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8A - Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wins, not Heisman,
on the mind of Hart

By SCOTT BELL play his first full game in nearly a
Daily Sports Editor month.
"Yeah, injuries messed up alot of
Four weeks ago, Mike Hart was things. It's part of the game, but I'm
atop the college football world. just worried about this team win-
His team had just won its fourth ning this championship," said Hart,
straight game after dropping its who played at 75 percent last week
first two of the season, he had just but should be hearing 100 percent
passed Anthony Thomas to become this weekend. "Those are all indi-
Michigan's all-time leading rusher vidual things - my team has won
and his name was on the short list every game since I've been out, so
of possible Heisman Trophy candi- that's really all that matters. If we
dates. would have lost and I was injured,
But the week after becoming that would have bothered me more.
Michigan's most decorated run- As long as we're winning, I'm fine."
ning back with his record-break- Even though his teammates
ing performance against Eastern have given him rousing endorse-
Michigan, Hart went down with a ments throughout the year for the
high ankle sprain. It appeared as Heisman Trophy (said cornerback
if all the hard work the senior put Morgan Trent three weeks ago: "If
in to turn the Wolverines' fortunes it were up to me, I'd give him the
around would be for nothing. trophy right now"), the confident
Despite losing his perch near senior has all but conceded his
the top of the Heisman projec- chances at the award.
tions, Hart returned last Saturday "Obviously, if you miss two
with nearly everything else in tact games, it's goingto be hard to wina
despite his two-and-a-half game - Heisman. It's hard to win any indi-
hiatus. - vidual award, but it is what it is,"
He still has the consecutive 100- said Hart, who added he would cast
yard game streak intact (eight), his his Heisman vote for senior offen-
team continues to build on its win- sive tackle Jake Long.
ning streak (also eight) and he and The Syracuse, N.Y., native suf-
his teammates are still on pace to fered a similar injury two years
meet with Ohio State for the Big ago and missed three games before
Ten Championship. coming back for Ohio State. This
And while he's admittedly disap- year, Hart came back after miss-
pointed over losing the shot at some ing just two weeks and insists that
of his individual goals, he's glad to even though he left the field in pain
be near 100 percent and ready to Saturday, he didn't re-aggravate the

injury during his 15-carry, 110-yard
performance.With another week of
treatment and light practice, Hart
hopes to be even closer to the shifty
back Michigan fans have come to
expect during his three-and-a-half
seasons inAnn Arbor.
"Sometimes I can't make certain
cuts that I can normally make,"
Hart said. "Besides that, it's fine.
Obviously, as the game goes along,
it gets more. irritating. But this
week it'll be fine. I'm notreally wor-
ried about it limiting me this week
st all."
Linebacker John Thompson and
defensive end Brandon Graham
bothmissed time or werenoticeably
slowed by the same injury earlier
this season. Hart said it was easier
for them to play through it, though,
because their respective positions
don't call for as many cuts.
Regardless of whether he's at 75
or 100 percent when the Wolver-
ines travel to Madison this week-
end, Hart's presence on the field
should have a similar effect as it did
last weekend.
"It's great having him out there,"
quarterback Chad Henne said. "He
makes so many cuts that other peo=
ple can't. If you try and compare
him with other backs, it's difficult
because he has so much potential
and definitely has a lot more expe-
rience knowing where the holes are
goingto be. It's definitely an advan-
tage for us."

4

Senior Mike Hart understands that he is likely out of contention in the Heisman race after missing two games.

I

'M' relies on old school frosh

Hicks easing into
new role for Blue

By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN
Daily Sports Writer
He's the oldest starting defen-
seman on the Michigan hockey
team. He shares the team's assist
lead with senior Chad Kolarik.
And he just won CCHA Rookie
of the Week honors.
Read that again- it's not a typo.
Freshman Chad Langlais has five
assists in his past three games and
six on the season. More important,
he's a big reason why Michigan's
power play boasts 50 man-advan-
tage scores in eight games.
First thing that comes to mind
about Langlais's power-play
impact?
"It's been unbelievable," said
usually reserved captain Kevin
Porter, who scored on half of Lan-

glais's dishes this weekend. "He's
a greatpasser. He gets his head up.
He's got a quick shot. So far, he's
been great."
Though being a freshman on
Michigan's power playisn'tunique
on this team (there are three), the
amount of responsibility he bears
as the only defenseman on the ice
during man-advantage situations
is considerable.
"He's the top guy on our power
play," Porter said. "He's the quar-
terback, he sets it up. (When) we
get in the zone, he's the key guy,
so he's the one making all of the
plays. He's a big part of our suc-
cess."
The 21-year-old spent the past
two years in the United States
Hockey League (a top junior hock-
ey league), and those were key in

developing Langiais's confidence
with the puck. In particular, the
freshman spent time developing
his skills on the power play with
the Lincoln Starslastyear.
His two years of playing expe-
rience made him a desirable
contributor to this year's one-
upperclassman-strong defensive
unit.
Of the four first-year defense-
men, Langlais is the only one who
has played every game. The other
three, all still teenagers, rotate
the games they get to dress.
"He plays like a senior out
there," Michigan coach Red
Berenson said. "He's so calm
and patient and poised with the
puck."
It's not just his man-advan-
tage play or his assist-firing stick,

that's been apart of the offensive-
defensman's impact, either. On
the defensive end, he's brought
a physical presence (team-lead-
ing six penalties) despite his
short stature (S-foot-8). And even
though no NHL team yet holds his
rights, Berenson said Langlais has
exceeded expectations.
Sophomore Steve Kampfer,
Langlais's defensive partner, has
also seen him seamlessly fit into
his position on the only defensive
unit without first-round NHL tal-
ent.
"He's an old freshman," Kamp-
fer said. "He knows what he's
doing. Two years in the USHL
really helped him. He's a pre-
miere defenseman on this team,
and he showed it these first eight
games."

By ALEX PROSPERI
Daily Sports Writer
One of the hardest feats to
accomplish in basketball is the
triple-double. But the quadruple-
double? That's a rarity.
Not for Michigan freshman
guard Veronica Hicks.
As a high school senior, Hicks
had the game of her life.
The Thornwood (Ill.) High
School product dominated her
school's archrival by finishing
with an astounding 40 points,l11
rebounds, l0 assists and 10 steals.
But in her opening game asa
Wolverine, Hicks played just the
final six minutes of Michigan's
exhibition blowout win over Lake
Superior State.
Though it's a difficult transi-
tion going from the No.1 option to
playing garbage time, the fresh-
man sees no reason to push the
envelope.
"I don't want to come here and
just rush into things because I
might not enjoy it as much or I
might not do as well as I hope for,"
Hicks said. "Here I get to learn the
other side of basketball and see it
from a different perspective, and
I think that's goingto make me
a whole, complete player as I get
older. I think where I am right now
is best for me."
For the first time in more than
a decade, the women's basketball

team features just one freshman, so
Hicks is often made fun of for being
just 17years old,accordingto senior
Krista Clement. Hicks usually
strikes back, though, never intimi-
dated by her older counterparts.
Hicks's past gives fans reason
to get excited for the program's
future. She averaged 11.5 points, 5.1
rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.9 steals
in her career and was an all-state
selection her senior year.
Against Lake Superior State,
the 5-foot-9 guard showed off her
aggressive style and scorer's men-
talitywhen she hoisted up four
shots and connected on a lay-up for
her first points as a Wolverine.
Once the ball dropped through
the net, the bench erupted as if
Hicks had scored agame-winner.
"I was just really happy for her,"
Clement said. "It was fun to see her
score a basket."
Hicks added: "The whole thing
was just like I thought it'd be.I
kind of dreamed about this, seen
it in the past and it was that and
more. Just being on the floor and
finally being able to put on the
uniform and actually be right there
with them, it was indescribable."
But back to the quadruple-dou-
ble. Did she really did accomplish
the rarest of rare feats?
"Yes I did. Itwas a fun day that
game. I would like to repeat it one
day. I hope you guys are there for
that one."

Fab Five star dishes on Beilein

By MARK GIANNOTTO
Daily Sports Writer
Hard as it is to believe, there
was a time when Michigan bas-
ketball was a regular in the NCAA
Tournament. Nine years without
dancing has a way of destroying
those memories, though.
But if there's anybody who
knows what it will take for the
Wolverines to climb back to
national prominence, it's former
Fab Five star Jimmy King.
King, who will be a studio ana-
lyst and call games for the Big
Ten Network this season, talked
to The Michigan Daily at Big
Ten Media Day about a variety of
issues, including the new coach's
regime and the Fab Five's legacy.
On his initial impression of
John Beilein:
I think, overall, from a Big Ten
standpoint, you need your bigger
teams like Michigan to be success-
ful in order to broaden the scope
of the league. And I think that
with the talent base that's around
the Michigan area, you need a guy
that can come in there and har-
ness that talent and bring it in.
Beilein has won everywhere he's
been. He's taken teams that you
didn't think could get to a tourna-
ment and gotten there. And I don't
think it should be any different at
MVIichigan. I think the philosophy
and the mindset of the players has
to adjust to what he wants to do.
I think, over time, that will hap-
pen.
On who will emerge as Mich-
igan's go-to player this season:
The Princeton system is based
around total team play. You want
to have your core guys that are
going to score for you, butI think
what Johnis goingto emphasize is

0
S

Schaetzel ends fall strong

Michigan coach John Beilein has a supporter in former Fab Five star Jimmy King.

team basketball. They can't guard
five guys, but it's easier to guard
one. They've got to go in saying,
'We're goingto have constant ball
movement, player and ball move-
ment, and work together as team,
we can be successful.' And I think,
out of that, you're goingto develop
one or two guys that can come out
of that system as they progress
through the season. I don't even
think John has an idea yet because
it's a new program and a new sys-
tem. But I do think someone will
step up out of that.
On how to improve support
of the team amongst students:
You have to win. You have to
give a product that the campus,
the alumni, the university can be
proud of and support. It's not like
they don't want to support the
team.
At the beginning of every year,
you see the enthusiasm, but it falls

off as the losses come. You have to
give the fans a sense of hope, even
if you go .500 or a little bit above
.500; you're giving them hope.
Below .500, it's like, 'Oh well, it's
just another season.' That's the
key to getting the fan base back.
On Jalen Rose's billboard,
commemorating the legacy of
the Fab Five:
I didn't know about the sign,
but initially, you would say there's
a lot of pride about what hap-
pened. Because even though you
took the banners down, took the
rings away, the guys still had to
play the games. It was a special
time for Michigan basketball.
It was a special time for Big Ten
basketball because of what we
brought to the table. And the sad
part is that when you have a con-
notation of wrongdoing, it hurts
everybody. And I think probably
what Jalen was trying to do more

than anything was invigorate and
bring back the pride to Michi-
gan basketball from what they
brought to the table when they
were young.
On if he thinks the entire Fab
Five will ever feel welcomed
back on campus:
I think time heals a lot of
wounds. I think what has to hap-
pen is an admonishment of the
fact that there was some wrong-
doing. Admit to it and move on.
I think Chris (Webber) was the
last one to admit to it at the end,
and it left a sour feeling. Alumni
look at it as a black eye, but hope-
fully one day it will get to the
point where that whole team gets
together, goes back into Crisler,
and people will accept what they
tried to do during their time. I
don't think it's goingto happen in
the near future, but it'll happen.
eventually.

By MATT JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer
Throughout its fall season, the
Michigan men's golf team showed.
plenty of promise. But the Wolver-
ines struggled to close out tourna-
ments.
After beginning the season with
awin at the PurdueMidwest Shoot-
out, Michigan enjoyed two more
top-five finishes, but no titles.
Yesterday, the Wolverines final-
ly got the breakthrough win they'd
been looking for. Michigan finished
first at The Wolverine at Mission
Inn in Florida, a tournament the
Wolverines hosted.
"We basically had good play
throughout," Michigan coach
Andrew Sapp said through the
athletic department. "It just really
came together this weekend."
Michigan took a lead on the first
day of the tournament that it never
relinquished. Senior Tim Schaetzel
got off to ahot start with a 4-under
par 68 in the morning of the first
round. During the afternoon ses-
sion, junior Bill Rankin recorded a
3-under par 69 in the second round
to keep the momentum going.
The Wolverines kept up their

great play in the final round yes-
terday, defeating runner-up Penn
State by 10 strokes. Schaetzel
recorded a 69, finishing in first
place for the entire tournament.
Freshman Alexander Sitompul.
stayed near par for the tournament
and finished in fifth place. Rankin
came in seventh, and junior Brian
Ottenweller tied for 13th.
Schaetzel said a different mind-
set helped Michigan correct some
of the problems it experienced ear-
lier in the season.
"We just sort of said, 'Let's just
go out there and have fun, play well
and stay loose,' " Schaetzel said
through the athletic department.
"That was our game plan and we
stuck with it all tournament long."
The Wolverine at Mission Inn
was Michigan's last tournament of
the fall season. Sapp noted how the
strong finish should give the team
momentum for the springseason.
"We are just making strides
in the right direction," Sapp said
through nthe athletic department.
"This (win) should help our rank-
ing, which is what gets you into
regionals - that's one of our goals
this season. Going into the winter,
it's always nice to finish well."
(I