10 - Tuesday, February 6, 2007
IORT S
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
W'ME ec.S BASKETBALL
Meet Michigan's No. I an
By ANDY REID
Daily Sports Writer
If by some strange circumstance you find
yourself at a Michigan women's basketball game,
you might measure the atmosphere in Crisler
Arena by what's missing, not by what's there.
Absent are the elements that make many
Michigan sporting events so fun to attend: an
animated student section (clear even at water
polo), subdued alumni to poke fun at, the dance
team - replaced by the elementary school-aged
dance group Blaize - and ultimately, a steadily
successful program to cheer on.
In fact, upon walking into Crisler, you might
mistakenly think you have the wrong address
based on the lack of fans in the arena.
However staggering the lack of a crowd may
be, there will always be, at every game, one man
whose passion for the school and its sports teams
rivals any fan of anyteam in the nation.
Every game, sometimes more than an hour
and a half before tipoff, Chuck Raab, a special
needs teacher form alocal middle school, arrives
to his courtside seat. He routinely takes three
seats - one for himself and two used to careful-
ly place his various signs around him, creating a
veritable shrine to the Wolverines.
"On Your Feet!" one of his many signs states,
urging other fans to display just some of the
excitement that he has for the team.
Never without his trusty megaphone and ter-
rible towel-like cloth that reads "Go Blue, Wear
Maize," Raab embodies everything a Michigan
fan ought to be: enthusiastic, supportive and
positive.
He even travels to about half of the away
games, often making a stop at the team bus to
wish the Wolverines luck before they board it.
His love for the Wolverines extends past the
game, as well.
"He's a great guy and a people person," senior
Kelly Helvey said. "He loves my family, and he
and my dad are pretty close. I get made fun of
all the time (for their friendship). My teammates
call him my uncle and stuff like that."
Last month against Michigan State, Raab's T-
shirt perfectly summed up his importance to the
Wolverines. The shirt read, "Michigan's Sixth
Person: Secret Weapon."
Born, raised and now living in Ann Arbor, the
lifetime Michigan fan dedicated himself to Wol-
verine sports early on.
"When I was a kid growing up I always attend-
ed -all the football games and hockey games,"
Raab said. "Michigan just kind of grew on me,
and I have loved Michigan ever since."
That love for some of the school's most popu-
lar sports soon blossomed into a fanatic follow-
ing of all things Michigan. Raab's enthusiasm
for Michigan sports wasn't diminished when
he attended Western Michigan for his college
career, the longest stint he has spent away from
Ann Arbor.
Citing just some of the sporting events he
enjoys going to, volleyball, softball, gymnastics,
hockey, football and both basketball teams are
Raab's favorites.
Raab still likes to cheer on the more popular
sports, but he focuses on those with fewer fans
in attendance, especially women's sports, where
his avid presence can be felt the most.
But women's basketball is and always will be
his No.1sport.
"When (Michigan coach Cheryl) Burnett
came in 2003, I was attracted to her program
and what she brought with her from Southwest
Missouri State," Raab said. "I've started to fol-
low the women's program very closely since
then.
"(Burnett's) passion for the sport and for
Michigan has kept me going full tilt even though
we've had a few lean years recently. ...The pas-
sion that I have is directly related to the coach-
ing staff that is here now."
With a nickname like "Go Blue Chuck," he has
to be a diehard Michigan fan. And while Raab
does enjoy watching his favorite team take the
floor, he ultimately wants to complete a mission
through his attendance.
That mission is simply to have fun and show
everyone else how enjoyable the Wolverines'
games can be.
Through the years, the women's basketball
team has struggled to bring in fans. While teams
like Michigan State and Penn State have suc-
cessfully sold out their arenas as the women's
game gains popularity, Crisler continues to be
sparsely populated on game nights.
If just some of his enthusiasm somehow rubs
off on other fans at the game, Raab's mission is
completed.
"The thing I would like to see most is more
fan support and for people to just get loud and
rowdy and crazy during the games," Raab said.
"That would be super."
Raab, a member of the team's Victory Hoops
Club, supports rowdiness and craziness in
Crisler. His signs and chants, though, will never
be directed negatively at the opposing squad.
Good sportsmanship is important to Raab, and
he believes it should be to all Michigan fans.
"I don't really think you need to have any neg-
ativity toward your opponent," Raab said. "Just
support yourteam and concentrate on your team
and everything will take care of itself."
All of his efforts haven't gone unnoticed by
Michigan players and coaches.
Last year, Raab received the title of honorary
coach for Michigan's game against Minnesota.
For one day, Raab experienced what it was like
to be a part of the team that he cheers so hard
for.
The honor included eating a pre-game meal
with the team, sitting in the locker room for pre-
game and halftime speeches and having a spe-
cial spot on the team bench for the game.
Even though the Wolverines have an honor-
ary coach each game, the recipient is usually a
University faculty member. But who better than
their ultimate fan to fill such a spot?
"It was really something special," Raab said.
"I'd love to do it again someday, but it's an oppor-
tunity that only comes around once in a great
while. I was just really happy to do it."
Burnett is appreciative of what Raab has done
for the program as well.
"I'm really just thankful for him every game,"
Burnett said. "He's the nicest guy off the court.
He's very interesting to talk to and a great fam-
ily man. But when the ball goes up, he's a crazy,
energetic guy."
So the next time you find yourself, even if
it's by accident, in Crisler for a women's basket-
ball game, you will undoubtedly hear Go Blue
Chuck's famous celebratory battle cry echoed
through the arena: "Hiiiiiiii-Ohhhhhhh!"
Sophomore Carly Benson scored a career-high 22 points in a win over the Wildcats
Benson steps
in for Phil lips
0
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ByANDY REID
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's basket-
ball team had a serious advantage
coming into Sunday's contest.
With just one player listed at 6-
foot-2 ortaller, Northwestern's post
players seemed obviously over-
matched against taller Michigan
players, especially 6-foot-6 fresh-
man Krista Phillips.
Despite the clear advantage Phil-
lips would have given Michigan
inside, her warmups never came
off, and she sat on the bench for the
entire game. The reason Phillips
didn't see the court is undisclosed.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats,
the Wolverines didn't miss her as
they grinded out a physical 61-49
win at Crisler Arena.
Several Wolverinessteppedupin
Phillips's absence, playing aggres-
sively inside both on offense and
defense. Sophomore Carly Benson
took charge of the game, not only
scoring inside but from practically
all areas of the court.
"They don't have true post play-
ers (without Phillips)," Northwest-
ern coach Beth Combs said. "They
have akid likeBenson who can play
down low, but she's a3-point threat,
too. They do cause some mismatch-
es on the court."
Despite Benson's struggles
from behind the arc in past weeks,
the sophomore shot 4-for-7 from
downtown yesterday, confusing
the Wildcat defense by slipping
out of the paint to find open shots
behind the arc.
Northwestern couldn't find an
answer for Benson. She scorched
its defense for a game- and career-
high 22 points.
Other players, like junior Janelle
Cooper, found other waysto exploit
Northwestern's interior defense,
driving through open lanes to con-
vert easy points in the paint. Even
tough she's not considered a physi-
cal inside player, Cooper drove
more comfortably than previous
games, due to the large spacing in
Northwestern's defense.
The physical offensive gameplan
led to an energized defense, said
Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett.
"When a team had trouble scor-
ing, they back down (defensively),"
Burnett said. "That's a typical pat-
tern of anycteam. So once we started
attacking offensively, we starting
playing aggressive defensively."
PLAYING TIME: Sophomore
Stephany Skrba has seen plenty of
minutes in the last three games,
averaging 26 per contest. Skrba
played all but five minutes against
Northwestern.
But yesterday was Skrba's first
start in 11 games - a stretch in
which Michigan was 2-9 - and she
made the most of it.
While she recorded just seven
points, Skrba contributed in many
of the intangibles that Burnett
likes to stress, especially rebounds,
recordingnine total.
"Stephany Skrba has been tre-
mendous on the offensive boards
all year," Burnett said. "She's very
long, she has a tremendous wing-
span, and she gets her hands on a
lot of things."
PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS: The
members of Michigan's sportsmar-
keting program really want people
to come to Crisler Arena for wom-
en's basketball games.
They proved Sunday they're
willing to do just about anything to
fill all those empty seats.
Although most games include
a couple of marketing ploys, Sun-
day's contest was accompanied by
enough gimmicks to last an entire
season
Free shirts, trading cards,junior
Katie Dierdorf posters, mini bas-
ketballs, free Domino's Pizza, bal-
loons, team pictures and a halftime
show involving dogs racing small
children (believe it or not, the kids
won) were all present at the game.
And the fans loved it.
While there were still plenty of
empty seats, the generous freebies
helped create an exciting atmo-
sphere in the arena.
That positive energy led to
chants and noise that are normally
absent atmostgames.
At one point during the first half,
some energized fans even started
"The Wave." It was hardly impres-
sive compared to even the most
lackluster "Wave" in Michigan Sta-
dium on any football Saturday, but
you'll never see the stunt executed
more successfully with just 3,000
fans in attendance.
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WRIGHT
From page 9
But just because Monk didn't
say much or hype his skills doesn't
mean he should be kept out of
Canton.
Monk's nicknames say every-
thing you need to know abouthis
character. "Quiet Man" and "No.
81" don't really lendthemselves to
someone who likes to talk.
If Monk had been inducted this
year instead of Irvin, fans would
have made just as much of a fuss as
I'm making rightnow. Still, as seen
from the induction of the humble
Joe Dumars into the NBA Hall of
Fame, the criteria shouldn't just
come from the stats (even though
Monk makes a good case in that
category).
Irvin was and, for the most
part, still is a man of controversy.
He's not afraid to speak his mind.
Remember when he told ESPN
Radio that he joked with Cowboy
quarterback Tony Romo that he
probably has a little black ances-
try? Or 2000 when he was caught
with marijuana in an apartment
and has since been found in the
possession of other drugs, includ-
ing cocaine?
But these off-the-field issues
aside, Irvin deserves a spot in the
Hall of Fame - just not before
Monk got his..
The Redskin legend did hisjob.
The only problem wasthathe
didn't talk about it.
Hopefully, the Hall of Fame vot-
ers will one year make him - that
is, at his induction speech.
- Wright can be reached
at kpwr@umich.edu.
9
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