Friday January 13, 2006 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com PleRTiSiigan ti1 8 Cagers try to finish last year's business a By Matt Singer Daily Sports Editor It was a brief, shining moment in an otherwise miserable season. Midway through the 2004-05 Big Ten season, an injury-prone Michigan squad took then-undefeated Illinois to the brink. With less than 10 minutes to go, the Wolverines held a 41-37 advantage, bringingr the Crisler Arena faithful x to a fever pitch. The Illini eventuallyN prevailed 57-51, but the ' , Wolverines learned an important lesson: Even Asembl at its weakest, Michigan EPN could hang with Illinois. "(Last year's game) helps build your confidence," senior co- captain Sherrod Harrell said. "We were down a few guys last year due to injury. We weren't full force, and to be able to battle with them at such a close level defi- nitely builds your confidence." While the name on the front of the Illini uniforms is the same, a whole lot has changed since last year's Michi- gan-Illinois tilt. The Illini lost three of their top four scorers from last sea- son - Luther Head, Roger Powell and Deron Williams - but retain a powerful inside-outside combination in seniors James Augustine and Dee Brown. The duo is averaging nearly 30 points per game this season. Where Illinois has lost, Michigan has gained. For the first time since last season's Notre Dame game, the entire Wolverine roster will be in uniform. During last year's Illinois matchup, Michigan played without two key backcourt players - Daniel Hor- \ ton and Lester Abram. This season, junior' Brent Petway returned from academic inel- t igibility in time for Jan. 3's game against Indiana, but Abram sat out the squad's first two Big Ten games with a foot injury. Abram hasn't fully recovered - he's par- ticipated only intermittently in recent prac- tices - but he is healthy enough to take the floor in Champaign.4 "Lester's been arguablys our most consistent player r since he's been here on cam- x¢. at x pus, Michigan coach TommyE l}" Amaker said. "It's obvious that when we haven't had him, we haven't been the same .u team. We've relied on his toughness, his ability to score.' And his teammates have great confidence in him." Abram isn't the only Wolverine returning to the Illinois-Michigan rival- ry. Horton's comeback sets up an entic- ing showdown between two of the Big; Ten's premier point guards. Dee Brown,Q who considered declaring for the NBA Draft before a foot injury derailed his plans, entered the season as the most ALEX DZIADOSZ/Daily hyped player in the conference, earning Michigan senior guard Daniel Horton is averaging 15.8 points per game this season. preseason Big Ten Player of the Year honors. But so far this season, Horton, flying under the radar, has matched the speedy six-footer step-for-step. Hor- ton tops Brown in nearly every statis- tical category - averaging 15.8 points per game to Brown's 14.9, 5.7 assists per game to Brown's 5.3 and shooting 47 percent from the field, compared to Brown's 37 percent. While acknowledging the importance of slowing Brown, Horton downplayed his Icers take on non-voters in exhibition By James V. Dowd Daily Sports Writer Fans often overlook exhibition games on their favorite teams' schedules, but Michigan's tilt with the United States. ......G.§T National Team Development Program U.S.NDTPU-8 Under-18 team provides spectators with N. 9MIchigan an extra incentive to head to Yost Ice 7$ p tm Arena tonight. The team features Chris Y At Ae . Summers, who has committed to suit up for the Wolverines next fall. Summers will join Michigan's already-deep blue-line core, which loses just Adam Dunlap, and hope to contribute on a nightly basis. Wolverine associate coach Mel Pearson believes that Summers is cut from the same mold as current Michigan stars junior Matt Hunwick and freshman Jack Johnson - both former U.S. NDTP players. "He's a great skater" Pearson said. "I think he'll follow the foot- steps of Hunwick and Johnson. He's very strong, also. Those are the things you really notice." In tonight's game, fans should immediately realize why Pearson and assistant coach Billy Powers sought out Summers. His skating ability and physical presence make him highly visible on the ice, according to Pearson. "You see the skill package right away," Pearson said. "I think the most important thing is getting to know what a special kid he is. He has a great work ethic and a strong commitment to the game. He has the chance to be a special player." This game likely holds special significance for Summers and his teammates. It will be Summers's only chance to line up across from the Wolverines. "I know he's looking forward to it," Pearson said. "He has already called me a couple of times this week. They all go to the local schools, so this is a big game for them. They can go back to their schools and tell everyone that they beat Michigan." Michigan sophomore Kevin Porter remembers playing against the Wolverines when he was with the U.S. NTDP and knows the opponent will be up for the challenge. "It was my only chance to play against Michigan," Porter said. "I remember the (Michigan players) not being too excited about the game, so I wanted to win even more" The Wolverines have especially deep ties to the U.S. NTDP because the program is located in Ann Arbor. In all, 17 Wolverines have skated for the U.S. NTDP over the years. Michigan's current team features nine former U.S. NTDP prospects - Porter, Hunwick, Johnson, junior T.J. Hensick, sophomore Chad Kolarik and fresh- men Jason Bailey, Danny Fardig, Zac MacVoy and Mark Mitera. Pearson said he likes the Wolverines' chances to win their fifth game in five tries against the U.S. NTDP. But the Michigan team will be without senior forward Brandon Kaleniecki, who has been slowed by injury all year and will miss this weekend's game with a sports hernia. Luckily for Michigan, MacVoy and Kolarik will play in the game despite coach Red Berenson listing them as questionable on Wednesday. MacVoy suffered a hip pointer in the Jan. 6 game against Alaska-Fairbanks, and Kolarik was thought to have a hernia. After Kolarik was re-evaluated on Thursday, he was cleared to play. Focal points for the Wolverines will undoubtedly include special teams, which struggled greatly against the Nanooks. The Michigan power play was ranked as the best in the nation for most of the sea- son, but after last weekend dropped to fourth. The Michigan coaching staff also changed up the defensive pairings this week. Johnson and Hunwick will remain together as Michigan's top line, but juniors David Rohlfs and Jason Dest are now paired together and junior Tim Cook will skate with freshman Mark Mitera. emphasis on the one-on-one matchup. "I want to win, yeah, but it's noth- ing special," Horton said. "It's nothing between me and Dee Brown. I'm not trying to battle him. It's just Michigan against Illinois." Even if Horton brings his "A"-game, knocking off Illinois in Champaign will be a tall order. The Illini have won an NCAA-best 30 consecutive games at Assembly Hall, home of the feared Orange Krush student section. Michigan, in particular, has had trouble defeating the Illini - the Wolverines have lost nine in a row at Assembly Hall and 10 straight overall to Illinois. "It's loud in there," Horton said. "It's a very tough place to play. I remember my freshman year, when (Illinois' Brian Cook) scored like 22 straight. I think I felt the floor shaking. It'll be a great environ- ment for college basketball." N WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Blue's Minnfield minimizes mistakes By David Murray Daily Sports Writer With 14 seconds left in a hard-fought first half against Iowa, the Wolverines trailed by 12, their largest deficit of the game. They needed something positive to take into the locker room after a disappointing half. Freshman point guard Jessica Minnfield gave them exactly the type of momen- tum-changing shot they were searching SUND for - hitting a buzzer-beating basket and Michiga jumpstarting a Michigan run that turned No.8 Oh1 an impending rout into a nail biter. 12:.p With one possession left in the period and time about to expire, Minnfield drove' the lane, double-teamed but not out- _ matched. She mustered up a shot and the ball fell through the hoop as Crisler Are- na's halftime buzzer blared. It was just one basket, but with her newfound confidence, the freshman stole the Hawkeyes' momentum. During the second half, Minnfield picked up right where she left off, knocking down a 3-pointer on Michigan's first possession. After sophomore Ta'Shia Walker and freshman Carly Benson both sunk two-point baskets, Minnfield hit another trey from the top of the arc, and Michigan was just three points down - the closest it would come to toppling a heavily favored Iowa team. For Minnfield, who was coming Gff a seven- turnover game against Michigan State, the per- Y formance against Iowa was the most efficient of her young career. The Toledo, Ohio native eate scored 11 points, making four of her five shots and draining all three attempts from downtown. "Our team is doing a better of job of making the correct passes, making what we call the next pass;' Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said. "A lot of times (Minnfield) is the recipient of great penetration where the other team double-teams and we make another pass to an open shooter." season. "I'm practicing more on my shot," Minnfield said. "It's all about confidence. If you don't have confidence, then you can't do anything on the floor." Her confidence seemed to spill over into the next game as well. Against Big Ten powerhouse Purdue, Minnfield com- mitted just one turnover despite being matched up against senior guard Sharika Webb. "Better execution creates less turnovers," Burnett said. And fewer turnovers make for closer games. Behind Minnfield's more efficient play, Michigan was nearly able to pull off the upset of Purdue. The Wolverines got as close as two points with 1:41 remaining before succumbing to the Boilermakers. The savvy freshman had three steals and again led her team in three-point baskets. "You have to (step up) - it's the Big Ten," Minnfield said. "I'm a freshman, and I'm starting, so I'm going to have to step my game up." Although the Wolverines are still searching for their first conference win, the maturation of their young point guard has shown them that it could be sooner rather than later. It isn't just better looks though - oped her game tremendously sinceI Minnfield has devel- the beginning of the 0 MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING Mexico native feels at home in 'M' pool By Anne Ulble Daily Sports Writer By the age of 16, Michigan swimmer Jorge Carral had left his home, his family and his country to attend high school in the United States. By his 17th birthday, Carral had par- ticipated on the Mexican Olympic swim team in Sydney, where he broke the country's records in the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle. So much for homesickness. "I would say leaving Mexico was mostly a guided decision," said Carral, now a senior at the University. "My parents convinced me that it would provide more opportunities for me in the long run, and I wanted to swim. Moving to the United States was an ideal situation for me." Carral grew up in Mexico City and began swimming at age seven. He became more interested in the sport after his school district built a pool on the campus grounds. He then took up with a local club coach who became a huge influence in Carral's pursuit of swim- ming. "My coach in Mexico was a great motiva- tor," Carral said. "He convinced me that I was never going to make it at soccer and that I was better at swimming. He was really the reason I kept with swimming." In 1997, Mexico City swimming officials began making changes to the swim programs in the area, outraging local coaches who then made a virtual exodus from the city. Carral's own swim coach left Mexico City to pursue a coaching job elsewhere, leaving Carral coachless just prior to high school. "I knew that if I wanted to continue to swim I needed to leave Mexico City," said Carral, a senior. "The Bolles School (in Florida) was a pretty good swimming school, and I knew I would be able to go to college from there." Carral's family supported his decision to attend an American high school and at the age of 16, Carral packed up and went to Florida. "Moving to the United States was a big change," Carral said. "It was difficult to live away from my family and have to speak another language." He concentrated heavily on academics at the Bolles School and also made huge prog- ress in his swimming. "In my second year in Florida, I dropped a lot of time," Carral said. "It was exciting, and I knew that I could potentially get to the (2000) summer games." In April of 2000, Carral qualified for the Olympics in Sydney as a participant on the Mexican team. Carral was one of seven people on the squad, that featured just two members who actually lived and trained in Mexico. "There are really only two or three teams in Mexico that have great swimmers," Carral said. "Most of my teammates were in college in the United States." After competing in Sydney, Carral had two more years of high school and a college to choose. Carral was drawn to Michigan for its academ- ics - he was pursuing the honors engineering program - and due to his instant connection with former Wolverine coach Jon Urbanchek. "I was amazed at Jon's ability to be involved with every person on the team," Carral said. "He was so different from other coaches I had in the past, and I knew I had to come to Michigan." Now in his fourth year with the Wolver- ines, Carral says it will be tough to end his swimming career, but he couldn't be happier with his experience at Michigan. "It's been a great time, and I'm glad that I've made it this far," Carral said. "Being able to get an education and compete here has been one of the best opportunities I've ever had. It's something I'll never forget." I I Todd uses hands to slap his way to the top By Kimberly Chou Daily Sports Writer Junior wrestler Omar Maktabi - Iowa's 2003 high school freestyle champion - will be in Cliff Keen's practice room every day, without fail. But if he were to miss a practice, one of his reasons would likely involve Michigan sophomore Tyrel Todd. "If there's a reason I don't want to come to prac- tice, it's because I just don't feel like wrestling him," Maktabi joked, referring to the starting 184-pound- er's aggressive style on the mat. "Tyrel's one of the most intense wrestlers I've ever wrestled. He uses so much hand-fighting, beating on the head ... " out my opponent - tearin' 'em out so they get so tired they can't do anything," he said. Michigan coach Joe McFarland also describes Todd as very physical and hard-nosed. "He likes to get out and brawl," McFarland said. "He (applies) a lot of forward pressure, and he can wear a lot of guys down." McFarland noted Todd's most recent outings against Lehigh, Hofstra and Cornell as indicators of how far Todd has progressed in his antagonistic style as well as in confidence. For someone who's known for being tena- cious on the mats, Todd is surprisingly gracious and affable in person. He is polite, articulate and laughs generously. Redshirting last year, Todd did not actually com- pete during the regular season, something he said was frustrating. However, he reasons that the extra year was necessary for his body to mature, as well as his technique. The work paid off, even during the summer - Todd won University Nationals for his weight class and made it to the Junior World Cham- pionships team trials. McFarland places emphasis on such dedication. "He fits in well in our program," he said. "Tyrel epitomizes the kind of student-athlete that fits (our) mold." Todd said he chose Michigan for its combination of strong academics and celebrated athletics. But it's athletic competition where he will most likely make 4q " i t ,. .. ... sta:r. a 4 '. "' ; til > h , . ku. '2z