8 - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Harris falters at Michigan State, Beilein says no CBI The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com ByNICOLE AUERBACH Daily SportsEditor EAST LANSING - At times, it was hard to find him on the court. Manny Harris, Michigan's star guard and leading scorer, was a non-factor in the Wolverines' loss NOTEBOOK to Michigan State on Sunday. Harris scored just four-points,- which is not only a season low, but it also tied a career low for the junior. The last time Harris put up just four points was against Wisconsin in the second round of the Big Ten Tour- nament, the last game of his fresh- man season. On Sunday, Harris shot 1-for-10, without any excuses for the low output - like foul trouble or not playing many minutes (he played 33). He simply struggled to create open shots, and each time he took one, it looked forced. Michigan coach John Beilein said that Harris's low output could be attributed in large part to the Spartan defensive game plan. "They play a great individual defense," Beilein said. "They keyon him ... and make it difficult for him to get anywhere." Beilein also talked about partic- ular moments during recent games when Harris wasn't making the smartest plays. Many times, these were the situations when the Wol- verines needed their star to step up. "There were some times they go under a ball screen, he's got to shoot the ball," Beilein said. "He still has (trouble) recognizing that sometimes, or when he gets into the lane, he's got to get a little 15-foot jump shot where he rises up and shoots. "He doesn't do that enough. He's still a guy that likes to take it to the hole or dish. The in-between game is something he's got to spend the whole summer on." BEILEIN TALKS TOURNEYS: During Monday's Big Ten basket- ball teleconference, Beilein was asked about Michigan's postsea- son outlook. It wasn't about the NCAA Tournament, a topic that was brought up often in the early part of the season. Instead, he spoke candidly of the second-tier and third-tier tourna- ments, the National Invitational Tourna- ment (NIT)- and the- College Basketball Invitational (CBI), respectively. Beilein said Mon- day that Michigan has applied for the NIT, though it doesn't seem likely the team will end up playing in the tournament. "I don't think we'll be eligible; the Divi- sion II game does not count," he said, refer- ring to Michigan's season-opening win over Northern Michi- gan. "I think you have to have a win- ning record, and if I'm doing the math cor- rectly, I don't think we can get there." The Wolverines would need to win the Big Ten Tournament to end the season with a record above .500 - which would actu- ally give them an auto- matic bid to the NCAA ICE HOCKEY Walk-on scores first career goal By TIM ROHAN But Rohrkemper is a different Daily Sports Writer style player from Sparks and one that might fit exactly what Beren- Jeff Rohrkemper cut his spring son is looking for on the fourth break short last week, coming line. He's a defensive-minded for- back to Ann Arbor early to work ward. on his shot - and that extra work Rohrkemper has had to make paid off this weekend. his impression in practice due to With Michigan leading Lake a lack of playing time. And that's Superior State 1-0 on Saturday, where he has made an impact junior defenseman Chad Langlais with the coaches. The coaches carried the puck into the Lakers' saw that Rohrkemper would be zone with Rohrkemper skating good away from the puck in the with him. When the puck was offensive zone to complement his deflected away from Langlais by defensive play, so they decided to a defenseman, Rohrkemper was give him a chance with playing there to put the puck in the top time. right corner of the net for his first "Those (fourth-line players) career goal. work hard every week, and they "Obviously you wish the first don't know if they're going to play one comes a little bit earlier in the or not on the weekend," Beren- season, but it was exciting to score son said. "Maybe they didn't play a big goal in a big game for us," that poor but our team didn't play Rohrkemper said. that well. So there's things they The freshman walk-on has can't control. But the one thing appeared in 13 games this season, they can control is their effort including both games this past and their honest play when they weekend. Rohrkemper did play play and sometimes it shows up in four straight games in series in goals." against Ohio State and Notre One thing that both Rohrkem- Dame in early December, but he per and Pearson admitted the hadn't recorded a point until Sat- freshman needed to work on was urday. building strength. Rohrkemper has seen his action With added strength in his on the fourth line this season, and lower body and improved skat- Michigan coach Red Berenson has ing, Rohrkemper would match up made it clear what he wants out of better defensively with the physi- 9 his fourth line - to not be minus. cal offensive talent around the "Not scoring," associate head CCHA. coach Mel Pearson said. "He was Pearson also added that brought here with the idea that he though Rohrkemper hadn't seen would add some penalty killing, much time on the penalty kill defensive specialist type of role so far, he will get playing time on our team. And any scoring is on the unit in the future. That's 9 a bonus. ... Really, his role on our Rohrkemper's bread and butter - team is to be a good solid defen- the goals are just gravy. sive player, who you know if you "In fairness to Jeff, he hasn't get the chance, chip one in, but played a lot, and even in the make sure you kill penalties and games he played, he hasn't played be a plus player." a lot," Berenson said. "And I don't The Grosse Pointe native has base his game on whether or not been smack dab in the middle of he scores. He's an honest two- a rotating fourth line all season. way player and he showed that But after winter break, fellow given a chance, with a loose puck, freshman forward Lindsay Sparks he can score as well as anyone started scoring and has only else. Good for him and good for missed two series since then. our team." ARIEL BOND/Daily Junior MannyHarris, pictured here, stored a season low aud lied a caree' law with ust four points against the Spartans at Sunday. Harris shot 1-tar-10 tram She floar in Michigan's 64-48 lass. Tournament. In the past, the NIT only invited teams that finished at least .500 in the regular season, but it abolished that rule in 2006. Since then, how- ever, no team with a record under .500 has played in the NIT. The next step down the ladder, the CBI, is a 16-team tournament that is hosted at on-campus sites. In order to play, teams must pay a fee. Last year, Oregon State won the tournament, beating UTEP in a best-of-three final. "We do not have an interest in the CBI this particular year," Beilein said. INJURY UPDATE: Michigan fans already looking toward the promise of the future might be a bit alarmed after Sunday's game. Redshirt freshman forward Jordan Morgan, who is listed at 6-foot-8, wore a sling on his left arm. "He hurt his shoulder fairly sig- nificantly in practice (Friday)," Beilein said after Sunday's game. "I don't know what the plan is, but there's a very good chance of an operation." And 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman forward Blake McLimans wore a boot on his left foot on Sunday. "Blake McLimans sprained his ankle badly in practice (Saturday)," Beilein said. "I don't think he'll be available this week as well." BIG TEN AWARDS: Senior for- ward DeShawn Sims was named to the all-Big Ten second team, and Harris was named to the all-Big Ten third team Monday night. Knutson ready to meet high expectations By STEPHEN NESBITT with my routine." Daily Sports Writer Expectations have always been high for senior captain Kelsey Knut- son - she was raised that way - but after being hampered with injuries in her first three years at Michigan, each performance after has been a blessing. Right now, the three-time Iowa high school "Gymnast of the Year" is healthy - and taking advantage. Against No.5 Utah on Feb. 19, she posted a season-high score of 9.875 on the beam to win her fourth title of the season, leading then-No. 16 Michigan to an upset victory. "She has been a rock for us on beam all year long," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said after the win. "The ironic thing is that she had struggled on the beam all during the fall, and she really kind of put it together right before the season." Knutson recalled the difficul- ties and the improvement that fol- lowed. "Bev even joked to me, asking if I knew that I was ranked eighth in the country (on beam)," Knut- son said. "She asked, 'Would you have thought you would have been ranked that high in November?' I just laughed. I was still struggling in the fall, trying to get consistent GOING BLUE It all started with alittle girl, a leo- tard and a passion for gymnastics. Hailing from Ames, Iowa, home of Iowa State University, Knut- son grew up watching gymnastics nearby, and her journey began very early in life. At the age of six, she started attending the Cardinal Gymnastics Academy, and she was hooked. "In a very short time, we start- ed going there five days a week, an hour-and-a-half, one way," her father, Dan, said. "So I drove two days and Carol (her mother) drove three." From that experience, Knutson came into contact with the current coachesof No.1Oklahoma andIowa State. Becauseofthose connections, choosing to attend the University of Michigan was difficult. But after visiting Ann Arbor, Knutson was ready to make a deci- sion to become a Wolverine, and she hasn't regretted it since. "I think my parents were a little bit surprised when I chose Michi- gan, because it was a little out of my comfort zone," Knutson said. SLIPS AND FALLS As soon as Kelsey joined the team, she was placed on the beam lineup with high hopes of improv- ing the team's overall consistency, but immediately, injuries began to wear on her body. She came to Ann Arbor with ailing knees, but her grim out- look worsened once a wrist injury required minor surgery, and back problems plagued her as well. But in her first performance as a freshman, a day before her 19th birthday, Kelsey's hit a team- high 9.875 routine on the beam to take third out of 30 gymnasts, an impressive debut. At the end of the 2007 season, Knutson needed reconstructive surgery on one knee, and after a successful sophomore campaign - being named to the All-Big Ten sec- ond team - she tore her ACL and MCL inwarm-ups forregionals and had to undergo more surgery. Having already undergone five gymnastic-related operations, nothing was certain, and doubts weighed heavy on her mind. After several months of contem- plation, Kelsey was determined to get back on the beam. "I have such a strong passion for the sport of gymnastics," Knutson said, "And being a college gymnast was something I had aspired to be all my life. I didn't want to end my career without trying everything I could to end it on the right note." During her junior year, Kelsey only performed a few times, and she had to adjust and relearn her rou- tine to adapt to her injury-riddled body. "Gymnasts are kind of a weird breed," her father said. "They are going to have to train and rehab anyway ... if they feel strong enough they're going to try to keep per- forming. As a parent, you just don't want them to get hurt, especially if they're already hurt." But this year, in her second year as a team captain, Knutson has shrugged off injuries to become the most consistent Wolverine on the balance beam. SUPPORT ON THE ROAD Since their daughter came to Ann Arbor, Kelsey's parents have been fixtures in the Crisler Arena seats. Sitting just below the press table on the west side of the floor, Dan is the first to explode from his seat after a performance to applaud the Wolverine gymnasts, and the one who ribs the judges the loudest for inconsistent scoring. . "We've probably missed as many meets as are on one hand in her four years," said Carol, her mother. 0 SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily Senior Kelsey Knutson, pictured here, was forced to overcome injuries throughout her career as a Wolverine, but support from her family has helped her overcome. Kelsey admits that when she committed to Michigan she was worried that her parents would be unable to attend her meets. "But my big brother reassured me that if I went to Michigan they would be at every meet, not just the home ones," Knutson said. "And they have been driving across the country to see me and support the team, from Georgia, to Penn State, and Oregon and everywhere in between." They haven't missed a thing, from her first performance to her career-high 9.925 performance to upset No.1 Georgia during her soph- omore year. Just before the Wolverines' last match, Carol was busy laying out a map plotting a trip to Penn State for yet another match - this time, it was a 14-hour drive. "There don't seem to be any flights into State College from Iowa," Dan said with a laugh. "So, it looks like we'll be taking another road-trip." Needless to say, when Michigan scheduled a meet at Iowa State ear- lier this year it was a sigh of relief, as was Kelsey's beam title that same night. Learn more about the Peace Corps. Attend an information session. Wednesday, March 10th 6 :30 p.m. International Center, Room 9 800.424.8580 lwww.peacecorps.gov Life is calling. How far will you go?