4B - March 16, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


BEILEIN
From page1B-
.'"He finds a way. .. Hesgot a track
record that if you huy into what he's
r selling, you're goingrto win."
Beilein has sold his system well
with 10.postseason appearances.
But he also shows loyalty to his
players-
In' 2006, Beilein's West Virginia
squad dropped its finalregular-sea-
son contest by three points to Cin-
cinnati on the road.
More than 400 miles away, in
Buffalo, N.Y., two of Beilein's former
players, Michael Meeks and Daryl
Barley, were being inducted into
the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame.
Immediately after the Mountain-
eers' game ended, Beilein boarded
a plane bound for Buffalo. He made.
Meeks and Barley's afternoon cer-
emony .and then took the two out'
for-dinher. A few chicken wings and
another plane ride later, he wasback
to Morgantown.
- "That's why he's a special guy,"
Maddock said.."That's why he's so
successful and why players 'play
hard for him and people work for
him. He's extremely loyal, extreme-
ly passionate about what he does
andhe cares aboutpeople."
In his six seasons, Amaker was
known as a class act. His integrity
- andstraight-lacedrecruitingbrought
Michigan out of a dark sanction peri-
od. He led theWolverines to-two NIT
Finals and won the title in 2004.
" But his teams could never quite.
make it to the Big Dance.
"It was good withboth guys,"said
assistant coach Mike Jackson, who"
also worked under Amaker. 'But it's
been really good to just learn from
someone who's won so many games,
done so many things and -been-in'
this-situation alot of times."'
Beilein is now one of just seven
coaches to lead four different teams.
to the NCAA Tournament.
He has done it with a variety
of players, some -he recruited and
some he didn't. But before he even
conducted his first practice in Ann
Arbor, he needed to get Michigan's
best onboard.
WINNING THEM OVER
Like he had'done at his previous.
stops, ~ Beilein made a phone call.
shortly after earning the head job.
DeShawn Sims had just finished
his freshman season. Sims came
in as a highly touted big man with
potential for a good outside shot,but
Amaker limited his playingtire..
Beilein was new coach and want-

improve. Harris has become a com- players or just ones to fit his system?
plete player and is considered alead- And could he lead Michigan to its
er on his team. first NCAAberth since 1998?
"He came in and went straight to "Naw, . I didn't," Jackson said
business and didn't let up one bit on when asked if he thought Michigan
me or my teammates," Harris said of would make the -Tournament this
Beilein. "It was a lot hime showing me season.. "I think wse'goals from.
the ropes. But I was abe to cake it-the very heginning sbout where we
don't argue with him, don't fightwith wanted to be. And we've taken one .
him, and just wantto getbetter." of thdse steps today."
Harris and Sims wanted it, and Michigan is starting to follow.
Beilein has shown them the way. the same path as Beilein's previous
teams: struggling to learn his system
THE FUTURE in the frst year,bouncingback in the
Beilein said he's going to enjoy
a cold beer and savor his team's
NCAA Tournament bid, but just EISENSTEIN.
for one night. . From page l B.'
It's not enough to have MVichi-
gan simply make the Tourna- in theCCHA to No. 3 in the country.'
ment. He expects moce.. Michigan's defense has let up more
"We had to get to this point to than two even-strength goals just
have people believe," Beilein said. three times in the past 20 games; In
"You know aboutrecruiting, what that stretch, it hasn't allowed more
SWILL MOELLER/Daily this does to people saying, 'Are than three goals.
Michigan coach John -Beilein addresses the crowd at Crisler Arena yesterday. . .j. . - - p.
they going to get it done there? Is". The injuries to senior captain.
ed the most from Sims. Amaker's highly touted recruiting that style goingto work, are those Mark Mitera, junior Steve Kampfer
Beilein called and Sims was all class. And Beilein had to make.a few type of recruits going to work, is and freshman Brandon Burlon were
ears. more phone calls. this going to work?' a bigblow to the Wolverine defense
"Ihad a delightful 10-minute con- 'One was to Manny Harris. "Okay, it worked so far .., now in the beginning of the year, but it
versation with. him," Beilein said. Harris, Michigan's 2007 Mr. Bas- we've got to continue. with the also provided an opportunity to
"And what I was most impressed of ketball, was set on becoming a Wol= program so we can not just be build incredible depth that is now
...I said, listen, we gotta address this verine. happy to be in, but to be in and paying dividends.
issue. Are you in-with this thing as When Amaker was . fired, the advaince, which is obviously what "We .have a pretty solid 'D' core
you get a new coach? . then-high school senior told report- we're trying to do on Thursday." right how," Mitera said. "Even guys
'"And there was never any doubt ers his plans were still intact. But Unlike Beilein'sprevious stops, who -aren't playing- can contribute
in-his mind or my mind, showed no then his classmate Alex Legion Michigan has the name rcecogni at any time. I think it makes prac-'
wavering at all. Coach, I cane to decommitted and Hfarris was faced tion to attract the.country's top tice that much better. (There is)
Michigan to help turn the program with a difficult decision. - talent. But Beilein has made :a competition at practice where you
around.' And it was great chemistry "I told (Harris) that the reason name for himself by fitting play- don't really know who's going to be
from the beginning." why he should stay is if he turns that ers into his system and maximiz- that fifth and sixth defenseman. We
In the Wolverines' marquee wins program around, which he's doing ing their ability. Will he need top have eight guys that can roll."
this season - UCLA, Duke and Pur- now, and come back to the Dance, talent to grow the program? Simply put, the unit is stacked.
due - it was Sims who dominated put up good numbers over four years, Beilein brought in freshmen Three of the six' that diress on a
the stat sheets. he has a good chance to go down as guards Stu Douglass and Zack
- Since his freshman season,.Sims one of the greats," KenFlowers, Har- Novak this season. Two of the
has blossomed as an agile post pres- ris's high school coach, said. team's best sharp shooters, the
ence and crashed the boards as the . In high school, Harris would duo has taken away playing time REID
Big Ten's fourth-leading rebounder. slash to the basket and draw fouls from Amaker's original recruits From page 1B
He can also hit outside shots with with ease - not exactly a charac- like sophomore point guard Kel-
some of the Wolverines' best sharp teristic of Beilein's - previous sharp vin Grady, redshirt sophomore * Because of that, the Wolverines'
shooters. shooters like Kevin Pittsnogle and forward Anthony Wright and Selection Sunday watch party
And as Sims jumped. from his Joe Alexander. senior forward Jevohn Shepherd. * wouldn't have made sense without
chair as he heard Michigan's name "Beilein is more of jump shoot- Butthe Wolverines have stayed the fans there to go crazy with the
called yesterday as. the South ing, and it really wasn't-much of his *.together. teamAnd if you didn't watch the
Region's No: 10 seed, he had one game," Flowers said of Harris. "But "Whatllove aboutthisprogram program, Michigan had the rowdi'
person to thank. working out this summer with me is that is a unified team," Mar- estatmosphere of any tournament
"Coach Beilein deserves 90 per- and -all year last year with Coach tin said. "There are not factions team. .
cent of the credit," Simssaid. "He's Beilein, he really understands the among that team, it's all about the Whether his team got in, Beilein
done a great job of getting us to system right now and it's working." team. There's not, 'I'm not going knew everyone had to be invited.
believe. Believing has been lost -in Now, Harris still mesmerizes to pass it to that guy because I "I madethat decision yesterday,"
Ann Arbor since probably the last with his drives but can also drain a don't like him,' It is not that at all. Beilein said. "I had first said, just
time we went to the Tournament ... game-changing 3-pointer. It's a very cohesive team. Again, -. looking at the thing, I didn't want to
Once you teach people tobelieve, it's Within Beilein's system, Harris that's a reflection of the leadership make the decision. The next morn-
very easy from there." . has 93 more rebounds and 56 more through the coachingstaff" ing I woke up and saw the band
It's easy to believe now. Amaker assists than atthis point in his fresh- After a 10-22 season in his' members in the lobby studying,
.recruited players 'many thought man season. inaugural year inAnn Arbor,Bei-.. and then I saw a couple cheerlead-
would return theprogram to great- Flowers said Harris has always lein faced many doubters. ers going out in the morning, so
ness during his tenure. When Bei- been very headstrong and 'com- Could his system survive the I said to myself that all of these
lein took the helm, he- inherited petitive, putting in extra effort to Big Ten? Would he recruit better people have sacrificed so much that

second andbuild a winning tradi-
tion.
"We were hoping probably more
of an NIT thing would be a step,"
Beilein said. "When you're.10-22,
you're not expecting, (the NCAA
Tournament):"
"I said itwould he a roller coaster.
... I'm nottrying to tell anybody I'm
wiser than anybody else,but experi-
ence tells you you're going to be up
and down."
And to be up in the middle of
March is pretty good.
nightly basis were picked in the
first two rounds of the NHL Draft.
Among. the other three, Kampfer
was "a fourth-round pick, sopho-
more Chad Langlais is . a finalist
for the. CCHA's award for offen-
sive defenseman of the year and
Berenson called sophomore.Tristin
Llewellyn one'of Michigan's most
improveddefenders this season:
This team's offense - and a
potential Frozen Four run - will be
on the backs of those blueliners.
"Givingup one goal againtonight
is important," Mitera said Satur-
day. "We can't guarantee we're
goingto score six goals or five goals
next weekend It's going to be a lot
tougher."
* As the well-worn cliche goes, it's
defense that wins championships.
And there's no question-everyone
should be focused on Michigan's,
especiallythe vway it's playing com-
ing down the stretch.
isenstein can be reached
at msetseneumich.edu
- we have to make this an inclusive
thing.
"If we are in, we can enjoy it all
together, and if we are out, it makes
us stronger to come back and be
ready todo it next year.
The demand for tickets on
Thursday is so high that only sea-
son ficket holders can request them
- and they can't ask for more than
one.
Apparently, that sacrifice Beilein
spoke of has reached the stands..
Why go to lass, worry about
impending.exams, friends, family,
rent or anything elsexwhen yodr
team's in the Tournament?
After all, the fans, coaches, play-
ers, cheerleaders, ushers, band
members, managers - they're all in
this together.
- eid needs a ticket. E-mail
him at andyreid@umich.edu.

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