00 2B - The Michigan Daily - Tipoff 2005 - Thursday, November 10, 2005 0 0 w The Michigan Daily - Tipoff 2005 STAFF PICKS Preseason selections Michigan regular season record Big Ten champion Big Ten second place Big Ten third place Michigan's Big Ten finish Big Ten Tournament champion Big Ten MVP Michigan MVP Big Ten surprise team NCAA "bracket buster" National Player of the Year 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 Rudy Gay Duke Gonzaga Kentucky Michigan State 16-11 Michigan State Illinois Ohio State Fifth Illinois Dee Brown Horton Northwestern Farleigh Dickinson Dee Brown Villanova NIT semifinals J.J. Reddick Connecticut Illinois Louisville Michigan State x8.9 Michigan State Illinois Iowa Fourth Michigan State Brown Horton Iowa Old Dominion Nick Fazekas Texas second round NCAA tourney Drew Neitzel Duke Michigan State Stanford Vil lanova 18-9 Iowa Wisconsin Illinois Fifth Minnesota Alando Tucker Dion Harris Penn State Oral Roberts Allan Ray Michigan State NIT finals Reddick Connecticut Kansas Oklahoma Wake Forest 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." SupI take it tc In over only ro UCLA to UCI a gruel family not be s ly 200,0 in excha final se "It's Arbor,' they be wouldn Once at last I Grahar hustle v freshm game - After ji scorer a the sho "WI to play said. " can do too." This to impi game. doesn't give hir er or no "Gra said. "T 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.