University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Showing off his versatility in the post, junior LaVell Blanchard lays the ball despite the tight Indiana defense. Midway through the season, Blanchard had a career scoring average of 15.4 points per game, photo by Mike Cutri True freshman and 5 ' 7 point guard, Avery Queen, penetrates the lane and floats a shot over Indiana ' s Jeffrey Newton. Queen led the team in assists and was among the leaders in minutes played, photo by Mike Cutri yf j J 204 Men ' s Basketball

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Striving to Meet Expectations The men ' s basketball team faced a tough task during the season: living up to the high expectations of any University squad amidst an ever-competitive Big Ten Conference. Head coach Brian Ellerbe inherited the program several years ago with the under- achieving Fab Five still fresh in the minds of fans. While he, assistant coaches Scott Trost, Kurtis Townsend, Terence Greene, and Direc- tor of Basketball Operations Tom Sorboro signed some of the country ' s elite recruiting classes, drawing the most out of the inexperienced young players proved to be a difficult task. Sophomore LaVell Blanchard led the team into the season as the returning scoring and rebounding leader. Highly recruited out of Ann Arbor ' s Pioneer High School, he was Michigan ' s most consis- tent bright spot. Senior Josh Asselin was an essential figure on the court and in the locker room because of his experience and leadership qualities. The team ' s sole four letter-winner was a mentor to the team ' s many young players. Other returning mem- bers to the squad were juniors Herb Gibson, Leon Jones, Chris Young, Rotolu Adebiyi, and sophomore Gavin Groninger. Bernard Robinson Jr. made the largest contribution as a fresh- man, usually trailing only Blanchard in point and rebound totals. Redshirt freshman Josh Moore, a transfer from Rutgers University, also collected minutes for the young team. At seven feet two inches, the coaching staff believed that he would continue to develop his game, becoming an increasingly noticeable frontcourt threat. Ellerbe ' s freshman class also included guards Maurice Searight and Avery Queen and forward Colin Dill. These players saw considerable minutes due to both their promise and the shallow composition of the team. Last year ' s captain, Brandon Smith, transferred to a smaller school in California to assume a greater offensive role and hopefully draw notice from NBA scouts. The former fan-favorite Jamal Crawford, after playing only 17 collegiate games, was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2000 NBA draft. Starting point guard Kevin Gaines left the team due to disciplinary reasons. With the core of last year ' s mediocre squad missing, the freshmen needed a lot of hard work to even replicate the 1999-2000 result, a first round elimination from the NIT Tournament, by Eric Rajala Smooth as silk, sophomore Lavell Blanchard blows by a Bowling Green defender and lays the ball in in one motion. Blanchard led the team in scoring, rebounding and minutes played, photo by Naomi Trager (c ' fo) fT( 11 17 4 ' X. J X. L-J at Oakland i - 90-97 1 18 at Ohio State 61-78 11 21 Western Michigan 92-78 1 20 at Iowa 70-69 11 25 Wagner 98-83 1 25 Illinois 51-55 11 28 Wake Forest 60-71 : 1 27 at Northwestern 72-65 12 2 vs. Maryland 51-82 1 30 Michigan State 64-91 12 3 vs. St. John ' s 83-97 2 3 Wisconsin 41-60 12 9 at Duke 61-104 2 7 at Penn State 66-77 12 13 Bowling Green 89-71 2 11 at Indiana 59-72 12 23 Morris Brown 95-81 2 14 Iowa 95-85 12 27 Towson 73-71 2 17 Minnesota 75-93 12 30 Eastern Michigan 90-73 2 24 Purdue 1 3 at Purdue 60-80 2 28 Northwestern 1 9 Indiana 70-64 TBA at Michigan State 1 13 at Illinois 51-80 Sports 203

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Sports