Wolverines now have teeth

Sporting News, The, Oct 13, 2003 by Mike DeCourcy

If somebody had been allowed to stick a TV camera into the team meeting where Michigan players learned they were paroled by the Division I infractions appeals committee, the scene might have resembled one of those celebrations from CBS' Selection Sunday show. The Wolverines still are months from learning whether they will compete in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, but at least they can now pursue a place in the field. That might be the final ingredient in turning this into a tournament-quality team.

The players will tell you the opportunity to play in the postseason won't affect how they perform. "We tried to instill a tough mind-set to be able to deal with anything the NCAA did with us," says junior small forward Bernard Robinson. It's a nice thought, but a little hard to believe. Motivation matters in sports, as the Wolverines demonstrated last winter with four losses in the final five games of a season in which they served a self-imposed postseason ban. The four teams that beat them in that stretch all made the NCAAs.

The appeals committee was justified in removing another year of postseason restrictions from players who weren't even remotely involved in the Ed Martin/Chris Webber debacle--which included an estimated $616,000 being lent to 1990s Wolverines. Unfortunately, there was no mechanism to replace the tournament ban with additional financial penalties for the greedy, clueless administrators who recently sought in court to have Webber pay the university's legal costs and lost NCAA revenue.

As hard as it may be to stomach the thought that some of these folks will be cheering this winter, their Wolverines should give them good reason.

In the SPORTING NEWS College Basketball yearbook, we predicted Michigan to finish seventh in the Big Tan. One key factor in our decision to dump the Wolverines into the second division was that the conference had so many promising teams--Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue and Iowa--that figured to be scrapping for NCAA Tournament berths in the final month that the Wolverines would have been the one club in that peer group without the extra incentive to persevere. Well, that rationale is shot. Michigan has the same chance as everybody else.

And it has Daniel Horton.

After a horrendous start to his freshman season, during which the Wolverines lost their first six and he shot 35.1 percent with 17 assists to 20 turnovers, Horton averaged 15.7 points and his point guard play was the key to a 17-7 finish. There is talent and depth on the wing with Robinson, sophomore Lester Abram and recruit Dion Harris capable of scoring consistently ha double figures.

The team's one underdeveloped aspect is the inside game. Chris Hunter and Graham Brown had some big moments last season, but Hunter was inconsistent finishing inside, Brown was foul prone, and neither could elevate the Wolverines above pedestrian board work. But they were freshmen with little backup support and no capable veterans to help them understand how to operate at this level. Now, they'll have help from J.C. Mathis, a 6-8, 235-pound transfer from Virginia, and Courtney Sims, a 6-10, 220-pound freshman.

Mathis admits it was "deflating" when the NCAA infractions committee ruled last spring that the school's self-imposed one-year postseason ban had not been enough, that sitting out March 2004 also would be required. The school's successful appeal was the first for a team in this sport since the 1998-99 season, when Louisville and LSU gained reprieves. The Cardinals made it count by finishing 19-11 mad making the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers finished under .500 and were done by Selection Sunday. This group of Wolverines could just be getting started then.

ALL you need to get ready for the season is TSN's 2003-04 College Basketball yearbook, which is available at newsstands and at www.sportingnews.com/books/cbasketball/index.html.

SPEED READ

* Marquette is visiting Costa Rica, Memphis is hitting Cancun and Notre Dame will travel to Barbados. Duke started this trend, arranging a trip last fall to London that allowed its freshmen to play with the team before practice officially began. This is viewed as loophole-jumping, and NCAA officials may consider eliminating all foreign tours. Because, really, it's not like anyone ever learned anything by traveling.

INSIDE DISH

After missing summer workouts because of shoulder surgery, UCLA PG Cedric Bozeman was cleared to participate in individual workouts in late September. He is in good shape, but he has to show he can handle the physical demands of playing for new coach Ben Howland. The coaching staff still views Bozeman, a former McDonald's All-American, as someone who can be an elite player.... Under Roy Williams, Kansas was heavily dependent on his recruiting pipeline out west. But new coach Bill Self's appeal and associate head coach Norm Roberts' connections helped get G Russell Robinson, who is considered one of the top two prospects from New York City. Robinson played mostly shooting guard for the Gauchos club, which he led to three tournament titles in the summer, but he mostly runs the point for Rice High in Manhattan.... Both of Oklahoma's starting wings are hurting. SG De'Angelo Alexander couldn't play on the Sooners' trip to Costa Pica last month because of a dislocated shoulder. SF Jason Detrick, who ranked second on the tour in scoring, pulled a groin muscle after the team returned home. The good news is that freshman PG Andrew Lavender, who is generously listed at 5-7, had 33 assists and committed only four turnovers in four Sooners victories.... Memphis spent between $15,000 and $20,000 in putting together a beautiful dossier on the university's potential as a Big East expansion candidate. But Louisville and Cincinnati, which probably will be invited to join the league in November, are favored for geographic reasons. The Big East also is likely to add basketball first programs Marquette and DePaul.--M.D.