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. ROSSSCHOOLOF BUSINESS LL LURIE INSTITUTE W boiEntrepreneurial Studies Michigan Business Challenge Information Session 10/30 - 5:30 Pm, E0540' Ross School of Business U-M's annual campus-wide business plan competition - over $60K in awards! All team submissions received by Nov. 12 will compete in Round 1 on Nov. 30.