The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
November 7, 2016 — 3B

Michigan opens with exhibition win

Though the Michigan men’s 

basketball 
team 
absorbed 
a 

couple of significant losses to its 
NCAA Tournament squad from 
last year, the starting lineup was 
supposed 
to be the 
area 
that 

provided 
this year’s team a sense of 
stability.

But when the Wolverines 

stormed out of the tunnel under 
the veil of darkness at Crisler 
Center on Friday night, two 
familiar faces were missing from 
the public-address announcer’s 
introductions: 
junior 
guard 

Muhammad-Ali 
Abdur-

Rahkman and senior forward 
Mark Donnal.

A late scratch due to an ankle 

injury 
suffered 
in 
practice 

Thursday, Abdur-Rahkman sat 
out of Friday’s season-opening 
exhibition 
game 
against 

Armstrong State. But Michigan 
found a capable replacement 
for the night, as senior forward 
Sean Lonergan jumped at the 
opportunity, providing an early 
spark for the Wolverines.

Donnal, on the other hand, 

has been locked with sophomore 
forward Moritz Wagner in a 
highly competitive battle for the 
‘5’ spot in the lineup, and after a 
strong summer of improvement, 
Wagner earned the starting nod.

In 
a 
matchup 
against 
a 

Division II opponent, Michigan 
wasn’t challenged, so those two 
differences might not have been 
influential. But the impact made 
by Wagner and Lonergan in 
the Wolverines’ 77-49 victory 
over 
the 
Pirates 
warrants 

considerable attention.

While some might have been 

surprised to hear his name 
called, Lonergan wasted no time 
quieting the murmurs. With 
an assist and a block in his first 
minute as a starter and pair of 
driving layups soon thereafter, 

he helped propel Michigan to a 
12-4 lead just five minutes into 
the game.

“Sean knows every position 

out there, and we didn’t feel 
we were in a point where 
we wanted to trade people 
around,” said Michigan coach 
John Beilein. “... Sean sees the 
game pretty well and got us off 
to a really good start.”

Reaping the benefits of his 

new role, Wagner packed most 
of the punch for the Wolverines 
against the Pirates. Tallying 15 
points on 7-for-9 shooting in 
25 minutes, he showed off the 
growth of his game since the end 
of last season.

“I mean, you see the way he 

runs the floor, and you saw his 
skill level a couple of times, too, 
so that’s big — his development 
is huge,” Beilein said. “He’s 
going to have to get out there, 
like you said, and his defense 
is much better and he stayed 
out of foul trouble. He really 
understands that.”

For 
much 
of 
the 
game, 

Michigan had its way with 
Armstrong State, but the nearly 
30-point blowout wasn’t always 
safely in the Wolverines’ grasp. 
For the opening five minutes 
of the second half, Armstrong 
State gave Michigan a run for 
its money, going on a 13-4 tear 
to shrink the lead to 11. Unhappy 
with the sloppy 
play of his team, 
which 
had 

succumbed 
to 

a string of bad 
turnovers 
and 

unforced errors, 
Beilein 
called 

a 
timeout 
to 

set the players 
straight.

“I 
hate 

turnovers, 
you 

know, they just lose you games,” 
Beilein said. “I think we had 
two missed dunks, and we had a 
couple of lob opportunities that 
just were lazy passes — they’re 
just bad turnovers.

“A missed dunk is a lob 

turnover, so we always say, ‘I 
want you to dunk like crazy, 
whenever you want to, just make 
sure it goes through the basket.’… 

Highlights 
are 
highlights 

because 
they 

rarely 
happen. 

You can’t try to 
make every play 
a highlight play.”

Instead 
of 

brushing 
aside 

nonchalant 
play as part of 
shaking off the 
rust, Beilein took 

the opportunity to teach his 
team a lesson. The Wolverines 
responded 
immediately, 

erupting with an outburst of 15 
straight points to stretch the 
lead back to 22 and holding the 

Pirates scoreless for over seven 
minutes to end any real threat.

While it may not have been 

the most convincing of victories 
or the most important of games, 
Michigan walked away with 
enough promising performances 
across 
the 
board 
to 
feel 

optimistic about the season.

“There’s so many things that 

you can grow from when you 
have opportunities to just go 
play against somebody else. I 
find it very helpful,” Beilein 
said. “And probably the most 
beneficial 
time 
you’ll 
have 

during your early season will 
be the cut of the film after the 
first exhibition game, if you’re 
playing a game with some good 
quickness and you’re playing a 
game that merits the watching 
of the film, and I think that 
(game) does.”

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Senior forward Zak Irvin tied for the team high with 15 points Friday.

BETELHEM ASHAME

Daily Sports Editor

“You can’t 
try to make 
every play a 

highlight play.”

ASU
MICHIGAN 

49
77

ICE HOCKEY
‘M’ beats Arizona State

After struggling in many 

facets of the game last weekend, 
the 
Michigan 
hockey 
team 

corrected 
many 
of 
those 

mistakes 
on 
Friday, 
beating 
Arizona 

State, 4-1.

Much of the focus this season 

has been on the goaltending 
situations for the Wolverines, 
and against the Sun Devils, the 
Wolverines decided to go back 
to senior Zach Nagelvoort in net. 
Nagelvoort hadn’t started since 
the first game of the season for 
Michigan, but he stood strong 
in net, accruing 31 saves.

After 
his 
performance 

on Friday, there still isn’t a 
clear-cut starter for the rest 
of the season — freshmen 
Jack LaFontaine and Hayden 
Lavigne have shared the bulk 
of the action so far. But as far 
as teammates are concerned, 
all of them have the rest of the 
Wolverines’ full support.

“I think we have all of the 

confidence in the world in all of 
them,” said senior defenseman 
Nolan 
De 
Jong. 
“They’re 

competing their asses off, and 
they’re getting the chance to 
play. Today (Nagelvoort) showed 
that he was prepared and ready 
to go. So we’ll see what happens 
next week and what the coaches 
do with the starting goalie, but 
he’s a guy that we all trust back 
there to do well.”

For his own part, De Jong 

joined the offensive output for 
Michigan. The senior notched the 
first goal in his four years with 
the Wolverines, and while it isn’t 
necessarily his role to be a scorer, 
De Jong was certainly relieved to 
get the monkey off his back.

“It’s been a long time since 

I scored a goal in a meaningful 
game,” De Jong said. “So it feels 
good, but it’s nice to be able to 
contribute again offensively, and 

finally get back in the win column.”

And while De Jong’s goal 

began the scoring for Michigan, 
its other goals came from the 
most watched group on the 
team: the freshmen.

Forward 
Will 
Lockwood 

scored 
two 
goals, 
one 

shorthanded, 
while 
fellow 

forward 
Adam 
Winborg 

contributed with a goal of his 
own. Winborg’s was his second 
of the year in as many games.

And 
though 
the 
offense 

was finally impressive for the 
Wolverines, arguably the team’s 
most impressive unit of the night 
was its penalty kill. Michigan 
was called for seven penalties 
in the game, but its penalty kill 
stood tall. The unit didn’t allow 
any goals all night, keeping 
Arizona State off the scoreboard 
throughout the night.

“It’s just part of the game, 

and those are the minutes that I 
like to play,” De Jong said. “Any 
way that I can help the team, 
or the guys that kill penalties 
can help the team, we’re more 
than willing to put our bodies 
on the line. We had some big 
blocks from guys like (freshman 
forward) 
Steven 
Merl, 
and 

(freshman defenseman) Luke 
Martin was really good on the 
penalty kill. So I think we know 
what we have to do.”

The Wolverines will now face 

potentially the best team on 
their schedule, when they face 
No. 4 Boston University next 
weekend at Yost Ice Arena. And 
even with the win against the 
Sun Devils, Michigan knows it 
still needs to improve to pull out 
an upset.

“It’s going to come back to 

defense and goaltending,” De 
Jong said. “I think we gave up too 
many odd-man rushes where we 
didn’t get a bounce and gave up 
2-on-0 and a few 2-on-1s where 
they could have capitalized. And 
we can’t afford to give up those 
opportunities to Boston.

“But we’re going to continue to 

improve and be ready for Boston.”

MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Writer

MICHIGAN
ARIZONA ST. 

4
1

MEN’S BASKETBALL
‘M’ legend Cazzie Russell 
visits ‘the house he built’

With the band playing “The 

Victors” behind him and the 
cheer and dance teams running 
across the court to get in place for 
the Michigan men’s basketball 
team’s pregame introductions, 
Cazzie Russell walked out on to 
the court behind the Armstrong 
State players.

For the first time in his life, 

Russell was on the opposing side 
at a Michigan basketball game. 
It was an unfamiliar position 
for the Pirate associate head 
coach to be in during Michigan’s 
77-49 exhibition win over their 
Division II foe.

This was a man whose jersey 

is retired in the Crisler Center’s 
rafters, a man who is No. 5 on 
Michigan’s 
all-time 
scoring 

list, and most importantly the 
namesake in the title, “The 
House that Cazzie Built,” a 
moniker for the Wolverines’ 
current home.

But 
being 
on 
Michigan’s 

opposing bench wasn’t the only 
unfamiliar position Russell was 
in — the whole experience itself 
was unfamiliar, a peculiar place 
for one of the most-acclaimed 
Wolverines to be in.

“I didn’t know what to 

say,” Russell said. “This is 
uncharted waters.”

Standing 
at 
midcourt 

was the man that made the 
construction of the Crisler 
Center possible, and it was 
completely new territory.

***

Russell played at Michigan 

until 1966, one year before the 
Crisler Center was built. He 
plied his talent in the Yost Field 
House, which is now Yost Ice 
Arena.

But 
Russell, 
of 
all 
the 

Michigan 
legends, 
had 
the 

biggest 
influence 
in 
the 

construction of the Crisler 
Center. And he almost didn’t 
come to Ann Arbor in the first 
place. 

When Russell was picking 

colleges, it came down to three 
schools: UCLA, Cincinnati and 
Michigan.

“Oscar Robertson comes to 

my high school and says, ‘Well 
you got to go Cincinnati,’ so I 
go up and take a visit, and then 
I visited John 
Wooden 
and 

UCLA,” Russell 
said. “Now, I had 
to narrow down 
my chances, and 
I’m 
wondering 

why 
I 
hadn’t 

heard anything 
from Michigan?

“So I prayed 

about it, and the 
Lord said to call 
Michigan.”

That call was just what 

Russell needed, and it turned 
out that Michigan had thought 
Russell 
lost 
interest. 
After 

the 
two 
sides 
reconciled, 

the Wolverines told him to 
come visit Ann Arbor. After a 
long visit and talk with then-
Michigan coach Dave Strack, 
the rest was history.

Russell led the Wolverines 

to three-straight Big Ten titles, 
along with three straight NCAA 
Tournament 
berths, 
placing 

third in 1963. Russell also 
garnered Player of the Year 
honors in 1966, which propelled 
him into the NBA Draft, where 
he was selected No. 1 overall by 
the New York Knicks.

***

The impact Russell has had 

is evident to most Michigan 
fans. But for Russell’s players 
at Armstrong State, visiting the 
arena where their coach’s jersey 
is retired contextualized just 
how great of player Russell was. 
It gave the Pirate associate head 
coach some validation.

“Kids 
hear 
about 
you,” 

Russell said. “It’s been 54 years 
since I came to Michigan, and 
they hear about you, and that 
holds them. Now you got to give 
them something that makes 
them know that you know what 

the hell you’re 
talking about.

“For them to 

see where it all 
started for me is 
a great feeling.”

Inside 
“The 

House 
That 

Cazzie 
Russell 

Built” on Friday 
night, 
Russell 

was given the 
floor before the 

game to say a few words to the 
Crisler crowd.

Russell used the time to ask 

the fans permission to let him be 
on the opposing sideline.

“When I left, I told myself 

I would never play or coach 
against 
Michigan,” 
Russell 

said. “Tonight, just give me this 
one game.”

And while Russell’s one game 

ended with 28-point loss to the 
home team, Russell was just 
happy to be back.

“To be blessed to come here 

and play in 1962, and to be alive 
to come back here in 2016 to see 
that transformation,” Russell 
said, “all I can do is thank God 
for this gift.”

Former Wolverine returns to Ann Arbor as assistant 
coach for Armstrong State, says ‘This is uncharted waters’

MINH DOAN

Daily Sports Editor

“All I can do 
is thank God 
for this gift.”

For more hoops coverage
Check out the “Tip-Off” preview 
edition in Friday’s Daily

Wolverines pick up two wins

Walking onto the court with 

a rose in one hand and the other 
hand in the arms of their parents, 
the Michigan volleyball team 
stood huddled on the court with 
a game plan and an urgent sense 
to win.

The 17th-ranked Wolverines 

came out strong this weekend 
with back-to-back wins against 
Illinois and Northwestern. This 
followed Michigan’s first two-
game losing streak this season 
the previous weekend to Purdue 
and Indiana.

Saturday at Cliff Keen Arena, 

the Wolverines witnessed their 
fifth straight sold-out crowd. 
Riding 
momentum 
from 
its 

3-1 win over Illinois Friday 
night, 
Michigan 
took 
down 

Northwestern 
in 
four 
sets, 

dropping only the second.

“Coming off of a win is 

especially 
motivating,” 
said 

senior middle blocker Abby Cole.

The game ended with three 

Michigan players earning double-
digit numbers in kills: Cole, junior 
middle blocker Claire Kieffer-
Wright and Carly Skjodt. Skjodt 
earned her fifth kill-dig double-
double this season.

Welsh started the first set with 

an assist to Kieffer-Wright for 
the first kill of the game. Kieffer-
Wright, finishing with 13 kills, 
led both teams in the first set 
with five kills over 10 attempts. 
With the match remaining close, 
Michigan finally sparked a three-
point run to establish a solid lead. 
Northwestern called for a timeout 
to attempt to turn the momentum. 
Kieffer-Wright helped close out 
the first set with two kills and a 
block during a 6-1 Michigan run 
that ended the set, 25-17.

Serving was a strength for the 

Wolverines in the match versus 
Illinois, where they tallied 11 
service aces, including the game-
winner. However, in the second 
set, Michigan’s service became a 
liability. The problem wasn’t about 
errors, it was just soft serving, 
which 
led 
to 
Northwestern 

dominating the set.

“I thought we just served 

too easy,” said Michigan coach 

Mark Rosen. “I thought in the 
second set, we were just putting 
it into play and we were making 
a team look good because they 
were able to control the ball 
well. Service is first contact. 
Pass is first contact. You want to 
win the first-contact battle.”

Northwestern 
started 
out 

aggressive, going on a 9-4 run 
to start the set. The easy serves 
allowed the Wildcats cleaner 
receptions, outscoring Michigan 
in digs, 17-10, in the second set. 
Northwestern, with a prior lead, 
went on a five-point run and took 
the set 25-17.

The third set proved to be a 

challenge for both teams. With 
six lead changes and seven ties 
before either team reached 10 
points, Michigan went on a 7-1 
run after a substitution to bring 
junior opposite hitter Katherine 
Mahlke into the game.

“It really just depends on the 

opponent, and so I thought in that 
situation, (Mahlke) came in and 
made a great impact,” Rosen said. 
“She came out because we were 

looking for a different matchup, 
and it was mainly about blocking.”

The 
Wolverines 
won 
the 

third set largely because of their 
blocking. They gained six block 
assists in the set, and seven 
players totaled 16 over the course 
of four sets.

A series of attack errors by 

Wildcat opposite hitter Symone 
Abbott allowed Michigan to 
quash any attempt to shift the 
momentum, as the Wolverines’ 
Kieffer-Wright 
and 
redshirt 

freshman middle blocker Cori 
Crocker helped lock down the 
third set with blocks and kills.

In 
the 
fourth 
set, 
again, 

Michigan 
and 
Northwestern 

battled for the lead early — but the 
Wolverines clinched the set, 25-17.

Michigan made up for its 

serving problems early in the 
game by serving an ace for the 
win. Welsh placed the ball to the 
left, bouncing off an unprepared 
hitter as the ball spiraled out 
of bounds, over the heads of 
pursuing players to put on the 
finishing touches.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Senior middle blocker Abby Cole totaled 17 kills in Saturday’s win.

TIEN LE

For the Daily

