Monday June 15, 1998 -The Michigan Daily-15

Blue frontcourt
heads to draft

Mike Van Ryn is
one of several
Wolverines eligi-
ble for the NHL
draft next week.
The defenseman
is projected as a
middle-to-late
first round draft
choice.
JOHN KroFn/ fM ic
NHL Dromisme fo r 'M' 1e rs

By TJ. Berka
Daily Sports Editor
The loss of Robert Traylor, Maceo
Baston, Jerod Ward and Travis Conlan
will likely have an effect on Michigan's
basketball fortunes this season.
What effect their departures will have
on the NBA is still up for debate. While
Conlan isn't regarded as a prospect,
there has been a lot of interest in Traylor,
Baston and Ward.
The magnet for most NBA interest is
Traylor, who declared for the draft after
his junior season. A mammoth 280-
pounder who starred at center, Traylor
impressed scouts at NBA predraft work-
outs in Los Angeles, Milwaukee and
Chicago with his athletic ability.
Traylor has also lost over 40 pounds
since Michigan ended its season in
March, increasing his appeal.
"Robert has lost a lot of weight," said
Traylor's grandmother, Jessie Mae
Carter. "He has done everything that
they've asked of him. He runs everyday
and works on his shooting at the gym. I
also have been boiling his food."
Accordingto ESPN reports, Traylor is
expected to be taken between the sixth
and 16th pick overall. He is listed as the
eighth-best prospect according to
Monter Draft News, which provides the
rankings used by ESPN.
"I know he will be drafted in the first
round, but I hope he will be a lottery
pick;' Carter said. "I'm hoping for
Robert to be picked sixth or seventh."
The only drawback on Traylor's
resume is his height, which was mea-
sured at 6-foot 6-1/2 inches at one of his
workouts. His height, or lack of it,
throws some doubt as to which position

he would be best suited.
The most intriguing Wolverine for
scouts might be Ward. A 6-9 small for-
ward and 1994 national high school
Player of the Year, Ward was hampered
by injuries during his college career,
missing the majority of his freshmanhand
sophomore seasons due to knee injunes.
Ward had a breakout senior season,
though, averaging 13.1 points per game
and increasing his field goal percentage
by nine percent. Ward surged during the
Big Ten season and postseason, and
some speculation had him being drafted
toward the end of the first round.
Wardcontinuedto encourage such talk
with his play in the Portsmouth
Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft tour-
nament, as Ward performed well enough
to make the all-tournament team.
But Ward injured his knee in a later
pre-draft camp. While the injury istAs
serious as his past injuries, it, coupled
with a slew of talented underclassmen,
has put Ward's draft status indoubt.
Whether Baston will get drafted is
also in doubt. While he stands 6-9 and is
an explosive dunker, Baston weighs only
210 pounds. Baston's shot variety has
also been questioned.
Despite his lack of weight, Baston
was a highly effective rebounder and
interior scorer as a Wolverine, qualities
which appeal to NBA scouts. According
to Monter Draft News, Baston is a long-
term project who could turn out to have
more of a impact as a professional than
as a collegian.
As for the trio together, their NBA
impact will likely be less than the effect
their departures will have on the
Wolverines this upcoming season.

By Uma Subrainanlan
DAy Sports Wtter
On June 27 in Buffalo, N.Y., the boy-
hood dreams of top young hockey play-
ers will be realized. The 1998 NI, drat)
will feature players from all walks of life
- from Europe, Canadai and the United
States, from both the major junior
leagues and colleges across North
America.
In order to retain NCAA eligibility, a
player can only declare himself eligible
for the draft after he turns 19 and before
the age of2.
As a result, this years draft could be a
successful one for Michigan players who
meet the draft requirements.
"I think we have at least five or six
players who could be drafted,' Michigan
coach Red Berenson said. "But it doesn't
mean that they will all play professional-
ly"
his year, Mike Van Ryn, a 6-foot-1,
191-pound sophomore defenseman from
London, Ontario, is the most promising
draft-bound Wolverine. In its final play-
er ranking prior to the draft, the NIIL
Central S-outing Bureau r ed Van
Ryn 15th among all North American
draft prospects.
Van Ryn is the highest-ranked college
player in the draft. According to The
Redline Report, Van Ryn is popular with
scouts because he is a strong skater with
good puck-handling skills.
"His size and skill are above average,"
Berenson said. "It was a good year for
him, and he got a lot of exposure with
our schedule and championship.
"The best thing about the NHL draft is
that the players are drafted but are left in
school. So, (Van Ryn) should continue to
develop at Michigan'
In the past, most NHL teams primari-
ly scouted young players who developed
in the junior hockey leagues. According
to Berenson, however, times are chang-
ing.
"It used to be that they preferred play-
ers that came through juniors," Berenson
"Now 14;yetht there are lot of

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great kids that play college hockey.So,
there is a slight shift toward college -
just like it used to mainly be only
Canadians playing, you now see
Americans and Europeans."
Though Van Ryn is the only
Wolverine projected to be drafted in the
first round, several other Wolverines
should have a shot at getting drafted in
later rounds of the draft. Among those is
Mark Kosick, a 5-11, 187-pound center
from Vancouver.
"I'm a little bit excited," Kosick said.
"Ever since you were young you dream
about getting drafted by an NIl team. It
would be a huge bonus, but itl entirely
out of my hands"
Kosick delayed his entry into the NIIL
draft by choosing college over junior
hockey.
"I was all ready to play major juniors,"
Kosick said. "Then my dad and I decid-
ed that it'd be better for me to finish out
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grade 12 and maybe get a scholarship.
That's what happened. When Michigan
called, that was it. It's the bet place to
be."
Kosick's ulimate goal is to play pro-
fessional hockey. Even if he is not draft-
ed, he is optimistic that he will be able to
continue to develop at Michigan.
"I'm hoping to keep improvin'g,"
Kosick said. "I'd be extremey happy to
be dated. But if I'm not, I'm confident
that I can improve and maybe eventually
sign as a free agent"
According to Berenson, the draft is
overrated anyway.
"The draft doesn't really mean a
whole lot," Berenson said. "Its pretty
much a false ego trip. Itjust sorts out the
players. I have told them that it's a nice
token of appreciation. However, it does-
n't mean you're any better or any worse
than you were the day be fore.

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