Wednesday January 26, 2005 sports. michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily.com SPORTS 8 Dest excels by doing dirty work By Gabe Edelson Daily Sports Writer During practice yesterday, defenseman Jason Dest skated toward goalie Al Montoya with the puck. After making a couple moves, Dest fired a shot that sailed left of the net. Dest isn't used to scoring many points - the sopho- more has totaled just one goal and two assists through 26 games this season after racking up just seven points during his entire freshman year. But his contributions to the No. 4 Wolverines' success are enormous. "(Michigan coach Red Berenson) knows that I'm not going to be scoring goals," Dest said. "For me to stand out at all, I have to do other stuff besides scoring goals, like playing tough and maybe getting some momentum with a big hit. You might not get all the fan notice for doing stuff like that, but everybody on the team knows their role and appreciates what they have to do." Though he grew up in Fraser, Dest spent his final two years of high school in Omaha, Neb. He lived with a host family while finishing his high school degree and playing with current Michigan teammate Tim Cook for the River City Lancers - a junior 'A' team in the Unit- ed States Hockey League. Dest feels the experience was a positive step in his development. His host family was supportive, he gained an appreciation for the sacrifices his parents had made for him and his coach, Mike Hast- ings, instilled the work ethic Dest is known for today. "It was unbelievable," Dest said of his time in Nebras- ka. "I was a little nervous at first, but (my host family) took care of me." Dest credits much of his effort on defense to Hast- ings, who placed a strong emphasis on doing the little things, like blocking shots. Dest currently ranks fourth on the team with 15 blocks. "Hastings is the kind of coach who's really (an) in- your-face kind of yeller," Dest said. Now in his second year in Ann Arbor, Dest's will- ingness to do the dirty work has paid off handsomely for the Wolverines. The sophomore is making a name for himself as the team's biggest hitter - both in the open ice and along the boards - while acting as a safe- ty valve for senior defensive partner Eric Werner, who Horton's heyday coming to an end JEFF LEHNERT/ Daily Sophomore defenseman Jason Dest ranks fourth in blocked shots for the Wolverines with 15 this season. thrives on skating into the action on the offensive end. "I love having a partner who competes hard," Wer- ner said. "(Dest) has a good eye for (hitting). He knows when to step up. He's a stay-at-home defenseman, and, if I jump into a play, I know he's back there. He doesn't put points on the board, but he can be one of the main guys out there throwing that game-changing hit or sav- ing that last goal. I'm grateful to have him as a (defen- sive) partner." Dest prefers to joke about his lack of offensive skills relative to Werner, but the sophomore does have an impressive plus-14 plus-minus rating, the fourth-best mark on Michigan's roster. "When I get the puck, I just find Werner and give it to him," Dest said with a laugh. "He always figures out what to do with it. The more he has the puck and the less I have it, maybe, the better." Berenson has already expanded Dest's role on the team from last year by giving the defensive stopper increased ice time and a larger role on the penalty kill. But the coach realizes that it's difficult for a player who doesn't score often to be recognized for his contributions. "A defenseman doesn't get any praise for good things," Berenson said. "He just gets criticism for bad things. That's the world a defenseman lives in. (It's all about) minimizing your mistakes." Berenson's confidence in his sophomore blue-liner is growing. Though there are areas of Dest's game that need work, his coach knows how important he is to Michigan's fate this season and in future years. "I look to Dest as a bread-and-butter defenseman," Berenson said. "If he can't give us solid minutes, then it really hurts our team." JOSH HOLMAN Part Icon, Whole Man Say it ain't so, Daniel. Daniel Horton's arraignment on Monday for domestic violence charges led to his indefinite suspension from the men's basketball team yesterday. After these developments, I doubt I am the only one on campus shaking my head and wondering what had happened, not just on Dec. 10, when Horton alleg- edly grabbed and choked his girlfriend, but throughout his puzzling three-year Michigan career. Ever since Jan. 8, 2003, Horton has embodied the new spirit injected into Michigan basketball. On that night, Hor- ton commandeered a 15-point comeback in the final 5:36 to boost Michigan over Wisconsin, 66-65. And he did it in star fashion. He fin- ished with 25 points and scored with 7.1 seconds left to push Michigan ahead by one. Then he blocked Devin Harris's shot on the other end to secure the victory. The students rushed the court, and, suddenly, Horton looked to be the face of a Michi- gan basketball revolution. He was voted 2003 Big Ten Freshman of the Year over Illinois's Dee. Brown and Deron Williams and Indiana's Bracey Wright. But which players are getting all the positive attention now? Here in 2005, we're still waiting for the revolution to come to fruition. Michigan fans have begged Horton to become that bright, shining star that can put a team on his back and carry it to victory. He's had flashes of glory, but they never seem to come when his team really needs it. Take Horton's performance in the last five postseason games of 2004. He aver- aged 14.8 points and 5.0 assists per game, well above his regular season averages of 11.8 points and 3.3 assists per game. The only problem was that they came during the NIT, not the NCAA Tournament. In Michigan's biggest games, Horton typically scores somewhere around his average. Horton scored 15 and 12 points at Minnesota and Indiana last year, respectively - two losses that effectively popped Michigan's Tournament bubble. This year, it's been more of the same - like his 13 points in a 61-60 overtime loss to then-No. 18 Arizona in the Pre- season NIT that could have changed the face of Michigan's entire season. There's no doubt that Horton has been Michigan's most valuable player since he arrived here in 2002. The Wolverines would not have come this far without him. But in order to be the leader, the man, the guy people look to for inspiration, Horton has to do more than an average night's work when his teammates need him most. Which brings us to the matter at hand. No one is any position to cast guilt yet, not even Amaker who suspended Horton "pending further review," according to a statement released yesterday. But no one denied yesterday that something happened on Dec. 10, and it has created a huge distraction before the Wolverines head to Michigan State. Even Horton acknowledged that. "I understand the severity of the situ- ation I'm in," Horton said in a statement. "I feel embarrassed about it, and I'm very sorry that my family, team and school have to deal with it too." The terms of his suspension prevent him from traveling with the team. An injury to his right knee that he sustained Saturday against Wisconsin might have kept him from playing anyway, but that seems to be a moot point if he can't even be with the team. This will be the second period of time this season that Horton has been out of Michigan's lineup. He missed six games after injuring his left knee earlier .in the season. The injuries are in no way Horton's fault, but they represent the up- and-down season that he has already gone through. It's getting to the point where the Michigan family can't even rely on Hor- ton in those big moments, despite the fact that everyone wants to. "He's a great guy, from what I know, and a great teammate," sophomore Dion Harris said. "It was kind of a surprise when I heard (about the arraignment):' People want to root for Horton, but it's getting increasingly harder. Even if these charges blow over, will Horton ever become that leader who can put the team on his back again? Or have his teammates and coaches lost faith in him? One thing is for certain. It's not 2003 anymore, when students were storming the court around Horton - even though we all wish things were still that simple. Josh Holman can be reached at holmanj@umich.edu i Blue endures losing streak with heart MATT SINGER ON WOMEN'S HooPs Sophomore Kelly Helvey raised her arms in celebration, index fingers pointed toward the Crisler Arena ceil- ing. Freshman Ta'Shia Walker let loose a 1000-watt smile as she looked up at the cheering crowd. Then, freshman co-captain Krista Clement strutted into the post-game press conference, beam- ing as she flashed a "W" sign. As if by magic, the cloud of frustration haunting the Michigan women's basket- ball team since mid-December had van- ished. The Wolverines finally returned to the win column on Sunday, outlasting a spirited Indiana team and coming away with a 63-61 victory. "We wanted the 'W,' " freshman Jes- sica Starling said. "It was too close, and we were right there." The raucous postgame celebration stood in stark contrast to the matter-of- fact way the Wolverines handled their previous victory. On Dec. 11, Michigan took care of business easily, dismiss- ing IUPUI 68-48. With the Wolverines' record standing at 4-4, no one dreamed they would have to wait over a month before their next win. But the bottom fell out on Michigan's season, starting on Dec. 14 in Kalamazoo. The Wolverines then dropped a frustrat- ing 79-62 decision to Western Michigan and lost freshman forward Katie Dier- dorf indefinitely to a hip injury. Soon enough, they were freefalling, blowing a few close games and getting steamrolled from the get-go in others. Last Thursday, the Wolverines dropped their ninth in a row, falling to No. 10 Minnesota 73-49. Following a skid of that magnitude, most experienced teams - let alone squads featuring seven freshmen - would be at their breaking point. But not the Wolverines. "That's one of the most impressive things about this team," Clement said. "Other teams would have lost a game and . not come ready to practice the next day. But we continued to stay positive with each other, and we knew that, through our hard work, it would pay off. That had a lot to do with (senior captain Tabitha Pool) and the coaches being so positive." Despite the many difficult moments during their nine-game losing streak, the tight-knit Wolverines never criti- cized each other. As the losses piled up, Michigan stayed true to its team- first philosophy. "If someone messes up, we just pick them up and be like, 'It's ok,' " Pool said. "We just try to stay posi- tive the whole time. If someone's down, we pick them up." But a positive attitude alone couldn't guarantee an end to the losing streak. The Wolverines needed to keep working hard - and they did. With lively prac- tices in Crisler Arena, Michigan contin- ued to grow accustomed to coach Cheryl Burnett's system. "I can't get this team out of the gym," Burnett said. "They get here early. They stay late. They enjoy each other. They enjoy our staff. We enjoy them. They're trying to do all the right things. In that way, it's actually been a very rewarding year, which has not been indicated by our record." On Sunday, the Wolverines came out with an obvious sense of determination from the opening tip. Michigan bodies were flying everywhere - the Wolver- ines were diving for loose balls, fighting through screens and contesting jump shots. But with 1:11 to go, the Hoosiers held a 61-60 lead. It was gut-check time. And for the first time in 43 days, the Wol- verines passed the test. "We had a little thing going," Helvey said. "We would look at each other and pound our chests because we have heart. We went out there and just played with heart (Sunday)." I Freshman captain Krista Clement kept Michigan positive despite the losses. Drop out and become a ski hum. Well, at least for a week. 1. ________6_____-n- M W m ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS WITH CROHN'S DISEASE OR ULCERATIVE COLITIS Please join Dr. Ellen Zimmermann Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, U of M for the frst IBD student group meeting of 2005 Thursday, January 27th at 7pm in Mason Hall 3314 Our informal discussion will include: 01 TANt an FASTIC JACKSON BUSINESS CTR. It's all here. Four incredible peaks. Four fantastic parks. Four awesome pipes.Throw in brilliant blue sky days, plenty of powder, and a happening, Victorian town 1li m New Clients Only, Rostridions Apply, Rrrc4oomable at Jackson Bvsina:>s Confer only. m I