... days until Notre Dame at Michigan
Stadium.
SIPORTS
MoJnay
June 28, 19"15
Spurs buck
New York
4for title, 4-1
NEW YORK (AP) - Don't ever call
the Spurs softies again. Don't ever
underappreciate Tim Duncan again.
Don't ever rag on David Robinson
again.
The San Antonio Spurs are champi-
ons now, and the old criticisms don't fit
anymore.
The best game of the NBA Finals, a
thrilling 78-77 victory over the New
York Knicks on Friday night, proved that
the Spurs are the best team in the league.
On the game's final play, Charlie
Ward's inbounds pass found Latrell
Sprewell too far under the basket.
Sprewell's awkward shot missed, and the
Spurs stormed the court, their wives,
children and girlfriends soon joining
' m to celebrate.
"It's a journey that goes to show that
hard work and persistence truly pays
off," said Robinson, who had been criti-
cized during his 10-year career for not
being able to lead his team to a title.
The victory, keyed by 31 points from
finals MVP Duncan, gave San Antonio
a 15-2 record in this postseason, tying
the second-best playoff run in NBA his-
tory.
Mees hired
as new men's
tennis coach
Dy Jon Zemke
Daily Sps Writer
Ws part of the last phase in a transi-
tional year for the Michigan men's ten-
nis team, the Wolverines hired Mark
Mees as their next head coach. Mees, a
former Michigan tennis all-American
and graduate, takes over for Brain
Eisner.
Mees "brings a tremendous enthusi-
asm for coaching and also a tremendous
enthusiasm for Michigan," Eisner said.
Mees was a four-year letter winner
(1980-83) on Michigan's tennis team
ning two Big Ten doubles titles and
an NCAA doubles title in 1983.
Mees has been coaching tennis for 16
years. He started as an assistant for
Eisner in 1984 before going onto the
Cleveland Racquet Club in 1989 as a
director. Mees has spent the last I1 years
at the Cleveland Racquet Club helping
former Michigan and professional ten-
nis player Malivai Washington as a pri-
A coach. Eisner described Mees as
t eh who's been working with some of
the top junior tennis players.
"My hope for this year is for a team
that can make it into the top 10 of the
nation," Eisner said.
Jillson top college
pick at NHL draft
MARGARET MEYERS/Daily
Michigan sophomore Jeff Jillson was the second defenseman taken in the NHL
draft this Saturday after Branisiav Mezel of Bellevilie of the OHL.
S-mith'ds surgery reveals
'si fitcant damage'
[U' doctors: Forward could miss eight months
By Jon Zemke
Daily Sports Writer
Known at least to themselves as 'lead-
ers and best,' the Wolverines had the best
there was to offer from the collegiate
level in Fridays NHL draft. Michigan
sophomore Jeff Jillson was the first col-
lege player taken, with the 14th overall
pick by the San Jose Sharks.
"His size was a big factor," said
Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson.
"And so was the fact that he was able to
play in good situations."
At, 6-3 220 pounds, Jillson could be a
very imposing force on the NHL ice -
at least that is what San Jose is hoping
for. The Rhode Island native was one of
the key rookies for Michigan last season.
Jillson's +22 plus/minus rating was the
highest among Michigan's players. His
accomplishments on the ice earned
Jillson Bauer/CCHA All-Rookie Team
honors.
But with his combination of potential
skill and large size, Jillson became the
11th-rated defensive prospect in North
America and the best pick the NCAA
had to offer
Michigan's Mike Comrie, the CCHA
rookie of the year last season, was also
drafted in the third round with the 91st
pick by the Edmonton Oilers. Both
Comrie, a sophomore center, and his
brother, Paul Comrie, went to Edmonton.
Paul, who just finished playing for
Denver University, will be trying out for
the NHL while Mike plans on staying at
Michigan.
Edmonton is also the hometown of the
brothers - another twist to an unusual
situation.
"It's very interesting," Mike Comrie
said. "Brothers playing for the same team
is nice."
The last time the brothers competed on.
the ice together was this spring, when
Michigan defeated Denver to advance in
the NCAA Tournament.
Neither Jillson nor Conrie plan on
leaving college early for the NHL. Of the
dozens of NCAA players taken in the
draft, only a few will play in the pros
immediately.
The two Michigan sophomores join
fellow teammates Mike Van Ryn, Mark
Kosick, Josh Langfeld and Josh
Blackburn as drafted players currently
playing for the Wolverines.
By Michael Kern
Daily Sports Editor
The story seems the same every year.
A college basketball player is injured
while playing in a meaningless pick-up
game. Upon being examined by doc-
tors, it is discovered that the player will
need surgery. Suddenly, the team is
without one of its starters for the first
half of the season.
This year that player was the
Michigan men's basketball junior for-
ward Brandon Smith, who suffered a
knee injury while playing in a pick-up
game at Eastern Michigan.
On Wednesday, Smith underwent
reconstructive surgery to repair a tear in
his anterior cruciate ligament.
During the surgery, it was also dis-
covered that Smith had tom his lateral
meniscus cartilage.
University doctors had known from
the physical exam that there was dam-
age other than that to the ACL. But it
was not clear until after the surgery the
extent of Smith's injury, because the
MRI had not shown any other damage.
According to Michigan orthopedic
team physician Dr. Ed Wojtys, who
examined Smith and performed the
procedure, this type of surgery normal-
ly takes between six and eight months
for recovery, which means that Smith
will miss at least the first half of the
season.
"There was significant damage to the
knee," Dr. Wojtys said, "but we expect
him to make a full recovery and regain
all of his strength."
It is not yet clear who will replace
Smith's 28.6 minutes per game this
winter. But prep star Lavell Blanchard
will most likely fill the vacancy left by
Smith in the starting lineup.
Smith, who started 29 games for
Michigan last season, began rehabilita-
tion Thursday, just one day after the
surgery.
"Hopefully we'll have him back in
time for the Big Ten season," said
Michigan men's basketball athletic
trainer Steve Stricker. "We will know
better in a month about how long he
will be out."
Docile Gophers buy
out Haskins' contract
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Clem
Haskins, national coach of the year in
1997 after taking Minnesota to the Final
Four, is out of a job although investiga-
tors found no evidence implicating him
in an academic fraud scandal.
But university President Mark Yudof,
who announced a $1.5 million buyout
of Haskins' contract, said it is "extreme-
ly likely" that fraud occured and change
was necessary to restore confidence.
"It is clear that on his watch, substan-
tial, numerous violations of our acade-
mic conduct code have occurred,"
Yudof said. "We thought it's time for a
management change."
Haskins will step down June 30,
three years before his 10-year contract
was to expire. He compiled a 240-165
record in 13 seasons. The Gophers lost
to Kentucky in the the Final Four irk
1997.
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