0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, January 25, 2011- 5

0 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January 25, 2011 -5

Forcier is gone on his own terms

Iwalked into the Reference
Room of the Hatcher Gradu-
ate Library early Sunday
afternoon and found a student
named Hus-
sein sitting
at the last
wooden desk,
furthest to the
right, hard
at work. He
was alone, for
now, with just
the leather- TIM
bound books ROHAN
as company.
It was a few
minutes before 1 p.m. - when
the building officially opens -
but he got there early to study for
his test that was a week away.
With his Michigan sweatshirt
on, he had his Orgo papers out,
deciphering the covalent bonds
and chicken scratch he had
around each model.
The class is infamously tough
- Hussein has heard the stories.
This Bio-Psych major may
have been out the night before,
but he still had to go to the
library on Sunday. He had to
catch up on work.
Hussein goes to the University
of Michigan.
Tate Forcier used to.
But the quarterback never
fully grasped that, as a Wolver-
ine and a student-athlete, you
have two obligations: on the field
and in the classroom. Now he's
gone, and the football program is
better off for it.
At the very minimum, you just

can't neglect your schoolwork. I
understand why some athletes,
when balancing a full-time job
on the field or court with a rigor-
ous academic schedule, would
choose a major with a lighter
work load or graduate with
mediocre grades - they made
that decision and had their pri-
orities in their own order.
The choice is theirs. But the
one choice they don't have, if
they want to play in the Big
House, for Michigan, is to fail.
His father, Michael, said that
Tate didn't fail his classes, but
instead was ineligible because he
had two incomplete grades. He
said that all Tate needed was a
"chance" from at least one pro-
fessor to make up the work.
Hussein wouldn't have gotten
a second chance. Had Hussein
been Denard Robinson's pri-
mary backup this season and the
starting quarterback during his
freshman season, he, too, would
be packing his bags and leaving
Ann Arbor if he pulled what Tate
pulled.
And in his Twitter press
release announcing his depar-
ture from the Michigan pro-
gram, Tate had the nerve to
claim that the University had
given up on him.
"I really wanted to stay. I was
not giving up on Michigan, but in
the end, it was made clear they
had given up on me," Forcier
wrote.
How so?
A few weeks earlier, he was on
a plane flying home early from

the Gator Bowl, away from his
teammates. He was academically
ineligible even though, as he
told the Detroit Free Press days
before his departure, "You really
have to try to flunk out here. All
you have to do is go to class, it's
not that hard."
And Forcier could've con-
tributed to this team by spelling
Robinson, who exited nearly
every game he played in for one
injury or another.
Now there's one less headache
for Brady Hoke as he takes over
the head coaching reigns.
Forcier was a selfish player
and that's how he'll exit Michi-
gan - he missed workouts last
summer, while Robinson put in
the work and surpassed Forcier
on the depth chart.
Rich Rodriguez used to recall
his talks with Forcier and how
the coachingstaff wanted him,
and every player, to grow as
players and as people, too. Tate's
maturity was a question. Who
wants maturity to be a question
mark for a team's quarterback,
the most important leader on the
field?
More than once, Forcier
seemed happier with his own
performance than that of the
team - he could barely hide
a smile during his post-game
press conference after Michigan
lost, 38-28, against Iowa. In that
game, he threw for 239 yards in
relief of Robinson, who exited
the game due to injury.
Forcier wouldn't have met
Hoke's standard of account-

MARISSP
Sophomore quarterback Tate Forcier confirmed he is no longer with the Michigan football team last weekor

ability.
"(Accountability) means that
you're going to class so you don't
let your teammates down," Hoke
said at his introductory press
conference. "That means that
you're doing the right things in
the community and on campus.
And those are all measurable.
But every time you do something
that's out of character or you
have to enforce bad decisions,

then it tells that you this guy
is being selfish, this guy is not
being accountable to who he
should be, and that's his team-
mate."
What Tate didn't understand
was this is Michigan - in the
classroom and on the field. This
was bigger than him. That's why
he wouldn't have fit in, especially
if Hoke's integrity-strong atmo-
sphere permeates the program.

In the words of Hoke, "This is
Michigan for God's sake."
As Hussein got to work in the
library on Sunday afternoon,
he understood the work he had
to put in the classroom, though
he doesn't have to worry about
throwing a football.
Tate never got either.
-ohan can be reached
at trohan@umich.edu.


Hagelin and
top line clicking
with 'M' on top
ByMARKBURNS ers.
Daily Sports Editor "He's solid," Michigan coach
Red Berenson said. "He's try-
Senior forward Carl Hage- ing to make the saves he can.
lin is still putting the finishing and he's not giving up any bad
touches on his shot - he's made goals. That's the sign that a
it a point of goalie is playing really well."
emphasis NOTEBOOK With two shutouts in the
throughout past three weekend series, he
the entire season. continues to prove his critics
But while that may be the wrong, and is receiving a great
case, Hagelin's overall perfor- deal of support from his coach-
mance with the No. 6 Michigan ing staff and teammates too.
hockey team is far from unpol- On Saturday, Berenson called
ished - just look at his current Hunwick's recent play "as good
nine-game point streak. as it gets" followed by Hagelin
"It's up there," Hagelin said labeling Hunwick as the "best
this past Saturday, when com- player right now" for the Wol-
paring his current play to his verines.
career-successes at Michigan. With seven wins and an
"I'm feeling confident. I'm overtime loss to Michigan
doing a lot of good things with State since the Great Lakes
the puck, but there's still room Invitational in late December,
for improvement." Hunwick has been Berenson's
Since The Big Chill at the best line of defense.
Big House - in which Hage- And in the two games
lin registered two goals - the against the Nanooks this past
Wolverine co-captain has tal- weekend, Hunwick stopped
lied six goals and 13 assists. 73-of-76 shots, earning him
It's no surprise he's been a key first-star honors in both con-
contributor to the Wolverines' tests.
recent five-game winning Hunwick said that with
streak, in which they've cata- Hogan unable to play after he
pulted into first place in the suffered his second groin inju-
CCHA. ry on Dec. 11, it's been easier
Over the past three confer- to prepare for weekend con-
ence weekends, Hagelin has tests knowing that he's going
played with senior Matt Rust to backstop the Wolverines in
and sophomore Chris Brown both games - earlier in the
on the first line. The trio had season, Hunwick and Hogan
two goals and six assists in last used to alternate starting jobs,
weekend's sweep of Alaska at and until Hunwick became the
Yost Ice Arena, continuing its No. 1 starter, he had a sub-.500
recent hot play. record.
"This is a team sport. No one Now, Hunwick has a 10-4-4
can do it by themselves," Hage- mark under his belt, and a .923
lin said. "When you play with save percentage, good for first
guys that are doing well, you in the CCHA.
want to do well and you don't "This is probably the best
want to leti your linemates hockey I've played so far at
down." Michigan," Hunwick said. "It's
TWICE AS NICE: Playing a lot easier to play when you're
against Notre Dame last season getting into a rhythm."
on Feb. 25, senior netminder NOTES: Freshman defense-
Shawn Hunwick became the man Jon Merrill scored twice
Wolverines' biggest question this weekend against Alaska,
mark following Bryan Hogan's giving him seven goals on the
season-ending groin injury. season. He's tied with junior
But now, almost a year since Brandon Burlon for the defen-
Hunwick led Michigan to its sive lead in scoring with 17
20th-straight NCAA Tourna- points. Merrill received CCHA
ment appearance, the Ster- Rookie of the Week honors on
ling Heights, Mich. native is Monday ... Hunwick has three
becoming one of the Wolver- shutouts this season, all of
ines' most consistent perform- which have come at Yost.

Wolverines' struggles starting to
affect the team, on and off the court

With recent streak,
Blue has gone from
encourged to
frustrated
By CHANTEL JENNINGS
DailySportsEditor
Following the Michigan men's
basketball team's 69-51 win
over Oakland in mid December,
freshman forward Jon Horford
said, "I've never been on a team
like this before. I've never expe-
rienced this, we're real close."
But in the Wolverines' recent
six-game losing skid, the team is
not looking as cohesive as it used
to.
At times, sophomore point
guard Darius Morris tries, with-
out success, to corral his team-
mates before a freethrow or
after a timeout.
Against No. 15 Minnesota
on Saturday, freshman Evan
Smotrycz hit the hardwood
and sat waiting for his team-
mates to come help him back
to his feet as a few of the
Wolverines grabbed redshirt
freshman Jordan Morgan,
who was also involved in the
scuffle.
But no one came, and
eventually a Golden Gopher
grabbed Smotrycz's out-
stretched hand and helped
him up.
Just more than halfway
through the season, the team
has already experienced very
high highs and very low lows.
And right now, it's dealing
with the latter.
"That's what teams do -
they work it out. They get
together," Michigan coach
John Beilein said after the
Wolverines' loss to Minne-
sota. "Team chemistry is fine.
They've just got to understand
that there's more to it than
just all being great friends.
There's got to be a spirit about
us and a will about us to get
things done both mentally and
physically."
Despite Beilein's vote of
confidence in his team's chem-
istry, there seems to be a dif-
ferent vibe among the players
themselves.
Even in the past week-and-
a-half, the vocabulary has
changed in the players' inter-

views.
Before the Wolverines took
on a winless Indiana team on
January 15, junior Zack Novak
told reporters, "I think guys
are feeling pretty good about
the direction we're going right
now ... I feel like we're really
close, but if we could just fix a
few things then we're gonna be
there. And that's just encour-
aging - we know we still have
a long way to go but we're close
to being able to beat some pretty
good teams."
Novak was encouraged.
After Michigan's loss at the
hands of Northwestern just a
few days later, junior Stu Dou-
glass said, "Everyone's been
positive, coaching staff has been
very positive.
"We keep trying to get bet-
ter every single day and it's
something I've learned the past
couple of years - just to stay
positive and don't let it affect
you individually."

Douj
But
switch
and poi
"I
t(
gr
And
worrie
a serio
such a
full of
ably ne
of a lo
decorat
careers
Follo
Gopher

glass was staying positive. lockerroom longer than nor-
now the team has malitolisten to assistant-coach
ed from biingencouraged Lavall fdrdan, who normally sits
sitive to being frustrated. unanimatedly on the bench dur-
ing games.
Smotrycz said a big part of the
both Beilein and Jordan's post-
,here's more game speeches was about the
team coming together - which
o it than all is impossible to do, unless the
bein portions of that whole are sepa-
juSt beirated.
"It's just frustrating," Novak
eat friends." said after the speech. "We're los-
ing these close games because of
the same things.
"It's over and over again."
while Beilein may not be The losses seem to be wear-
d about it, it could have ing on all parts of the Wolverine
us detrimental effect on contingent - both on and off the
young team - one that's floor.
players who have prob- So while this may be the clos-
ver dealt with this kind est team Horford has ever been
sing streak during their on, it hasn't carried over onto
ted high school and AAU the floor recently and the Wol-
verines are nowhere close to
)wing the loss to the the top of the Big Ten with their
s, the team stayed in the play.