The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, March 15, 2007 - 5A Harris stays true to roots despite success By KEVIN WRIGHT Daily Sports Editor INDIANAPOLIS - He walked into the Indiana Convention Cen- ter media room and took his place at the table, but only because it was required. Former Michigan middle line- backer David Harris made it quite clear he'd rather be somewhere else. "I'm just ready to be on the field, knocking somebody out," Harris said. And for Harris, the man who made his name laying out opposing play- ers, the NFL Scouting Combine at the RCA Dome in late February wasn't exactly the stage he wanted to be on. But he knows the combine is key to him playing on Sundays. "It's been great," Harris said of his time at the combine. "Get a chance to meet the coaches and alot of top players in the country. It's a great experience." Following a disappointing loss to SouthernCal in the Rose Bowl, Har- ris spent his time at Parisi's Speed School in New Jersey preparing for the combine and his pro day at Michigan. But before he left for the East Coast, he had a chance encounter with Michigan coach Lloyd Carr in a Schembechler Hall hallway. It was then that Carr provided Harris a piece of advice. "He just told me to keep working hard and be myself and good things will happen to me," Harris said. The soft-spoken fifth-year senior also made a trip to Mobile, Ala., to play in the Senior Bowl, where he practiced under the direction of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches whom he said helped him understand the demandingnature of the NFL. Harris first realized pro football may be in his future when a coach told him of his potential in 2005. Fromthere,theGrandRapidsnative's draft position skyrocketed with an outstanding seasonthis year. After suffering through two injury plagued seasons, Harris was finally able to roam the middle of the field for a Michigan defense that dominated most opponents. The 6- foot-2 linebacker led the Wolverines with 103 tackles, 70 of which were solo. After the season, Harris col- lected numerous awards, and was named to the All-America second team and All-Big Ten first team. Even though he's not the tall- est or the fastest linebacker in this year's NFL draft, Harris doesn't let the numbers concern him. "I just (try to) be a leader," said Harris, who is listed as the No. 2 linebacker in the draft by Mike Mayock, an NFL Network draft analyst. "Just got to go out, react and have instincts. Football isn't all about speed, it's all about reac- tion time and how wellyou can read plays. And I feel like I can do that pretty well." At the combine, Harris partici- pated in every linebacker drill. He performed well inthe 40-yard dash, posting a 4.59. In the bench press, he finished with 23 repetitions of 225 pounds. A majority of NFL teams also interviewed Harris. But perhaps the most intriguing draft-day suitor was the Detroit Lions, who may be shopping for a middle linebacker. Growing up in West Michigan, Harris has been a life-long Lions fans and would consider donningthe blue and gray "a greatopportunity." Still, with all the talk in India- napolis centered on the NFL, Harris See HARRIS, Page 8A Michigan coach Tommy Amaker still has the support of his players despite missing the NCAA Tournament again. Cagers loyal to Amaker By MARK GIANNOTTO Daily Sports Writer He's been under intense scrutiny since the season began back in November. Nearly every local columnist has said he should be fired now that his team has missed all six NCAA Tournaments during Michigan his tenure. The message boards have been at NIT even more relentless in calling for his dismissal. Matchup: lodaState AfanatTuesday'sNITfirst-round 2t-t2 Michi- game at Crisler Arena even chose to 222 show his displeasure by wearing a gap 22-t2 paper bag over his head. When: 7 p.m. But Michigan coach Tommy Where: Tucker Amaker can take solace in the fact Center that his players still support him. Ask any of them and the answer is TV/Radio: the same: Don'tblame him - he isn't ESPNU the one making all the mistakes on the court. "He's a great coach," senior Courtney Sims said. "I think he has a lot of knowledge, and he's learned a lot from coaching us. When we play the style he wants us to play, I think you see we're a good team. I don't think he should be punished for us struggling." Tonight's second-round NIT matchup against Flor- ida State represents another opportunity for Amaker to prove himself worthy as head coach. But facing a Seminole team that has beaten the likes of No. 6 Flori- da, No.17 Maryland and No. 21 Duke, he might not feel all that comfortable when his team travels to Tallahas- see. He doesn't know how the Wolverines will respond to playing their fourth game in seven days after a Big Ten schedule that was the second-toughest in the con- ference. He doesn't know how they'll combat Seminole for- ward Al Thornton, who is projected to be a top-10 pick in June's NBA Draft. After Tuesday's win over Utah State, Amaker admitted he had seen little tape of Flor- ida State. But most important, Amaker doesn't know if this will be his last game as head basketball coach at Mich- igan. That decision rests in the hands of athletic direc- tor Bill Martin. One would think that with the uncertain status of its coach, Michigan would be unraveling at the seams. The opposite seemed true in the first round of the NIT, though, as the Wolverines held off a scrappy Aggie squad, 68-58. "We've heard about (Amaker's job security); you always hear about that stuff," freshman Ekpe Udoh said. "Really, we just try to stay focused at what's at hand. That's the type of thing you talk about after the season is over." The Seminoles extended their season on Tuesday night as well, with a 77-61 win over Toledo in the first round of the NIT. Against the Rockets, Thornton showed off the rea- sons NBA scouts are so enamored with his talents. The senior filled up the stat sheet with 24 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. The 6-foot-8 Thornton presents a tricky matchup problem for Michigan. Senior guard Dion Harris is quick enough to guard him, but standing just 6-foot-3, he will have trouble if Thornton heads into the paint. Senior Lester Abram, who did an admirable job on Utah State star Jaycee Carroll, seems the likely can- didate. But he will still be at a height disadvantage, standing just 6-foot-6. He will also have to deal with Thornton's superior quickness. On the offensive end, the Wolverines may have found another weapon to add to their arsenal. At the Big Ten Tournament, freshman DeShawn Sims showed some of the potential that made him one of the top recruits in the nation last year. He followed the Tournament with an explosion against Utah State. The Detroit native scored 11 first- half points and was instrumental in helping Michigan build an insurmountable 12-point halftime lead. See SEMINOLES, Page 8A Defense key for in-state rivals By JAMES V. DOWD Daily Sports Writer According to Michigan coach Red Berenson, there's not much that dif- ferentiates the ninth-ranked Wol- . verines from No. 11 Michigan State headingintoFriday's CCHAsemifinal game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The teams have met five times this year, splitting the series with two wins apiece and, most recent, a tie on Feb. 10. As the Wolverines search for the edge in this rivalry, the team's defensive corps is opti- mistic about its ability to make a dif- ference this weekend. "We're feeling pretty good about ourselves because we've had guys play in the playoffs before," senior Defenseman Jason Dest will be key in tom alternate captain Jason Dest said. "We've got a veteran group - the need to make sure I make the quick freshmen aren't freshmen any- play instead of trying to hold on for more. We can put anybody out there too long." against any line and feel confident." Playing against the Spartans for At times, the Michigan defense- the sixth time, the defensemen seem men have stopped the Spartans cold, focused on avenging mistakes made but untimely mistakes at the blue in the five prior meetings. line have cost the Wolverines dearly Known for their physical nature, in both losses to Michigan State. the Wolverine blue liners are excit- Playing against an aggressive ed to renew the individual rivalries offense like the Spartans', each that have developed over time. mishap seems to result in a goal. "It's fun," Dest said. "It gets the A misplayed puck by captain Matt rivalry going even more than it Hunwick led to an easy breakaway already is. We always play these goal by Michigan State's Bryan Lerg guys a lot of times each year. It's and broke the Wolverines' back in fun because you start to getgrudges their bid for their first Great Lakes against one another. You just want Invitational Championship since to get out there and play hard." 1996. If the Wolverines advance to Sat- And on Nov.3, the Spartans took a urday's CCHA Championship game, two-goal lead enroute to a 7-4victo- ryinEastLansingwhentheWolver- ines failed to clear Michigan State's university UnIOnS- Justin Abdelkader out of the goal almost as good as crease before he tipped a rebound past goaltender Billy Sauer. Freshman Steve Kampfer, who was on the ice for Abdelkader's game-winner, has since worked on getting between opponents and Michigan's goal in an effort to cut down on goals against off rebounds. "At the beginning of the year, I struggled a lot with beating my [ man back to the net," Kampfer said. M F University "With that, I've grown a lot. And I L' Unions orrow's CCHA semifinal against the Spartans. r r i ,, s t s s t , the team will have less than 24 hours to prepare for its next oppo- nent - the winner of the other semi- final match-up between No. 1 Notre Dame and Lake Superior State. Even with a potentially tougher game looming on the horizon, Dest knows Michigan can't look past Michigan State. "We've played Notre Dame and Lake State before," Dest said. "So our staff has video and scouting reports and all that good stuff. But we're not so much worried about the other team, what we've been talking about lately - the only guys we're talking about - is ourselves. The thing we're going to focus on is how Michigan will play - how hard and how strong." Rosso rebounds from injury By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer Over the summer, sophomore gymnastRalphRossolostpartofhis bicep. But he got back his swagger. Meet New Ralph. "I guess Old Ralph is the bad one," Rosso said. "I think the old Ralph was just doing it to do it. After I had my surgery and had some time off and went back home, I saw the kids at my gym back home and sort of got a new outlook on gymnastics. Now I'mjusthaving fun doingit. After a middling freshman sea- son, sophomore Rosso has emerged as one of Michigan's most reliable competitors. Most nights he con- tributes a counting score on four events - sometimes even five. With the exception of high bar, Rosso has set a new career high on every appa- ratus this season. Rosso's specialty is rings, where he can use his powerful physique to its full advantage. At Winter Cup, a competition for the best gymnasts in the United States, the Morganville, N. J., native cemented his elite status on the event, finishing fifth. And his teammates often refer to him as a "beast" - one of the highest possible compliments for a ring man. Though Rosso, ranked No. 3 nationally on the apparatus as of March 7, jokes that rings doesn't really require gymnastics, just strength, he brings far more than power alone to his routines. "He's not just strong - you can be strong and have bad positions," senior co-captain Andrew Elkind said. "He's got close to perfect posi- tions, as seen by Winter Cup. ... It's pretty impressive stuff, and he's cleaning up the swing. He has a shot at winning rings (at the champion- ship meets), I think." Rosso chose to come to Michigan See ROSSO, Page 8A e ar we love march madness!] I i J UM School o Musc, Theatme& Dance Unirsvati Opera Thtre call dCs ju lent itt 00 ye,5 i ti DiedrihSmoier,,atJ,,iiniV , S L'i PilOMiiiiiiO Or~ia t, rrlih Sti fMtricli tat 7230PM t iiteli,,h ic c otsS2r.117 S1 'm )1 so,- res' "'' dacsrd arrl ei,, is $ S) ( \ad SW m SlqitCac:4:1 .c6c~etce .Ii( Pcrw~r Carler t:,Es~o~o } 7 3 -11 -').) Michigan Entre pf Union * Ladies Day every Monday (O * 9-Ball tournaments every Tuesday " Free Pool from 11am -3pm Wednesdays * Unlimited pool for $3 Sun-Mon after 9PM Group Reservations Welcome Recreation Clubs: Billiards Bowling Table Tennis Scrabble Foosball Poker Bridge Chess www~michedu/billard Euchre , i Low, 1