8A - Thursday, April 12, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 8A-Turdy Arl12 02 hhihia aiy-mihgndiyo MEN'S BASKETBALL The striking finality of Stu and Zackts farewell O Tueday night at the Michigan men's baaket- ball team banquet, Zack N'ovak tepped tn the pndium. He followed teammate, cn- captain and three-year roomnmate Stu Douglass, whose 18-min- ute speech gave anec- dote-laden thank youa to former team- NEAL mates, current ROTHSCHILD teammates, coaches, train- ers, family members, super fans and Crisler Center ushers. Novak was quick to mock Douglass and started his speech by thanking his childhood dog, Hoser. It seemed as though Novak was once again downplayingcthe gravity of the moment. On his last night assa Wolverine, it was his final chance as a player to address the Michigan public, which saw him transform from unheralded recruit to cornerstone of the pro- gram.. All year, Novak was hardly fazed by the sentimentality of his last go-round. He scoffed when reporters asked him about the pressure and urgency of being a senior, or about his last Big Ten game, or his last home game at Crisler. But in his final address, he shed his "cool' outer layer. He talked about how he dreamed of becom- ing aBig Ten basketball player, and how his mom joined him for 5-on-5Spick-up games when he was in third grade. Novak then delivered perhaps the most poignant line of his last four years. "Then that one day you dreamt about as a kid, it happens. You have that day, it comes, and that day you dreamt about was yes- terday, Dou how mt Arbor, 1 when tI the nex Burkeo May Dougla podiun His I vernueN wanted as he ct stage, h now be Stu Dou "Ti dr wa And was un to thenr questini at team shook t the cons He ki wouldn life whe cared w the inns base in1 whether stronga Doug ing their Four nobodie basketb they rer problenr MichigE and you're left wih the will no longer eat up everything ies." they do., and their status as Michi- glass and Novak both know gan athletes will lose its luster sch they are loved in Ann over time. hut how do they manage Both plan to play in Europe, sat love is transferred to and they can bet that their Euro- thbatch of players in Trey pean fans won'tbe fawning over sr Glenn Robinson III? them the way they did inAnn be that's why it took Arbor. They will go back to being issso longcto get off of the the unknown guys with a sweet i. shootingastroke, deceptive athleti- sat moments as a Wol- cism, and a knack for stepping in w'ere dwindling, and he front of a careening ball-handler. to make them last as long But they will have been stripped auld. By stepping off of that of their context. e'd be conceding that his They'll likely never see the .over, and that he would amount of love and adoration in former Michigan guard their whole lives as they did when uglass. they were 21. Sounds like a pretty grim outcome for a couple of bright guys, who will undoubtedly be 'hat day you successful in whatever they do later in life. But that's a natural -eani1-t about consequence when you reach ouch yester ay." peak early in life. sy str a . It's different for guys like Trey __________ Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., who are bound to spend time in the NBA. College ball maybe maybe that's why he never a highlightcforcthem, but their gracious or condescending sights are higher. nedia, despite the leading For Novak and Douglass, this ns and incessant prodding was it. That's part sad and part minutiae. And'that he happy. he hand of each reporter at You rejoice that two of the best iclusion of the banquet. guys to come through Crisler got :new that there probably careers far better than what they 'thbe another time in his could have expected coming out en hundreds of people of high school, and you feel bad vhat he had to say. Or that that it's over. Seniors graduate all od of the largest alumni the time and it's certainly not a the country hung on notable event, but for these two it }his 3-point try was a tad seemed different. aod hit the heel of the rim, The finality of endings strikes heted through the net. differently for everybody, and glass and Novak were liv- it's a testament to Douglass and idreams, and they knew Novak's success that their depar- ture was so tough. years turned them from Sometimes four years isn't es to heroes of Michigan enough, and that's when you all. After Tuesday night, know you had something special ANNOUMNNMCAADA'S GZPAL DICCEST SUMMER PARTY GQUNTRT U PRODUCED Iy R 4FEATURING* TIM MCGRAW- ID 1aROOK CARRIE UNDERWOOD ALABAMA * PAUL DRANDT DIG & RICH * LAUREN ALAINA JASON MCCUY DALLAS SMITH -RICH VA-LL AAN SMITH ; ' _,, ,r ... l 0. AUGUST 10'x'° 12T BOWMANVILLE ONTARIO CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK ONLY 5Y2 HOURS FROM MICHIGAN main heroes, but thev nis that they're no longer an basketball players. Fans - Rothschild can be reached ' at nealroth@umich.edu. ,.:.. 111177. 7 '0 semetcr' loa a ittl ligter AT&T takes care of University of Michigan students with a r10 discount. WihteTT'ewr o hv opyfo4hdtc( .( os "lox . o..Pus o haeic ertir - - intwok Vis ti ttc Om/?university o call 8001 - 5213- 05 68to get star td. Reference !t.i : ? .Discount Code 2899228. ~ _ ; _ 0 Rethink Passible' AceE rido v rF~a..O ro~rtoc~ i e irr cmcdt r ioIcyititec' IIr' rgorcyitqemc i qaryeercadacpae.uict ~tio~oce ~reertCer crvirrurc dr e$i c0 ~ ci c oc c i rc o ri e c ir c r rre'i r e icncceaee ev r rotesiaicooywior ci cr Sre t cot~ri ecrrerc r rt l t n n rer Nrit Wn , ~V t Or I-rOrr j r Ie rrUrr i",rtc _ ,tnn cir ,trriys rcf) o ie- b ccarenrtisaiu sge eo~crrrll ese dre o r iaucr~t uyo eoi orfrg. Ic IPI tr 1 irat l' idd IFry iyrrt r[ e t yrigureIicFIAtr1 days S f.f5 rapto,, d I restocri ieoui.tc Ci5 Othy , t C o. /fiir .rIII.:. iai ryc i"ce i r crr$ ), ys.cor ucaci sirirdotu cossrccay ie .,