Amine dominates matches
at NWCA All-Star Classic
Myles Amine emerged from
the tunnel and was met with a
reception fit for the final bout
at the NCAA Championships.
The redshirt junior trotted
out to the mat elevated by the
cheers of the raucous crowd and
the spirit of the event. Flames
shot into the air on either side
of him. He came prepared and
ready to dominate.
And on Friday at the NWCA
All-Star Classic, that’s exactly
what he did.
Facing off against a fellow
All-American, Amine cruised
to
an
11-2,
major-decision
victory over the 10th-ranked
Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma
State.
Due to the high ranking of
both wrestlers and the 1,000-
plus people eagerly watching
match after match, the non-
scoring invitational felt like
it was for all the marbles.
And
with
his
dominant
performance, Amine showed
his game is already nearing
postseason form.
Despite not having previously
wrestled
Smith,
Amine
stayed true to
character
and
used a vicious
offensive
onslaught
to
keep
his
opponent
on
his
heels
and
continue
to
tack points on
the scoreboard.
In the victory, Amine mixed
his unparalleled conditioning
with unique attack angles to
confound Smith and earn the
major decision.
From last season to the early
moments of this one, Amine’s
matches have become almost
formulaic.
The
opponent
manages to keep the match
close, even scoreless, through
one period. But then fatigue
kicks in, and Amine strikes. On
Friday, the same routine was
on full display. After making it
through one scoreless period,
Amine blew things open in the
second, starting with a low leg
attack to get his first takedown.
“I pride myself on being
really offensive, so always on
the attack, and somewhat of a
grinder,” Amine said. “I think
usually I saw myself in a lot
of tight matches early in the
first period or even early in
the second period, but really
finding a way separating myself
going into the second or third
period. Guys start to get tired,
I think. That’s when I can
really start to take advantage of
blowing open a match.”
Now with a quality win under
his belt to start the season,
Amine knows how high the
bar has been set. In response,
his goal remains the same
— a national championship.
Finishing third in last year’s
tournament,
Amine
knows
there’s still some work to be
done to attain the top spot
in the nation and conquer
college
wrestling’s
field
of
174-pounders.
“My goal is to win a national
championship, and change the
third ranking to that number
one ranking and prove a lot of
people wrong,” Amine said.
“There are two guys above
me that there’s a lot of hype
around, and I lost two really
close matches to both of those
guys, so there’s a fuel to the
fire to be added, and I’ve really
been training a lot to get to the
top of that podium.”
Beyond the added pressure to
sit atop the podium, Amine now
must face his new role as a bona
fide leader of the wrestling
squad.
After
the
departure
of
former
team
captains
Domenic
Abounader
and
Adam
Coon,
Amine
is one of the
upperclassmen
that
his
teammates
will look to for
guidance and poise.
And
if
his
performance
on Friday is any indication,
Amine’s method of leading by
example will go just fine this
season.
“I think if anything, it’s only
made the sport of wrestling
for me that much better,”
Amine said. “As much as it is
a team sport, you’re out there
by
yourself,
so
it’s
pretty
individual. So when you try
to assume a leadership role
like becoming a captain, you
need to focus on helping out
other guys, and I like to think
I’ve done that as much as I
can. Being able to see people’s
progress through your help is
probably just as rewarding as
seeing your own progress.”
This is coming from a guy
who has seen plenty of his own
progress through his college
career. Now he is ready to see
the fruits of his labor and has
officially put college wrestling
on notice.
WRESTLING
Livers adapting to new role as sixth man
Last
year,
Isaiah
Livers
took the tip-off as the starting
power forward in the national
championship game.
The next game the sophomore
forward played in — Tuesday’s
opener against Norfolk State —
he came off the bench.
It’s not often that a player
who secured a starting job as
a freshman, especially one on
a team that went as far as the
Michigan men’s basketball team
did, loses it before the start of
the next season. But Livers is
embracing the change.
“It’s
new
for
me
from
starting last year,” Livers said.
“But I agree with everything
(Michigan coach John Beilein)
says and it kind of makes sense,
having some leadership come off
the bench. I’m cool.”
Livers’
leadership
is
especially
vital
given
the
player that has replaced him
as the starting power forward
— freshman Ignas Brazdeikis.
With Livers sidelined for a
chunk of the offseason with an
ankle injury, Brazdeikis stepped
into the rotation and found a
rhythm with the rest of the
team. Once the season started,
Beilein rolled with him.
But even for a player as
talented as Brazdeikis, jumping
to the college level will have a
learning curve. While he was
injured, Livers devoted time to
helping coach Brazdeikis, and
he’s carried that role over into
the regular season.
“Isaiah is a team guy,” Beilein
said. “And he’ll fill that role
well.”
Being the sixth man will also
require a physical adjustment.
Instead of the routine that
comes with being the starting
4-man, Livers must prepare to
play any position besides point
guard and enter in any situation.
Especially on defense, Livers
will have to adapt on the fly to
wherever he’s needed.
But Livers has been in this
position before. At the beginning
of last year, the starting ‘4’
was
now-graduated
Duncan
Robinson,
who
transitioned
to a swingman role as Livers
assumed
the
starting job.
“It’s
different,”
Livers
said.
Then he paused.
“It’s
not
actually,
it’s
not
different
at all, because
last year I came
off the bench at
the
beginning
for Duncan and then I started.
But I still kinda felt like a sixth
man last year because Duncan,
he was a veteran, he was a very
smart player. … It was basically
kind of the same as I’m doing
right now.”
Robinson was a different
player than Livers — his game
was 3-point shooting, whereas
Livers is a better defender and
has a bigger post presence.
But
despite
not
starting,
Robinson still frequently made
a difference on
the court, and
Livers’ starting
experience
indicates
he’s
capable
of
a
similar impact.
Tuesday
against Norfolk
State,
Livers
was the second
player off the
bench. He still
finished with eight points —
including two made 3-pointers
— and three assists and co-led
the team with eight rebounds.
If he continues to put up similar
stats, he’ll find plenty of minutes
and remain an integral part of
the team.
“I just told him that his
shooting has been so good in
practice,” Beilein said. “And I
said, we’re not gonna treat you
any different than we would
Duncan Robinson. … What he
also does for us is he’s the talker
out
there
defensively.
He’s
talking to everybody.”
During his freshman season,
Livers showed flashes of the
versatility and leadership that
will make him so valuable off
the bench, but in the offseason,
he’s developed those skills even
more. And though he still wants
to start — what player doesn’t?
— Livers is ready for anything,
even if he’s not on the court at
first tip.
“I’m gonna get my job done,
I’m gonna do my best to help the
team,” Livers said. “ … Obviously
if I was asked to start I would
take the job and go start, but
(Beilein) knows what he’s doing
and I’m gonna trust his process.”
Adjustments lead to uptick in intensity
In
the
two-day
series
against Lake Superior State
last weekend, the Michigan
hockey team played like two
vastly different teams.
Caught off guard by the
Lakers’ physicality on Friday,
the Wolverines were reeling
after losing their early 1-0 lead
in what looked more like a
heavyweight bout rather than
a typical collegiate hockey
game. Regardless, the team
lacked intensity on both ends
of the ice.
“We went into the game
Friday and I guess you could
say we weren’t really ready for
the level of physicality,” said
sophomore forward Michael
Pastujov. “We hadn’t really
seen that yet this year.”
Adjustments
ensued.
On
Saturday,
Michigan
looked
more
prepared
for
Lake
Superior State’s physical style
of play –– embracing it even.
Players looked to finish their
checks while still staying true
to the team’s strengths. From
the opening faceoff, it was
evident that the Wolverines’
approach
was
different.
However,
Michigan
hockey
coach Mel Pearson and his
skaters know that the fervor
exhibited on Saturday should
be the norm, not the reaction.
To replicate and sustain a
high level of energy, Pearson
is striving to
create
healthy
competition
among
his
roster.
Last
weekend,
freshman
forward Nolan
Moyle
saw
significant
ice
time
in
what
were
his
second
and
third
regular season appearances.
Freshman defenseman Jake
Gingell and junior forward
Adam Windborg dressed for
their first and second times,
respectively, on Saturday in
lieu of freshmen forwards Jack
Randl and Jimmy Lambert.
And
freshman
goaltender
Strauss Mann received the
start in the net over junior
Hayden Lavigne.
With
the
exception
of
Michigan
taking
eight
penalties, Saturday showcased
the
level
of
effort
that
Pearson
expects
from
his
skaters.
To some, the
penalties
may
even be viewed
as an indicator
of the uptick in
intensity.
Pearson has
expressed that
he
wants
interchangeable
pieces in the lineup. That
means ice time is up for grabs,
especially with the addition
of a 19th skater under the new
NCAA rule implemented this
season.
“We weren’t happy with
some of the efforts on Friday
and more importantly it was
to reward those guys because
they — and Nolan Moyle —
had looked good in practice,”
Pearson said. “You have to
reward guys, you have to
continue to reward guys if
they’ve earned
an opportunity
to play.
“Those guys
are proud, they
want
to
play
and so they’ll
come in the way
they did today
(in
practice)
and work hard
to try and get
back
in
the
lineup. We want to be able
to … create that competition
and try to give them some
incentive to continue to work
hard and continue to compete
to get in a game or get in
games.”
Few
players
on
the
roster this season know the
difficulty
of
cracking
the
rotation like Gingell does. The
freshman is a part of the group
of players that has recently
garnered attention in practice
–– leading to his insertion in
the lineup for the second game
of the series.
Knowing
that
they are vying
for
playing
time,
the
pressure is on
to compete in
practice
and
make an impact
every time they
step onto the
ice.
“It’s just a
whole different game, you
know,” Gingell said. “When
you sit in the stands, you don’t
feel as into it but when you’re
on the bench, everything just
comes together, and you know
the hockey that you’ve been
playing your entire life.”
JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
JORGE CAZARES
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan coach Mel Pearson has used healthy competition in practice to make adjustments to Michigan’s roster.
“We hadn’t
really seen
that yet this
year.”
“Those guys
are proud,
they want to
play...”
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore forward Isaiah Livers is making the transition from power forward to sixth man for the upcoming season.
“It’s new for
me from
starting last
year.”
“My goal is
to win a
national
championship.”
6A — Thursday, November 8, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
By Robert E. Lee Morris
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/08/18
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
11/08/18
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018
ACROSS
1 Spinal segment
5 One without
a permanent
address
10 What sit-ups
strengthen
13 College World
Series home
15 Offer one’s two
cents
16 Burst
17 Cara cara or
Washington fruit
19 Poirot’s street
20 “Open: An
Autobiography”
subject
21 Blintz topping
22 Actress Meyer of
“Saw” films
23 Hue
24 Where I-30 and
I-40 meet
27 Tonsillitis-treating
doc
28 IV units
29 Roman goddess
of agriculture
30 __ Moines
31 “Down Came
a Blackbird”
country singer
McCann
33 Committee leader
34 Traveler’s rest
36 Boat filler
38 Passed-down
tales
39 Convened
42 Pool table slab
43 Part of Q&A
44 Pub potable
45 Actor who
appeared in nine
films with Sydney
Greenstreet
49 Pierce player
50 Crew pair
51 Poet’s preposition
52 Cubs pitcher Jon
54 “Suits” TV
network
55 Therapy
technique ... and
a hint to what’s
hidden in 17-,
24-, 34- and
45-Across?
57 Liberal arts maj.
58 Battery terminal
59 Car opening?
60 Compass pt.
61 Parsonage
62 Light shirts
DOWN
1 Gave
2 Picture
3 Learned ones
4 Trunk
5 Country partly in
the Arctic Circle:
Abbr.
6 Tricky genre
7 Annual North
Dakota State
Fair site
8 Mike Trout,
notably
9 See 56-Down
10 Like some
knowledge
11 Bar employee
12 Represents, with
“for”
14 Gore and
Michaels
18 Original
Pennsylvania
headquarters of
Quaker State
22 Journal subject
25 “__ of Dogs”:
2018 animated
film
26 Reverberated
28 Well-off, after “in”
32 Free Clear
detergent maker
33 Ithaca campus
34 Partners
35 Laugh good and
loud
36 “The Hustler”
actor (1961)
37 Grind
39 Soup cracker
40 Ristorante
request
41 Riot squad’s
supply
42 Partner, perhaps
46 Hotelier
Helmsley
47 Sweater
fabric
48 Clarinetist’s
supply
49 So far
53 Sound catcher
55 More than bump
into
56 With 9-Down,
river of the
Carolinas