Friday
December 3, 2004
sports.michigandaily.com
sports@michigandaily.com
SPORTS
'M faces crucial
Notre Dame test
M ICE HOCKEY
Icers look to right
ship against Irish
By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Writer
One more time, it's showtime for the
Michigan men's basketball team.
Another chance for Michigan to beat
a ranked team on national television.
Another chance for guards Dion
Harris and Daniel Horton to show the
basketball world how capable they
can be.
Another chance for Michigan to
show it can beat a talented team with-
out injured starter Lester Abram.
Another chance for
walk-on sophomore r
John Andrews to play a t>M
larger role.
That chance comes
tomorrow against No. 19 r: {
Notre Dame. N
After beginning the
season 3-0, Michigan has Crisle
lost three straight games :$_;
in just about every way a
team can lose - a nail-
biter to No. 17 Arizona, a mediocre
effort against Providence and a blow-
out defeat at the hands of No. 3 Georgia
Tech on Tuesday.
And, with about four days to catch
their breath since Tuesday's game, the
Wolverines face the Fighting Irish at
Crisler Arena at noon tomorrow.
"I think (the Notre Dame game) is a
must-win," guard Daniel Horton said.
"This is a time when your true char-
acter comes out, when you show what
kind of team you really have, (if) you
are able to bounce back and hopefully
win a game against a highly-ranked
team."
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker
called the backcourt's play against the
Yellow Jackets "absolutely awful." The
duo combined for just 12 points and
committed 10 turnovers.
Harris and Horton will battle against
the Notre Dame backcourt of junior
Chris Quinn and senior Chris Thomas
- a duo that has committed just four
combined turnovers in three games.
Thomas was a preseason All-Big East
First Team selection and Quinn leads
the Irish in scoring this season, averag-
ing 17.3 points per game.
"On most nights, the backcourt
matchups - those particular posi-
tions - can set the tone for the team,"
Amaker said. "The responsibilities that
those positions have are very big and
are not to be taken lightly. I do think
the matchup (tomorrow) will be criti-
cal in terms of (which) particular back-
court can play better."
Quinn and Thomas can play inter-
changeably at the point and shoot-
ing guard positions, both are 3-point
threats and can effective-
ly feed the Irish's strong
frontcourt of senior Jor-
dan Cornette and junior
h' e TorinFrancis.
"(Notre Dame has)
wY:; very experienced players
in the backcourt," Amak-
er said."(They)haveplay-
ers very comfortable with
one another. I think that
(Quinn and Thomas) are
outstanding shooters. It's going to be
a very tough matchup for us, given the
way that we played with our backcourt
guys and the way that they've played
coming into this particular game."
Michigan has played its past four
games without starter Lester Abram,
who is sidelined with a shoulder injury
he sustained last March. Amaker said
Abram would participate in practice
for the first time yesterday since re-
injuring the shoulder against Colorado
a little over two weeks ago. It's uncer-
tain whether or not Abram will play
tomorrow.
"Right now, the way we are, it's bet-
ter to have him a little bit, and we'll see
how that works out," Amaker said.
Sophomore John Andrews is expect-
ed to start instead of Abram. Andrews
played just 11 minutes last season, but
Amaker praised him for being "one of
the very few perimeter players that got
offensive rebounds" against Georgia
Tech. The wing played efficiently in his
first start of the season, hitting 2-of-3
shots for five points and not commit-
ting a single turnover.
By Gabe Edelson
Daily Sports Writer
The Notre Dame hockey team
has just three wins this season.
But that doesn't mean No. 5 Mich-
igan (7-1-0 CCHA, 9-4-1 overall) is
overlooking the Fighting Irish (2-5-
3, 3-6-4) going into its home-and-
home series this weekend.
"In the past, Notre Dame has
given us a great game," senior
alternate captain Brandon Rogers
said. "They're a solid team, they
have a lot of good play- _
ers, and we're going to >
have to play our best
to win this weekend.
On paper, their record N
might not indicate how ,
good their team is."
Notre Dame has ..-
given the Wolverines Y
problems in recent
years. Over the past
three seasons, Michi-
gan is a mere 2-3-1 against the
team from South Bend, and the
Wolverines have dropped the last
three contests between the squads.
Last year, Notre Dame earned the
season sweep of Michigan in South
Bend by scoring a total of nine
goals - while allowing just three
- during a weekend of games at
the Joyce Center.
But the Wolverines have more than
simply revenge to play for - they
are smarting after an embarrassing
Thanksgiving weekend. Then-No. 1
Michigan dropped a 5-1 contest to
then-No. 3 Minnesota before losing
to then-No. 2 Wisconsin, 3-1.
"Last weekend was kind of an
awakening for us," defenseman
Jason Dest said. "(And) last year is
in the back of our minds."
Junior forward Andrew Ebbett
knows that teams will not roll over
for Michigan, no matter how bad
their records are.
"They haven't been playing that
well in the league, but we're ready
for them because they play us
tough every time we play them,"
Ebbett said. "Every team comes to
play Michigan as hard as they can.
They're going to give us their best."
Notre Dame is no stranger to
upsetting highly ranked teams. On
Oct. 22, the Irish toppled then-No.
1 Boston College despite being out-
shot, 52-17. But Michigan coach Red
Berenson is more preoccupied with
his own team, not its opponent.
"They're a good team defen-
sively," Berenson said.
" "When you go on the
E road, there's no pres-
ga vs sure on you. But my
aw e '< concern is not Notre
Dame, it's Michigan.
. We have to get our
game on track. Notre
- e: , Dame's going to come
ent.e in and try and take us
off the track."
With just four games
left to play before winter break, the
coaches and players recognize the
importance of gaining momentum.
And despite last weekend's strug-
gles, Michigan still sits in second
in the CCHA with 14 points, just
one behind No. 9 Ohio State, which
has two games in hand.
"These (CCHA games) become
bigger games," Berenson said.
"Last week didn't get us going in
the direction we want to go. We've
got to put that behind us now and
start looking at the CCHA again."
Rogers, for one, feels a sense
of desperation entering the home-
stretch of 2004.
"We're in the race for first place
in the league," Rogers said. "All the
points are precious. All (the games
are) going to be really important."
As far as Ebbett is concerned, a
split this weekend would not be well-
received in the Michigan locker room.
"We want both wins, for sure,"
he said.
Dion Harris and Michigan's backcourt will need to step up in Lester Ab
"I look from where I came from
to where I'm at now and I kind of
shake my head in disbelief," the
walk-on said.
Andrews and the Wolverines will
look to junior captain Graham Brown
for leadership. Brown attributed Mich-
igan's three-game slide to a crack in
its confidence and possibly a case of
nervousness, but he did not doubt the
Wolverines would rebound.
"I can't remember the last time we let
somebody get 99 points on us," Brown
said. "That's just something that we
can't have in this system and this pro-
gram. And our guys know that and we
will work as hard as we can to get rid of
those bugs in our system."
One thing is for sure: The Wolverines
can't wait to play against the Irish.
"We have to show character and
bounce back from losses like Tuesday
night," Horton said. "We're not think-
ing about the tournament, we're not
thinking about building a resume. We
just want to win."
Saidteammate Brent Petway: "We're
ready to prove to the nation that we can
still go. Tuesday night wasn't our best
night, but we know there will be better
days, so we're just ready to go back out
and prove ourselves."
Cagers seeking another big road win
By Matt Venegoni
Daily Sports Writer
Sometimes a team loses because it is clearly infe-
rior to its opponent, but it sometimes goes down
because of a lack of focus. That seemed to be the
case for the Michigan women's bas-
ketball team Tuesday night in its 61-60
loss to Drake. The goal for the young 1k>2
Wolverines will be to bounce back K 2
from the tough loss and rebound in
tonight's road game against Charlotte. "
Michigan hopes to have a repeat per- 2 a,
formance of its last road game, a 57-51
win over UC-Santa Barbara, which had
won 39 of its last 40 at home. Michi-
gan was focused on the goal at hand and played an
extremely disciplined game against the Gauchos.
To beat the 49ers, the Wolverines will need to be a
more focused group than they were on Tuesday.
"(The) upperclassmen as much as the young
kids weren't focused and didn't have that edge,"
Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said of the Drake
loss. "We've been talking about that the last few
days in practice because we didn't feel like we
had that intensity."
Charlotte (5-0) presents a tough challenge for
Michigan, as the 49ers have proven dominant in the
early season, outscoring their opponents by almost
18 points per game. Charlotte's balanced attack fea-
tures five players averaging double fig-
ures in scoring. Heading this group is
T junior guard Sakellie Daniels, who has
igan posted 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and
1r jtre 7.2 assists per game.
It is a rematch of last season's game
Are>$<at Crisler Arena when Michigan
earned a 72-65 win. Last year, former
Michigan center Jennifer Smith led the
charge for the Wolverines. This year,
Michigan (2-2) will lean on senior forward Tabitha
Pool, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, to
earn a victory.
"Tab's playing a lot of minutes," Burnett said.
"She's hitting the big shots, she's guarding the best
player, she's communicating - she's doing it all."
Pool will have help, as freshman Ta'Shia Walker
continues to establish herself as a low-post pres-
ence. Walker is averaging 17.5 points per game,
while adding 4.3 rebounds per game. But those two
cannot do it all by themselves. Michigan must come
out and play with the determination that has been
seen in its two victories.
"This team has to have an edge," Burnett said.
"To this coaching staff, an edge is when our inten-
sity is always there, effort is always there, and that
we are always outworking people offensively and
defensively."
SAYING GOODBYE: Michigan women's basketball
assistant coach Janine Moore has decided to resign
from her position due to undisclosed health reasons.
She had been on temporary leave of absence, but
has decided to make it permanent. Moore was in her
second season on Burnett's staff.
"I would like to sincerely thank Cheryl for the
opportunity to be a part of her staff at Michigan,"
Moore said in a release by the Michigan athletic
department. "At this time, there are some health
issues I am dealing with which require my full
attention. I have enjoyed my time at Michigan and
appreciate the support provided by the staff and
administration."
Krista Clement and the Wolverines will look to continue their road success tonight.
Two tankers
qualify for
world tri~als
By Daniel Bromwich
Daily Sports Writer
While the rest of their women's swimming and
diving teammates are preparing for the Eastern
Michigan Invitational this weekend, sophomores
Susan Gilliam and Lindsey Smith and fifth-year
senior Erica Watts were in San Antonio, Texas,
yesterday to compete in the U.S. Open. Although
Watts will have to wait until today to hit the water,
Gilliam and Smith recorded strong performances
last night. Both finished in the top seven in their
events, and both clinched a spot in the 2005 World
Championship Trials.
Gilliam finished sixth in her qualifying heat
of the 400-meter freestyle event, recording a
season-best time of 4:19.70. She also pulled out
a sixth-place finish in the final, touching the
wall in 4:21.81.
"I've gotten a lot stronger since last year,
and I wanted to test myself out against differ-
ent swimmers," Gilliam said. "I'm very pleased
with my performance."
Smith was also pleased with her showing, as
she recorded two season-best times in her two
races. She opened with a strong race in the 50-
meter freestyle qualifying round, finishing with
a time of 26.80. Smith followed with an even
more impressive final, coming in seventh while
besting her previous time with a 26.75.
"I'm happy with the way I swam today,"
Smith said. "My goal coming in was to qualify
for the World Championships, and I did that, so
I'm pleased with how it went."
Michigan coach Jim Richardson, who is in
his 21st season coaching the team, was satis-
* WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
Silva brings global
experience to Blue
By Ben Voss
Daily Sports Writer
Freshman breaststroker Valeria Silva
made up her mind a long time ago.
In her hometown of Lima, Peru, Silva
had swum competitively since the age of
7. She dreamt of becoming one of the top
swimmers in the world, but she soon real-
ized her athletic career would end if she
wanted to go to college. In Peru, college
students don'tusually participate in sports,
forcing many athletes to decide between
academic or athletic careers.
So Silva set her hopes on a third
option and was determined to reach
her goal. She had to go to college in the
United States, even if it meant leaving
her family behind and moving to the
other side of the world.
After winning breaststroke in the
Junior South American Championships
in 1999, she realized her dreams could
become a reality.
"It was my major win atthe time, and I
wanted to keep improving in swimming
to see what I could achieve," Silva said.
Silva achieved quite a bit. She earned
a spot on the 2004 Peruvian Olympic
Team, first place in the 50-meter breast-
strokeatthe2004 SeniorSouthAmerican
Championships, an opportunity to train
in Australia and a scholarship to be on
the Michigan women's swimming team.
Although she failed to medal in the 100-
meter breaststroke in Athens, the Olym-
pics proved to bea valuable endeavor.
"Going to the Olympics is every
athlete's dream, and I was very excit-
ed," Silva said. "I didn't swim as fast
as I hoped, but the experience was still
awesome."
Now a member of the 15th-ranked
Wolverines, Silva is swimming like
a senior.
In just her first season, she has become
one of the lead breaststrokers on the team,
earning a spot on the 'A' medley relay.
At the Indiana Invitational on Nov. 19
through 21, Silva placed fourth overall in
the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of
1:05.05 and ninth in the 200-yard breast-
stroke with a time of 2:21.42.
"It's been a joy to have Silva on the
team," coach Jim Richardson said.
"She focuses very well and she's
doing a great job both as a competitor
and a student."
Speed is not the only quality Rich-
ardson looks for in his swimmers. He
searches for team-oriented and deter-
mined individuals, as well. Richardson
said that during recruitment, Silva's
athletic performance and academic
standing showed she was a perfect fit
for the team.
"The most important thing to do is
to find people who belong at Michi-
gan both academically and athleti-
cally," Richardson said. "You want to
bring people in who take advantage
of opportunities."
Silva also had an invitation to train
in Australia in preparation for the 2004
Olympics. After coming to an agree-
ment with the Michigan coaching
staff, she jumped at that opportunity,
see SILVA, page 12
Fifth-year senior Erica Watts swims ina meet against Ohio State. Watts will compete today at the
fied with his duo's performances. Richardson's
swimmers continue to impress him by perform-
ing well against competition that is far more
rested than the Michigan team.
"To go out there and put up these good times
and compete well against these girls, all while
being unrested and unshaved (in their training
progressions), is really good," Richardson said.
"I'm happy with the progress we are making
this year, and feel we are right on par with the
expectations I have for this team."
Neither Gilliam nor Smith is done yet. They
will join teammate Watts in the water today. Gil-
liam and Smith will compete in the 200-meter
freestyle event, while Watts will swim the 100-
meter butterfly. The team's goals are to continue
to improve and compete against a wide variety of
swimmers, and it seems to be right on schedule.
"I really like what I see from these girls,"
Richardson said. "They get better with every
race. And I am excited to see what they can do
later in the year."