy that he made the decision but I
didn't motivate him to come here."
Ranked as the No. 27 power forward prospect by
Rivals.com, Price averaged 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds,
three blocks and two assists per game as a junior at
Buckingham Brown and Nichols School in Boston. Sims
- who attended nearby Noble & Greenough School in
Dedham, Mass. - played against Price in the Indepen-
dent School League.
Sims compared Price's game to that of current NBA
superstar Tracy McGrady.
"(Price's) game sort of resembles (McGrady's)
type of game," Sims said. "He is real smooth, and
he's so laid back. I mean, once he comes over (to
Michigan), he is going to have to get more fiery and
get more physical and stuff because (Amaker) is
going to demand that out of him. Once he does that,
the sky's the limit for him."
"(Price) is long and athletic. He needs to get stronger,
but certainly has the wingspan and can cover the floor
very well," Amaker said. "He runs extremely well, and
can finish in transition."
Price, a talented jazz pianist, toured Eastern Europe
during the summer to sing in a choir instead of attending
an NBA Players Association camp.
Michigan's final signee, Shephard, attended West
Hill Collegiate in Toronto. He averaged 28.0 points, 9.0
rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks as a junior.
"He is a wing player that brings a lot of different skills
to the court," Amaker said. "(He adds) a little versatil-
ity in that regard. I think he is going to be a really good
defender."
also says
loaned
layers
hap-
much
As a kid growing up in New Jersey,
Sharad Mattu was a Michigan fan
because he liked the Fab Five. Oh
well. Anyway, he can be reached at
smattu@umich.edu.
RYAN WEINER/Daily
Ron Coleman, left, played with Jerret Smith last year.
N FOOTBALL
Out for the season? Not for determined Van Alstyne
By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Editor
Jeremy Van Alstyne was penciled in as
one of Michigan's starting defensive line-
men when spring practice began in April.
But in the middle of those spring drills,
Van Alstyne went down with a knee injury
that would later require surgery. At that
point, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr declared
the redshirt sophomore out for the season.
Turns out, nobody told Van Alstyne.
After making an unbelievably quick
recovery, Van Alstyne suited up but did not
play in Michigan's game against Indiana
on Oct. 2, and he made his way back onto
the field for the Wolverines' contest against
Minnesota the next week. The injury that
was supposed to keep Van Alstyne out for
the season turned out to cost him just five
games.
"It was a big reward for me to be able
to come back and play these games," Van
Alstyne said. "It means a lot to me that
the coaches gave me a chance to play
this year."
Carr was more than happy to insert Van
Alstyne into Michigan's defensive-line
rotation, especially in light of the tenacity
he showed while rehabilitating his injury.
"He's a guy that - the way he plays -
he has an energy about him, an intensity,"
Carr said. "You see him off the field, he's
kind of an unassuming guy. You wouldn't
pick him out of a crowd as being a tough,
competitive, intense football player, but
that's what he is."
In addition to the work that Van Alstyne
had to put in with Michigan's training
staff, he also received help in his comeback
attempt from Michigan redshirt sophomore
David Harris.
The linebacker had endured a knee inju-
ry similar to Van Alstyne's and did his best
to pass on advice.
"He's been through this before," said
Van Alstyne of Harris. "We've been really
good friends, and he just helped guide me
and taught me some techniques to enable
my success."
Harris helped his friend get back on the
field quickly - a good thing, since being
stuck on the sidelines was an experience
Van Alstyne could have gone without.
"I couldn't even do the drills with the
guys," Van Alstyne said. "I'd just be out
there because I wanted to be out there -
I'd snap the ball pretty much, because I was
still in the stage where I couldn't run.
"After the third week (of the season), when
I was getting into a lot of practices and start-
ing to pad up, I started to realize I'd have the
opportunity to come back this year."
Since his return against Minnesota, Van
Alstyne has seen a slow increase in his play-
ing time - mostly seeing the field when
Michigan is stacked up against the run.
He recorded six tackles last year in his
freshman season and registered his first
tackle of this year in the Wolverines' win
over Michigan State. But whether or not Van
Alstyne's numbers dominate the stat sheet,
he's happy enough to just be in the game.
"(The first play back this year) was like
my first play (ever)," Van Alstyne said. "I
got the same kind of chills."
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