16
Monday, July 2, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
HOCKEY
From page 14
fact that Palushaj was still asleep when
the Blues called to tell him he had been
selected the morning of June 23.
Despite exceeding his expecta-
tions, Palushaj said he still expects to
play out his four years of eligibility for
the Maize and Blue. Still, the forward
admitted that he would evaluate his
development on a year-to-year basis.
Just one current Wolverine was
drafted, rising sophomore defenseman
Steve Kampfer. The Anaheim Ducks
took Kampfer in the fourth round.
Kampfer also expected to go later in
the draft but was pleasantly surprised
to get the call when he did.
Junior defenseman Mark Mitera,
who was often Kampfer's defensive
partner at Michigan last season, was
picked in the first round by the Ducks
last year.
"(Mark and I) were joking around
saying we would be d(efensive) part-
ners for a lot longer now," Kampfer
said.
The six incoming freshman draft-
ed mark half of the gigantic class of
2011. All 12 will be thrown into the
fire when the season gets under way
Oct. 12 against two-time runner-up
for the national championship Boston
College, followed by a potential show-
down with Minnesota.
A trip to Northern Michigan and a
home series with perennial Hockey
East power Boston University round
out one of the toughest opening sched-
ules in recent memory.
But if Michigan exceeds expec-
tations this season like it did in the
draft, maybe the future is brighter
than it appears.
Grant Mason (13) played with three other former Wolverines in NFL Europa.
FOOTBALL
From page 15
cornerback but sent him to NFL
Europa to see how he looked at
safety. Mason said he has grown
into the position with Amster-
dam.
"I feel at home (as a safety),"
Mason said. "I always played
both until college. I love the one-
on-one battle at the corner posi-
tion, but as a safety, I have a lot
more leadership." I
Stenavich knew Green Bay
would ship him overseas before
the end of 2006 NFL season.
The Packers signed Stenavich,
who played left tackle for Michi-
gan, to their practice squad last
November but wanted him to get
game experience at guard.
Followingtthe NFL Europa sea-
son, Stenavich will report back
to Green Bay before returning to
Charlotte for a month to prepare
for Packer training camp.
For Pape, it was a question of
desire. Drafted by the Miami Dol-
phins in 2004, Pape made their
practice squad, but retired after
the season.
That's the reason he played for
Amsterdam and not in the NFL.
"NFL teams were reluctant to
pick me up," said Pape, who was
allocated to NFL Europa by San
Diego. "They wanted to see me
play a full season. Ijust burned out
and played a season over here."
And afterthe Admirals finished
a disappointing 4-6, Pape said he
will return to San Diego to finish
up training camp with the Char-
gers refreshed and ready to com-
pete for a job.
The four Michigan alums didn't
spend all their time worrying
about what awaited them back in
the states. They enjoyed the com-
petition- admittedlyweakerthan
the NFL - experienced paying 50
cents to go to the bathroom in a
bar and felt what it's like to play in
front of understanding fans.
"You don't see the numbers like
the NFL, but those who come to
the games really love it," Mason
said. "They're happy to be able
to watch the games, and coming
from a place like Michigan where
you win or you're the worst thing
in the world ... it's cool."
BASKETBALL
From page 13
media as the draft approached.
The last Michigan player to be
selected in the NBA Draft was
Bernard Robinson, Jr. in 2004.
He was a second-round pick of the
Charlotte Bobcats. Last year, many
assumed Daniel Horton would be
picked in the second round, but he
went undrafted. Horton eventually
signed on with the Miami Heat,
but did not make the team out of
summer league play. He split time
between Turkey and the NBDL
this season.
All four of the 2007 graduates
had solid college careers, but
none could get Michigan over the
hump and into the NCAA Tour-
nament. Abram, Harris and Sims
all scored over 1,000 points in
their Wolverine careers and for-
mer coach Tommy Amaker called
Petway the "heart and soul" of
this year's team.
Signing with the right summer
league team will be essential for all
of them. They must choose a team
that has a need for them. Some will
question Petway's decision to sign
with the Hawks giventhe glutthey
have at small forward - which is
what Petway will likely play in the
NBA. His chances of making the
roster competing against players
like Josh Childress, Josh Smith
and Marvin Williams are slim.
Thelikelihoodanyofthefourthe
four departing Wolverines make'
an NBA training camp is marginal
at best. And once they get to train-
ing camp, they will still have to
beat out several others competing
for one or two roster spots.
"It's a tough transition, but the
reality is that if you look at the
NBA, almost everyone already
has their No 1, 2 and 3 scorers,"
Ames said. "When you're looking
at getting into the NBA from (the
undrafted) angle, you're not focus-
ing on one aspect of your game.
"Shooting alone isn'tgoingto get
you there or your ability to score.
It's the all around intangibles, the
hustle, the defense, being able to
guard most positions and being
able to defer tootherguys.Allthose
different things are going to factor
into whether you are going to get
an opportunity whether that's in
the summer leagues or in a train-
ing camp."
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