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2B - The Michigan Daily - Tipoff 2005 - Thursday, November 10, 2005
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The Michigan Daily - Tipoff 2005
STAFF PICKS
Preseason
selections
Michigan regular season record
Big Ten champion
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Michigan's Big Ten finish
Big Ten Tournament champion
Big Ten MVP
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Big Ten surprise team
NCAA "bracket buster"
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Most overrated team
Where Michigan's season ends
Most overrated player
NCAA Final Four
(Champion in bold)
Scott
Bell
Jack
Herman
Matt Kevin
Singer Wright
17-140
Michigan State
Ohio State
Indiana
Fifth
Michigan State
Vincent Grier
Daniel Horton
Ohio State
Princeton
Adam Morrison
Texas
second round NCAA tourney
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Duke
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Michigan State
16-11
Michigan State
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Fifth
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Horton
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x8.9
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Horton
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second round NCAA tourney
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Vil lanova
18-9
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Fifth
Minnesota
Alando Tucker
Dion Harris
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NIT finals
Reddick
Connecticut
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fthedul
saw ppohe.m
P1t ov, 18 e etral ictgan
Ote. Nov 22 at Bston Unwr.
SatN. 28 &1tfcu
:.UeNoY 22 Miam(Fla
Sat, Dec, 3 i oeDm
Wed., Dec, 7 Delaware St
Sat., Dec10 South. Florda
Sat"Dec.17UA
Thu:, Dec, 22 Miamil (Ohtio)
WedD. ec.2 coppnState
Sat, Dec. 31 ccat o State
Tue,, Jan. 3 at indiana
Sat, lan.7 Purdue
Sat.,.Jan, 14 atIllinois
We, Jan. 18 Northwestern
Sat, Jan. 21 at Minnesota
Wed.,Jan, 25 Michigan St.
Sat., Jan. 28 Wisconsin
Wed.. Feb. 1 at Penn State
Sat,. Feb. 4 at Iowa
Thu,, Feb. 9 Ohio State
Sat., Feb. 11 at Purdue
Wed., Feb. 15 Minnesota
Sat. Feb. 18 at Michigan St
Tue., Feb. 21 Illinois
Sat,.Feb25 atOhi, State
Sat., Marc4 Indiana
March 4-12 Sigten Tourney
Moose Season
Less is more for senior Brown
By Scott Bell Daily Sports Writer
Buckle your seat belts, hold onto your hats and secure all your loose change. It's time for another season of Michigan basketball, and, judging from the team's
performance over the past few years, anything could happen. Will the Wolverines stay healthy enough to make an NCAA Tournament run? Or will the team implode like
last season? Your guess is as good as ours.
This year's issue features a number of in-depth feature stories about this year's squad. Canada's Mr. Basketball last year, Jevohn Shepherd, signed on to play col-
lege ball for the Wolverines. The twist? His female counterpart from up north joined him in Ann Arbor to play for the women's team.
Our center spread takes a look at Tommy Amaker's first six Michigan recruits. No one could have predicted the adversity they would face in their first three years
at Michigan. But now, in the group's final year, they're focused on bringing the Wolverines back to March Madness.
Big man Graham Brown looks slim and trim heading into his final season. We investigate the role he's played sparking Michigan with hustle plays.
Finally, we examine Michigan's 2003 Mr. Basketball, Dion Harris. He struggled while carrying the load last season but should be more comfortable now, thanks
to the returns of Daniel Horton and Lester Abram.
It's going to be an exciting season for Michigan basketball, so let's get ready to tipoff - '05 style.
Scott Bell " Jack Herman " Matt Singer e Kevin Wright
Roster
No. Name
1 Jerret Smith
4 Daniel Horton
5 Dion Harris
10 Hayes Grooms
14 Troy Sanchez
15 Jevohn Shepherd
21 Kendric Price.
22 Sherrod Harrell
23 Brent Petway
24 Ron coleman
Pos.
G
G
G
G
G
w
F
G
F
W
F
G
F
W
F
F
C
Ht. Wt. Year Elie.
6.3 185 Fr. Fr.
6-3 205 Sr. Sr.
63 205 Jr. Jr.
6-2 175 5th Sr.
6-2 165 5th Sr.
6-5 205 Fr. Fr.
6-8 200 Fr. Fr.
6-3 200 Sr. Sr.
6-8 205 Jr. Jr.
6-6 210 So. So.
6-9 255 Sr. Sr.
63 185 So. So.
6-11 225 Sr. Sr.
6-6 200 Sr. Jr.
6-10 215 Fr. Fr.
6-11 245 Jr. Jr.
6.10 250 Sr. Jr.
He may have lost weight to prepare for his
senior year, but it wasn't to help him hustle.
Graham Brown has always been the defini-
tion of hustle for the Maize and Blue.
As the whistle blew after a loose ball found its way
out of bounds, the Crisler Arena crowd's attention
was drawn to the Maize Rage as it broke into its tradi-
tional "Moose" chant. For those not familiar with the
team, the chant meant that Michigan forward and fan
favorite Graham Brown was checking into the game.
It was January 12 - an early season conference
matchup against Northwestern - and Brown was
seeing his first action in over a month after a nagging
hernia injury. He jogged onto the court and replaced
J.C. Mathis. But this was the last time the 6-foot-9
forward would be jogging that night.
Jogging turned into running, and Brown showed
no ill-effects from the injury, returning to action the
only way he knew how: playing with reckless aban-
don. After the game - a Wolverine victory - the
media swarmed around guards Daniel Horton and
Dion Harris. The duo had combined for over 40
points, but Brown's dirty work secured the game for
Michigan.
"The charge he drew late in the game was a mon-
ster play," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said after
the game. "(It was big) for the fact that he was able
to put his body on the line and take that charge and
make that play."
Brown took the compliment in stride. He's used
to flying under the radar, so when he is publicly rec-
ognized, he just shrugs and goes back to business.
That's because the senior from Mio is all business,
and this year he's returning to work for his final year
at Michigan. Aside from missing time during his
hernia injury, he's the only Wolverine to consistently
start for Michigan. But despite this distinction, he's
arguably the least flashy and celebrated of the bunch.
"I don't need the attention. Those guys are our best
players - they should get the attention," Brown said
of the Michigan backcourt. "They're the guys who
are there scoring for us. I'm just trying to be a role
player."
But there's more to Brown than just being a role
player. While the hustle will always be there, he
brings much more to the table. As he approaches his
final year at Michigan, Brown hopes his multifaceted
game will emerge to help lead the Wolverines to their
best finish in years.
"He may not be our most talented player, but he
very well could turn out to be our most valuable play-
er," Amaker said.
It's Michigan Media Day in mid-October and the
players sit down at their tables and become available
for interviews. Reporters begin to swarm around
Horton and fellow guard Lester Abram. With eight
reporters huddled around Abram, Brown sits patient-
ly next to his teammate. But unlike years past, Brown
no longer sits in anonymity. A number of reporters
eventually find their way to Brown's table, noticing
the physical change in the forward. "You really look
cut this year," remarks one reporter. "What did you
do in the offseason?" questions another. The report-
ers had heard Amaker raving about the forward
earlier in the day, but seeing the physically matured
Brown made them believers.
"He is in great shape," Amaker had said about 30
minutes earlier. "I think when you see him, you'll rec-
ognize that he's slim and trim, (but) he's still strong."
Brown agrees with his coach's assessment.
"This is probably the best I've felt since I've been
here," Brown said. "I worked real hard in the offsea-
son and tried to get a little more in shape than I was
the last couple of years."
Aside from the visual evidence of his change in
appearance, Brown sees other advantages in his new
physique.
"I feel like I can run up and down the court a little
better than I could in years past," he said.
Brown stayed in Ann Arbor over the summer
along with the rest of the team and said he worked
out every day. He credited more running in his
workout regimen as the main reason for his change
in appearance.
Since first arriving in Ann Arbor, Brown has
always been a fan favorite in Crisler Arena. The sea
of Maize and Blue has exploded various times as a
result of Brown's actions. Whether Brown is drawing
a crucial charge late in a game, diving for a loose ball
or coming down with a big rebound, Michigan's stu-
dent section is sure to react positively. But their chant
of "Moose" isn't Brown's preferred nickname.
"I like Hambone over Moose," Brown said. "(The
Maize Rage) loves Moose, so I just indulge it. They
have fun with it, so I can't say that I don't like it. As
long as they have fun with it, I can live with it for
another year."
The history behind the Hambone nickname stems
back to the early stages of Brown's basketball career.
Though he can't pinpoint the exact reason why his
father, Rich, gave him the nickname, he believes it
had something to do with his eating habits.
Lester Abram can attest. During the summer fol-
lowing his junior year, Brown joined Abram's AAU
team and made an immediate impression on his new
teammates.
"When he first came to the AAU team, he would
just eat, like, a lot," Abram said. "We were all shocked,
like 'Is he really being serious, or is he just putting on
a show for us?' Then we found out that he really just
eats that much. He would eat like 10 Big Macs every
time we went to McDonalds, and he never got sick."
Brown was never considered out of shape, but his
transformation from a stocky power forward to his
new versatile frame can be seen by all - even his
competitors.
"He is definitely one of the harder-working guys
in the league," Michigan State center Paul Davis said
of Brown. "Slimming down is hard work being a big
guy. To still put muscle on while getting rid of body
fat down is really going to help him."
With his new physique and improved endurance,
it's safe to say that Wolverine fans will see Brown
diving all over Crisler Arena even more during his
senior year. But his impact isn't restricted just to hard
work and hustle. The second-year captain has had the
distinction for a reason, and his versatility makes him
a perfect fit as one of the Wolverines' leaders.
"Graham is able to step up where we need him,"
senior co-captain Sherrod Harrell said. "If we need
help in one area, he's ready to step up there. If we
need help in another area, he can step up there. You
can't just focus on one area because it gives you that
tunnel vision, and you have to be able to look at the
whole picture."
Brown agrees with his teammates' assessment,
admitting that the key to being a good leader is sup-
porting his team however he can.
"I'm mostly out there trying to show everybody
support and trying to be a vocal player on the court,"
he said. "All of us are going to go out there and play
our hearts out when we get on the floor and just do
whatever we can to help our team."
But as a dominant high school player, Brown
wasn't just known for his hustle plays.
As the focal point of the Mio-AuSable High
School team, Brown averaged nearly a quadruple-
double during his senior season. His 21 points, 17
rebounds, eight blocks and eight assists per game are
certainly indicative of the larger role he played during
Senior co-captain Graham Brown woked out every day this summe
Table of Contents
25
30
31
32
40
Graham Brown
Alex Brzozowicz
Chris Hunter
Lester Abram
Phillip DeVries
I ... Home and Native Land
Page 3B
Jevohn Shepherd and Stephany Skrba are trying to prove
Canada is about more than just hockey.
44 Courtney Sims
50 Amadou Ba
Coaching Staff
Tommy Amaker
Chuck Swenson
Andrew Moore
Mike Johnson
. Last Chance to Dance
Pages 4-5B
Head Coach
Assistant Coach
Assistant Coach
Assistant Coach
Tommy Amaker's first recruiting class gets one last shot at
experiencing March Madness.
Big Ten Preview Page 6B
Eight Big Ten teams have a legitimate shot at the NCAA
Tournament. See how the basketball writers rank them.
* Moose Season
Page 7B
TIPOFF 2005
PRODUCTION CREW
Scott Bell
Jack Herman
Matt Singer
Kevin Wright Basketball Writers
Jason Z. Pesick Editor in Chief
Alison Go Managing Editor
Ian Herbert Managing Sports Editor
Ryan Weiner Managing Photo Editor
Jason Cooper Associate Photo Editor
Jason Cooper Cover Design
Jonathan Dobberstein Business Manager
Christine Hua Display Sales Manager
Tent Busakowski Ad Design Manager
Erica Brehmer Layout Manager
Special thanks to: Ashley Dinges, John
Lowe, Bridget O'Donnell
high school. Although his scoring and gaudy num-
bers during his high school tenure were key to why he
was recruited by Michigan, Brown's unselfish nature
allowed him to adapt and find his own niche within
Amaker's program.
"When I first came in, I knew that we already had
significant scorers here," Brown said. "The only way
that I was going to get on the court was to go out
there and fight as hard as I can and to do the dirty
work. And that's fine with me. I'll take on whatever
role I need to do to get on the court. I love to do the
dirty work. I know it's the small things that let people
win."
When Michigan came knocking, there was no
question in Brown's mind where he wanted to go to
school.
"I knew I wanted to go to Michigan since I was
a little kid," Brown said. "Originally, my brother
wanted to go to Notre Dame, but he went to Michigan
instead. I am 13 years younger than my brother, so
while I was growing up, he was here. So I was always
around Michigan, and I always knew that's where I
wanted to go."
With a family rooted deep at Michigan - both
of his brothers, Gabe and Griffin, graduated from
Michigan with engineering degrees - it comes as no
surprise that his parents are always at his side sup-
porting him at games.
Mary and Rich Brown have made all but three
basketball games in Graham's basketball career. This
streak stretches from middle school basketball all the
way to collegiate road games.
"It's always great for every time you go to a game
to know that there's someone there in the stands for
you," Brown said. "It's nice to go into a rival stadium
knowing that at least someone is there rooting for us.
My parents are always going to be there for us, and
my teammates know that they'll always be there."
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Big man Graham Brown looks to leave a lasting impact
on the Wolverine program in his final year in Ann Arbor.
Baptism by Fire
Page 8B
Junior Dion Harris hopes to cleanse himself of the team's
disappointing season.