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8A - Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Holding his own
Mesko embraces new role
By KEVIN WRIGHT
Daily Sports Editor
It doesn't really matter how
far Michigan's Zoltan Mesko can
punt the ball. He's more worried
about impressing his friends with
his golf swing anyway.
This summer, the redshirt
sophomore worked on his best
imitation of Happy Gilmore's
running swing from the tee box
and said he got pretty good at it
- until he tried to show it off to
his friends.
"I was like, 'Check this 350-
yard drive out,' and I stubbed my
club right before I hit the tee,"
Mesko said. "It got loose on me,
and I swung the club head 150
yards."
ThoughMeskoadmitsheshoots
in the 90s over 18 holes, his aver-
age score doesn't discourage him
from hitting the driving range.
"I like to go out on the driving
range a lot and take a whack at
the ball," Mesko said. "Take some
stress out."
And this season, Mesko's had
more reason to take out the clubs.
He's added the pressure of being
the holder on the field-goal unit to
his responsibilities.
Mesko said it took him some
time this summer to get used to
the position, but he knew some-
one had to fill the shoes of depart-
ed starter Ross Ryan, who held for
the Wolverines last season.
On top of his punting duties,
Mesko practiced taking snaps.
Now he's got a handle on the
job, as long as he remembers one
important factor, made famous by
Ace Ventura.
"I have to make sure I get the
spot every time and get the laces
out," Mesko said. "I don't want
'Laces out, Marino' calls."
Back in high school, Mesko,
who was a field goal kicker and a
punter, criticized his holder.
But now that he's the one tak-
ing the snap, he's realized just
how hard it is.
"They're not noticed until they
mess up," Mesko said.
Even with the added duties, the
6-foot-4 punter has excelled at his
natural position. Michigan coach
Sophomore DeShawn Sims and the rest of the Michigan basketball team have been using "The Beilein Ball" to help improve
their jump shots before the upcoming season.
elen uses ball to boost
Blue's shooting woes
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PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily
Punter Zoltan Mesko has expanded his role with the Wolverines this season, taking
over the holding responsibilities during field goals.
Lloyd Carr said Mesko is having
a great year. Mesko, who moved
with his parents to the United
States from Romania as a child,
is averaging 42.3 yards per punt,
good for second in the Big Ten.
He points to the changes - or
the lack of them - he made this
summer for his success this year.
Last season, Mesko adjusted his
technique every week, but during
the summer, he decided every-
thing would stay the same.
He stopped trying to cross
over with his leg swing, some-
thing many NFL punters do, and
worked on getting his leg straight
through the ball instead.
But if Mesko isn't working on
punting or holding, he's either
in the weight room trying to win
over strength and conditioning
coach Mike Gittleson or running
extra laps to stay in shape.
The lanky punter tries to stay
busy.
He even plays a little catch
with the ball boys, which might
suggest a fake field-goal attempt
in his future.
"Maybe," Mesko said after a
pause. "I can't really say. My arm's
OK. I wish I could've played some
quarterback in high school, but
I've played enough catch with the
ball boys to be good atit."
By MARK GIANNOTTO
Daily Sports Writer
Last April, Michigan athletic director Bill Mar-
tin knew he hired a gifted basketball mind when he
lured John Beilein away from West Virginia to coach
in Ann Arbor.
But no, one could've thought Martin found an
inventor.
The BeileinBall is the same as any ordinary basket-
ball, but down the seams, Beilein's name is stitched
vertically in black writing to help players align their
hands on a shot. Shooting from the seam gives the
ball better rotation as it leaves a person's hands.
Beilein came up with the idea years ago, while
working with a player struggling with his shot. Back
then, he just used a magic marker to align the players
hand on the seams. After seeing how effective the
"Beilein Ball" was, it got the coach thinking about
the commercial possibilities.
"I ended up saying 'Jeez, this is something we use
alot,'"said Beilein. "It would be reallygood ifit were
professionally done. So, Ihad used a ball called 'The
Rock' for a number of years, and as a result, I asked
them if they would be interested in working with me
to patent the ball. Then they came up with the name
and called it the B-line, but spelled like my name."
Nowadays, with the Wolverines in the midst of
individual workouts, the Beilein Ball is the only
thing found at Crisler Arena.
With a team that returns just one player who shot
more than 35 percent from 3-point range - junior
Jerret Smith - the Beilein Ball has become a staple
in many of the team's shooting drills.
Just to warm up, Beilein has a player pass the
ball to another, who catches and shoots. But Beilein
makes ita point for players to align their hands along
the seam as they set their feet.
"When I first saw the (Beilein Ball), I thought it
was a joke because I had never seen a ball like that
before," senior Ron Coleman said. "But it really helps
a lot to get your hands in the seams, because you do
shoot better."
Beilein also uses a 30-second shooting drill to
challenge the team. Each player - big men included
- must make 7-of-10 midrange jumpers while com-
ing around a screen with a hand in their face. That's
followed by a drill in which each player must make
12-of-20 3-pointers over a 59-second span.
If you can't convert in practice, you won't get the
green light to shoot in games, not to mention the
wind sprints after Beilein's demands aren't met.
"All he's doing is trying to find a way to get us our
reps in because no one was used to shooting this
much, especially last year," sophomore DeShawn
Sims said. "We've shot more now than we did all last
year."
Yesterday was Beilein's first time assembling
the team together for a full-squad practice - even
though it was for just 40 minutes because of NCAA
regulations. Regular practices don't start until Oct.
12.
Once the season begins, the Wolverines won't
have the luxury of using the Beilein Ball in games.
Until then, they're fine enjoying their coach's inno-
vation.
"(The Beilein Ball) adds to our games, makes us
better," sophomore Ekpe Udoh said. "It's going to
pay off once the season comes. Already, more shots
are going down than last year."
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