Elmblad, Goree
head into final
chapter of
illustrious careers
By KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Writer
With 1:05 left in overtime,
senior forward Cyesha Goree
leapt up to the glass and
grabbed an offensive rebound
after senior guard Shannon
Smith missed both of her free
throws.
Fourteen
seconds
later,
Goree drew a foul and had to
step up to the line herself. After
missing both of her free throws,
she fought her way to the rim
and pulled down yet another
offensive
board,
her
18th
rebound of the night.
This was Ohio State she was
playing, after all, and she wasn’t
going to let anyone else benefit
from her mistakes.
Goree grabbed one more at
the glass before the game ended
in a 100-94 victory for the
Michigan women’s basketball
team. It’s easy to assume that
the game would have concluded
in a much different fashion if
Goree hadn’t scrapped for 19
rebounds.
But that would be assuming
that
senior
forward
Nicole
Elmblad wasn’t there to help
her out.
Elmblad — who ended the
afternoon with nine rebounds
herself — always complements
Goree well.
“It’s great to show how no
matter what position you play
or what kind of person you bring
to the team, you can always play
if you know each other, and we
worked on (our dynamics) a lot
in practice a few days,” Goree
said.
Added Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico: “I think they had
a really great week of practice
this week. We really worked on
(Elmblad and Goree) playing
off each other, and I think they
connected really well tonight.
Really well.”
The
two
have
been
playing
together
since
their
freshman year
under
then-
Michigan
coach
Kevin
Borseth.
They’re
also
the only two
remaining
from their original recruiting
class.
After
completing
their
first season of college ball
and learning how to play in
the NCAA, they had to face
adversity together once again.
Borseth resigned, and Barnes
Arico was hired before their
sophomore season.
Even with the makeup of
the program changing, Goree
and Elmblad have remained
consistent for the past four
seasons.
Before
Goree
had
her
breakout junior season, Elmblad
was
already
a
regular
starter for the
Wolverines.
“(Elmblad)
was
able
to
play
her
freshman
year
and
play a lot her
sophomore
year, so that
kind of made
me look up to her as far as what
I needed to do in order to be
successful and play like she
did,” Goree said. “That gave
me someone to look up to, even
though we were the same age
and came together.”
But after a season in which
she averaged 12.1 points and 9.3
rebounds, Goree found herself
on the scouting report alongside
Elmblad. They each started 32
out of 33 games in their junior
season.
After
each
game,
the
coaching staff awards stickers
to the players who execute the
“intangibles” — things that
don’t show up in the box score,
like diving after the ball, taking
a charge or fighting for position
under the basket.
According to Barnes Arico,
Goree and Elmblad are head
and shoulders above everyone
else.
And since both appear most
comfortable
when
they’re
sprawled out on the court
fighting for the ball, the image
of one helping another off of the
hardwood is ingrained in every
Michigan fan’s brain.
“It’s an honor to play with
Nicole,” Goree said. “I’m so glad
we’re both here together and
finishing our years (together).”
Without
the
other,
each
would still be successful. Both
have the necessary drive to
prosper.
It’s just more fun this way.
By LEV FACHER
Managing Editor
The Michigan men’s bas-
ketball team appears to have
bounced back
from a rough
non-confer-
ence showing
with a 3-1 start
to Big Ten play.
But the road
gets
tougher
when it travels
to
Columbus
on Tuesday for
a rivalry clash
with No. 20
Ohio State.
Despite
having
won
the last three games in the series,
the Wolverines (3-1 Big Ten, 10-6
overall) are clear underdogs.
Three seniors form the core of the
starting lineup for the Buckeyes
(2-2, 13-4), and that trio includes
Shannon Scott, who averages 7.2
assists per game, good for fifth in
the country.
Many of Scott’s assists have
come thanks to the offensive
prowess of Ohio State guard
D’Angelo Russell, who ranks
second in the nation in scoring
among true freshmen, averaging
17.9 points. Russell, who stands
6-foot-5, presents a challenge for
whoever ends up guarding him —
likely junior guard Caris LeVert,
who has been known for his
defensive skills since his fresh-
man season.
Michigan coach John Beilein
has taken notice of Russell’s
efforts, and praised him effu-
sively.
“He’s got the unique skill set
right now,” Beilein said. “He’s
really shooting the ball well …
And with his assist numbers, he’s
got flow to his game that is just,
he snap-passes the ball, he sees
(the floor), he’s got great quick-
ness and a nose for the rim, gets
to the foul line enough.”
Though they have benefited
from it in years past, the Wol-
verines can’t currently relate to
the concept of having a freshman
post such dominant figures in the
opening months of his career.
Beilein’s young squad features
just three upperclassmen and a
plethora of freshmen who have
yet to contribute in a major way,
and taking on a ranked team
laden with seniors presents a
daunting challenge.
While talented, Michigan’s
newcomers have yet to contrib-
ute at the same level as Russell, or
come particularly close. Though
freshman forward Ricky Doyle
has shown marked improvement
throughout the season, no other
Wolverine freshman is averaging
over five points per game. And if
Michigan wants to maintain its
early-season Big Ten success in
the long-term, it couldn’t hurt to
see more of its rookie class bump
its productivity and join Doyle
among the ranks of Michigan’s
consistent contributors.
“They’ve all had their little
points during the season,” Beilein
said, citing Doyle and Chatman’s
performance in the Wolverines’
68-65 win over Syracuse on Dec.
2. Beilein also pointed to freshman
guards Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman and Aubrey Dawkins as
others who have shown occasion-
al sparks of productivity.
Adding the hostile road atmo-
sphere and rivalry pressure is
the cherry on top, but in Beilein’s
mind, it all represents yet another
opportunity for growth.
“All the (Big Ten) venues are
very similar in that they’re loud,”
Beilein said. “The student bodies
are very innovative.”
Albrecht agreed, stating that his
role — along with that of LeVert,
plus sophomores Zak Irvin and
Derrick Walton Jr. — is critical in
keeping the Wolverines’ youngest
contributors’ heads in the game,
something they’ve struggled with
in other high-pressure situations
on the road.
“I probably can’t share some
of the things their fans say,”
Albrecht said. “It’s going to be a
very hostile environment, very
similar to Arizona, so we’ve got
to do a much better job this time
around.”
8 — Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘M’ looks to stay hot at OSU Behind Enemy Lines:
OSU’s Sam Thompson
By MAX BULTMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Sam Thompson remembers
what it’s like to transition to
college basketball. Ohio State’s
senior
forward
averaged
just
two
points
and fewer
than
two
shots
per
game in his
freshman campaign.
During
his
first
season,
Thompson was able to learn
from veteran Buckeyes how
to adapt to the nuances of the
college game, en route to a Final
Four appearance.
Now, Thompson is the veteran
voice in the locker room of an
Ohio State squad led by a true
freshman — highly touted guard
D’Angelo Russell. And with the
Buckeyes’ early exit from last
season’s
NCAA
Tournament
serving as motivation, the senior
will be tasked with ensuring
a smooth transition for Ohio
State’s young talent.
If Thompson can guide Russell
into his groove, the Buckeyes
have enough experience around
the floor to return to the type of
success Thompson experienced
in his first years at Ohio State,
in which the
Buckeyes
made
trips
to the Final
Four and Elite
Eight.
The
Michigan
Daily
sat
down
with
Thompson in
October at Big Ten Media Day
in Chicago to talk about his
leadership role and what Russell
and others bring to this year’s
roster.
The Michigan Daily: You
had a ton of success coming
into college with a couple state
championships in high school
and a Final Four your freshman
year. Has the last year or two
made you appreciate that even
more?
Sam Thompson: Yeah, I
mean, my sophomore year we
had some success too. We were
a tip-in away from winning
another Big Ten Championship,
we won the Big Ten Tournament,
we made the Elite Eight. But I
think last year really put things
into perspective, how easy it
is to go from an elite level of
college basketball to the kind of
disappointing
season we had.
Last year was
definitely
a
humbling year.
It really makes
you appreciate
every
day
that
much
more.
Every
day it’s so important to get
better — to get something out
of that practice, something out
of that game, something out of
that workout — so that you can
continue to get better and be the
best basketball team you can be.
TMD:
How
different
do
you think things will be with
Shannon
Scott
running
the
offense rather than Aaron Craft?
ST: I think we’ll be a lot faster.
Shannon
is
one
of
the
fastest
guys
I’ve ever seen
baseline
to
baseline with
the ball in his
hand. I think
we’ll
have
better
pace
offensively,
and he’s really shown a lot of
good things in practice. He’s
really been vocal, really made
shots, really made plays for his
teammates and himself. I’m
excited about it. I know he is.
TMD: What is it like to be
able to rely on some freshmen
this year?
ST: Those young guys are
super, super talented. They’re
wise beyond their years. They
can do a lot of different things.
They’re freshmen, so obviously
there’s going to be a little bit of
an adjustment time, but they’re
crazy talented, so they can help
us win.
TMD: What have you taken
away from the older players
you’ve had above you, and how
will you pass it on to this year’s
freshman crop?
ST: It’s just about my everyday
approach. It’s
about
how
I
approach
every practice,
every
shot,
using
every
opportunity
I can to get
better.
It’ll
show in the
games.
TMD: Who’s the biggest
clown on this year’s team?
ST:
D’Angelo
Russell.
Well, it’s really all four of the
freshmen. Those guys are wild
dudes, man. They come in with
some confidence, they’ve got
some swagger to them.
TMD: What’s going to be the
biggest difference in you guys
this year?
ST: Offensively, I think that
we’re gonna be a very different
basketball team. I don’t think
we’re going to have one guy
dribble the ball for 15, 20, 25
seconds. I think there will be
a lot more player movement,
a lot more ball movement, the
ball moving from side to side.
Definitely a lot more athletic.
I think we’re more talented
than we’ve been in the last few
years. We’ve got the size, we’ve
got the athleticism, we have the
shooting. We have the tools.
So it’s all about how we put it
together and how we grow as a
basketball team.
A duo years in the making ‘M’ looks to cure
road struggles
By JEREMY SUMMITT
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan hockey team
has won eight of its past nine
games and has scored 5.8 goals
per
game
in
five conference
matchups,
enough to propel it to the top spot
in the Big Ten standings. All of
that sounds fine, but hardly any
of it will matter for the next six
weeks. Why?
The Wolverines have to play
games on the road — six of them in
the next month — an assignment
that has become a bewildering
problem for them. Holding a 1-5
record this season in road games,
there hasn’t been any rhyme or
reason for their shortcomings.
“Whether it’s been special
teams, our goalie, our defensive
play, we’ve got to get better in our
D-zone and our overall defensive
game,” Berenson said. “Whether
it’s back-checking, penalty killing
(or) goalkeeping, I think we’re a
better team now, and we’re going
on the road, but we’ve got to
prove it on Friday.”
Michigan
has
a
real
opportunity to distance itself
from the rest of the conference if
it can crack the code to winning
in another team’s barn. Of those
six away games, four are against
Ohio
State
and
Wisconsin,
two teams unable to find any
consistency this season.
Six games against what have
arguably been the conference’s
three
most
underachieving
teams typically comprise a slate
destined for success.
But the Wolverines are a
completely different team on the
road, getting outscored by an
average of 4.33 to 2.83.
HYMAN HUMMING: Zach
Hyman is enjoying a dynamite
season at the right time, when
Michigan has needed a consistent
leader the most.
He broke out last season when
Hyman recorded a career-best 17
points (seven goals and 10 assists)
in 35 games. This season, he’s
already surpassed that in just
19 games, scoring 11 goals to go
along with 15 helpers.
“I think it’s his time,” Berenson
said. “I predicted before the year
that Zach Hyman would have
his best year. Right from his
freshman year, things didn’t go
as well, sophomore year a little
better, junior year a big step. And
I could just see it coming.”
Last year, a large root of why
Michigan failed to live up to
expectations was that it lacked a
consistent goal scorer, a player to
take over when games got tight or
when the Wolverines fell behind.
In
Friday’s
4-3
overtime
win against Minnesota, it was
Hyman who delivered a no-look,
backhand pass to junior forward
Justin Selman, who finished to
tie the game.
“This is a classic case of a
college player just developing
every year and getting better, and
now he’s coming into his own,”
Berenson
said.
“Everything
comes together — your strength,
your experience, your confidence,
your role on the team — and he’s
ready now to handle a role that
he wasn’t ready to handle as a
freshman or a sophomore.”
TROUBLE FOR TRAVIS: In
the second period of Saturday’s
7-5 win over Minnesota, senior
forward Travis Lynch laid out to
block a shot and was immediately
shaken up.
On
Monday,
Berenson
confirmed that Lynch suffered
a broken right hand, and that
he’ll be sidelined for at least one
month, meaning that the earliest
he could return to the lineup
would be Feb. 13 at Minnesota.
ICE HOCKEY
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Spike Albrecht will lead the Michigan men’s basketball team into a tough road environment Tuesday at Ohio State.
Michigan at
Ohio State
Matchup:
Michigan 10-6;
Ohio State 13-4
When: Tues-
day 7 P.M.
Where: Value
City Arena
TV/Radio:
ESPN
BEHIND
ENEMY
LINES
MEN’S BASKETBALL
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Cyesha Goree and Nicole Elmblad have become top players and senior leaders in their final season for the Wolverines.
“I’m so glad we’re
both here together
and finishing our
years (together).”
NOTEBOOK
“Last year was
definitely a
humbling year.”
“Those young
guys are super,
super talented.”