The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, November 3, 2011 - 7A Wolverines look to finish strong Michigan coach John Beilein has been going up against legendary coaches Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Billy Donovan (Florida) in recruiting Mitch McGary. McGary sweepstakes ending Nation's No. 2 recruit to pick between Michigan, Duke and Florida By DANIEL WASSERMAN Daily Sports Writer The Michigan basketball sea- son starts on Friday with an exhibition against Wayne State, but the program's most impor- tant day of the week is Thurs- day, That's when the nation's No. 2 recruit, Mitch McGary, will decide between Michigan, Duke and Florida. It has been widely reported that McGary's decision has come down to a battle between the Wolverines and Blue Devils, with reports from ESPN.com and Scout.com indicating that Michi- gan is the front-runner. McGary is ranked No. 2 by both ESPN.com and Scout.com. Though Rivals.com ranks him as its No. 3 player, all three sites agree that the 6-foot-S10 McGary is the nation's top big man. McGary would undoubtedly be Michigan's most important bas- ketball signee since top-ranked Chris Webber in 1991, and the biggest name to arrive on campus since running back Sam McGuff- ie joined the football program in 2008. The Wolverines aren't used to out-recruiting Duke or Florida, who've combined to win three of the last six national championships. But McGary's AAU coach and mentor Wayne Brumm says that hasn't hurt Michigan's chances. "I don't see where that would be a detriment," Brumm told The Michigan Daily on Monday. "In other words, if the person wants to go through the recruiting pro- cess as a fan, that's one thing: So everybody loves the Yankees, everybody used to love the Dal- las Cowboys and everybody loves the big names in college basket- ball, so if you want to be a fan, that's one thing. "If you're informed and you really do your research, you do digging and you get to under- stand the interworkings and what's important, I don't think that would keep Michigan from competing against those kind of teams or those kind of pro- grams." Brumm specifically had high praise for Michigan coach John Beilein and his staff. "I think the strength' of the staff would be a plus," Brumm said. "They seem to have a very good chemistry amongst the staff, not only the team, but even the staff. They seem to be highly qualified, and of course Beilein has tremendous integrity and character, so to have a player tutored by somebody like that, I think it makes sense." McGary currently attends Brewster Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire that sent seven players to Division-I pro- grams last year. He hails from Chesterton, Ind., home of Michi- gan senior guard Zack Novak. McGary played primarily on Chesterton's JV squad during Novak's senior season but prac- ticed alongside Novak and the varsity team. According to Ches- terton head coach Tom Peller, the two are friendly, which is why Novak was the logical choice to host McGary on his official visit to Michigan earlier this fall. "When (McGary) came by in the summer - and Zack always comes by in the summer - they got to be talking to each other and there's a relationship there," Peller said. "They were on the same team in a couple of pick-up games and open gyms (through- out the summer)." McGary's connection to the Wolverines doesn't end there. He is the AAU teammate of incom- ing freshman forward Glen Rob- inson III - ranked No. 38 in the country by Scout.com - who has already committed to Michigan. Unlike in football, where recruits are restricted from sign- ing binding letters of intent until February, basketball recruits have an early signing period beginning on Nov. 9, which is when McGary has indicated he will sign. "I think he's enjoyed his sta- tus of being recognized as one of the top basketball players in the country," Brumm said. "I think he's burned out a little bit of the recruiting process because it just gets old after a little while. Everybody's saying, 'We love you. We want you. We want you to come here, you'll be a differ- ence-maker.' You can only hear that so many times. So he's bored with the recruiting process." At 250 pounds, McGary has the size and tools to make his presence felt immediately. His offensive game is played pri- marily with his face to the bas- ket, which fits in perfectly with Beilein's high-post offense. McGary has an excellent mid- range game and the ability to knock down3-pointers. Givenhis size and position, he is a remark- ably talented ball-handler. With his exceptional strength, McGary already has the body to outmuscle Big Ten post players for rebounds and position. "If he were to end up in the Big Ten, he would be a huge suc- cess, just a huge success," said Brumm, who coached Purdue's Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore. "I've seen him do things with the ball that I've had point guards not be able to do. He runs - he outruns guards. I've seen. him shoot the ball as well as any- body. "There's not another 6-(foot)- 10 kid that can handle him out there, because he's going to blow right by you, he's going to go through you, he's going to shoot it over you, but he can also post you up and score inside. That's what makes him unique. That's what makes him special. That's why he's No. 2 in the country." McGary will make his deci- sion public at 5 p.m. Thursday on ESPNU's Recruiting Nation. By SAMANTHA PEARSON Daily Sports Writer The Michigan men's soccer team hasn't given up hope just yet. Looking at the Wolverines' record (1-4 Big Ten, 5-12 overall), it's apparent they haven't had the season they had expected. But what the record doesn't show is how close those losses have been. Ten of those games were one- goal losses, and six games went into overtime. "Our record is not reflective of how good we actually are," said senior captain Adam Shaw. "Those one-score losses are a sign that we can compete with any team." The Wolverines have strug- gled since winning last year's Big Ten Championship and qualify- ing for the NCAA College Cup in Santa Barbara, Calif. Four players from last season traded in their maize and blue jerseys to go professional after last season, taking away over 95 percent of the team's goal scor- ing. With the lack of scoring this season, Michigan has looked to strengthen its counterattacking. This tactic proved effective two weeks ago in a 1-0 overtime vic- tory against then-No. 4 Akron. Junior midfielder Latif Alashe's game-winning goal in that game was one of just seven tallies that the Zips had allowed all season to that point. "Anytime you play a team that you think is better, you play more conservatively," said Michigan coach Steve Burns. "We made it difficult for Akron because we would counterattack." Added Shaw: "We had to change the way we were possess- ing the ball. Counterattacks were necessary to beat them." Even after the thrilling win against Akron, Michigan's diffi- culties continued when it lost by one goal to San Diego and Michi- gan State. With one game left in the reg- ular season, the Wolverines will look to prove themselves against Northwestern at home on Satur- day. "When I think about beat- ing teams, I think about playing to the best of your ability both physically and mentally," Shaw said. "Tactics do play a part, but attitude is more important." Putting the last two games behind them, the Wolverines look to use the confidence from the Akron game to help the Wol- verines put an end to Northwest- ern's eight-game winning streak. Northwestern is the only unde- feated team left in the Big Ten. Burns described the Wildcats' play as "statistical soccer" and said he would not be surprised if it was another 1-0 game. "Tactics do play a part, but attitude is more important." "Northwestern is very good at counterattacking," Burns said. "Fans who come and watch can expect it to be a very tacti- cal game, and our counterat- tacks will need to be our main strength." The Wolverines, who are locked in at the sixth position in the conference, will also look to use this game as preparation for the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held Nov. 9-13 in Ann Arbor. Despite the disappointing season so far, Michigan still has a chance to reclaim last year's title. "In the Big Ten, there are no easy games, and it is really wide open right now," said Burns. "I wouldn't be surprised if No. 7-seeded Penn State ends up playing in the final." .Added Shaw' "We are going to play the rest of the season with an attitude of no tomorrow. Everything is on the line now, and we are prepared to put our game plan in." Vaughan rehabbing with Michigan at Yost By EVERETT COOK Daily Sports Writer The last few practices at Yost Ice Arena would have looked a little odd to Michigan hockey fans familiar with the 2010-11 team. Seniors Shawn Hunwick and Greg Pateryn have been work- ing alongside the familiar face of Scooter Vaughan, fine tuning the game plan for Western Michi- gan. But 2010, this is not. When Vaughan finishes up a drill, freshman forward Phil Di Giuseppe skates over and replac- es him. Vaughan, who graduated last semester, has been practic- ing with No. 3 Michigan (2-1-1 CCHA, 6-1-1 overall) for the last three weeks. He has been rehab- bing a broken arm sustained in the San Jose Sharks' training camp, trying to stay fresh to play professionally this season. Vaughan was cut from the Sharks after the injury, but will be playing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for the Wheeling (W.V.) Nailers. Michigan coach Red Beren- son was happy to have him back, as he is with most of his former Wolverines. It says something about a pro- gram when a former player is welcomed back into Yost - when players talk about the "Michigan family," they really aren't kid- ding. "They know that we are proud of them and we care about them after they leave," Berenson said. fl-H,, Former Michigan forward Scooter Vaughan leaves Ann Arbor on Monday to join the Wheeling Nailers in West Virginia. "We can't do everything for them, but at least we can help them with the next step." Even though Vaughan isn't exactly a grizzled old man at 22 - Hunwick is 24 - he has sig- nificantly more experience than much of the roster, namely the eight freshmen. Vaughan imparted some wis- dom on the younger players, as much as someone who graduated six months ago is able to. But he has also seen why the team has had success early this season. "They are a good bunch of guys," Vaughan said. "They seem to really like each other and spend a lot of time together away from the rink." Vaughan's presence around practice, though, begs the ques- tion of comfort. Is it weird to be at your old digs, with so many new faces? "It's very weird - it's not my team anymore," Vaughan said. "I would love nothing more than to have another year under my belt and be able to play in Yost with all the guys but my time is done. I had my four years and it was fun while I was here but it's time to move on. It's nice to be back. They treat their ex-players well." With Michigan suffering sev- eral injuries, Vaughan has filled a void on one of Michigan's five lines in practice, so the last few weeks have helpedboth Vaughan and Michigan. Vaughan will be leaving for the ECHL on Monday, looking to extend his career in West Vir- ginia. His last few weeks in Ann Arbor could only have helped. "I think it's been good for him, kept him fresh and kept him skating," Berenson said. "The players at the next level don't skate any better than our play- ers. He just needs a chance to get in the game. "I think he could play a game in the NHL and not be out of place. But it doesn't matter what I think, it's what someone else thinks and what someone else needs."