Wednesday, November 9, 2011 -- 7A
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' The Michigan Daily -- michigandaily.com
* The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 7A
The Mitch McGary you don't
know,through his parents' eyes
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Redshirt sophomore running back Fitz Toussaint has racked up.more than 220 yards rushing in two weeks as the lead back.
Toussaint dances his
way into the spotihght
By TIM ROHAN
Daily Sports Editor
Junior Hemingway could hard-
ly contain his laughter describing
how well Fitz Toussaint could
dance.
"Fitz is a clown, man," Heming-
way said. "It's like we'll just be
playing a song, and we'll be like,
'Fitz, Fitz.'-"
Hemingway paused, letting out
another laugh.
"Wherever he is, he'll just bust
out dancing."
The Michigan locker room
is constructed in a rectangular
shape so that every player can see
everyone else. When Toussaint
starts dancing, all eyes are on him.
After practice, an upperclass-
man turns on music and then the
calls start.
"Everybody will be like, 'Hey
dance, Fitz. What's up, Fitz?"
Hemingway said.
Sometimes Michigan's lead
running back draws looks of
amazement, other times they
laugh. Hip-hop fans recognize
Toussaint krumping or pop-and-
locking.
"Fitz knows a lot of stuff,"
Hemingway said. "But one day,
we were practicing for Mock
Rock, and I saw him doing some
stuff standing up on his toes. I
was like, 'Man, Fitz, what you
doing?' I guess it was just some-
thing he picked up."
"He's amazing," added left
tackle Taylor Lewan. "Have you
seen the Mock Rock thing last
year?"
Toussaint was dressed head-
to-toe like Steve Urkel, complete
with a plaid shirt, taped glasses,
high socks, suspenders and hiked-
up pants. The football team had a
few other players dancing, includ-
ing Hemingway, for their skit in
last year's annual fundraiser. But
Toussaint's smooth moves stole
the show.
Around his teammates, he's
comfortable in his own skin.
When he's put in front of the
media, he's shy. His voice is quiet.
His answers are short.
But ever since he took hold of
the No. 1 running back job with
a 170-yard, two-touchdown per-
formance two weeks ago against
Purdue, he's been playing like he's
been dancing - shifting into open
creases around defenders.
"Basically I'm a little bit more
comfortable," Toussaint said.
"Just adjusting to the competi-
tion, just actually settling down,
reading things. Taking a fast
game and making it slow."
The past two weeks, he's been
getting more reps with the first
team in practice. Against Iowa,
he stepped into the field know-
ing he was going to get the ball.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke had
declared Toussaint his No. 1 back,
and that meant something.
Toussaint looked faster, his
cuts crisper, his moves smoother.
The bye week came at the
perfect time. Before the Purdue
game, Toussaint had reaggravat-
ed a right shoulder injury he suf-
fered in the season opener. With
the week off, he was able to rest
and get treatment on his shoulder.
"Got my body right," Toussaint
said. .
He had missed five games his
redshirt freshman season due to .
a shoulder injury. This time, the
pain in his AC joint didn't physi-
cally affect how he ran with the
ball. But he had to get his mind
right - he said it was slowing him
down mentally.
Between the ears, he'd been
preparing to be Michigan's next
lead back long before he got the
nod. One day, about a year and
a half ago, he decided to start
watching clips of all-time great
Michigan running backs - it's
a hobby he still does in his free
time.
"(I watch) their running abil-
ity," Toussaint said. "Just how
they built all aspects of their
game, maybe vision, speed, explo-
siveness."
Plus, as the Wolverines have
moved back to more of a power
running game, the plays he's
watching are similar to his own.
Toussaint attributed his improved
vision in recent weeks - a compli-
ment Hoke bestowed upon him
- to film study and watching how
other backs run the ball.
His favorite NFL running back
is Adrian Peterson, who is known
for his punishing running style.
As far as Michigan goes, Tous-
saint loves Anthony Thomas for
his toughness, which was a com-
mon trait for Wolverine backs.
"They (all) show major signs of
toughness," Toussaint said.
Mentally, he's working on
it. Physically, it's been there all
along.
"He's a tough kid - tough
blocker, tough runner," said offen-
sive coordinator Al Borges. "I like
kids like that. Because they repre-
sent the toughness of your team.
If the guy with the ball is tough,
it'll send a message.
"He's always been like that.
We've just given him more
opportunities.... And we're going
to keep giving him (the ball)."
With 648 career rushing
yards, Toussaint has a ways to go
to catch Thomas's 4,472 total.
All-time great? That's going to
take some work.
All-time great dancer? That's
all but guaranteed.
By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily Sports Writer
By now, everyone's heard
about Mitch McGary, the nation's
No. 2 basketball recruit in the
2012 recruiting class that plans
to sign his letter of intent to play
at Michigan on Wednesday. He
loves talking about rap music, can
shatter backboards and seems to
thrive in the limelight, taking in
national attention with relative
ease.
But the Mitch you don't know
loves classic rock, can ride a uni-
cycle and, shockingly, has always
disliked the fame and notoriety
that comes with being asuperstar.
"When he was at Chesterton
High School, he was the big man
on campus, and he didn't really
like it," said Tim McGary, Mitch's
father. "He was the tallest kid in
the whole damned conference,
and I don't think he was too com-
fortable with that. He wasn't
mature enough to handle it."
Added his mother, Valerie
McGary: "He is a very likable
kid and he has a heart of gold.
He thinks of others, sometimes,
before he thinks of himself."
Mitch also has a disdain for
being a bearer of bad news -
something he'd have to bring to
coaches that didn't make his final
list of potential suitors.
So instead of doing it himself,
he gave the difficult task to his
dad.
"When he cut it down to six
schools, he wanted me to do all.
the dirty work," Tim said. "I
called a lot of coaches and told
them. Mitch is a pretty darn nice
guy, and he doesn't want to bring
bad news."
On the surface, many fans and
analysts were surprised when
Mitch's cut-down list included
the Wolverines alongside Duke,
Florida, Maryland, North Caro-
lina and Kentucky- all tradition-
al basketball powerhouses. But
Michigan had things to offer that
no other program could match.
First, after Mitch spent the
last two years in far-away New
Hampshire, he'll be just two
hours away from the McGary's
home in Chesterton, Ind. Given
his parents hectic work sched-
ules - Tim often works 16-hour
overnight shifts - only the Wol-
verines could offer the McGarys
a chance to see their son play.
Second, Mitch already has well-
established connections inside
the Michigan program. When
Mitch was a freshman at Ches-
terton High School, senior guard
Zack Novak was the Trojans' star
player. The two have remained
close.
Mitch's AAU team, the SYF
Players, featured freshman for-
ward Max Bielfeldt and another
Michigan commit in the class of
2012, Glen Robinson I - the son
of former NBA player Glen Rob-
inson, Jr. and one of Mitch's best
friends.
"He's pretty darn good friends
with Glen," Tim said.
In the end, the Michigan
coaching staff won the family
over. e
"They were over (at) our house
COURTESY OF TIM MCGARY
Michigan commit Mitch McGary hopes to take his low-post prowess from the
AAU circuit to Ann Arbor next year.
for dinner in September and they
were great," Tim said of his din-
ner with Michigan coach John
Beilein and assistants Bacari
Alexander, LaVall Jordan and
Jeff Meyer. "Bacari, he's a great
guy. He's going to have his own
program someday - he's just fan-
tastic. And coach Beilein is just as
honest as the day is long. We hung
out all day with (director of bas-
ketball operations Travis Conlan)
and with LaVall."
Added Valerie: "They're down-
to-earth people - they make you
feel at home, they make you feel
like you're a part of their family."
But the McGary household
wasn't always for Michigan.
"I really liked Coach K," Tim
said, pausing, still in awe over
the Duke coach. "But I'm happy
with Mitch's decision. I mean,
I like John Beilein as well. He's
a genuine guy. My wife and I, at
first, really wanted him to go to
Duke, but we're very happy with
his choice."
Tim estimates it was about
three weeks ago that Mitch made
his final decision to go to Michi-
gan. While Mitch was at home
during fall break a few weeks ago,
Tim attempted to sit down with
his son and go over his options.
Mitch wasn't having much of it.
"I tried talking to him about it,
and he didn't want to talk about
it," Tim said. "He had made up his
mind, but he wouldn't let me say
anything.
"Once Mitch makes up his
mind, he's very - he's like my
wife,he'svery stubborn.You can't
change his mind. Sooncehe made
up his mind, it was a done deal."
While the Blue Devils were
the team Tim initially hoped his
son would pick, he once thought
Mitch would decide to play
another sport: baseball.
"I knew he had somethingspe-
cial in him a long time ago," Tim
said. "I really thought he was
going to be a great baseball player
because he was ahell of a baseball
player."
But as Mitch continued to
grow it became apparent that
basketball held a brighter future,
he was forced to quit after eighth
grade to accommodate the AAU
circuit's travel schedule.
"He was pretty disappointed
about it, but hey, it worked out
great," Tim said, laughing.
And baseball isn't Mitch's only
hidden ability.
"Iknow he can ride thehellout
of a unicycle," Tim said. "He can
ride a skateboard and a unicycle
like nobody I've ever seen - pret-
ty good for a kid that big."
Mitch's slow maturation. pro-
cess has been well documented.
It's no secret that he was forced
to leave Chesterton and enroll
in either a prep school or junior
college in order to have a chance
at academically qualifying for a
Division-I program. So he chose
to go to Brewster Academy, and
it's done wonders for him.
"He had to grow up," Valerie
said. "Moving away from home -
it's a college dorm setting is what
he lives in. He had togrowup and
do his own laundry and take care
of himselfbecause Imnot there."
Because of the extra year in
prep school - Mitch would've
graduated high school last spring
- he could qualify for the upcom-
ing NBA Draft. Although he's
ruled that out, many analysts
expect him to be a oneand-done
player. Tim acknowledges that
he's discussed the NBA with his
son, but it's premature at this
point.
"I think that he would have to
have an unbelievable year next
year for himtobe thinking about
going to the NBA, so we'll have to
cross that bridge when we get to
it," Tim said.
But even with the national
spotlight shining bright on Mitch
- whether it's his face plastered
all over ESPN or the blog he wrote
chronicling. his recruitment
behind it all is just a regular kid.
"He just wants to be Mitch,
you know?" Tim said. "That's just
the way he is. He just wants to be
Mitch and play ball."
Redshirt sophomore running back Fitz Toussaint stole the show with his dance
moves when the football team performed its skit at Mock Rock last spring.
Serious and stoic on the ice, Pateryn emerges as leader of young defense
By ZACH HELFAND
Daily Sports Editor
Shawn Hunwick says that
everybody who plays for the
Michigan hockey team has two
personalities.
One is the everyday personal-
ity. For Hunwick, the fifth-year
senior goalie, that personality
manifests itself in self-described
"goofball-ness." He'll make a
light comment in an interview or
he'll joke around at home.
Hunwick says his roommate,
senior defenseman Greg Pateryn,
does the same.
"Away from the rink, Greg's a
pretty lighthearted guy," Hun-
wick said. "Likes to have fun,
likes to joke around."
You'll have to take Hunwick's
word for it because it's impos-
sible to tell otherwise. At Yost Ice
Arena - at a game, at a practice,
in an interview - Pateryn's other
personality, his hockey personal-
ity, is intense. And it's unwaver-
ing.
Others break character.
Junior forward Chris Brown,
for instance, can make a big hit
one minute and crack a smile the
next.
Not Pateryn.
"He takes hockey very seri-
ously," Hunwick said. "He takes
being a leader of this team very
seriously. So when he comes to
the rink, he's pretty much all
business."
Pateryn has emerged as just
that for Michigan: a leader.
"You can see the way he plays,"
said Michigan coach Red Beren-
son. "He's a bull out there. He's
a senior - he's a man. The way
he plays, he's a great leader on
defense."
A bull indeed. Hunwick said
that Pateryn doesn't lead much
with his word., but his play on
the ice is loud enough.
Late in the first period against
Western Michigan on Friday,
Pateryn continuously punished a
Bronco forward for about 12 sec-
onds during a penalty kill. He fol-
lowed each hit with a bigger hit
until the opposing skater fell to
the ice.
Then with just five minutes
remaining in the game, Pateryn
put a big hit on another West-
ern Michigan skater that had the
Yost crowd on its feet. Michi-
gan lost the game, 3-2, on a last-
minute goal, but Pateryn assisted
each Wolverine goal. The two
Michigan scorers? Sophomore
defensemen Kevin Clare and
Mac Bennett. Clare played with
Pateryn over the weekend and
Bennett is Pateryn's usual line-
mate.
Pateryn added two more
assists in Saturday's 5-2 win.
Just one other defenseman
on the Michigan roster, junior
Lee Moffie, has more than a
year's experience playing college
hockey. Pateryn's experience and
leadership have become invalu-
able for a young defensive unit.
"He leads by example," said
freshman defenseman Mike Chi-
asson. "Just those little plays on
the ice that he can make, whether
he holds onto the puck a little bit
longer or moves it to the middle
guy or hits the post guy on the
wall, just something that I can
pick up and maybe throw into my
game."
Pateryn's emergence as a lead-
er comes as a pleasant surprise
for Berenson. Pateryn floundered
early in his career, shuffling
into and out of the lineup as an
underclassman. As recently as
last year, Pateryn struggled. He
didn't even make the dress list
for the Big Chill at the Big House
in December.
"That's really what is the
rewarding part of coaching,"
Berenson said. "Seeing a kid like
Greg Pateryn. He might have
been a step slow, his weight, his
conditioning, his foot speed, and
his agility, and his puck handling
and on and on. And now look at
him.
"Our team won't win without
Greg Pateryn playing well."
With the suspension of sopho-
more defenseman Jon Merrill,
the defense hadtorelyonPateryn
as a leader and its best defender.
"This year, without Jonny
Merrill, Pateryn ... he has just
taken over," Berenson said.
But before the season began,
the team wondered whether
Pateryn could handle the load.
"When Jonny (Merrill) went
out, we were a little nervous,"
Hunwick said. "But then Mac
(Bennett) and Greg stepped up
and played unbelievable. Greg's
sitting there with 10 points, and
Mac's got nine, 10 games into the
season, which is kind of unex-
pected."
Bennett said that the two
make ideal linemates because
they have complimentary styles.
Bennett likes to attack.
Pateryn usually plays more
conservatively, so Bennett can be
free to create up the ice knowing
that Pateryn will be there to save
him, if necessary.
So far, it's worked. Pateryn's
10 points put him in a tie for sec-
ond most on the team, just three
behind junior forward Lindsay
Sparks, and Bennetthas recorded
just one less point than Pateryn.
Off the ice, Pateryn remains as
serious as ever.
Hunwick finds that funny.
"I'm his roommate, so I see his
joking side," Hunwick said. "He's
not always so serious - which is
nice back at the house."
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