Eric Lacy
More Crisler progress
DEARBORN - Michigan's athletic department wants to build a $20 million basketball practice facility by the start of the 2010 season and could have plans ready for school approval by September. Michael Stevenson, an UM associate athletic director for facilities, told The Detroit News Thursday the basketball facility is top priority, especially now that a proposed $5.5 million stand alone wrestling facility was approved Thursday by the Board of Regents. "To be competitive in the conference and nationally, we can't be successful without it," said Stevenson of the basketball facility. "We are focussing on the planning." The wrestling team has practiced inside the bowels of Crisler Arena for several years, but will move out once the program's new facility is built. A timeline for the wrestling project has yet to be determined because the planning and design stages are still ongoing. Athletic department officials are expected to continue their series of meetings with a Denver-based architect and others next week to discuss further details about the basketball facility. The architect has extensive experience in basketball venues and will keep the needs of men's coach John Beilein and women's coach Kevin Borseth in mind, Stevenson said. "Both coaches work a little differently," Stevenson said. "So we have to make sure that once it's built, it works and functions the way they want it." Plans for the basketball facility, expected to be built into an exisiting hill next to Crisler Arena, are expected to include two practice courts, offices, locker rooms and possibly a new weight room to replace the existing one in the venue, Stevenson said. "Essentially everything the coaches have asked for is going to be in the (practice) facility," Stevenson said. Renovations of Crisler Arena itself are still scheduled, but are expected to be done over a longer period of time. Work is expected to include a new sound system, roof and an enhanced concourse level in the coming years. The wrestling facility already has about $3.5 million worth of donations earmarked for construction. But funding for the basketball facility appears to have a way to go. "We're always being asked, 'How can a certain building be built before another one is built?," Stevenson said. "The answer: We have enough donations (for wrestling) and the donors that want to build it. "That's (an issue) that can get things out of order and taken out of context sometimes." Donations for basketball, or a lack thereof, don't appear to be a major roadblock for Bill Martin, the school's athletic director. Martin has said publicly he's committed to the effort and willing to have the department incur some debt to get the basketball facility built.
Eric Lacy
Momentum for Crisler plans?
Michigan's Board of Regents could approve Thursday plans for a new wrestling facility which could speed up the process for basketball arena improvements. Documents on the board's Web site propose a 18,000 square foot wrestling building separate from Crisler Arena, between south State and Main streets. If the estimated $5.5 million project is approved, the next order of business could be approval of plans for Crisler renovations and an attached basketball practice facility. The wrestling team has held practices in Crisler for several years. Michigan athletic director Bill Martin has said repeatedly he is committed to investing more into the basketball program and is willing to have the department incur debt to do so. The athletic department is in good financial shape and has the ability to borrow the money through bonds for a Crisler project and pay it back later. Michigan officials have hired an architect to create plans for a proposed Crisler project and coach John Beilein has told recruits he would like to have at least a practice facility in place within three years. There is momentum building, truste me. The board is expected to meet 3 p.m. Thursday at the Henry Ford Estate at University of Michigan-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road, to discuss the wrestling plans. Details about the wrestling project and a meeting agenda can be found here and here. It will be interesting to see how the board responds becasues if a multi-million dollar commitment is made to wrestling, then one for basketball definitely should be next - at least that's my take. I'll be at the meeting Thursday to get the latest.
Eric Lacy
UM hoops schedule
Michigan confirmed a Fox Sports.com report Friday that it will play in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The news, published in a blog on Fox Sports site, cited the Gazelle Group's Rick Giles as saying the Wolverines are one of four hosts. Giles reportedly said the other hosts confirmed are Duke and UCLA, with the fourth most likely being Pittsburgh or Rutgers. Calls made Friday to Giles by The Detroit News weren't returned. Oakland coach Greg Kampe confirmed Friday that his school will play Michigan at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Dec. 20. That game will most likely mark the debut of Wolverines guard Laval Lucas-Perry, a transfer from Arizona.
Eric Lacy
GOOD UM hoops news!
Michigan basketball player Laval Lucas-Perry, a transfer from Arizona, will have his freshman athletic eligibility regained next season, the player's father told The Detroit News. Laval Perry confirmed Friday the NCAA's ruling on the matter, shortly after he received a call from Michigan coach John Beilein about his son's status. "I don't know what they did or considered," said Laval Perry of the NCAA's decision. "All I know is that the result was in our favor. "We're very happy about it, (Michigan's) compliance office really helped." Lucas-Perry, a 6-foot, 3-inch guard from Grand Blanc, Mich., left Arizona last December after completion of his first semester and won't be able to play for Michigan until about mid-December. "We're thinking his first game might be when Michigan plays Oakland at The Palace (of Auburn Hills)," Laval Perry said. Complete details of Michigan's schedule next season have yet to be announced. But Oakland confirmed Friday that the game against Michigan is on Dec. 20. Lucas-Perry averaged 4.5 ppg. 2 rebounds and an assist in five games for the Wildcats and practiced with the Wolverines last season once he was enrolled. The NCAA most likely took into consideration the strange coaching situation Lucas-Perry experienced once he arrived at Arizona. Former Pistons assistant and Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill was Arizona's interim coach last season due to Lute Olson's extended leave of absence for personal reasons. O'Neill was considered Olson's successor for the job, but that was before Olson decided after the season to return to head coaching duties. O'Neill, remains on staff as an assistant, but is in the second year of a two-year contract at the school.
Eric Lacy
Time to go to work
The Ekpe Udoh ship has saild, so it's now time for Michigan coach John Beilein to go harder on the recruiting trail than ever before. I'm assuming he will. He did do more in-season recruitng this past year than at any other point in his 30-year career. If you have followed my work in the News, you probably know I was very critical of Tommy Amaker and his recruiting, so it's only fair that I am at least somewhat critical of Beilein's recruiting and situation this program is currently in. The bottom line: He flat out needs players of all kinds, even ones that don't necessarily fit his phillosophy to a tee, to turn this program around and get to the NCAA Tournament. I really don't think Beilein can afford to pigeon-hole himeself (at least in the short-term) knowing, at this point, that he has only one verbal commitment for the 2009 class, he's coming off a 22-loss season, five players left the program under his watch and there's up to three scholarship spots available for next season. Maybe my logic is a little twisted after Tuesday's Navy Seal training, but that's just my take. I will say that Udoh sure didn't do Beilein and the program any favors. Credit Beilein and his staff for handling this situation with class. They gave Udoh plenty of time to make up his mind. If I were coach, knowing how strange the Udoh situation was, I definitely wouldn't have been as patient. I like the kid, but I would have sent him on his way two weeks ago because he was so wishy washy about the future. It's not like anyone in the media tried to force Udoh to say anything about a transfer, when asked, he brought up thoughts of a transfer at team awards banquet. He had the option to not say anything at all and to get the situation straightened out quickly, before he left to go back to Oklahoma. Alright, enough about Udoh. I still think, in time, Beilein will be able to win his way. How long that takes, given the circumstances, remains to be seen. What I do know is that Beilein finally appears to have players that all want to be at Michigan, so that's at least a step in the right direction.
Eric Lacy
Need some humor?
The economy stinks, the city of Detroit is in the midst of political chaos, gas prices are out of control, none of us will probably ever be able to sell our homes and there's a war going on that doesn't appear to have an end anytime soon. So there's no better time to get some laughs than right now! Readers will get that opportunity Wednesday as yours truly will have a firsthand account in The Detroit News about the Navy Seal training I went through early Tuesday morning (and I mean EARLY). To my knowledge, I was the only member of the Detroit media that was stupid enough to punish myself, starting at 5 a.m., through as series of physical tests. Check it out and let me know what you think. I plan on doing this again, in much better shape. No comments about my legs please! I already know how sexy they are. Some video of my workout can be found here.
Eric Lacy
The skinny on Udoh
After more than three weeks of speculation, Michigan basketball player Ekpe Udoh has decided to transfer, the school announced Monday. "This was a very difficult decision for me," said Udoh in a school press release. "I just feel I need to explore other options right now." When reached by The Detroit News at his home in Oklahoma, Udoh declined to speak much further about his future plans, claiming he hasn't made a decision on which school to attend. Guy Hardaker, Udoh's former high school coach in Edmond, Okla., believes Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could be options. Hardaker has also heard that UNLV could be a possibility. When told of the news Monday, Hardaker, wasn't surprised. Udoh has a goal of playing in the NBA and clearly made a decision he believes will better suit his talents, Hardaker said. "I don't think it's uncharacteristic, he made a similar decision like this in high school (switching from one AAU program to another)," said Hardaker, who tried to convince the player to stay at Michigan "I'm sure he thinks this is the best thing for him. "It could be or it couldn't be." Mitch Malone, Udoh's former AAU coach in Texas, is advising the player and said they will look at several schools that could be viable choices. "There is no timetable, there is no hurry," Malone said. In two seasons, Udoh played all 67 games and had 31 starts. He averaged 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He led the Big Ten in blocks during the 2007-08 campaign with 92. Michigan coach John Beilein has now had five players leave the program since his hiring at the school about a year ago, six if you count recruit Alex Legion, who was granted his release last spring. Beilein, in a statement, wished Udoh the best. "Ekpe is a fine young man and we thought he made tremendous improvements throughout the season," Beilein said. "I will miss Ekpe as a person and as a player, and we hope success will follow him in his future endeavors." There are now up to three scholarship spots available on the Wolverines' 2008-09 roster. It's unclear if Beilein will try to fill the void left by Udoh or wait and try to sign another player in the 2009 class.
Eric Lacy
AAU coach: No rush for Udoh
Mitch Malone, Ekpe Udoh's former AAU coach, called me back Monday after news became official about the player's plans to transfer out of Michigan. "We're going to look at schools that will be a viable choice," Malone told me. "There is no timetable, there's no hurry."
Eric Lacy
Udoh: No particular schools in mind
Spoke briefly with Ekpe Udoh after Michigan made it official Monday that he's leaving the program and he declined to say much about his future plans. Udoh told me he has yet to put together a list of potential schools to choose from. Guy Hardaker, Udoh's former high school coach, believes Udoh could go somewhere closer to home like Oklahoma State or Oklahoma. There's speculation that UNLV might be in the mix as well.Eric Lacy
Ekpe Udoh transfers
After more than three weeks of speculation, Michigan basketball player Ekpe Udoh has decided to transfer, the school announced Monday. "This was a very difficult decision for me," said Udoh in a school press release. "I just feel I need to explore other options right now." Udoh has yet to make a decision on which school he will attend, but recently told Guy Hardaker, his former high school coach, there are "a couple of schools out west" he is considering. Wolverines coach John Beilein said in a released statement that he wishes the best for Udoh, a 6-foot, 9-inch center from Edmond, Okla. "Ekpe is a fine young man and we thought he made tremendous improvements throughout the season," Beilein said. "I will miss Ekpe as a person and as a player and we hope success will follow him in his future endeavors." In two seasons, Udoh played all 67 games and had 31 starts. He averaged 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He led the Big Ten in blocks during the 2007-08 campaign with 92.
