8 - Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
8 - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
No need to panic, Blue s 21-game drought
future still looks promising ends for Czarnik
By CHRIS MESZAROS his best hockey, and Czarnik is de
efi-
After his team blew a
20-point lead to the
Chicago Bears in 2006,
former Arizona Cardinals coach
Dennis Green erupted during his
postgame press conference. His
tantrum was featured on every
major sports media outlet and was
later spoofed ina Coors Light com-
mercial.
Among Green's ALEX
famous words was PROSPERI
this gem, refer-
ring to the Bears: On Men's
"They are who we Basketball
thought they were."
More than two years later, those
words summarize the Michigan
men's basketball team's season.
After a 9-2 non-conference
schedule catapulted the Wolver-
ines into both Top 25 polls by the
end of December, Michigan quickly
became a Cinderella story. At the
time, few doubted the Wolverines
would make the NCAA Tourna-
ment for the first time since 1998.
Expectations rose so high that if
Michigan (4-6 Big Ten, 14-8 over-
all) didn't make the tournament, it
seemed that the season would be a
bust. But those expectations were
simply too high for this team.
"We'll have ups," Beilein said on
Oct. 14. "More ups than last year,
we hope. We'll have downs; that's a
constant."
Michigan has an outside chance
of dancing in March, but here are
three reasons why the Wolver-
ines faithful should stay positive
through the rest of the season.
The man in charge: Michigan
fans had it rough recently. In
former Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker's second year (2002-03),
the team won six more games
than the year before and won the
National Invitation Tournament
the next season. But in six seasons,
Amaker never made it over the
jump to the NCAA Tournament.
So when Michigan toppled UCLA
and Duke this season, some fans
were a bit skeptical about getting
too excited. After seeing the Wol-
verines lose five of their last six
conference games this season, they
were right.
But Beilein and Amaker aren't
the same coach.
Before coming to Ann Arbor,
Amaker coached four years at
Seton Hall and had a 68-55 record.
He was young, just 35, and seemed
to have a bright future. But six
years without dancing says other-
wise. Beilein, on the other hand,
has experience.
Michigan was just 10-22 last
season. But in Beilein's first three
seasons at West Virginia, the win
total increased each year, so there's
room for optimism.
When it comes to strategy, the
comparison isn't even close. Amak-
er rarely called an inbounds play
and often ran down the shot clock
just to have a desperation 3-pointer
clank off the rim. He developed
the reputation as a poor in-game
coach.
Beilein is highly respected
among his college basketball col-
leagues. ESPN's Dick Vitale wrote
in 2005, "Many college basketball
insiders feel that Beilein is one of
the masters on the sidelines."
Don't worry. Beilein's got it
under control.
The players: If you haven't
noticed yet, Michigan isn't that
talented right now. The Wolverines
feature two of the conference's
premier scorers and rebounders in
sophomore guard Manny Harris
and junior forward DeShawn Sims.
After that, there's a dropoff in
talent.
Sophomore point guard Kelvin
Grady has shown great improve-
ment this season, but there are
arguably eight point guards in the
Big Ten better than him.
Daily Sports Writer
The last time freshman Rob-
bie Czarnik scored a goal, Barack
Obama hadn't yet been elected
President.
And not only was snapping his
21-game goalless streak Saturday
against then-No. 1
Notre Dame cause NOTEBOOK
for celebration,
but his goal also couldn't have come
at a better time.
The score brought the Wolverines
within one after falling behind 3-0.
And it may have been exactly
what the freshman needed after
three months of frustrating games.
Coming into the season, Michi-
gan coach Red Berenson knew
Czarnik had the talent to play. It was
simply a matter of if that skill would
transfer to the ice.
"He's worked hard, he's played
well," Berenson said. "I'm not sur-
prised that he scored, but Ican't pre-
dict if it's going to change his game
or if it's going to elevate his produc-
tion or his line's production."
Czarnik scored his third-period
goal on a blueline pass from sopho-
more forward Aaron Palushaj, who
ended his own eight-game goal
drought Saturday.
"It felt greatto finally put one in,"
Czarnik said. "I wasn't too worried
aboutscoring, I knew it'd eventually
come."
Czarnik is part of the team's third
line that is finally starting to click.
The freshman plays with senior Tim
Miller, who scored Friday's game-
winning goal, and junior Brian Leb-
ler, who had an assist on Saturday.
Czarnik's linemates have played
well recently, particularly Miller,
who has excelled on the penalty kill.
With the rest of the line playing well,
it was just a matter of time before
Czarnik finally got on the board.
"That line has something going
for it right now," Berenson said.
"Miller's been playing his best hock-
ey, and I think Lebler's been playing
nitely playing well."
WORTHY OF NO. 1: It's rare
that a college hockey goal makes
ESPN's Top 10 Plays, let alone be
No. 1. But Friday, Miller's faceoff
goal in the second period earned
the top spot.
Miller took the draw but didn't
win it cleanly. He then reached
his stick behind his opponent's leg
and fired a quick wrist shot past
surprised Notre Dame goaltender
Jordan Pearce. The goal extended
Michigan's lead to 2-0.
"I was going to go forward with
the puck until Czarnik drove the
net," Miller said. "Then they left
a (defenseman) in the middle, so I
changed it up and tried to go back.
Their guy fell on the ice, and I just
got it out of his skates and shot it as
quick as I could."
BACK TO PRACTICE: Senior
captain Mark Mitera completed his
return to practice yesterday. Mitera
was seen last week skating with the
team before practices, but yester-
day was his first full practice since
his knee injury against St. Law-
rence the first week of the regular
season.
"He's behind," Berenson said.
"He hasn't played a game since early
October. He's going to skate hard
and we put him on forward to get
him skating more.and handling the
puck more."o
Though the senior is far from
game shape, both he and Berenson
noted that his recovery from knee
surgery is going faster than expect-
ed.
Mitera has stated he would like
to return to the ice before the end of
the regular season, four weeks from
now.
"Personally, I think I should be
able to play (by the end of the sea-
son)," Mitera said three weeks ago.
"I need to make sure everything
heals properly. I don't want to take
any risks at this point, but that's my
goal, to get back for one more game
at Yost."
Freshman Zack Novak should be one of Michigan's top performers in future seasons.
And don't forget the fact that
three freshmen have had to play
significant minutes. Those three,
guards Laval Lucas-Perry, Zack
Novak and Stu Douglass, have
had their moments and will all be
important parts to the program.
But for now they're young and
inexperienced.
With that said, Michigan still
has 14 wins with nine games left in
a better-than-advertised Big Ten
that has four teams in the AP Top
25. Smile.
Thefuture: Beilein can recruit.
In just his second season at Michi-
gan, he has commitments from a
trio of three-star recruits and one
four-star.
He's not known for bringing in
big-time recruits and instead, typi-
cally molds certain players to fit his
system. But after bringing two top-
20 players at their respective posi-
tions, expect Michigan's level of
talent to rise in the years to come.
The NCAA Tournament may not
be in Michigan's future this year,
but don't panic. There are plenty of
good times to come.
Redshirt freshman could be
Blue's 'secret weapon' on rings
4
Vance coming out
strong after spraining
ankle last year
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
Few in the University of Illinois-
Chicago P.E. Building took notice as
a small Wolverine stepped up to the
rings halfway through the Windy
City Invitational on Jan. 17. The
Michigan men's gymnastics team
and its fans, however, were riveted.
For his first time in college, redshirt
freshman Andrew Vance was about
to compete.
For rings, the fourth event, all
the non-competing Wolverines left
the bleachers to cluster by the rings
tower. Second in the lineup, his face
devoid of emotion, Vance grabbed
the rings and smoothly executed his
routine, just like in practice.
After he landed his double-layout
dismount with a small hop, emo-
tion poured out. Vance yelled and
clapped with triumph, even in the
middle of his final salute to the
judges.
"It was probably the best overall
feeling I've had in my gymnastics
career so far," Vance said. "It was
just an indescribable feeling of sat-
isfaction and accomplishment."
Vance arrived at Michigan as
a walk-on last year, and when he
sprained his ankle in the winter, he
knew he couldn't compete until his
second season. So last summer, he
attacked rings, his favorite event,
with renewed vigor:
It helped that Michigan assistant
coach Scott Vetere implemented a
tough strength program to improve
the ring men's holds and positions.
One morning, he put the gymnasts
through eight sequences in which
they had to hold each position for
six seconds. In competition, a gym-
nast must hold his position for just
two seconds to get credit for the
skill.
"I felt like a was going to die,"
senior co-captain Phil Goldberg
said. "It really helped (Vance) a
lot because he just has a ring-man
body."
Vance, who's about five feet tall,
has a comparatively large and pow-
erful upper body. His teammates
almost immediately nicknamed
him "Midge" upon his arrival, but
Vance didn't take any offense. At
his old gym, Michigan Academy in
Westland, he was known as "Frog"
because as a little boy, his favorite
shirt had a picture of a frog on it.
"I'm kind of stuck in a position
here where everyone calls him
'Midge,' and I called him 'Frog,' "
said former Michigan gymnast Dan
Rais,Vance'sroommate. "Nowl just
call him Andrew, his real name."
Vance's ticket into the lineup was
a quality vault to go with his power-
ful rings set. Even competing at the"
junior level, where everyone has to
compete in the all-around, Vance
had always focused on rings.
"He knows if he's just going to do
rings, it's going to be hard for him
to compete," Rais said. "I think he's
found a new love for (vault). Being
on the team, it's a lot more fun than
just being on a junior team that's
centered around yourself."
Goldberg, one of the team's top
ring men, is impressed with Vance's
improvement. He said he thinks the
Plytnouth native may be a secret
weapon for Michigan.
"I'm not sure other teams have
even heard about him, but he's defi-
nitely an All-American in waiting,"
Goldberg said. "He definitely has
the ability to do big things in college
gymnastics."
WILL MOELLER/Daily
Senior Chisako Sugiyama is just 10 wins away from becoming the the Wolverines' all-time winningest women tnnis player.
Soft-spoken Sugiyama
e-merg"es as Blue's leader
4
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No
ented senior uses capabilities better than Sugi-
yama's current doubles partner,
ntire court to junior Tania Mahtani.
"She has taught me the impor-
her advantage tance of being aggressive, espe-
cially in doubles, and not just
By MARK BURNS waiting for an opponent to make
Daily Sports Writer an error," Mahtani said. "Since
I've started playing with her, I've
ording to Michigan wom- become more multi-dimensional
nnis coach Ronni Bernstein, in my doubles games as well as in
Chisako Sugiyama has an singles."
urt" game. Sugiyama had to learn to be a
at the coach means is that leader the hard way.
ma has the ability to win When she was in high school,
right at the net while also Sugiyama simply relied on her
able to volley back and forth natural ability.
extended period of time. In "in high school tennis, I knew I
in, an "all-courter" uses the was going to win," Sugiyama said.
court when trying to get a When she arrived in Ann Arbor,
nd can win long points that she knew she was going to have to
e a lot of endurance. work for every point.
yama fits the mold of an But the transition from the
urter" perfectly. high school ranks to the collegiate
is super talented," Bern- scene did not take long. Sugiyama
aid of the Parsippany, N.J., notched a team-best 27 wins in her
"Chisako is willing to come first year, thanks to guidance from
is the net and has an excel- the team captain.
ckhand and can beat you off Then-senior Debra Streifier
de as well." gave Sugiyama many words of
with Michigan's five under- advice about her singles game,
en on its eight-member something Sugiyama says has
the soft-spoken Sugiyama helped her become the player she
d to step up this season and is today.
ice the play of the rest of the The following year, another
upperclassman took Sugiyama
one knows her leadership under her wing.
"I played doubles with (then-
senior) Jenny (Kuehn) two years
ago," Sugiyama said. "She wasn't
a very vocal person, but she knew
how to play and what she wanted 4
to do on the court."
Sugiyama's leadership is similar
to Kuehn's. She has become one
of the best leaders on this year's
edition of the Wolverines, even
though she rarely talks while play-
ing.
Now, Sugiyama is Bernstein's
go-to player. The senior is just 10
wins away from becoming the
all-time wins leader in Wolverine
history. And with more than two
months left in the season, Sugi-
yama is on pace to reach the mile-
stone.
If she hopes to make a dive into
the NCAA Tournament this year,
the Japanese-born Sugiyama will
need to use every aspect of her
"all-court" game.
She made an early exit last year,
losing in the second round of the
NCAA Singles Championship.
But after much improvement and
another year of experience, Sugi-
yama is now looking to make a
statement.
"Chisako has been at the top of
our lineup since I've been here,"
Bernstein said. "She is definitely
one of those 'lead by example'
players."