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12 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 7, 2001
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By Steve Jackson
Daily Sports Editor
Maurice Searight's days as a Wolver-
ine are over.
Wednesday, Michigan basketball coach
Tommy Amaker announced that the
freshman guard had been dismissed from
the program. The action was taken in
response to a "violation of team policies."
Amaker was both kind and brief when
discussing Searight.
"We certainly appreciate Maurice's
efforts here at the University," Amaker
said in a released statement. "We would
like to wish him well and assist him with
any help and direction he needs to fur-
ther his collegiate basketball career.
There will be no further cpmment on
this matter."
Searight's career ended after playing
in just 19 games. During that time he
averaged 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9
assists and 13.2 minutes per game.
Before coming to Michigan, Searight
was an outstanding football and basket-
ball player. He led Orchard Lake St.
Mary's basketball to the Michigan state
title in 2000 with an undefeated season.
Averaging 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6
assists as a senior, Searight was rated by
Preps Spotlight as the No. 3 prospect in
Michigan upon his departure.
When he arrived in Ann Arbor,
Searight started strong. In his first game
against Oakland, the 6-foot-2 freshman
hit all seven of his shots to finish with a
career-high 14 points.
But the good days quickly turned sour
for Searight. His playing time dropped
substantially and his behavior began to
cause his team additional headaches.
On December 30 Searight was sus-
pended for the game against Eastern
Michigan for violating unspecified team
rules. It appeared as though the prob-
lems might have endedwhen Searight
posted six points in 22 minutes against
Ohio State on January 18.
But on February 10, Searight skipped
a team practice and never played for
Michigan again.
"He's suspended indefinitely for a
violation of team rules. He's suspended
until I change my mind, and right now I
have not changed it," then-Michigan
coach Brian Ellerbe said in his Monday
press conference that week. "We're defi-
nitely trying to teach him life less
just like any other kid."
If Searight wants to learn his lesson
at another Division I school, he will ha
to sit out for a year before returning
the court.
Crisler changes brng
students closer to floor
By Benjamin Singer
Daily Sports Editor
,risler Arena will undergo renovations
- before the,2001-02 basketball.season in
an effort to rearrange seating to fit more
students closer to the floor. Instead of
regular sseats in the sections directly
behind the team benches and scorer's
table, bleacher seats will be installed.
"It's a great start for us," Michigan
coach Tommy Amaker said. "It sounds
like something that's been needed to cre-
ate a better atmosphere.
Currently, seating assignments are pri-
oritized by consecutive years an individ-
ual has bought season tickets. A
proposed change with the bleachers
would be to go on a first-come-first-
served basis.
Preliminary estimates project that 490
students will be able to sit in the sections
closest to the court where previously just
110 students were given tickets. The
"Maize Rage" will also now extend from
behind the Michigan bench to behind the
visitor's bench on the lowest level, as
opposed to past years where students
were located in just section 3 behind the
scorer's table.
Seats would still be set aside behind
the Michigan bench for recruits and
behind the opponent's beeds for visitors'
tickets.
Public seating will be displaced from
behind the benches to the upper part of
section 3 in the lower bowl, which used
to be part of the student section.
Director of Ticket Operations Marty
Bodnar said this move would benefit
those sitting in section 6 who have com-
plained of parts of their view being
blocked by students standing during the
games. Now with public seating to their
right, the view should be clearer.
Another possibility for next season
would include courtside seating for the
public. Possibly 100 seats would be avail-
able, requiring donations for each seat in
addition to the cost of the ticket itself.
Ticket prices for students and public
seating have yet to be determined.
Maurice Searight was kicked off the
team for unspecified team violations.
Tommy Amaker has finally completed his search to
find his assistants. Michigan has yet to officially
announce their hirings. Here is a breakdown of the
new faces on the bench:
The latest addition to the Wolver-
ines is Chales Ramsey, who was an
assistant at California for five years.
Ramsey has ties to the Ann Arbor
areaas he was an assistant at East-
ern Michigan and has also coached
Ypsilanti High School.
Ramsey
Chuck Swenson has worked the past five years as
an assistant coach at Penn State. He previously was a
Duke assistant under Mike Krzyzewski and helped
recruit Amaker to the Blue Devils. Swenson was also
head coach at William and Mary, where he compiled a
62-134 record in seven seasons.
Billy Schmidt and Kirsten Green followed Amaker
from Seton Hall after his hiring. Schmidt will join Ram-
sey and Swenson on the bench while Green will work
as the director of basketball operations. Schmidt previ-
ously worked at Northwestern before replacing Chris
Collins at Seton Hall last year.
i-again
Because the order for next year's uniform with
Nike was made too late for a complete change,
the Wolverines will have the same jersey as the
past two years, but with "Michigan" written
across the chest as opposed to the block 'M'.
The uniforms for the 2002-03 season will be a
Photo illustration of whole new design that will still read "Michigan"
Bornard Robinson into eje
proected uniform. on the jersey.
Michigan is still working out its schedule, but three non-conference
teams are officially set:
Duke is comeing to Michigan next year in the first
year of a renewed contract through 2006. Amaker said
the schools will review the deal as to whether they want
to continue after two years. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is known
to dislike coaching against former players.
Michigan will host Boston College to finish up the
home-and-home series from two years ago when the
Eagles won 89-71. The Eagles were knocked out in the
second round of last year's NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed.
Like with Boston College, Michigan will travel to Col-
orado State to finish the home-and-home from the 1999-
2000 season when Michigan won 87-80.