SPORT S
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michigandaily.com
sportsdesk@umich.edu
MONDAY
JULY 22, 2002
On deck:
New park
for niners
in works
By Bob Hunt
Daily Sports Editor
In its 79 years, The Fish has seen
just about everything.
From the time the stadium was
built next to the then-new Yost Field
House, the home of Michigan base-
ball has seen two national champi-
onship teams and the likes of
players such as Barry Larkin, Jim
Abbott and Chris Sabo.
However, the time has now come
for Michigan baseball to move on.
Ray Fisher Stadium today stands
dilapidated, without the modern
facilities that many of the top colle-
giate programs have or for that mat-
ter, even a visiting lockerroom and
chair-back seating. And without a
modern facility, the Wolverines
- have been unable to recruit top
prospects and have fallen down the
Big Ten standings.
But new baseball coach Rich
Maloney wants to change all that.
Michigan's new baseball coach
hopes to break ground on a new
baseball facility in the next three
years. The Michigan athletic depart-
ment is currently trying to raise
WANTED: HELP
IN THE POST
4
While The Fish may be the home for Michigan's baseball team now, new coach
Rich Maloney hopes the team will have a new home soon.
funds for its first-ever master plan
to revamp the entire athletic cam-
pus. The plan also includes an aca-
demic success center, a field house
and a new practice facility for bas-
ketball and wrestling.
Though the academic success
center and the field house rank
higher on the athletic department's
priority list, plans are also underway
for a new baseball/softball complex
by the Varsity Tennis Center on
State Street.
Maloney and his new staff have
spent the last six weeks working
from 6:30 a.m. g until midnight get-
ting ready for their first season and
helping the athletic department seek
out donors. Maloney also sent out a
letter to all Michigan baseball alum-
ni introducing himself as the pro-
gram's new coach and asking them
for their help in the form of dona-
tions for the new stadium.
"We're trying to rally the troops
so to speak," Maloney said.
Maloney plans to make the new
stadium more cozy than The Fish,
as he would like to have around
3,500 chair-back seats so that fans
are close to the action. Maloney
believes that would cost around
eight to 10 million dollars and with
such a stadium, Michigan would be
able to host NCAA Regionals and
Super Regionals. Now the NCAA is
looking for Midwestern schools to
host regionals because not enough
northern schools have modern
See STADIUM, Page 15
Chris Hunter brings size, skill and loads
of potential to the Michigan program
By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Editor
W hen Chris Hunter was grow- going tobe a dominant force."
ing up, he couldn't avoid Hunter's success and growth during
playing the game he loved his senior season made his stock 4
even if he tried. increase dramatically. HoopScoop ana-
Whether it was the Nerf basketball lyst Clark Francis said that Hunter had
rim that hung from his bedroom door a tough summer after his junior sea-
or the milk carton with the bottom cut- son, which dropped him out of Hoop-
out that dangled from a tree in the Scoop's top 100 prospects.
front yard, Chris and his father, "The whole chemistry of his AAU
Edmond Hunter, team was terrible, and he was just real-
"were always ly bad," Francis said."They didn't play
shooting some- very well. I don't know if it was just
thing." chemistry of the team, jealousy of the
"Chris and my players, too many stars, but it was an
husband would ugly team."
always have one Michigan coach Tommy Amaker
of those little nerf said that Hunter wasn't healthy last
basketball things summer and that most people saw him
that hung over the at a time when he wasn't full strength.
door," said Brenda Seeing his recruit lead his team to a
Hunter, Chris' Hunter championship was all he needed.
mother. "He went through about five "We love the fact that he comes
or six of them. He would get on the from a high school that won the state
bed and jump off and dunk." championship and comes from a win-
Chris didn't even have a real basket- ning environment," Amaker said. "All
ball hoop until a storm hit his Gary, those things are a huge plus for a team
Ind. neighborhood and wiped out the like ours at the stage that we're at. He
tree, which had served as his back- can have a tremendous impact."
board for years. Hunter's parents saw their son
"A storm came through and knocked mature and change during last sea-
the tree down," Edmond said. "So we son's title run. When referees would
had to get something else." make calls against him because of his
With a bark-less backboard at his size - something that characterized
disposal, Chris developed into one of his high school career - he wouldn't
Indiana's top big men and will bring lose his focus.
his 6-foot-11, 210-pound frame to "I saw him get control," Edmond
Crisler Arena this fall. Hunter aver- said. "You could tell when things
aged 22.7 points and 11 rebounds per would go wrong, he would stop and
game during his senior season at Gary pull everyone to the center of the court
West Side High School and led his and conduct a discussion right there. In
team to its first-ever Indiana Class 4A the sectionals (of the state tourna-
State Championship. ment), they were behind, but he told
"It was a great run for us," Hunter the team, 'We're going to be cutting
said. "It showed me how to be a win- these nets down.' He was determined
ner and how to succeed as a team. It and it rubbed off on the other guys."
takes a total team effort. In the past we "(Coach Boyd) told me to be more
had more talent, but we were more of a active and take a leadership role on the
team and that's why we won." team," Chris said. "I tried to help
Hunter's high school coach John everyone out and show them what they
Boyd said that his squad was not were doing wrong. It helped that they 4
having success until he told Chris could count on me in any situation.'
that he had to be more aggressive A tragedy rocked Chris' life in 1999
and that they could not win without when his sister, Kimberly, passed away
big performances from him down with Hodgkin's disease while she was
the stretch. attending Ball State. They discovered
"We had to make sure he under- the disease when she was 16 and
stood, 'You're our number one option, thought that it was under control, but it
and if you're not ready to play, we're resurfaced and there was nothing they
going to lose,' " Boyd said. could do to stop it.
"He answered the call. When he "(Chris and Kimberly) were really
sees things have gotten out of hand, he close, and although he kept a lot of it 4
has no problem saying, 'Give me the in, (her death made him) rededicate
ball.' He's very aggressive and when himself to trying to do something with
he gets that mean streak in him, he's See HUNTER, Page 13
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