2B - December 14, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com14 Detroit a familiar opponent for 'M' It's a shame to see some FCS teams lose football his weekend, Brian Kelly called a team meeting to tell his Cincinnati play- ers that he had accepted the head coaching job at Notre Dame. The Bearcats' standout receiver and vocal team leader, Mardy Gilyard, immediately walked out of the room and told the Asso- ciated Press, "He went for the money. I'm fairly disgusted with the situa- ANDY tion, that they REID let it last this long." I sympathize with Gilyard, but only to a point. His team has a chance to upset a deflated Florida team and finish the season 13-0, but the situation could be much, much worse. Mardy, you lost your coach. Ask Northeastern senior defensive lineman Chris Byrne what it's like to lose your program. A few weeks ago, his FCS foot- ball team met with athletic direc- tor Peter Roby, in a similar setting to Cincinnati's meeting with Kelly. But Roby dropped a much bigger bombshell. At his recommendation, the school decided to drop the team forever. "I am convinced that this decision is in the best interest of the university," Roby wrote in an open letter, explaining the situation. "The past several years have been disappointing for our football program despite the best efforts of our staff and players." After Kelly's meeting, Gilyard was worried about what he would tell his younger teammates who needed motivation for the bowl game. It could be much worse, Mardy. You could have to console the younger guys - the ones who are now faced with potentially life- changing decisions, like whether to transfer or stay in Boston. "I had some younger friends on the team who were crying in my arms," Byrne told AthleticBusi- ness.com after the decision. "It was pretty ridiculous how it all went down, because nobody saw it coming. We felt betrayed and lied to. Even though we thought there was a chance the program might get cut, Peter Roby assured us it wouldn't be." Northeastern is just one school in a sad trend this offseason. Not as publicized as the annual fir- ing of coaches, smaller schools around the country are canning their entire football teams, clearly for monetary reasons. Western Washington cut foot- ball in January 2009, and Hofstra and Northeastern cut their teams after this season. According to the Associated Press, the move will save Hofstra's athletic depart- ment $4.5 million annually, and a combined 13 new sports programs are being planned between North- eastern and Hofstra. In an ideal world, every school could have every sport, and every athletic department could be as comfortably independent and financially stable as Michigan's. But the reality is - especially in this economy, when people might not want to pay to watch a 3-8 FCS team like Northeastern - that's not how college athletics work. Football is, hands down, the most expensive team a school can field. Though the benefits of having ateam can often outweigh the negatives, it's a shame when a school just can't sustain the sport any longer. I love football, especially col- lege football, because of its pas- sion. And I can't think of anything more passionate than playing for a struggling FCS team just for the love of the game. It's a shame these kids are losing out on that opportunity. I'm sure it hurt Mardy Gilyard to hear of Kelly's departure, and I really respected that he told the city, "Cincinnati, I got you, we got you." But imagine, Mardy, that you had to tell Cincinnati that your program was just dropped to save a few bucks. -Reid can be reached at andyreid(4umich.edu. ByJOESTAPLETON Daily Sports Writer Yesterday's win against Detroit nmsy have seemed like just a tune- up for the Michigan men's basket- ball team, especially with a game against Kansas looming on Dec. 19. But to the Wolverines' two stars - junior Manny Harris and senior DeShawn Sims - it meant NOTEBOOK more. "I know most of the guys who play a lot on their team, and a lot of us played together and grew up together," Sims said. "I used to go to U of D games, so it meant a lot for us to get this win." Harris and Sims are the only two Michigan players from the city of Detroit, and they matched up against former AAU team- mates and opponents yesterday. "I know quite a few of them," Harris said. "(Sophomore guard) Chase Simon actually played on my AAU team, (senior guard) Eulis (Stephens) played on my AAU team, a couple of those guys." Michigan coach John Beilein said potential Detroit bragging rights played a part in the Wol- verines' strong performance in the second half after trailing at halftime. "They know these guys, they played with a great deal of pride," Beilein said. "And we need to make sure we play like that every day." NOVAK THE BARBER: Fresh- man Matt Vogrich ran through the tunnel onto the court for war- mups yesterday sporting a brand- new 'do. It was an interesting look - buzzed pretty short, but with a 4 W CLIF REEDER/Daily Junior Manny Harris, a Detroit native, scored 27 points against the Titans. He knows several of the Detroit basketball players from AAU and high school ball. strange shaved patch on the back of his head. The stylist behind the new look? Sophomore Zack Novak. Apparently, it all started when Vogrich asked Novak if he could borrow his car to go to a barber. "I wasn't gonna let him," Novak said. "Then I decided to let him, but I waited until all the places were closed." So Novak told him to go get a razor. After Novak buzzed most of Vogrich's hair off, the sophomore he took a chunk off the back. And apparently, Vogrich is OK with it. "He loves it," Novak said. "He calls it his Rasheed Wallace patch." HAPPY FOR THE HEISMAN WINNER: On Saturday, Alabama's Mark Ingram hoisted the 75th Heisman Trophy. And while plen- ty of Southerners were rooting for the running back, so were many in his hometown of Flint. One fellow Flintstone in par- ticular was pulling from Ingram: Michigan redshirt sophomore Laval Lucas-Perry. "We went to the same school together in Grand Blanc, and we played against each other," Lucas- Perry said. "There's a little bit of camaraderie there." When asked about Ingram's basketball skills, Lucas-Perry, who logged 36 minutes and scored 10 points on Sunday, laughed and said the Heisman winner was where he needed to be. "He should probably stick to the football field, but he's ahell of football player," Lucas-Perry said. "I like to see -he's representing Flint town, so it's a great moment for him." Wolverines continue brutal road stretch at Xavier, look for eighth 'W' of season 6 In eight-game road slate, Michigan has already notched four wins By ALEX HERMANN Daily Sports Writer To put it succinctly, the Michi- gan women's basketball team is learning how to win. And the Wol- verines are doing it at a pace that has coach Kevin Borseth pleasant- ly surprised. Six games into an eight-game road trip, the Wolverines have picked up four crucial wins, including Thursday's 76-70 vic- tory over Boston College. Michigan looks to continue its impressive road performance tonight at No. 8 Xavier. Its four road N wins already quadruple the team's road victory totals from a year ago. KEEPING PACE: Whether it's an up-tempo brand of playground hoops - as witnessed in the Wol- verines' three 85-plus point efforts this year - or the grind of Big Ten basketball, Michigan has kept pace with its opponents. "We like to push the ball this year," freshman guard Jenny Ryan said. "That's one of our points of emphasis.... We have a lot of speed between (freshman guard Day- eesha Hollins) and (junior guard Veronica Hicks). And then we have the shooters that are capable of putting up the big numbers." The team is constructed per- fectly to run the floor. Hollins, Hicks and Ryan have proved they can force turnovers on the perim- eter that turn into easy baskets. Senior center Krista Phillips and sophomore forward Carmen Reyn- olds are as comfortable shooting from beyond the arc as they are patrolling the paint. Itwasn't clearifMichiganwould be able to compete with physical conference opponents, but in their only chance so far this season, the' Wolver In th far, th those q to s we The Michig of the s Reynolc ines looked impressive. the starting lineup, all scoring in eir lone opportunity thus double digits. The Hawkeyes, with me Wolverines answered five freshmen of their own and uestions triumphantly. three in the starting lineup, are fairly young themselves, and the game served as a good measuring ven if you try stick for the Wolverines. 0/ y "I think this win was something low us down great for us," Hicks said. "It shows I that even if you try to slow us can fight that down we can fight that adversity and come out on top. I think that's adversity." something that's really huge." YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE: Even though Michigan relied on its more experienced players 54-51 win over Iowa was against the Hawkeyes, the fresh- an's lowest scoring affair men showed they could step up eason. Phillips, Hicks, and when it counted, against Boston ds, the three veterans in College. "Dayeesha did a great job down the stretch," Borseth said after Thursday's win over the Eagles. "She had a tip-in, she had a layup, a crunch layup, and then she hit some free throws that were pretty darn critical. She came to life right at the end of that game." Both Hollins and Ryan sunk a pair of free throws with under a minute to go in the game. The Wolverines managed to seal both games in the final min- utes, proof that the team is playing more mature than its age. Michigan has shown it can play any style of basketball it needs in order to secure victories, whether in the comforts of Crisler or in hostile environments. BIVO UA Cannrborcom LIAY GIFTS FOR FOR UFNDER PETZL - i PLUS FOLLOw DAILY SPoRTs ON TW-rER: @MICHDAILYSPORTS. Are You Considering a Career in Health? Consider the advantages of earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is offering an exciting opportunity to become a public health professional specializing in the prevention and control of disease, particularly chronic disease. 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