The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, October 25, 2012 - 7A
Washington's success lies in
refining his hand technique
Michigan penalty
kill perfect this fall
By BEN ESTES
Daily Sports Editor
When you introduce yourself
to Quinton Washington, a hand-
shake is something of an impos-
sibility,- the nose tackle's paws
are so enormous that a normal-
sized hand just gets swallowed.
of course, his hands are just'
part of a body that itself is many
times larger than the average
22-year-old's. At 6-foot-4 arid
300 pounds, Washington has the
ideal build for a space-eater in
the middle of a defensive line.
In his redshirt junior season,
having seized a starting spot for
the first time in his career, Wash-
ington is beginning to put that
sizable frame to use.
It was a surprise for most
when Washington appeared
atop the nose tackle depth chart
before the season opener against
Alabama. After last season, the
Michigan coaching staff had
slid defensive end Jibreel Black
over to three-technique defen-
sive tackle, and it was assumed
that he and senior Will Campbell
would man the two spots in the
middle, with Campbell at nose
tackle.
But Washington came on
strong in camp. His emergence
allowed Michigan coach Brady
Hoke to put Campbell at the
three-technique and insert
Washington at the nose, giving
him the type of bulk in the inte-
rior that Hoke deems necessary
for the Big Ten.
Washington had big shoes to
fill - he's replacing Mike Mar-
tin, a four-year contributor who
was voted the Wolverines' top
defensive lineman in each of the
last three seasons before being
drafted by the Tennessee Titans
this year.
"I knew that I would have to
work all offseason because Mike
was gone," Washington said. "I
was the next person in line, and
if I really wanted it I had to work.
One thing with Coach Hoke, he's
not just going to give you the
position. He's going to make you
work for it.
Redshirt junior Quinton Washington has been a pleasant surprise this fall.
"It was a surprise when he
put me in (at the top), but I just
embraced it and ran with it."
Hailing from St. Stephen, S.C.,
Washington arrived at Michigan
as a touted recruit - a four-star
offensive line recruit, according
to Rivals.com. He was signed by
former coach Rich Rodriguez in
2009 to play guard. There was
even a thought that Washington
would be able to step in and play
right away, a rarity for offensive
linemen.
It didn't happen. After taking
a redshirt his first season, Wash-
ington couldn't crack the field in
2010 either, and halfway through
that campaign, Rodriguez moved
then-defensive tackle Campbell
to the offensive line and switched
Washington over to defense.
When Hoke arrived before
last season, Campbell was moved
back to his original position.
Washington remained at defen-
sive tackle, a position he didn't
play in high school. Despite
his inexperience there, he was
intrigued by the opportunity.
"It was really exciting to try
something new," Washington
said. "Being an offensive line-
man, it was coming along really
slow, so it was kind of getting
frustrating and I just wanted to
try something new. It's seemed
to be a pretty good turnout."
Still, Washington wasn't
exactly a natural at his new spot.
The technique is completely dif-
ferent on either side of the line
- offensive linemen try to get
in close and drive the opponent,
while defensive linemen try to
extend their arms, lock out and
shed the blocker - and Washing-
ton admitted he initially strug-
gled with the switch.
It's still a work in progress,
but one much further along than
when Washington made the
switch two years ago. After a
year spent behind Martin, Wash-
ington has the full focus of the
defensive coaches, and three of
them - Hoke, defensive coor-
dinator Greg Mattison and line
coach Jerry Montgomery - have
experience coaching the defen-
sive line.
The coaching attention has
improved Washington's tech-
nique, especially with his hands,
by leaps and bounds since fall
camp began.
But strength remains the nose
tackle's best attribute. If you ask
his teammates, Washington's
power is apparently prodigious.
Campbell called him an "ox."
Senior defensive end Craig Roh
called him a "beast."
"(Against Illinois), he actually
got in my way a little bit," Roh
said."I'mhavingto deal with two
guys, because he's just throw-
ing them over to me. He literally
threw guys. That's a 300-pound
guy throwing 300-pound guys.
It's something pretty fun to see."
"At first (the transition) was
hard because of my hands, but
one thing I did know how to
do was just come off the ball,"
Washington added with a wry
smile.
Roh and Campbell both also
commented on how much better
Washington's hands have been
this season, and Hoke seem-
ingly mentions Washington's
improvement every week. This
season, Washington's technique
has finally begun to work in con-
cert with his natural strength.
The combination has turned him
into a solid player for Michigan's
defensive line - which, along
with the defense as a whole, has
been steadily improving since
some early struggles.
"There's times now where you
see him play a block, and you go,
'Boy, that's perfect!' " Mattison
said. "And like any player, now
we have to do it play after play
after play. ... But Quinton has
really worked hard. He's bought
into everything. I'm happy for
him."
With his natural talent, it
appears Washington's ceiling
is as high as his hands will take
him.
His strides, though, are evi-
dent, even off the field. After you
finish your conversation with
him and follow him to the exit,
he stops to hold the door for you
- his arm is fully extended, just
as his coaches would want.
By MICHAEL LAURILA
Daily Sports Writer
Three games into its season,
the Michigan hockey team has
yet to allow a power-play goal.
The penalty kill is a perfect
10-for-10. Include the two four-
on-fours Michigan has endured
and it becomes 12-for-12.
But what has been the secret
to the Wolverines' success on the
penalty kill?
"Everyone doing the little
things," said junior defenseman
Mac Bennett. "People are getting
in front of shots, gettingthe stick
on the puck. They are where
they're supposed to be. They're
snapping back and circling, just
doing the little things is allowing
us to be successful."
The players that typically
play on the penalty kill take that
to heart. They tend to be the
grittiest, scrappiest players on
the ice because of the constant
hammering the opposing team's
power play inflicts.
Though mainly defensive, the
penalty-kill unit consists of four
players who are not all defen-
semen. Michigan coach Red
Berenson said that on the typical
penalty kill the Wolverines will
rotate at least four defensemen
and six forwards.
Of the normal penalty killers,
Berenson highlighted the perfor-
mance of junior forward Derek
DeBlois and sophomore forward
Travis Lynch.
Bennett echoed Berenson.
"They suck to play against in
practice because they're pesky,"
he said. "We've seen it in games."
Though Michigan has scored
only one short-handed goal so
far show this season, it came at
a pivotal time during the second
meeting with RIT, when Lynch's
goal gave the Wolverines a 2-0
advantage.
"Not only does it motivate
when guys are out there blocking
shots, killing penalties and get-
ting us back to full strength, but
obviously times two when they're
out there scoring goals," said
junior forward Luke Moffatt.
Berenson added some other
aspects of the penalty kill that
he has seen so far to be a driving
force in the success of the unit.
With faceoffs constantly occur-
ring in the defensive zone, he said
winning the draw is crucial to
clear the ice from the get-go. He
also referenced the importance of
the forecheck to either force the
opposing team to dump the puck
in the zone orto froce a turnover.
And the goalie is always there
to man the last line of defense.
"If there is a breakdown, then
your goalie has got to be able to
make a save," Berenson said. "He's
got to be your bestpenalty killer."
Despite the question mark that
has been lingering in the net so
far, freshmen goaltenders, Steve
Racine and Jared Rutledge, have
played their part on the kill unit.
They might be inexperienced,
but that hasn't been completely
noticeable during opposing power
plays.
One of the biggest struggles for
goalies during the penalty kill is
to maintain possession and keep
soft rebounds from finding the
back of the net.
Both Bennett and Moffatt ref-
erenced the importance of being
"disciplined" during the penalty
kill, and that is exactly what the
Wolverines have been. After the
first loss to RIT where the Tigers
tallied seven power plays, the
players have fared much better.
Berenson said that some of the
younger players have also found
themselves playing significant
roles, including freshmen for-
wards Andrew Copp and Justin
Selman and sophomore forward
Zach Hyman.
"It's great that our penalty kill
has been so good this year, but we
don't want to put them in situa-
tions in big games where we are
down," Moffatt said. "It's just
pressure situations and we just
need to play more disciplined
like we have been the last couple
of games and, work off that to
become even better."
Though it is likelythatthe per-
fect streak for the penalty kill will
come to an end in the near future,
the current success is a welcomed
sight so early in the year.
Freshman leaves her mark in How Rick Pitino almost
Ann Arbor byway of Ireland almost coached at 'M'
By DYLAN McKENZIE
DailySports Writer
For freshman Aisling Naugh-
ton, playing for the Michigan
field hockey team was far from a
certainty, but the team is ecstatic
that it became reality.
Naughton, who hails from
Goatstown, Ireland, has been a
notable asset for the Wolverines
and is leaving her mark in her
first season. The defensive back
is second on the team in goals (7)
and third in points (18) and she's
been named Big Ten Freshman of
the Week twice.
"She's electrifying," said
Michigan coach Marcia Pan-
kratz. "And that sets a tone for
our team."
While she plays with the com-
fort level of a veteran, it's Naugh-
ton's international journey
that reveals poise and maturity
beyond her years.
As a high school senior,
Naughton didn't plan to attend
Michigan or even head to the
U.S. for college.
"I had no plans to come to
America, but in December (2011)
I thought about it," she said. "In
March, a spot opened up and I
signed my letter of intent. ... By
this time last year I thought I'd
still be in Dublin."
Perhaps it was the luck of the
Irish for Michigan that the spot
was available, because Naughton
has been one of the team's top
players all seasonlong. After hav-
ing a quick change of heart and
choosing to cross the Atlantic for
college, a culture shock could be
expected. But that hasn't affect-
ed her play.
"I had never made an official
visit so when I got off the plane
August 8th, it was a bit scary,"
Naughton said. "But the girls
Louisville head
coach says he
couldn't contact
Michigan A.D.
By MATT-SLOVIN
Daily Sports Editor
Rick Pitino, the head coach
of the Louisville men's basket-
ball team, told SiriusXM's Bas-
ketball and Beyond radio show
on Wednesday that he was
extremely close to taking the,
head coaching job at Michigan
a decade ago.
"I was fired up to be the
coach at Michigan," Pitino
recalled.
"My wife came up - she just
didn't want me to go to the west
coast, UNLV, and be away from
the children," Pitino said. "She
agreed, 'Okay, let's go to Michi-
gan."
But Pitino went on to say that
when Louisville came calling,
his wife questioned him for his
unwillingness to return to the
Bluegrass State, where he had
previously coached at Kentucky
from 1989-97 and winning a
national title in 1995-96.
In March of 2001, Pitino,
who now has 616 career vic-
tories, took over at Louisville,
where he's since led the Cardi-
nals to two Final Fours.
Had then-Michigan ath-
letic director Bill Martin not
been out of the office on some,
well, not-so-official business, it
might not have gone down that
way.
"I tried to call the A.D. at
Michigan (Martin) between 12
and 1," Pitino said Wednesday.
"I had a false name. I would
give him a fake name, and he
would call me back. I couldn't
get ahold of him because he was
playing squash. The secretary
said that he demands that he
doesn't get interrupted unless
it's an emergency and if you
wantyou can leave avoicemail.
"I left a voicemail and went
to Louisville and I'm really
happy I did."
Martin and Michigan ended
up hiring Tommy Amaker after
Pitino detoured to Dixie. Amak-
er lasted six seasons, accumu-
lating a 108-84 record before
current coach John Beilein took
over in 2007.
Freshman Aisling Naughton has adjusted well to life in the United States
have been absolutely lovely. ...
The team's been like a family."
The Wolverines' large interna-
tional presence likely helped in
her transition. Michigan has six
international players from vari-
ous areas of Canada and Europe
who have created an atmosphere
where homesickness doesn't
affect the team's play.
"You want tobe home because
you feel like you're missing out a
little bit," Naughton said. "When
I look where I am, though, I'm
really glad I'm here."
Pankratz added: "Without
question, there's some adjust-
ment and we try very hard to
make them feel at home."
Naughton's ability to take such
drastic life changes in stride
and continue to pour in goals is
impressive. But her abilityto suc-
ceed while having to learn the
intricacies of the American game
is perhaps more notable.
While the core of the game
is similar regardless of which ,
side of the Atlantic you play on,
Naughton concedes that there
are large differences in the
American game.
"It's really attacking, it's
constantly go, go, go," she said.
"There's. a huge emphasis on fit-
ness and the intensity in gen-
eral."
Her physical gifts certainly
make the transition easier, as
Pankratz called her' the team's
"fastest player,"
Naughton continues to shine
even with the obstacles working
against her. With her bolstering
the back line, Michigan has been
able to continue its strong play
from last year despite fielding
such a young team.
The future is bright for both
Naughton and the Wolverines,
and it's all because of a change of
heart from a year ago in Ireland.
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