4B - January 26, 2009
The Michigan Daily -- michigandaily.com 4
Blue needs more
from its best
John Beilein says he's not
bothered by it. Manny Har-
ris says he's not getting frus-
trated. In fact, the whole Michigan
men's basketball team doesn't seem
to be paying it any attention.
But "Manny Fresh," the Wolver-
ines' sure-thing scorer, has gone
stale recently. Harris has just 12
points in the last two games on
3-of-19 shooting. He hasn't made a
3-pointer in more than 80 minutes.
Harris is a
great player -
he scored in
double figures in
every game this
season before
last week's Penn.
State debacle,
but he needs ANDY
to shake this REID
slump immedi-
ately if the Wol-
verines are going to make a push for
an NCAA Tournament bid.
In the locker room after Michi-
gan's 68-59 win against North-
western, Harris wasn't upset about
his eight points, saying that if his
shots aren't falling, he can contrib-
ute in other ways. And he did, dish-
ing out four assists and grabbing 12
rebounds.
Sure, Harris's newfound versa-
tility is a major reason for the Wol-
verines' drastic turnaround this
year. Sure, he was getting double-
teamed most of the night. Sure,
open shot opportunities are few and
far between for the Big Ten's No. 2
scorer.
But Harris didn't take advantage
of the chances he got, rimming out
shots and not finishing on lay-ups.
Even though he is on track to dou-
ble his assists total from last year,
Michigan is notgoing to thrive until
he finds his shot again.
"I'm not worried about mine,"
Harris said. " I'll get mine eventu-
ally. Just doing other things, get a
couple assists, rebounding. The key
is that we won."
But how long can the Wolverines
keep winningif Harris doesn't come
out of this scoring slump?
Before Saturday, no Michigan
fan could have possibly imagined a
scenario in which Harris notched
10-plus boards and didn't register
a double-double. Even if Harris is
gutting out the tough plays, hus-
tling on the court and helping his
teammates, there's been a giant hole
in Michigan's offense when he's not
scoring. His 351 points on the year
make up a quarter of the Wolver-
ines' total offensive output.
It doesn't stop with Harris, either.
Junior DeShawn Sims, who needs to
shore up the paint if the Wolverines
are to find success, has struggled to
uphold that responsibility lately.
When he scored the Wolver-
ines' first nine points on Saturday,
I thought Sims was finally adapting
to the role of Michigan's post pres-
ence. He tallied just one more field
goal in the game's final 37 minutes.
It's no secret that Beilein's squad
is in desperate need of a post game.
Sims can't be held quiet for so long
against one of the smallest teams in
the Big Ten. If lowly Northwestern
can keep Sims's post-play in check,
what will seven-footer B.J. Mullens
and Dallas Lauderdale of Ohio State
WILDCATS
From page 1B
Lucas-Perry, who made his first
3-pointer in three games. "We
played aggressive. We played
with poise."
With the win, Beilein earned
his 500th-career victory as a
head coach at a four-year school.
And .it took a complete effort
from his team to do it.
Nine players scored for the
Wolverines and six finished with
eight or more points.
Junior forward DeShawn
Sims scored Michigan's first nine
points in the game's first three
minutes.
But Sims cooled off and relied
on his teammates to lead Michi-
gan (4-4 Big Ten, 14-6 overall) to
its first win in four games. He fin-
ished with a team-high 15 points
and seven rebounds.
"He played like a beast," Lucas-
Perry said of Sims. "He played
with that tenacity that we need
out of him every game."
The Wildcats (2-5, 10-7)
entered Crisler Arena fresh off
their stunning 70-63 upset of No.
7 Michigan State last Wednesday
in East Lansing.
But Northwestern couldn't
muster the same lights-out
shooting and had just three play-
ers account for 83 percent of its
offense.
But while the Wildcats relied
on their top three scorers, Michi-
gan's leading offensive presence,
sophomore forward Manny Har-
ris, remained on a skid.
With just eight points on Sat-
urday, Harris has scored a com-
bined 12 points inthe Wolverines'
last two games.
But even when the Big Ten's
second-leading scorer (17.6
points per game) was double-
teamed, Harris was a major con-
tributor in Michigan's win with
a game-high 12 rebounds and
four assists.
"The key thing is winning,"
Harris said. "I've had 20-some
and we lost. It will come ... I'll get
mine back."
The Wolverines have played
well at home this year, and from
tipoff, the players' intensity was
palpable.
Whether it was Sims, Harris or
fifth-year senior guard C.J. Lee
diving for a rebound, Michigan
played with a poised urgency that
had been absent in recent games.
The Wolverines outrebound-
ed Northwestern 41-22 and had
an impressive 18-to-9 assist-to-
turnover ratio.
Freshman guard Zack Novak
was crucial to Michigan's attack
on the glass, grabbingthree offen-
sive and seven total rebounds.
At just 6-foot-5, Novak is often
outsized in the post, but his inten-
sity gives him an advantage.
"That was big -he's just exact-
ly what the doctor ordered, as far
as just a guy that is a nuts-and-
bolts, blue-collar, lunch-bucket,
whatever you guys want to call
him," Beilein said. "He does a lot
of the garbage stuff we need to
get done."
The patience the Wolverines
exhibited Saturday was a stark
contrast to last Tuesday's loss at
Penn State when Michigan shot
under 17 percent from 3-point
range.
- It was a big move for Michi-
gan to regain its confidence when
Northwestern was brimming
with it.
"That was probably the most
disappointing thing about the
three losses - we thought we
left something on the court," Lee
said.
"Tonight, we wanted to empty
out everyone's tank and go hard
the entire time."
4
4
4
Sophomore Manny Harris scores a layup in Michigan's 68-59 win over Northwestern.
do this Wednesday when Michigan the load. No one but the opposi-
travels to Columbus? tion wants the ball in Zack Gibson's
Twenty-three combined points hands in the waning seconds of a
from your two stars is not enough. tight game.
Even with other players like It's simple - the Wolverines
freshmen Stu Douglass, Laval can't afford to rely on the players
Lucas-Perry and Zack Novak step- they don't normally rely on to score
ping up, how long can Michigan for too much longer. If Harris and
hold on when nearly 50 percent of Sims continue to struggle down the
its expected point total, contributed stretch, so will Michigan.
by Harris and Sims, is curbed? It's great that Novak, Douglass
Douglass, astreaky3-pointshoot- and Co. are stepping tsp, but Harris
er, and Novak can't be expected to and Sims need to start leading the
carry the team. Sophomore point way.
guard Kelvin Grady - even though
he drained two from downtownn - Reid can be reached at
Saturday - isn't going to shoulder andyreidaumichedu.
4
Ofili and Co. oust competition Harris excels against
Wolverines earn fast e
Harvey Invitaional ifamiliar foes at home
4
By AMY SCARANO
Daily Sports Writer
One lane. Sixty-meters. Five
hurdles.
Seven and one half seconds later,
Senior Tiffany Ofili took a first-
place finish in the 60-meter hurdles
and an NCAA automatic-qualifying
mark for the second week in a row.
"I try to just drown everything
out," Ofili said. "Nothing else mat-
ters besides the five hurtles and the
finish line in front of me."
The co-captain also won the
60-meter dash and came in second
behind teammate Bettie Wade in
the long jump, leaping 20 feet and
7 inches at the non-scoring Sim-
mons/Harvey Invitational at the
Indoor Track Building Saturday.
Ofili took a noticeable lead right
out of the startingblocks in both the
60-meter hurdles and the 60-meter
dash. By the time her opponents
prepared to clear their first hurdle,
Ofiliwas a step ahead of the next.
Co-captains Casey Taylor and
Wade joined in Ofili's success. The
Wolverines earned seven first-place
finishes, five earned by the three
captains Taylor, Wade and Ofili.
Saturday's meet was one of the
few opportunities for the Wolver-
ines to get fast times before the Big
Senior Tiffany Ofili had two first-place fini
Ten Championships at the end of
February.
Taylor set a school record and
new personal best in the triple
jump (13.09 meters) Saturday, beat-
ing the personal best she set last
week in Akron.
"I was happy, but I had other
goals in mind," Taylor said. "I
stayed calm and collected just so
I could get myself together for the
rest of the jumps."
Wade followed with an equally
impressive performance when she
met the NCAA automatic-qualify-
ing mark with her 20-feet-and-10-
inch long jump, a personal best and
a jump good enough for first place.
"I get really hyped when things
shes at the Simmons/Harvey Invitational
go well," Wade said. "So I was just
really excited. And thes nay other
teammates, we all get really com-
petitive and talk smack to each
other so I was like 'lets go!"'
The Wolverines have just five
meets to earn qualifying times for
the NCAA Championships prior
to the indoor Big Tens. Michigan
coach James Henry said he was
impressed with his athletes perfor-
mance in only the third meet of the
season.
"I was really excited, reallyhappy
with the results," Michigan coach
James Henry said. "They looked
like if they continue to improve that
we are going to have a very special
team and a very special year."
Michigan notches
four first-place
finishes in
non-scoring meet
By ROGER SAUERHAFT
Daily Sports Writer
A quick stumble as he left the
blocks wasn't enough to keep
senior All-America sprinter Alam
Harris from finishing first.
Harris took the 60-meter dash
in just 6.71 seconds and picked
sip an NCAA provisional mark,
leading from start to finish in Sat-
urday's non-scoring Simmons/
Harvey Invitational at the 'ndoor
Track Building.
"What I was really happy about
was even stunibling out of the
blocks, he beat two national-cali-
her guys and was ahead the whole
race," LaPlante said. "I think he's
got a loti more in him, so that's
ROBINSON
From page 1B
(with Rodriguez) my first year at
Syracuse, when we went to the Big
East meetings," Robinson said. "I
found myself kind of gravitating to
him. I noticed our wives got along
together. That went on each sum-
mer.
"I like him. I think he's straight
up. What you see is what you get.
I know he's a heck of a football
coach. I've competed against him.
You get to know people like that.
That's why I contacted him."
Robinson first contacted Rodri-
exciting."
The two national-caliber run-
ners that LaPlante referred to
were Eastern Michigan's Clint
Allen and Johnny Drake, who ran
unattached. Allen is the defending
Mid-American Conference cham-
pion, and LaIlante says Drake once
held the world's top time when he
attended Central Michigan.
Harris said this wasn't the first
time they'd all faced off.
"They're pretty good friends
of mine, so we all have our little
camaraderie thing going," Harris
said. "I'm used to racing them. I
knew it was going to be good com-
petition - Coach was talking about
it all week."
The rest of the team-field fea-
tured teams including Valparaiso,
Central Michigan and South Flori-
da among others.
Harris' performance was partof
four first-place finishes on the day
for the 17th-ranked Wolverines.
Junior Matt Wheeler won
the 400-meter dash, sophomore
Carl Buchanon placed first in the
60-meter hurdles and redshirt
junior thrower Sean Pruitt won
the shot put.
Buchanon, who finished sec-
ond in hurdles at "The Dual" last
week, said he attributed his suc-
cess to three factors: composure,
maintaining speed between the
hurdles and keeping the correct
technique.
"When I was practicing before,
it all kind of came together," Buch-
anon said. "I was like, 'I hope I can
get this through the finals,' and
everything just clicked."
Though the meet doesn't count
in the standings, LaPlante said the
team's performance in the non-
scoringmeet reflected the Wolver-
ines' good preparation.
"This is the kind of meet, non-
scoring, after a disappointment,
guys did a nice job of competing,"
LaPlante said. "I was really happy
with the guys that ran the 400, the
way they ran the race ... For this
type of meet, it was perfect for us."
4
guez about the position several lize your strengths and hide your
weeks ago, but the Michigan coach weaknesses. Right now, for me,
wanted to wait for the bowl games the most important thing is get-
to end before hiring someone. The ting with these coaches, and really
two mnet up at the American Foot- studying and analyzing what we
ball Coach's Association confer- have and how to utilize it."
ence in Nashville, Tenn. from Jan. And although Rodriguez is
11.14 to talk about the job. On Jan. known to be heavily involved on
20, Robinson was announced as the offensive side of the ball, Rob-
the new coordinator. inson knows that the defensive
He will immediately begin scheme won't be a one-man show.
recruiting and working with the "The word is coordinate," Rob-
coaches to develop a defensive sys- inson said. "I never think to myself
tem. it's just going to be one guy. When
"I'm a believer that you fit your it gets like that, it gets lonely. You
system to the talents that you always want people to bounce
have," Robinson said. "Philosophi- things off of, contribute a thought
cally, I'm a believer that you uti- or two."
4
1 .,
Marian Wright Edelman
founder and president. of the Children's Defense Fund
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:00-5:30 pm
Michigan Union Ballroom, University of Michigan,
530 5. State Street, Ann Arbor
Attendees will receive a free copy of Edelman's book,
The Sea is So Wide and My Boat is So Small: Charting a
Course for the Next Generation.
Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.
www.fordschool.umich.edu
For more information, call Jill at 734-615-3893.
Gerald R. Ford !7 Students of Color
School of Public Policy .--- in Public Policy
Y NAI TUNA:. 1OVERTY
UNiVERSYTY OF MICHIGAN CENTER
4