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February 18, 1991 - Image 12

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Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1991-02-18

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Page 4-The Michigan Daily-Sports Monday- February 18, 1991

Theodore
Cox

Calip needs to
share the wealth
EVANSTON - With 50 seconds left in the
game against Northwestern, Michigan guard
Demetrius Calip drove the lane against Wildcat
Charles Howell. As Calip rose in the air, he ex-
tended his right arm with the ball firmly set in his
palm. He then punched the ball through the net
with authority.
But the Wolverine captain was not done yet, for
as Calip was gliding to the basket, he was bumped
by Howell. The ref whistled the foul. Calip, re-
lieved that the game now belonged to Michigan,
kept his arm extended. He went up to Howell and
placed his hand within a few inches of the for-
ward's face. He yelled something to Howell and
then walked over to the free-throw line.
Calip was happy. The Michigan bench was
happy. Wolverine coach Steve Fisher was happy. I
wasn't happy, and it wasn't because Northwestern
is still winless in the Big Ten.
Was there really any need for Calip to show-
boat? This was just Northwestern - a game
Michigan should have easily won and had to win.
Yet at halftime, the Wildcats were up, 30-25. The
Wolverines had to struggle most of the second half
just to squeak out a victory.
For Michigan to make the NCAA tournament,
the Wolverines need Calip to be a team leader,
not a crowd pleaser. A leader is someone who real-
izes how to best use their talents for a victory.
This has been Calip's problem all year. Several
times this season he along with the other Michigan
guards have missed dunk attempts, when simple
layups would have produced better results on the
scoreboard.
Yes, it is very exciting when someone 6-foot-1
slams one over the big guys. I enjoy it as much as
anyone else. But Calip is not Michael Jordan.
Calip's timing has to be on for him to dunk. In a
game situation, this is often a difficult task.
Calip should realize this, and save his flair for a
slam dunk contest. The bucket is more important to
Michigan this year.
As the team leader, Calip also has to realize
when to shoot and when not to shoot. In Saturday's
game, he shot 1 for 9 from the field in the first half.
Many of the shots he took were open attempts, but
if he knows that his shooting touch is off, he should
get the ball to someone who is shooting well, in-
stead of continually forcing the ball up.
"The shots we had were good shots," Fisher
said, "but when you miss three or four in a row and
then your post players never get a touch, now
you've got to say that might be a good shot, but
don't shoot it."
This is something Fisher has been stressing all
year. Michigan is mediocre at best when shooting
from the perimeter. And as Northwestern coach
Bill Foster said, "If you only shoot from the out-
side, you put too much pressure on your defense to
win the game."
It is obvious from the stat sheet that Michigan
as a whole did not pass the ball very much as the
team only had 11 assists.
The one thing Calip has done often this year is
come through for the Wolverines in the clutch. He
had eight points in the final quarter of the game.
And that is important, but he would make things
easier for himself if his team wasn't in -the awk-
ward position it was during the final minutes of the
Northwestern contest.
"Demetrius tries awfully hard," Fisher added.
"He's not afraid to let it fly. He plays hard and
sometimes he gets like he's going to carry the load
and he can't do that."
In order for Michigan to be successful, Calip
has to redirect his energy into making the team
look good rather than himself.

BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
Riley excels despite
loss of grandmother
by Jeff Sheran
Daily Basketball Writer
EVANSTON - Michigan center Eric Riley's grandmother passed awa3
Friday after suffering a stroke earlier in the week. Riley did not start again
Northwestern, but played 34 minutes, notching 14 points and nine
rebounds.
"I just wanted to dedicate the game to her - it didn't matter who I player
against," Riley said, referring to his dominance over Wildcat center Kevir
Rankin, who did not score in the game. "I just knew I was gonna come ou
and play strong."
First-year forward Sam Mitchell started in place of Riley, who checked it
at the 16:55 mark. When he did enter the game, the 6-foot-11 sophomor
seemed tentative.
"I came off the bench, so I was a little tight," he said.
However, Riley's play improved as the game progressed. His defen*
shone, as evidenced by Rankin's ineffectiveness.
At 11:50 of the first half, reserve center Charles Howell drove the lane
only to find Riley's lanky arms in his way. In one motion, Riley blocket
the ball and stripped it, leaving Howell bewildered and the Northwestern fan:
awe-struck.
Riley excelled on offense as well, sinking the 10-foot jumpers that hac
refused to fall in previous games.
"Most times I look for teammates cutting," Riley said. "Tonight I fell
like I could hit most of the time."
But his most significant play was his monster dunk off the dribble with
1:29 left in the game, amid the 10-0 run that sealed Michigan's victory.
It might have been just another two points. But it seemed to represent
more, like a release of season-long offensive frustration. Or a dedication tc
his grandmother.
"I think he might have put a little more into that dunk," Michigan coach
Steve Fisher said. "I was really happy for him, the way he hung tough and
played the way he did."
A THIEF AMONG US: Wildcat point guard Pat Baldwin's four steals
gave him single-season record for steals by a Northwestern player. In 23
games, Baldwin has recorded 71 steals, and his three-per-game average leads
the Big Ten.
Ironically, the Wildcat thief hails from Leavenworth, Kansas, site of on
of the nation's largest prisons.
LIDS ON THE RIMS?: Michigan's .226 first-half shooting percentage
dwarfs, or shall we say, enlarges its season low of .343 against Iowa State.
The Wolverines shot .640 in the second half, topping their season high is
.558 against Central Michigan.
"I didn't think we were taking bad shots in the first half - they just
weren't falling," Fisher said. "I just told them at halftime not to take that
shot in the first 10 seconds."
Michigan's game total Saturday night was .411, below its .454 average.
MEDIA ASSASSIN: Michigan forward James Voskuil barrelled into
the press table during the second half of Saturday night's game. In the
process, Voskuil's knee knocked a reporter's portable computer onto the
court, causing batteries to fly everywhere. Play was stopped briefly.
After the game, the reporter, from the Daily Herald, assuaged the fears
of his fellow writers when he announced that he had not lost his story. He
added that the computer remained in tact, except for one broken key.
When asked if Voskuil purposely tried to break the reporter's computer,
perhaps in a lash at the media, Voskuil joked, "Yes."

JENNIFER DUNETZ/Daily
Michigan forward James Voskuil looks for the open man during the Wolverines slim victory
over Northwestern Saturday in Evanston.
Boltermakers bounce into
Ann Arbor for Big Monday

by Theodore Cox
Daily Basketball Writer

For the second straight week, Michigan
will make an appearance in one of ESPN's
Big Monday games. This time, the Wolver-
ines may actually have an opportunity to
win the game, as Purdue will come to
Crisler Arena, rather than Michigan going to
Ohio State as the squad did last week.
The last time the Wolverines (5-7 Big
Ten, 12-10 overall) played Purdue (4-8, 12-
10), Michigan was embarrassed at Mackey
Arena as the team was hammered, 86-69.
It was one of Michigan's worst games of
the season as the squad dropped its fourth
straight game and was winless in the confer-
ence. The Boilermakers ripped the Wolver-
ine defense to shreds, slamming home 12
dunks.
"Purdue let us have it," Michigan for-
ward James Voskuil said. "We've got to just
play smarter - knowing when to shoot and
when not to."
Purdue was led in that game by forward
Jimmy Oliver. The senior threw in 35 points
before he was finished for the night. He
leads all Purdue scorers, averaging over 18
points per game. Forward Chuckie White
promises to give Michigan just as many
problems as he is averaging 14 points per
game.
"We've got 24 hours to get ready for
them," Michigan guard Michael Talley said.

"They really did a job on us last time."
The Boilermakers are coming into Ann
Arbor after defeating Minnesota Saturday,
89-82. Both teams are still in the hunt for a
possible NCAA tournament or NIT bid. Be-
cause this game is at home, this is almost a
must-win game for Michigan. Otherwise, the
Wolverines will have to steal a victory on
the road against either Illinois or Indiana.
"We're shooting for a victory over Purdue
after the drubbing we had last time," Michi-
gan coach Steve Fisher said. "We're playing
one game at a time, first of all, seeing if we
can win that next one, and beat the people
that are either right above us or right behind
us. That's what we've got the next two
games with Purdue and Wisconsin."
The biggest question mark in the game is
whether center Eric Riley will play. He is
planning to attend his grandmother's funeral
today, and it is not known if he will be back
in time for the 9:30 p.m. start.
One player who should receive more
playing time is Michigan guard Kirk Taylor.
The junior has had an up-and-down year thus
far, but Fisher credits much of Michigan's
comeback against Northwestern Saturday to
Taylor's defense. At the time when Taylor
came in, Wildcat guard Pat Baldwin was
having a scoring field day. But Taylor
caused Baldwin to pick up his fifth person-
nel foul with two minutes left.
WILD CATS
Continued from page 1
start of the second half, and de-
fense keyed the subsequent Michi-
gan victory.
"Their press just threw some
timing off," Wildcat coach Bill
Foster said. "They were really
quick, and our inability to score in
the last seven minutes lost it for
us."
Michigan had struggled on de-
fense early in the game, allowing
Northwestern its inside strength -
back door layups.
"We worked on stopping the
back-cuts in practice," forward
James Voskuil said. "Unfortunate-
ly, the last four minutes of the first
half they took us."
However, Foster wasn't satis-
fied. "I thought we could get more
back doors," he said. "We got a
few, but not as many as we
fH thought we could get."~
Fisher cited guard Kirk Taylor's
play off the bench as an important
factor in the game.
"I thought he was the guy who
got us going on defense," Fisher
said. "His defensive spark was a
big key for us in the second half."
Taylor's offense provided a

Big Ten Through Feb. 17,1991
Men's Basketball Standings
Conference Games All Games
TEAM W L PCT. W L PCT.
Ohio State 12 1 .923 21 1 .956
Indiana 10 2 .833 21 2 .913
Illinois 8 4 .666 18 7 .720
Michigan State 8 5 .615 15 8 .652
Wisconsin 6 6 .500 12 12 .500
Iowa 6 7 .462 17 8 .680
Michigan 5 7 .416 12 10.545
Purdue 4 8 .333 12 10 .545
Minnesota 3 9 .250 10 12 .454
Northwestern 0 13 .000 5 18 .217
=round the Big Ten-
Associated Press
It was a duel worthy of the two top teams in the Big Ten, and when the
smoke cleared after two overtimes, victorious Ohio State and defeated
Indiana had the satisfaction of knowing they couldn't have played harder.
"That was a tremendous college basketball game. I've never been
involved in a better game," said Ohio State coach Randy Ayers, whose
second-ranked Buckeyes downed the No. 4 Hoosiers 97-95 on Sunday.
Treg Lee, who had tied the game in the first overtime, hit a 10-foot
jumper from the left baseline with four seconds left in the second
overtime to give Ohio State the triumph and sole claim to first place in the
conference.
In Saturday's contests, Michigan State nipped Illinois 62-58, Purdue
beat Minnesota 89-82, Iowa lost 56-55 to Wisconsin and Michigan beat
Northwestern 64-58.
At Columbus, Ohio, Indiana had a five-point lead with one minute left
in regulation and a four-point lead at one time in the first overtime.
It took a last-second shot by Jim Jackson, who had a career-high 30
points to go with 11 rebounds and six assists, to send the game into the
-first overtime and Lee's basket to tie it in that period. Jackson also
disrupted two last-second shots by Indiana in the first extra period and set
up Lee's game-winner in the second overtime.

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