0 8A - Wednesday, December 6, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Petway fills void as Cagers' spark plug 40 By DANIEL LEVY Daily Sports Writer Even the most casual Michigan basketball fan knows one name: Air Georgia. The 6-foot-8 senior, named Brent Petway, was expected to provide a spark off the bench last season with one of his trademark head-above-the-rim slams, pow- erful blocks or timely charges to shift the momentum in the Wol- verines' favor. But the Wolverines are ask- ing more out of Petway this sea- son. The graduation of big man Graham Brown has left a void in the paint, which means the team needs Petway to be a steady con- tributor alongside Courtney Sims as opposed to merely an X factor. More important, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker and the rest of the players considered Brown the heart and soul of last year's squad. Every night, they knew they could count on him to provide the physical defense, flat- tening screens and hustle plays that could swing the momentum of a game. Now the burden falls on the extremely vocal Petway. Despite concerns about his ability to han- dle such a role - he played in just 22 games last season after being declared academically ineligible for the fall semester - Petway has willingly embraced his new role. "t've got that personality to step in and fill that spot as that hustle guy who gives his all every night," Petway said. "(Amaker) said it was going to be rough. (Brown) did some of the little things that most people weren't doing on the team, and somebody was going to have to step up and do that for us to be successful. I just took it on myself tobe able to step into that roll." A month into the season, it's safe to say Petway's efforts to lead Michigan have been successful. Amaker pointed out just what the McDonough, Ga., native means to this team. "Brent is the heart and soul of our team this year," Amaker said. "His teammates respond to him and they respect him. He's led us in a lot of different things that may not show up in a scoring cat- egory like rebounding and hustle plays. He's a vocal leader." Part of what has allowed Pet- way to step into this new roll is his ability to walk the fine line between getting on players to play harder and still treating them a way a teammate deserves to be treated. "You have to be one of those players that has respect for your teammates, first of all," Petway TREVOR CAMPBELL/Daily Defenseman Jack Johnson will be the lone Wolverine competing for the United States at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships at the end of the month. Stars and Stripes choose Johnson Junior Brent Petway has averaged nearly five more rebounds per g already surpassed his block total from last season. He and the Wol take on Miami (Ohio) on Thursday night. 0 By NATE SANDALS Daily Sports Writer Jack Johnson was the Cana- dian fans' public enemy No. 1 dur- ing last year's IIHF World Junior Championship tournament in British Columbia. He drew their wrath with a late hit after a Cana- dian game-winning goal. At least Johnson had fellow Wolverines Kevin Porter and Mark Mitera with him for support when the hounding got serious. While he doesn't know if he'll draw as much ire from the home Swedish fans, Johnson will be the only Wolverine on the U.S. squad during this year's tournament, which runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Though he'll be the lone Michi- gan representative sporting red, white and blue, Johnson is looking forward to the opportunity to play against the world's best. "I'm definitely excited," John- son said. "I think we've a good shot at it this year." He will count on his experience to take a bigger leadership role on this year's team. The Ann Arbor native is one of just eight players returning for last year's squad. While he is not necessarily a vocal leader, Johnson sets his best example with his effort on the ice. "Part of leadership is what you do," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "If you want to measure Jack on what he does, that's a big part of leadership, and he does that. So obviously players look up to him and they respect his passion for the game and how hard he works and how hard he competes every day in practice." Berenson also points to John- son's improved discipline regard- ing penalties as a sign of the defenseman's increasing maturity and leadership capabilities. Porter knows what a difference a year can make. There's the obvious advantage of experience, but it's also impor- tant to take a leading role in the locker room, Porter said. The Northville native knows what it takes to be a leader, hav- ing been named captain of the U.S. team last year. "It's tough, because you're going into a team where you don't know many guys," Porter said. "Jack could be one of the leaders and should be one of the leaders this year. It's just a tough situation and guys who can do it are born lead- ers." For his part, Johnson isn't going to force himself into a leadership role on this year's squad. "I'd like to think of myself as tryingto be a leader on that team," Johnson said. "But I think I'm just going to go in and be myself, play the way I know I can play, and hopefully everything will turn out for the best." Johnson not only stands to ben- efit from last year's tournament, but also from his experience play- ing overseas as a member of the U.S. National Team Developm~sent Program Under-18 squad. While he's excited for the tour- nament, Johnson admitted he's disappointed his good friend Mitera won't be playing with him this holiday season. "It's going to be tough out there without Mark, because he's been a guy I've had with me for the past four years," Johnson said. Along with Johnson, sophomore Andrew Cogliano will attend the Canadian junior team's training camp in the hopes of making the tournament roster. If Cogliano makes the roster, the two Wolverines competing in the tournament mark the smallest Michigan contingent since 2000, when Andy Hilbert and Jeff Jill- son skated for the U.S. NOTES: Johnson said he was progressing well with rehab of a shoulder injury suffered in last Saturday's 6-5 win at Western Michigan. The sophomore said the injury was the result of a shoulder- to-shoulder hit with a Western Michigan player. Berenson refused to speculate about Johnson's avail- ability for this weekend's series against Notre Dame. said. "You've got to be a player that goes out there and works hard every day, because if play- ers don't see you working hard, they're probably not going to lis- ten to you." Beyond filling in as one of team's leaders, Petway has given the Wolverines exactly what they needed in the lane. Through nine games, he's averaged 8.3 rebounds per game - a full rebound more per contest than Brown, who led theteam last season. Along with keeping oppo- nents off the glass, the senior has 19 blocks this season, equaling his entire output from last year. Petway is also scoring more than he ever has. He continues to prove his critics wrong by flash- ing a few post moves and show- casing the ability to knock down open jumpers. Equally important is his effi- ciency. His field-goal percentage (.620) is as high as it's been since his freshman season, when he played less and could conserve his energy. Petway's ability to step up may come as a shock to those who thought of him as immature. But it hasn't been surprising to the man himself, whose big- gest challenge so far hasn't been blocking out or scoring buckets, but merely playing so much bas- ketball. Petway has averaged almost 26 minutes a game com- pared to last year's 16.1, and the increased playing time has been an adjustment for him. "After playing a 30-minute game, you have a real apprecia- tion for it because I come back the next day at practice, and I'm not used to being that sore," Petway said. "It's definitely a good feel- ing during the game because you know coach wants you in there at the end, and that shows his con- fidence in you. But the day after, you definitely feel it." The Wolverines hope they can continue to count on Petway to spark the team night in and night out. If the first nine games are any indication, they have nothing to worry about. From pain to promise: Injury becomes chance of lifetime for brothers for more information call 734/615-6449 The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts presents a public lecture and reception By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer Last year, Justin Laury was disappointed. Due to shoulder and knee inju- ries, the now fifth-year senior was forced to redshirt the season. Myth and Memory in Classical Greece HEY MICHIGAN HOCKEY FANS, DON'T MISS". a i FRIDAY DEC. 29 4:301m MICHIGAN STATE vs HARVARD &O0em MICHIGAN vs MICHIGAN TECH SATURDAY, DEC. 30 4.00pm THIRDPLACEGAME 7:30M CHAMPIONSHIPGAME COHEGEHOCKEY TICKESAY'AILABLE T# RU: IN R 'L ASI Titmmumnu: WINA L4!AtIFANSIN the tampusticket office, ATTENDANCE WILLHAVETHECHANCE TO allTicketMaster retail locations, WIN A 27 MONTH PREPAID LEASE ON A www.colelehockegatthejoe.com, 2007GM(SIERRAOR A2007BUICK RENDEMOUS!(ourtesyofJohnRoginBuitk- or tall:31363%.7575 LivsiaandJshnRoin GM(nTk- Ai r. FRMORDETAltS IT:IIIIGtKEBI Bt OM _.$. iEgR l{ M an. Jeeps.o ..+ It turns out his stroke of bad luck was a blessing in disguise. Because of his medical red- shirt, the Marietta, Ga., native can compete on the same team as his brother, freshman Torrance, for one season. "I just thank God for giving me the opportunity to have my final year with my little brother," Jus- tin said. "It couldn't have worked out any better." Justin was the first of the brothers to get involved in gym- nastics. He flipped all the time - in the house, in the backyard, at school. Soon his teachers began calling home to report his flips to his mother, who then enrolled him in gymnastics. Torrance, after watching Jus- tin practice and compete for sev- eral years, decided to follow in his brother's footsteps. He proved to have a similar gift for gymnastics - he's a three-time all-around state champion, and he finished third on rings and 10th in the all- around at the 2006 Junior Olym- pic Nationals. Although they're aggressive competitors inthe gym, the broth- ers have never competed against each other. Instead of a sibling rivalry, their years together in gymnastics have been marked by mutual support for each other's endeavors. At Torrance's com- petitions, Justin would follow his brother from event to event, shouting encouragement. When it came time for Tor- rance to choose his college, Michigan was always No. 1. It had a great team, a good mix of school and sports - and Justin. "I felt like it would be kind of like old times when we used to train together in Atlanta," Tor- rance said. "I was really excited to find out that he would be compet- ing here one more year and that I'd be competing here as well." But while they are both extremely skilled gymnasts with positive, friendly attitudes, the brothers have distinct personali- ties. "Justin is more the wild one," said freshman Joe Levine, who has known the Laurys for several years and rooms with Torrance. "Torrance is more reserved to himself, very quiet, very polite. In the gym sometimes, if we (accidentally) get in the way ... he won't say anything. We're trying to change that a little bit, get him to speak up a little bit." These same differences apply to their gymnastics. "He's more the type of guy where you have to egg him on in the gym to do a skill," Justin said. "I'm the kind of guy you have to be like, 'Hey wait, slow down! Take it a little slower.'" Both Justin and Torrance will be keys to Michigan's success this season. With Justin redshirting for the year, the team finished eighth last season - the first time Michigan had missed NCAA team finals since 1998. The brothers will add some much-needed depth on pommel horse and parallel bars, and both hope to compete in the all-around by the time the major meets roll around. With their talent - by season's end, the Laury brothers may share one more thing: an NCAA Championship. Richard Janko Gerald F. Else Collegiate Professor of Classical Studies Wednesday December 6, 2006 Rackham Amphitheater 4:10 PM LSA