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Wednesday, January 17, 2024
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Pro-Palestine protesters march through UMich campus buildings UMich students and Ann Arbor community members protest U-M administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and mourn Palestinians killed in the conflict
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Students walk down State St. at a New Year, No Rest protest to demand that the University immediately divest from companies that fund Israel Wednesday afternoon.
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Chanting “Up, up with liberation! Down, down with occupation!”, more than 100 University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor community members gathered in front of Angell Hall to protest the U-M administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and to mourn Palestinians killed in the conflict. The protesters marched through the Diag and entered the Willard H Dow Chemistry & Laboratory, Mason Hall, the School of Kinesiology Building and the LSA Building before ending at the Michigan Union. The protest, titled “New Year, No Rest,” was sponsored by the U-M chapter of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality,
TAHRIR coalition Graduate Employees’ Organization, Jewish Voice for Peace, United Asian American Organizations and Muslim Students’ Association. In a speech to attendees before the march, SAFE president Salma Hamamy said she believes the start of a new year cannot distract from the enduring violence in Palestine. “I cannot look at a calendar and say that we have begun something new,” Hamamy said. “My calendar says that it’s been 95 days of one of the most horrific genocides in modern history. My calendar does not say the weekdays but rather informs me that 30,000 Palestinians have been killed.” In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Zaynab Elkolaly, SAFE director of activism, said she was frustrated with the University’s limited engagement
in conversation with proPalestine student groups. “Why is it that certain student groups are a phone call away from you, but we Muslim and brown organizations have to jump through hoops just to even get your attention?” Elkolaly said. In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said University administration continually meets with U-M students, including student leaders from the TAHRIR coalition. “University administrators have met with student leaders from SAFE and members of the coalition last semester and have continued to meet with students directly impacted by targeting/ doxxing,” Broekhuizen wrote. Elkolaly said though she is disappointed in the U-M administration’s response, she believes this lack of
communication from the University has only strengthened their cause. “The one benefit from the absolutely absurd response that we’ve received from administration is that it calls people to action,” Elkolaly said. “It demonstrates just how dire the situation on campus is and it draws a lot of people who might be sympathetic, who might not even know what’s going on. It prompts them to start thinking about it and once they know all the facts, they come to our aid, our side, whatever you want to call it. I think the collective anger is a big driving force behind our numbers in the demonstrations that we do.” Social Work student Ariana Gonzalez Pelaez said she attended Wednesday’s protest to pressure the University to cut its financial ties to Israel. “I’m here today, as I have been
at the other protests, because I feel like it’s outrageous that we’re already almost four months into a genocide that is funded not only by our University, but by the entire country,” Gonzalez Pelaez said. “I feel like by showing up, we continue to show our support for the Palestinian peoples and all of the colonized nations around the world. I come from a colony myself; I’m from Puerto Rico. If there’s something I’ve learned, (it) is that the struggle that is shared among countries should be defended, not even if it’s your own.” Broekhuizen wrote in an email that U-M policy is to maintain a diverse investment portfolio independent of political pressures. “As you may recall, the university has had a policy in place for nearly 20 years that shields the university’s
investment from political pressures,” Broekhuizen wrote. “Much of the money invested through the university’s endowment, for example, is donor funding given to provide long-term financial support for designated purposes.” At the end of her speech, Hamamy said the start of the new semester offers an opportunity to publicly reaffirm their commitment to Palestinian liberation. “I want to remind ourselves as a collective that as we begin this new semester, our determination to remain on the side of Gaza will always outweigh and prevail our moments of despair,” Hamamy said. “If we have achieved anything thus far it is that the people of Gaza know that they are not alone, it is that the people of Gaza have witnessed that there is a nation of people by their side.”
ANN ARBOR
Ann Arbor City Council passes resolution to support cease-fire in Gaza City Council met Thursday evening to approve a resolution calling for cease-fire and discuss the Ann Arbor unarmed crisis response program AMANDA PIRANI Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor City Council met in Larcom City Hall Thursday evening to approve a resolution calling for a bilateral cease-fire in Gaza, discuss the recent cancellation of the request for proposal of an unarmed crisis response team and consider the sale of 404 N. Ashley St. to the Ann Arbor Housing Development Commission. The meeting had a public commentary period during which almost 90 community members spoke in favor of Resolution 23-2109 supporting a cease-fire in Gaza. The resolution, sponsored by Councilmembers Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, D-Ward 3, Erica Briggs, D-Ward 5, Linh Song, D-Ward 2 and Dharma Akmon, D-Ward 4, denounces “rising hate and discrimination in Ann Arbor” and calls for a cease-fire. Ann Arbor resident Omar Abdala attended the meeting and said the issue of a cease-fire is a local one despite the geographical distance. “It’s a local issue because (as) long as the war continues, we can’t address key issues in our community that require groups to work together,” Abdala said. “We can’t do that while our people are being carpet bombed, driven
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from their homes, starved and murdered.” Erin Ospina, University of Michigan clinical research technician, said U-M students would continue to fight for a cease-fire resolution if the Council did not pass it Thursday. “If this board does not pass this resolution, we will bring all power and pressure from the student body to this council, just as we’ve done to our University administration,” Ospina said. “We have students at the University of Michigan who will … mobilize consistently and unapologetically against this board if (it does) not pass a ceasefire resolution.” University of Michigan clinical research technician Erin Ospina walks away from the City Council speaker podium as a crowd to the right applauds. Councilmembers voted to approve the resolution following the public comment period. Ghazi Edwin said the passing of this resolution reflects the priorities of Ann Arbor community members. “The purpose of this resolution is to call for a cease-fire and for peace,” Ghazi Edwin said. “This is not a partisan resolution. It is not anti-anyone. It’s about humanity. We have heard from people for weeks that this is a local issue and how it is different from other conflicts. The fact that this room is full says very clearly
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that people do experience this as a local issue.” The announcement of the resolution’s approval prompted cheers and cries of “Free Palestine” from attendees. The City Council then approved the sale of 404 N. Ashley St. to the Ann Arbor Housing Development Commission. The commission plans to develop the property as affordable housing, which Briggs said will take at least a year to complete. The council also heard from Liz Kennedy, co-director of the unarmed response and community safety initiative CareBased Safety, on the cancellation of the request for an unarmed response program. Kennedy described her frustration with the lack of transparency in the decision-making process and deviation from the city’s proposed timeline for the program, and called on the city to reopen CBS’s request. “The decision to reject our application was made in closed session without any opportunity for us to address questions or concerns raised by city staff despite assurances from (City Administrator Milton) Dohoney that we would have a full opportunity to respond,” Kennedy said. “Our proposal was rejected without the proper dialogue.”
Councilmember Cynthia Harrison, D-Ward 1, said the city did not attempt to hide information from the public regarding the request for proposal cancellation process. While some misunderstood the cancellation to have taken place during a closed vote by City Council, the decision was instead made at the city administration level, without any vote by councilmembers. Harrison assured community members that the city will continue to move forward with plans to implement an unarmed crisis response program. “The unarmed crisis response program is moving forward,” Harrison said. “The resolution I am offering tonight ensures that it will move forward quickly and effectively. Our community
Mutual Aid Council, a potential new public body for first responder specialty rescue teams. The new council would keep these first responders accountable to public scrutiny, but must first be approved by the governing bodies of 23 cities, townships and fire authorities. Councilmembers then discussed Ordinance 23-2034, which would prohibit city contractors’ inquiry into job applicants’ criminal history until after a conditional offer of employment. Harrison, an ordinance co-sponsor, spoke about its importance in minimizing recidivism — or the tendency of convicted criminals to reoffend. “When we discuss recidivism rehabilitation we often express a desire for success in those reentering society post conviction,” Harrison said. “But these good intentions are not enough. And as a city that enforces laws, we also shoulder the responsibility of aiding in that rehabilitation.” Correction: A previous version of this article stated that over a dozen community members spoke during the public commentary period. This was incorrect, as at a later portion of the meeting, around 90 JEREMY WEINE/Daily community members spoke on the Ann Arbor resident Omar Abdala addresses Ann Arbor City Council members, expressing his resolution. This article has been support for a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza Thursday evening. updated to reflect this change.
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deserves nothing less.” Rackham student Ember McCoy expressed frustration at the cancellation of the request for proposal and subsequent resolution. “I think this resolution ignores the reality of how slow, anti-democratic and closed the processes to get a program has been,” McCoy said. “Proposals went out in August 2023 and the city took until late December to tell the one applicant that they didn’t meet the expectation without an interview, without communication and without feedback.” After the general public commentary period, the council approved the consent agenda with a single motion, which included founding the Washtenaw Area
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Writer Christina Sharpe visits for Zell Visiting Writers Series
Author of ‘Ordinary Notes’ Christina Sharpe visits the University of Michigan Museum of Art to discuss her book
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Editorial Staff JULIANNE YOON/Daily Zell Visiting Writer Christina Sharpe reads from her book, “Ordinary Notes,” in the UMMA Stern Auditorium Thursday evening. Christina Sharpe speaks into a microphone on a wooden podium.
NOLAN SARGENT Daily Staff Reporter
Community members gathered in the University of Michigan Museum of Art Helmut Stern Auditorium to hear writer Christina Sharpe read from her 2023 book “Ordinary Notes,” a collection of 248 observations, memories and pieces of artwork centered on themes of race. In addition to writing, Sharpe is a professor of Black Studies in the Humanities at York University and a senior research associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for the Study of Race, Gender & Class. The reading was part of the Zell Visiting Writers Series and co-sponsored by the Residential College, the Department of English language and literature and the Department of Afroamerican and African studies. In addition to Thursday’s reading, Sharpe is set to give a craft lecture entitled “Thinking Juxtapositionally” in Angell Hall’s Robert Hayden Conference Room at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 12. Sara Abou Rashed, a poetry fellow in the Helen Zell Writers’ program, introduced Sharpe. Rashed said Sharpe is an influential and respected figure in her field.
“Christina is a professor of profound influence, a singular writer, astute reader and a treasured carrier of knowledge,” Rashed said. “Hers is the kind of language that once you see it you cannot go in the world unseeing. If anything, we can say Sharpe cures blindness: racial, real.” Before beginning the reading, Sharpe gave a brief explanation of her book’s structure and purpose. She said her book is organized into eight sections based on how the notes interact with each other. “The textual and visual notes are organized by a logic of juxtaposition, accumulation and encounters,” Sharpe said. “My hope is that the notes accumulate meaning and feeling and sound and momentum. They’re always concerned with the ordinary, extraordinary matter of Black life.” Sharpe said she draws heavily from her own experiences and memories in “Ordinary Notes.” In particular, she explores her relationship with her mother by including snapshots of memory and family lore. During the reading, Sharpe displayed an image from “Ordinary Notes” of a book given to her by her mother. “Open any book that my mother and I gifted each other, or that she gifted any of her children …
and you will find an inscription,” Sharpe said. “We had an elaborate language of book giving. So this says, ‘to Tina B, with love, from Mom.’ ” In “Ordinary Notes,” Sharpe includes a section on a memory of breaking her arm as a child. She describes how her mother painted her arm cast, filling her broken arm with color and brightness and leaving her with a lasting impression. “I’m 58 years old, I’ve had this cast for 52 years, because I still own it,” Sharpe said. “And my mother (was) like, ‘You cannot have your school friends draw on your cast. I’m going to make a beautiful object that you will get to have it on for six weeks.’ ” Sharpe also presented a painting of her mother’s hand holding a copy of Toni Morrison’s novel “Beloved,” which was included in “Ordinary Notes.” She said the painting was made by artist Cauleen Smith and based on a photograph Sharpe took of her mother. According to Sharpe, “Beloved,” holds considerable significance for both mother and daughter. “My mother gifted me ‘Beloved’ … and in the copy that she gave me she wrote, ‘to my future (Nobel) Prize winner,’ ” Sharpe said. During the Q&A portion of the evening, Sharpe explained
the link between her craft, her identity and her target audience. She said “Ordinary Notes” diverges from a typical academic form because she wanted the book to be accessible to people of different education levels. “I was really invested in Black people first being my audience, and that was across (levels of ) education,” Sharpe said. “Neither of my parents went to college. I was speaking to Black people. And so with ‘Ordinary Notes’ … it’s a continuation of something that I was thinking about, how Blackness is positioned. … So I really wanted to think about all of the ways that we produce life in the face of such overwhelming force.” Rackham student Erykah Benson said she was a fan of Sharpe’s work before attending the reading. She said the talk was deeply insightful and impactful. “I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to even be able to be in the same room as Christina Sharpe and to be able to hear her read aloud,” Benson said. “(This book is) the … testament to her own life in relation to being a human in this world witnessing all of the different events both tender and violent in this world. To be able to also just hear her speak those words was very powerful.”
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U-M football champions bring National Championship trophy to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital The National Champions visited patients and their families in the hospital following their championship win
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Following their 2024 National Championship win, members of the Michigan football team brought the winning trophy to the Game Day Experience room in C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Friday afternoon. Junior quarterback Davis Warren, junior defensive back Jesse Madden and senior wide receiver Jake Thaw along with Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh met with patients and signed their merch. Over the course of two hours, around 100 parents and patients flooded the room, eager to meet the national champions. Harbaugh spoke to The Michigan Daily about how grateful he felt to be able to visit those in the hospital. Reminiscing on how one of his own sons had been put into the neonatal intensive care unit, he spoke about how special it was for him to be able to help support families going through difficult times. “One word that I would use to describe how I am feeling right now is grateful,” Harbaugh said. “The children here are getting great care and it was great to be
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able to see them today.” While the team brought the National Championship Trophy along with them, Luanne Thomas Ewald, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Chief Operating Officer, said the team’s visit Friday was about more than a trophy. “This is a very special team in many ways,” Ewald said. “This event was not just to show off the trophy, though it was awesome to see, but it was a way for the team to connect with the kids. This team really cares about the kids and what they’re going through
here at the hospital. They’re a part of our family here at Mott’s.” Madden said that the event felt more important to him than any football he had played that year. “This was awesome,” Madden said. “This was bigger than anything we did on the field this season. Being able to positively impact that many lives, especially ones who are in need, was incredible.” This wasn’t Warren’s first visit to the hospital, but he said every event they hold is rewarding. “I’ve been coming to Mott’s for
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a while now and doing visits with the kids,” Warren said. “It means a lot to be able to come here, make a difference and see their smiling faces.” Grant Wright, a patient at Mott, said it felt surreal to meet the championship players and see the trophy in real life. “It was pretty sweet,” Wright said. “I grew up watching Michigan football so meeting Jim Harbaugh and the players was very surreal. I didn’t even know this was happening until today. It was the best surprise ever.”
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Wednesday, January 17, 2024 — 3
CAMPUS LIFE
Michigan Union floods with student organizations for Winterfest The U-M Center for Campus Involvement hosts 294 student organizations for annual Winterfest club fair
AUDREY SHABELSKI Daily Staff Reporter
The start of the winter semester brings another chance for University of Michigan students to discover organizations where they can find and build a community. With this spirit in mind, the U-M Center for Campus Involvement hosted 294 student organizations on the second floor of the Michigan Union for the annual club fair Winterfest Wednesday and Thursday evening. Student organization leaders dispersed throughout the halls and different rooms, handing out flyers and talking to prospective members about opportunities to get involved on campus. LSA junior Alena Johnson, events coordinator for Girl Gains, told The Michigan Daily in an interview Winterfest is an important opportunity for student organization representatives to meet potential new members. “We’ve noticed that Winterfest
is when we get the most amount of freshmen coming in,” Johnson said. “They’re initially figuring out (how to manage) college and then they realize, ‘Oh my gosh, wait, I have time now in my schedule, I can join a club.’ So at Winterfest we’ve had a lot more involvement of underclassmen coming in.” Nursing sophomore Nicole Godfrey, a brother of Alpha Chi Sigma, said club fairs can help expose students to new hobbies or interests they may not have considered. “If you’re trying to find a community that you’re interested in or find new passions or hobbies that you’re willing to try out, (Winterfest and Festifall) are just really great places to find great communities,” Godfrey said. Engineering senior Charlie Cappelletti, corporate affairs director of Theta Tau, said he enjoys Winterfest because it is a great way to directly interact with possible new members. “I think one of the best parts about being in a place like (the University) is that the world is your oyster and there are so many
opportunities in your hands,” Cappelletti said. “(Winterfest) is really good because you get to talk to people face to face. I think that’s really impactful. It’s way more impactful than an email.” While Festifall takes place on the Diag and offers plenty of space for student organizations to table and hand out flyers, the second floor of the Union offers a smaller setting. To organize the small venue efficiently for students, CCI placed groups with similar goals and activities near one another. In an interview with The Daily, LSA junior Rae Adigun, member of Cre8, a U-M dance community focused on inclusivity and choreography instruction, commented on the organization of Winterfest. “There’s only so many organizations you can host inside a building, as opposed to on the SAM ALDER/Daily Diag and Ingalls Mall and down LSA senior Laila Kitchen leans about Girls Gains from LSA juniors Katherine Smith and Danielle Cubitt at Winterfest in the Michigan Union Thursday. the streets, right?” Adigun said. “I feel like either way I’m still Across the two days that forgotten hobby. With so many actually here,” Adigun said. “You getting my target demographic Winterfest took place, students opportunities to engage with an get to interact with people and for each club (because) I’m placed were able to engage with interest or a passion, Winterfest you get to say, ‘Hey, there’s a space with a lot of other performing clubs that could help their brings something for everyone. for you here. There’s something arts groups here.” careers or reignite a love for a “It’s always fun when you’re for everybody here.’ ”
‘Our time to play’: Hundreds of UMich students participate in Diag snowball fight
CAMPUS LIFE
Hundreds of U-M students gather to pelt each other with snow and blow off some steam ASTRID CODE
Daily News Editor
Friday evening, hundreds of University of Michigan students geared up to participate in a winter tradition on campus: an all-out snowball fight on the Diag. The event was planned on social media, through a post on the popular Instagram account, @umichaffirmations. The post — which has over 2,700 likes — reads, “You know what time it is. 9 PM Diag. University snowball fight.” Similar to last year’s celebration, students from all grades and colleges suited up in their warmest clothes, ran to the Diag and pelted each other with snow. LSA freshman Peter Husted said in an interview with The Michigan Daily that he saw the snowball fights listed on social media as one of the reasons to become a Wolverine. “It’s crazy to see the whole student body come out and throw snow at each other,” Husted said. “It’s something different that not many other schools probably do, and it’s a very special tradition that I’m sure a lot of people would love to be part of.” The event began with two teams forming on each side of the Diag. Others not a part of the
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JENNA HICKEY/Daily Michigan students have fun participating in a massive snowball fight Friday night.
larger snowball fight ran around the outskirts of the makeshift battlefield, opting for smaller fights. Adding to the chaos, the rising temperature resulted in large amounts of melting snow dropping from trees onto the heads of confused students. LSA sophomore Kaelan Mulye said he went because his friends
attended the snowball fight last year. “After Christmas break, it’s nice to ease back into the school year with more community-focused events, especially since snow is finally here,” Mulye said. “It’s January. It’s been too long without snow. So I think it’s a nice sort of symbolic start to the semester.”
Some students decided to participate in more peaceful activities, making large snowmen, snow forts and snow angels together. LSA junior Victoria Kvasnikov shared her thoughts on the snowman she was creating. “I’m just building the man of my dreams right now,” Kvasnikov said. Kinesiology freshman Mae
Greeves, who attended with a friend, shared her reasoning for staying a bit farther from the action. “We’re terrified,” Greeves said. “I think sides are forming. Everyone’s having fun though. I think it kind of gets them back to their childhood.” Husted said he felt the snowball
fight was a way to bring weary college students back to their childhood. “It’s kind of like old times,” Husted said. “Like when you’re younger, you would always have snowball fights. It’s just a way to escape the stress and it’s kind of like a fun innocent time.” Engineering sophomore Julia Tauro, a Michigan native, said she doesn’t like the snow — except for snowball fights. “(It’s) like a massive party with all the friends you didn’t know you had,” Tauro said. “(Students) work all the time. It’s our time to play. The snow is a sign.” As the celebration continued, students brought sleds to use as shields and blue moving bins to transport more snow. The chaos intensified, with one student uprooting a small tree and another group carrying a flatscreen TV through the snow. Engineering senior Siddharth Prasant said he made the long trip from North Campus just to come to the snowball fight. “It was absolutely worth it,” Prasant said. “College is like the one time you have a walkable community and that’s why people are happy, so this is like part of being that community. And this is something you can enjoy for free, you know. You don’t have to pay for snow.”
Whitmer declares Jan. 9 ‘Michigan Wolverine Day’ following national championship win
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer honors the Wolverines following last week’s win in the football national championships against the University of Washington MARY COREY
Daily News Editor
KATE HUA/Daily
The University of Michigan won the football national championship for the first time since 1997 against the University of Washington Monday night. Following the game, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer officially declared Jan. 9, 2024 “Michigan Wolverine Day” in a proclamation Tuesday morning. Whitmer, who has two daughters at the University, expressed her excitement for the Wolverines in a statement Tuesday morning. “As a mom of two Wolverines and governor, I am proud to proclaim Wolverine Day in Michigan,” the statement read. “This team’s exceptional skill, determination, grit, and professionalism exemplify the values that define us as Michiganders. They went
undefeated all season, becoming the only college football program in history to earn 1,000 wins. I know University of Michigan students, alumni, and Michiganders around the world are joining me in declaring: who’s got it better than us?! Nobody! Go Blue!” Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, a U-M alum, echoed Whitmer’s sentiment in the statement, congratulating the team on an amazing season and praising their contribution to the tradition of excellence in the state of Michigan. “I am so proud to be a graduate of the University of Michigan, the greatest university in the world,” the statement read. “This team showed the world how the Leaders and Best do it in Michigan and cemented their place in the storied legacy of Michigan greatness. This Wolverine Day let’s Hail to the Victors! Go Blue!”
Arts
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Bradley Cooper captures Leonard Bernstein’s highs and lows in ‘Maestro’ JACK MOESER
Managing Arts Editor
It’s difficult to explain to a nonmusician the purpose of an orchestra conductor. The short explanation is that they keep time for the ensemble, but the better way of understanding a conductor’s value is simply to watch a great conductor in action. Take the finale of Gustav Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony: Anybody (seriously, anybody) could wave their arms to the slow pulse of the piece’s concluding simple rhythm. But when Leonard Bernstein conducts the symphony in England’s historic Ely Cathedral, there’s just something about the emotion he puts into the piece that fully realizes Mahler’s confrontation of mortality in the search for life’s purpose, in a way that words cannot fully capture. Naturally, Bernstein’s England performance of Mahler’s second symphony serves as a crucial scene in “Maestro,” his biopic directed by and starring Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”). Cooper deserves immense praise for his ability to adopt Bernstein’s distinctive mannerisms in a way that extracts the piece’s existential meaning (as does Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the conductor who mentored Cooper). But “Maestro” is so much more than a showcase of Cooper’s convincing Bernstein impression. By diverting its focus away from Bernstein’s musical career and instead observing his life through the lens of his relationships, “Maestro” succeeds in making a worthwhile statement about one of the most visible and discussed musicians of all time. It takes a while for the film’s indirect approach to storytelling to settle into place. The film begins with Bernstein’s last-minute replacement of New York Philharmonic conductor
This image is from the official trailer for “Maestro,” distributed by Netflix.
Bruno Walter, a vaulting-off point into fame. It provides the audience with the only substantial musical origin story for Bernstein. However, the film’s opening act’s real purpose is to introduce Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman”), whose relationship with Bernstein serves as the film’s main narrative arc and is especially prevalent in the film’s first act. The beginning of the film relies on esoteric dialogue between Bernstein and Montealegre that is difficult to follow due to its intricate writing and the actors’ quick, accented deliveries. This forces the audience to rely on nonverbal cues like facial expressions and tone of voice to conceptualize their romance as if watching a 19th-century opera. This isn’t a bad thing
— Cooper and Mulligan’s stellar character work perfectly synergize with the film’s excellent monochrome color palette that perfectly accentuates the characters’ features in silhouette. But the extreme lovey-doveyness of their relationship is emphasized a little too much; the experience of watching the lovers exchange kisses and Shakespearean terms of endearment every chance they get is akin to being thirdwheeled, making the viewer feel they are intruding on their private romantic life. This high point in Bernstein’s personal life does not last forever — his relationship with Montealegre begins to crumble at the film’s pivotal moment when he sneaks out of a social gathering to kiss David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance”).
As his career takes off and he becomes the face of classical music in America, the film swaps its nostalgic black and white for a beautiful, melancholic color palette. The dialogue between Bernstein and Montealegre goes from f lowery to gritty and confrontational; the cinematography ref lects this changing dynamic by capturing the couple’s conversation from distant, stationary points. Between the strikingly informal dialogue that often devolves into shouting matches and the obstructed cinematic viewpoints, these scenes feel like found footage, as if the audience is peeking through a garden gate to glimpse the dark personal life of America’s most celebrated conductor. While the performances and camerawork contribute to the suspense, the turmoil is engaging because it never
breaks Bernstein’s immense poise as a public figure. Whether confidently discussing his marriage on a TV interview or addressing the audience at an open rehearsal of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14, a piece whose themes of love and death hit close to home for the conductor, Cooper never lets the emotional weight impact his performance, just like Bernstein. There’s something so genuine about seeing Bernstein revel in the glory of a successful performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and running to embrace Montealegre; it’s devastating to come down from that high alongside Bernstein, realizing that spiritual resurrection is no match for human mortality and watching him hold Montealegre’s hand for the final time as she succumbs to cancer. “Maestro” doesn’t present
as an easy-to-latch-onto biography of Bernstein’s musical life, nor does it immediately offer a gripping, existential conf lict — to put it bluntly, it’s no “Oppenheimer.” In stark contrast to the way Leonard Bernstein made the esoteric, uppity world of classical music accessible to a larger and younger audience, “Maestro” expects the audience to already know a decent bit about Bernstein. But the beauty of the film is that it gives the viewer the context to foster a much deeper appreciation of Bernstein’s creative output without coming across as heavy-handed. I’ve always been enamored by Leonard Bernstein’s lugubrious 1987 recording of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony. Premiered just days before the composer’s mysterious death, the piece is truly grim on its own, but Bernstein finds a way to make it even more bleak — whereas a typical performance lasts about 45 minutes, Bernstein’s recording is nearly an hour long. I used to attribute Bernstein’s notably slow tempo to a certain maverick tendency of his: the face of classical music in America going over the top, leveraging his fame to take a wildly unconventional tempo, in typical Bernstein fashion, just because he can. But as I walked home from “Maestro,” allowing the breathtaking visuals of the film to marinate in my mind while listening to Bernstein’s 17-minute rendition of the “Pathétique” finale, I think I finally understood the emotion Bernstein was trying to convey in his performance. This is the power of a great conductor: to lock away so much deep meaning into a performance that it can be uncovered decades later. “Maestro” unlocks the beautiful, tormented world of Leonard Bernstein and invites the audience to explore it for themselves.
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ is worth the wait SERENA IRANI AND EMMY SNYDER Daily Arts Writers
As I pressed play to the first episode of the new “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, I was admittedly a little nervous. When a story so near and dear to my 10-year-old heart resurfaces all these years later, it’s hard not to have some reservations. Like most fans of the series, I was excited by the prospect of finally getting a screen adaptation that did the book series justice. I’d been burned before (namely by the disastrous short-lived film adaptations of the early 2010s) but was still cautiously optimistic that this time around, things would be different. I am happy to report that this TV show truly is the adaptation that fans have long awaited. So take a seat and chow down on some blue cookies! One of this adaptation’s major bright spots is its clear respect for the source material. So far, it has stuck closely to the pacing and overall arc of the first book, “The Lightning Thief.” “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” follows Percy (Walker Scobell, “The Adam Project”), a 12-yearold with ADHD and dyslexia who lives in New York City with his mother Sally (Virginia Kull, “Gracepoint”). Percy’s no stranger to inexplicable and abnormal incidents, but once mythological monsters start coming after him and accuse him of stealing a lightning bolt, things take a turn for the weird. In a true hero’s journey fashion, he finds out that his best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri, “Cheaper by the Dozen”) is a satyr, his favorite history teacher is the centaur Chiron (Glynn Turman, “The Wire”) and that his absent father is Poseidon (Toby Stephens, “Six Four”), the Greek god of the sea. After an arduous journey to Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigods, Percy, Grover and fellow camper Annabeth (Leah Jeffries, “Beast”) embark on a
quest to find the missing lightning bolt and clear Percy’s name. Since the series’s announcement in 2020, fans — many of whom have been curating their TikTok algorithm for this moment, dissecting every still, trailer and sneak peek and frantically following updates from the series author, show writer and executive producer Rick Riordan — can rest assured that this beloved story is in good hands. The two-episode premiere proves that Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri portray Percy, Annabeth and Grover in a manner that is deeply genuine, intentional and true to the spirit of the characters. Even in the days leading up to the release, interviews with Riordan and the main cast members showed how the three young actors connect to their characters personally, drawing on aspects of the role they relate with to enhance their performances. The interviews see Jeffries refer to Riordan as “Mr. Rick” and co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda as “Mr. Lin,” showing Annabeth’s characteristic respect as Jeffries’ stories of their time on set reveal her silliness and slight irreverence. Meanwhile, Scobell refers to the author by the more informal Rick, and can’t remember at all what he did to prepare after he was told he got the part. Still, he possesses Percy’s charm and, most importantly, deep investment in the character as he quietly reveals himself to be a “Percabeth” stan in his Teen Vogue interview. Seriously, he can’t sing Annabeth’s praises enough. And what is Percy if not obsessed with her? Then there’s Simhadri. Even when he has a response to the question prepared, Scobell and Simhadri wait for Jeffries to answer first, describing her as the one that “holds them together.” Even offscreen, it’s obvious that they possess the crucial chemistry of the main trio, which is founded on fondness and respect — especially for Jeffries, who has borne the brunt of embarrassing and inappropriate racist criticism of the series
despite Riordan’s various efforts to protect her as she embodies the character with grace beyond her years. As Annabeth is Percy and Grover’s leader, Jeffries is Scobell and Simhadri’s leader, and they treat her as such. This attention to detail by the actors and writers has proven this adaptation to be both faithful and necessary. At a baseline level, the cast is age-appropriate and the plot more or less follows the books so far. But beyond the details, the script and performances show a clear commitment to preserving the essence of the story and its characters. As Percy stands guard on the beach during a game of capture the flag — he’s bait but doesn’t know it — he can’t just stand around and wait. He doesn’t scout out his surroundings or prop himself up in an athletic stance. He lies on his back fidgeting with a leaf, pets a lizard, takes a leak and whistles. Percy’s mind always needs to be occupied by something, and we see it in his quietest moments just as much as we do in the action scenes. His ADHD isn’t hurting anyone. It’s not punished. It’s a strength of his that brings a smile to every viewer’s face. And that is exactly the spirit in which Riordan created Percy, whom Scobell brings to life so well. A core moment of the premiere is when Percy defines his own identity: Poseidon might have claimed him, but he is, first and foremost, “Sally Jackson’s son.” In the books, Sally is a key aspect of Percy’s character as she encourages and fosters a natural kindness and bravery within him, a sense of loyalty to his friends that knows no bounds. Even from these early episodes, the waves of resentment towards his absent father are made evident as the show deftly expands upon the contrast between his relationship with his mother and that with his father. A clear emphasis is placed upon Percy’s motivations for the quest being centered around his mom, as well as the way she provides much of the emotional
This image was taken from the official press kit for “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” distributed by Disney+.
undercurrent to his journey. Kull makes the most of her minimal screen time in the first episode, bringing the Sally we know and love to life. We can trace Percy’s trademark humor to her sharp, quick-witted dialogue and his courageous nature in her valiant attack against the Minotaur. Who Percy is and who he becomes is a product of the mother who sticks around, not the father who left; to see Percy himself claim this is a powerful moment of recognition for Sally and devoted moms everywhere. A tricky aspect of any fantasy book series adaptation is effectively re-creating the author’s vibrant, imaginative world of monsters and mythological magic. The special effects in the show’s various creatures contribute to the exciting face-offs between Percy and the Minotaur or the Fury, but the real gem is its incredible production design. The details within the sets of Camp Half-Blood are a definite treat for fans of the books, from the ornately beaded necklaces and iconic orange t-shirts adorned by the campers to the sunlit rustic cabins, each customized for its
patron Olympian. The series possesses a general timelessness to its aesthetic that makes the story more approachable to audiences old and new. The dialogue isn’t outright modernized, but it also isn’t reminiscent of a ’00s period piece; this indiscernibility in its time period allows the story to feel set in a realm removed from our reality, the “Percy Jackson Universe,” if you will. If the adaptation has a point of weakness at all, it might only be that it reveals a smidge too much. As discussed in a previous Daily article, the series has put out plenty of promotional materials, and the short teaser trailer alone included significant sneak peeks of two of the three major action sequences in the premiere: the battle with the Minotaur and the collision with Mrs. Dodds (Megan Mullally, “Will & Grace”). These scenes in the trailer effectively set the mood and heightened anticipation for viewers as to what else those action sequences and the entire show would have to offer. Alecto, the Minotaur and a glimpse of Blackjack, are visually stunning, but it’s a hard balance to strike between generating
excitement and giving too much away, and the action sequences suffer for it. Where I was anxious to see more from those action sequences, I found there isn’t much more to discover that the trailer hadn’t revealed. Hopefully, the action sequences to follow will deliver a bit more of a wow factor, packing a punch that only superb computer-generated imagery, an excellent score and witty dialogue from Percy can perfectly land. Another element the show inevitably lacks is Percy’s inner monologue of thoughts, a true hallmark of the story’s tone and sense of humor. This isn’t something easily included in most book-to-TV adaptations, but it does attempt to remedy this with his opening narration in the premiere episode (hearing “I didn’t want to be a half-blood” was chill-inducing) and a general sense of sarcasm within his dialogue throughout. In an otherwise serious scene in which his mom tries to explain that his father is a god, Percy bluntly asks “You fell in love with Jesus?” without missing a beat. Read more at MichiganDaily.com
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Arts
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 — 5
Emma Lord’s upcoming YA novel ‘The Getaway List’ is full of fun, friendship and adventure AVA SEAMAN
Daily Arts Writer
It’s Riley Larson’s high school graduation day, and she realizes that she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. Unlike most of her classmates, she wasn’t accepted into any of the colleges she applied to, so she assumes she’ll be taking classes at the local community college in the fall and spending her summer helping out at the coffee shop her mother works at. That is until she finds “The Getaway List,” a list of activities she and her long-distance best friend Tom wanted to complete together once they reunited. So she unexpectedly decides to make the list a reality by spending her summer with Tom in New York. “The Getaway List” is Emma Lord’s upcoming young adult novel that follows one girl who finds her way back to the things she used to enjoy, while also rekindling a friendship that may turn into something more. After spending the past four years getting average grades and participating in extracurricular activities picked by her mother, Riley is feeling lost and uninspired. When she spends time with Tom, her best friend and partner in crime during their childhood pranks and antics, she can freely be herself. But ever since his mom’s job required them to move to New York three years ago, their friendship has been strained. Riley is determined to find out why Tom’s been so distant while also making the most of her time in the city. Lord writes the modern teen well. She articulates what most
young people experience as soon as they escape the confines of school: figuring out who they are and what they want and like to do. More importantly, Lord emphasizes that there can be so many different opportunities after high school; there isn’t just one path. There’s a lot of weight and responsibility put on teenagers to know what they want to do with their lives as soon as they graduate high school, but I think it’s okay not to have everything figured out at 18-years-old. “The Getaway List” is a charming story. There’s the friends-to-lovers plotline with a slow-burn romance that makes you want to shout “Just kiss already!” But there’s also so much self-discovery on the part of our main character that makes for an enjoyable reading experience. Now that Riley is on her own for the first time in an unfamiliar city, she has a freedom she’s never had before. Sure, it’s daunting, but she’s allowed to make mistakes on her terms. Riley is also surrounded by people who support her: Tom; Jesse, her friend from home who’s gigging with his band in the city; Mariella, one of Tom’s friends from school; and Luca, a boy she meets at a writer’s workshop. Together, they decide to check off the items on Riley and Tom’s “Getaway List,” which includes all the things that they missed out on while they were apart, like a road trip, camping, karaoke and even working for Dear, Love Dispatch, a service that sends gifts anonymously to people around the city. Riley and Tom’s new and old friendships make up the story but so do the relationships
with their parents. Both Riley and Tom were raised by single mothers, and they each have drastically different relationships with them. Riley and her mom are tightknit, while Tom and his mom have very few meaningful interactions. But after running away to New York without her mom’s permission, Riley is hesitant to open up to her about not knowing what she wants to do with her life or who she wants to be. It’s especially hard to admit because her mom made all of her big life decisions in high school. Even though Riley knows her mom cares about her, she finds out that her mom might not know what’s best for her at this point in her life. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the biggest thread of “The Getaway List”: the setting of New York City. Heartfelt and genuine (made even more so by having seen Lord’s Instagram stories firsthand and knowing she’s based there), the book is one big love letter to the city. Lord depicts a bustling city that never sleeps, with so many different people and so much to do and see. It’s probably one of the most fitting places for the story to take place, especially for someone like Riley who feels as if she doesn’t fit in anywhere. There are trips to the thrift store, walks in Central Park, countless food references, Little Island, crying on the subway and so many other New York quirks that can only be described by someone who knows and loves the city. If you’re looking for a book full of friendship, fun New York misadventures and more than a few Taylor Swift references, then “The Getaway List” should be added to your own “TBR” list.
Cover art for “The Getaway List” owned by Wednesday Books.
My New Year’s resolution to (re)read more SERENA IRANI Daily Arts Writer
I’m not very good at New Year’s resolutions. I like them as a concept, but I always seem to fall short with the follow-through. That being said, there is one semiresolution I’ve tried my best to keep: rereading certain books at certain times of the year. I think it works well because habitual rereads are familiar enough to get me out of any reading slump (or life slump) that I happen to be in, and I’ll take any excuse to reread my favorite books. Everyone already has their respective beach reads and seasonal favorites, so I thought I’d offer some unconventional options for the rest of the year. Without further ado, here’s what I like to read during: That black hole of a week between Christmas and New Year’s where nothing happens: “Franny and Zooey” by J.D. Salinger Are you spending winter break at home with your family? Have you finished the semester feeling burnt out and disillusioned by academia and intellectuals and the world at large? Has the shimmery sparkle of the holiday season worn off, leaving you walking through slushy, gray snow, contemplating how you’ll have to go back to school in a week? Has all of this led to you having a full-on spiritual breakdown about your purpose in life, camped out in the living room, creating a you-sized indentation in the couch cushions? Then boy, do I have the book for you. “Franny and Zooey” is a combination of two short stories. The first is centered around Franny, a 20-year-old college student who has an existential crisis, distraught by a lack of purpose in her life and everyone’s life around her. Home from school and beyond burnt out, her parents try to help her to no avail. The second follows her brother Zooey, put to the task of snapping her out of it. I know “The Catcher in the Rye” is Salinger’s most widely read work, but I think “Franny and Zooey” handles the subject matter of feeling disillusioned by the adult world and grappling with widespread hypocrisy more maturely and offers a more
optimistic resolution. Every time I finish reading this book, I feel a little bit better off than when I started it, a little more sure of my place in the world. I can’t think of a better way to start the year off than that. That late February slog when everyone hibernates and it feels like winter will never end: “Cat’s Eye” by Margaret Atwood The first time I read this, I was stuck on a delayed train ride home from Chicago for 16 hours and read the entire book in one go to keep from going insane. To be clear, this is not a 16-hour read — I just always overdo it when packing reading material for a trip in case of the unexpected. Well, this time of endless, slushy winter feels a bit like a train ride going nowhere, so I think this is a good fit. “Cat’s Eye” follows Elaine, an artist returning to her childhood home of Toronto as she reflects on her youth with painfully vivid precision. In the dead of winter, time itself seems to freeze over, years of harsh winds and bitter colds blurring together, and the bleak environment of Atwood’s Toronto engulfs you in its desolation and the characters’ quiet desperation. Turning the final page of this book is a bit like stirring awake out of a fog, like arriving home from a long walk in the cold — you’re not fully conscious of the steps you took to get there but can feel the effects of the travel, the lingering numbness
and chill that’s settled into your bones. The first time the clouds bring rain instead of snow and suddenly spring is in the air: “Emma” by Jane Austen Maybe it’s the romance plots or the vision of lush green English landscapes that her writing conjures, but Jane Austen’s books feel like springtime to me. “Emma” is my favorite of her novels, partly because I know the story so well, but also because its comedic aspects are treated with equal importance to the romantic. I know older writing can sometimes be daunting to venture into, but comedies make the form a lot more approachable — it’s not a very heavy read, and if you give it a chance, I promise it is genuinely funny. By nature, Emma is “handsome, clever, and rich,” yet egotistical and headstrong in equal measure. I think of her as a 19th-century society “it-girl,” playing the role of matchmaker for everyone around her and unaware of her shortcomings. If you’ve seen “Clueless,” the story will feel especially familiar and easy to slip into, perfect for a rainy day to hang out inside and make some tea. The near-end of winter semester when every time someone asks you what your summer plans are you break out in hives: “Either/Or” by Elif Batuman I don’t know about you, but the desire to have everything in your life “figured out” while still in
college was something I was not prepared for, and the pressure to have a clear-set plan weighed on me more and more come the end of each semester. Batuman’s “The Idiot” and “Either/Or” are some of my favorite depictions of the university experience that don’t use college merely as a backdrop for a romance plot or feel wildly inaccurate to real life. They capture the uncertainty of this transitional time from school to work, and teen to adult, so beautifully. “Either/Or” follows Selin, a literature student at Harvard University through her sophomore year and summer spent traveling abroad. The writing has a distinctly diaristic feel to it, accompanied by tangents and boundless trains of thought; she seems to oscillate between exciting and formative moments in romance and self-discovery, and the listless mundanity of taking long, meandering walks around campus or suffering through an 8 a.m. class on a few hours of sleep. Selin’s characterization feels organic in a way you so rarely come across in fiction — her life isn’t overly orchestrated or eventful, and many of her interactions turn out to be disappointingly mediocre. College can be amazing, but it’s also so rarely what your younger self imagined it would be. It’s a weird, difficult thing to grapple with as you’re living through it, and this book articulates that feeling like
I’ve never seen before. The perfect spring–summer rush when every small talk begins with “I can’t believe how nice it is outside”: “Writers and Lovers” by Lily King This book makes me feel so alive, which is probably why I read it during the time of year when the change in weather makes it feel like everything is starting to look up. As the surplus of sun makes the days stretch out longer, you run into friends on the street you haven’t seen in months, and that lingering seasonal depression seems to just melt away. Our protagonist, Casey, has a real whirlwind of a life, constantly on the go between jobs, romances and residences, and this fast-pace makes “Writers and Lovers” a quick and lively read. Because Casey is a writer herself, much of the story is centered around the painstaking construction of her debut novel. Truth be told, I adore King’s writing. I find it to be funny and smart and sharp in all of the right ways; her novels are simply very well put together. Her sentences appear innocuous at first, with short, unfussy and unflowery language, but they always pack a punch. You can tell that every word she writes has been placed there for a reason, which just delights me as a reader. A visit home over the summer with the remnants of your childhood bookshelf as your sole reading material: The “Percy
Image courtesy of Serena Irani.
Jackson and the Olympians” series by Rick Riordan There’s something so special about the books that line your childhood bookshelf. The wellloved favorites that made it past countless donations, moves, road trips and yard sales, sitting in your room year after year. This past summer, I reread the Percy Jackson series in anticipation of the new show, and it was a nice affirmation of how good those books actually are. I sometimes think that books or movies I loved as a kid are only “good” in my memory because of my nostalgic attachment to them, but these are genuinely funny and well-written, and they take their young target audiences seriously. Percy Jackson happens to be a very summery series to me, but in general, you can swap them out for any childhood favorite. They remind me of going to the library over summer break, checking out stacks and stacks of chapter books at once, inhaling one after the other and dedicating entire days to just “read.” I miss that. The first week of school: “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky Even after I graduate, I think I’ll always consider the week before Labor Day as “the week before school.” Teen or not, reading a young adult book at this time of year just feels right. Most YA novels don’t age particularly well outside of their target audience, but “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is, fittingly, an outlier to the rule. It takes place in the early ’90s and is centered around Charlie, an introverted teenager trying to make his way through his first year of high school. I know a lot of people are familiar with the movie (a very good adaptation), yet I cannot recommend the book enough. Every time I read it, I think of my younger self reading it for the first time. It was one of those early formative books that felt like it spoke to my soul and all of the little things that used to preoccupy my thoughts: wanting to make friends and be cool and fun in an effortless way, trying a little too hard to make it happen. I cry every time I get to the ending. Read a book for your teen self — it’s healing for the soul.
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MiC
6 — Wednesday, January 17, 2024
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The Middle East and U-M: A better way
AKASH DEWAN/MiC
MIC CONTRIBUTORS
We, the newly-formed Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, a group of University faculty and staff engaged in education, advocacy, and action in solidarity with Palestinian liberation, issue this statement in response to our University’s horrific suppression of free speech and activism regarding Palestinian human rights. Proposal resolutions AR 13-025 and AR 13-026 promoted campus discourse about the University of Michigan’s complicity in Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians. However, against the will of the Central Student Government and the student body, the University squarely decimated that discourse. In his latest statement, President Ono hypocritically states, “I have heard you,” and in the same breath, “disallow(s)” any future votes on the matter. Exemplified by its brutal actions against students on November 17 and the cancellation of the Central Student Government vote, the University continually silences and punishes discourse and dissent regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
On Friday, Nov. 17, in a scarcely accessible video message, “President Ono’s Monthly Message for November 2023,” Ono addressed the inadequacy of his previous statements on the developing situation in Israel and Palestine — statements which, unlike this one, were conveniently shared via University-wide emails. The video message was instead uploaded that Friday morning without notification and then quietly released to a select group of University faculty. This came after weeks of pressure from the university community to recognize and protect students, staff, and faculty who have been subjected to relentless intimidation, racism and islamophobia, compounded by the University’s refusal to acknowledge violence and abuse against Arabs and Muslims, whether overseas or on our campus. One such targeted incident came from Carin Ehrenberg, a School of Information advisory board member, clinical psychologist and long-time donor, and against whom no action has been taken. In the video message, Ono expresses the importance of embodying university values, decrying bigotry and championing free speech without the threat of backlash or intimidation. We
applaud the spirit of this message. What we reject, however, is the abject, inconspicuous manner of its conveyance and, more importantly, the glaring hypocrisy in the release of Ono’s message as student protesters were being subjected to brutal intimidation and punishment from the University’s horrifying police response. Further, in light of the cancellation of the vote, Ono’s latest message has no remedial value. Hours before the November video was distributed, hundreds of students held a peaceful protest on the Diag, calling for the University to heed students’ request to meet with Ono and for the Board of Regents to provide transparency regarding companies in which the University invests and to investigate their complicity in human rights violations, specifically the violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian Territories. The protest was held on the 42nd day of the Israeli assault on the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip where its relentless bombardment of civilian infrastructure and deliberate denial of basic human necessities– water, electricity, and humanitarian aid– has now claimed the lives of nearly 16,000
Palestinian civilians, over 70% of whom are women and children. The multicultural coalition of students, together in their opposition to the University’s complacency in genocide, marched from the Diag to the Alexander G. Ruthven Building and attempted to enter the building, chanting, “The people united will never be defeated,” a beautiful display of unity, moral courage and justice — qualities that Ono so eloquently heralded in his video address. In its decision to repress student voices rather than listen, the University ensured that students were met by a swarm of police officers from over 10 jurisdictions who forcefully blocked their entry into the public building during business hours. First-person footage and student testimonies from the protest show nonviolent students being met with brute physical force with evidence of police using batons, pushing students, body slamming and ripping off a student’s hijab. Students relay how campus security employed aggressive tactics, including turning up the temperature in the building, denying students access to water and toilets and blocking the walkie-talkie frequency the students used to communicate.
Good Samaritan SARAH OGUNTOMILADE MiC Columnist
The story of the Good Samaritan is one that continuously comes to mind at this time. For those of us who grew up in Sunday School, we grew up hearing the story of a man who traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. And on his route, he was attacked by robbers in the night who stripped and beat him. The first person to pass this man on the side of the road was a priest. When the priest saw the man, he ignored him and crossed to the other side. The next person to pass this man was a Levite. Levites were men who held a special role in the temple. The Levite also ignored the man and passed him. But then, we meet the Samaritan. The Samaritan and the robbed/ bruised man on the road were meant to be enemies. These groups did not associate with one another yet it was the Samaritan who clothed, fed, and housed the injured man. As it is written, Jesus told this story in response to the question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
So as a child, I was comforted by the idea that if there was a world after this one it would be full of good Samaritans.
tongue And they buy into the lie That some were just meant to die
Yet, in times like this, my heart is continuously broken by the lack of such people that I encounter here on this earth.
And they tell me it’s all too complicated
The number of people who claim to live like Jesus yet are truly nothing like him because they choose to continuously pass their broken neighbor on the street, or on their screens, or on the news and do nothing And feel nothing Because it is all too “complicated” for some All too “heavy” for some All too “nuanced” for some So instead they claim to praise a God of the widowed and orphaned yet ignore the widowed and orphaned because they look different than themselves So instead they claim to praise a God whose blood washed their sins away while they bathe their own hands in the blood of the bodies they choose to ignore The brown ones The veiled ones The ones who speak a different
For the greater good For a whiter hood
So they use the birthplace of their savior As an excuse to not save those that are dying That are starving That are crying out to the world for mercy For grace And the following Sunday, They will sing Amazing Grace How sweet the sound While they mute their television screens And log out of their accounts Because it’s all too depressing So at a time like this when hope seems like such a heavy burden to bear, I’m constantly in awe of my brothers and sisters of a different faith Whose reliance on their creator persists through massacre and mass destruction Whose reliance on this idea of chosen family transcends beyond boundaries of race and tribe. I now have a better idea of what a Good Samaritan looks like. One who joins me in my prayer for a free Palestine. One who joins in my prayer that all whose freedom has been stripped may be liberated.
Medics were called for a student who had fainted after being refused water. Forty students were arrested and cited for trespassing because they dared to request a meeting with their president. All of this, in a campus community that waxes poetic about its efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion, and its exceptional status as “leaders and best.” At the end of Ono’s address, after he has summarized the horrifying violence in the Middle East and the accompanying bigotry and racism that has affected students on campus, he rhetorically asks, “So, what is our role as a great, pluralistic public university?” The answer, he says, is that we should reaffirm our values, show respect and demonstrate that “there is and must be a better way.” On this much, we can agree. The University should be a leading example of a better way by joining the nonviolent movement of concerned people everywhere, calling out atrocities against humanity, wherever they may be and divesting from companies that facilitate illegal occupation, apartheid and genocide. The better way is to ensure all students feel safe and heard when they speak out against these issues, rather than meeting them with brute
force and silencing. The better way is not to simply spout platitudes in a video or email about unity, shared values and sympathy for the suffering of innocent people, but to do something about it. Because, unlike the passive phrasing in Ono’s November address, bombs do not simply “fall” on an innocent, starving, occupied and besieged population. To frame violence as a function of its own doing is to create a climate of impunity for perpetrators of such violence and bury the University’s complicity in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. A genocide carried out by the Israeli government and facilitated by corporations in which the university invests. In the interest of “reaffirming our values,” we call on University officials to meet with the TAHRIR coalition, offer tangible support to unjustly doxxed students, conduct a formal inquiry into anti-Arab and Islamophobic discrimination and harassment on campus, support and reaffirm faculty and staff who are being vilified for their support of Palestine and to divest from companies that profit off of human rights violations against Palestinians. To us, it sounds like the “better way.”
Fringes AVERY ADAEZE UZOIJE MiC Columnist
To my sisters who are Paralyzed by The weight of it all, I am ashamed to say The deepest part of me wishes I didn’t Think of myself as this Angry, Black woman. This idea that people who Look like me Are the way they are For no reason at all. Of course I’m angry. How could I not be? Because the morning is treated as if it is The same everywhere. When I talk to people who put Wool over their eyes, When they look at me Like they’ve never had to carry anything— How have you never had to carry anything? Not your love? Not your life? Not even yourself? And they don’t understand why I look So upset all the time Because no matter how many Arms frantically reach for me, It’s like I’m always carrying my world Alone Have you ever been treated
As if you don’t matter, As if you aren’t human, As if you never were? You could scream every word And cry every tear And the only thing you could guarantee would be To hold on to the life you were blessed with When you know what it’s like To feel afraid in a room full of people Because they don’t want you there Loneliness makes for silence, but Disdain is louder than anything When you hear how much they can’t stand you The way you talk The way you walk The way you decide to be yourself Of course I’m angry. How could I not be? I wish I didn’t have to Argue for my life To argue for my emotions Or reason to like what I do Or be who I am. I wish I wasn’t raised to Carry the world off of The shoulders of my mother And the shoulders of my sisters And wonder how the weight could have ever been bearable. I wonder if the weight was ever bearable.
I look down at my hands And I see Fringes Forming I see them get tangled in the lives I touch The knot, the snarls, the mess of it all. Because when you stand for everything, Reach for every hope, Cry for everyone. I lie awake at night Wishing that I could Do Everything Be Everywhere Help Everyone. I am not omniscient. I am not the God I pray to. But when something Feels so possible, I can’t help but fight for the day When my love, when my peace, When my Joy is not a Threat. To think that no matter what I do There is someone, somewhere who Is scared to go outside because they Look like Me. Of course I’m angry. How could I not be? And most days I fear There is no way in Hell To arrange my words in the Perfect position To make those with Any power over me Know how I feel.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 — 7
The military perpetuates rigid gender roles. Here’s how we can fight back
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SARAH ZHANG Opinion Columnist
ince World War II, Rosie the Riveter has symbolized women’s contributions to national defense. She encouraged women to enter the workforce and fill jobs in factories and shipyards that drafted men had to vacate, becoming a symbol of empowerment. However, she also reinforced the association between women’s work and the home front, perpetuating gendered narratives of service. Decades later, women are blurring the lines between the home front and the front lines. By enlisting in the military, women challenge misogynistic expectations and redefine these rigid narratives of national service and identity. In recent years, the percentage of women among enlisted members and officers has risen from 9% in 1980 to 18% in 2017. This rise ref lects the Department of Defense’s
decision to increase the number of open positions for women since the 1990s, including in aviation and on combatant Navy vessels. These reforms provide women with more career opportunities to serve their country. Despite the importance of women in the military, they remain severely underrepresented and unsupported within the institution. Women cite inadequate support for family, a rigid leadership structure with few women and gender harassment as key factors in their decision to leave the military. These factors likely inform many women’s choice to never enter the armed forces. For instance, the disappearance and murder of Vanessa Guillen in 2020 reinforced the perception that military culture is hostile to women, amplifying the expectation of masculine toughness and the barriers for seeking help within the institution. In subsequent
years, the number of female enlistments decreased. While the culture and perception of the military remain a major factor in the decision to enlist, inadequate outreach also contributes to gender underrepresentation. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, a female ROTC cadet spoke about misconceptions surrounding career opportunities within the military. They requested anonymity due to restrictions on the expression of students who are currently in the unit. In this article, they will be referred to as Jane Wilson. “I think that (there’s) a big misunderstanding about what the military actually is and what jobs you’re actually able to go into,” Wilson said. “You can go into aviation. You can go into engineering. You can go into the medical field.” In fact, administration, health care and supply operations are the most common jobs for women in the military. Only 4.77% of enlisted women serve
as infantry. The lack of exposure to these jobs in popular media and the masculine stereotypes of service over-amplify combat positions within the institution and conceal its various career opportunities. Inadequate awareness about military jobs perpetuates the organization’s lack of appeal toward women and maintains gender underrepresentation. Given that patriarchal inf luences on military culture and inadequate outreach are two major reasons for low female enlistment, we must organize to rectify this culture and promote equitable enlistment. In fact, the murder of Guillen sparked a rise in advocacy by nonmilitary women, who successfully pushed for the implementation of legislation for significant military reform. One component of the law replaces military commanders with independent commissions as the main decision-maker for whether to prosecute a perpetrator, therefore separating the consequences
of speaking out from career advancements and promoting a more inclusive culture for women. While legislative reform is critical to reversing systemic gender imparity, military recruiters can encourage more women to enlist through robust educational programs. Recruiters should provide more insight regarding various job opportunities within the military and the invaluable skills one gains from service. In fact, Wilson comments on the skill set that they have built from training. “You’re going to be put in stressful situations where you have to learn how to remain composed, be able to make decisions, delegate tasks and successfully lead your people,” Wilson said. “I think that (these skills are) able to translate into the civilian world really well.” Given the challenging environment and resulting personal growth, Wilson emphasized the value of integrating these
comprehensive explanations of job responsibilities within recruiting educational programs. By spreading awareness of lesser-known roles and emphasizing f luid skills, military officials can separate enlisting from combat, challenging the association between service and masculinity. In promoting a more inclusive culture, military officials strengthen the institution’s appeal to women. Despite the importance of recruiting programs, we must remember that no single factor will resolve the systemic issues of this male-dominated institution or lead to gender equality in the military. Instead, structural reform that provides robust support for women’s personal and family lives, increases opportunities for career advancement and improves reporting about sexual harassment to enhance preventative interventions are necessary to make military service a viable and meaningful career for more women.
Not everything needs to be ranked HAYDEN BUCKFIRE Opinion Columnist
W
hat is the greatest film of all time? That is the question that the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound magazine attempts to answer every 10 years, polling thousands of critics and directors. The 2022 iteration of the poll brought a major shakeup, as “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,” directed by Chantal Akerman, vaulted 35 spots to take the top position. The nearly threeand-a-half-hour-long feminist film carries major weight in academic and critical circles, but few people outside of these circles have seen or heard of “Jeanne Dielman.” Of course, the result inevitably drew a polarized and politicized reaction. Many applauded the result as emblematic of a new inclusive and diverse sensibility in film canon while honoring an underlooked female director. Others were more vocal in their displeasure — complete with angry blog posts proclaiming the “death of film criticism.” Writer and director Paul Schrader praised the film, but criticized the overall poll for being a “distorted woke reappraisal.” Rather than evaluating the merit of the ranking, the more important question is why do we emphasize arbitrary and subjective rankings in the first place? Any attempt to find the “greatest film” —or really the best of any form of anything else — is a very impractical endeavor and mostly boils down to personal preference. You might find “The Godfather” on
more lists of the greatest films of all time than “Mean Girls,” but that does not necessarily make it any more legitimate of a favorite or best movie. Ranking and sorting is not a new phenomenon — the Sight and Sound poll was created in 1952, for instance. Arguments about which novel fulfilled the unattainable status of the “Great American Novel,” which is the novel that somehow best represents the entirety of America, stretching back to the late 19th century. In the world of sports, the Associated Press poll of the top college football teams dates back nearly a century. You can find a ranking for essentially anything on the internet nowadays. Take Buzzfeed’s ranking of the best fast food french fries or Rolling Stone’s ranking of the “Worst Decisions in Hollywood History.” The piece from Rolling Stone received criticism online for its confounding choices, such as listing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars above the “Twilight Zone” helicopter accident, in which failure to take safety precautions tragically led to three deaths. Rankings are only as useful as their methodology, which is often arbitrary. Then again, there are useful aspects of rankings culture. “Best of” lists aggregate and dissect vast amounts of information into something easier to digest. In this way, it is not much different from other forms of criticism. Take, for example, a list of the best attractions at Disney World — this might be useful if you, like most people, do not have the time to wait in line at every ride to see for yourself. The biggest problems come
Design by Emma Sortor
when ranked lists are used as a large factor in our decisionmaking process. Researchers at Duke University and Sungkyunkwan University found that people tend to spend an inordinate amount of attention on the top-ranked option while ignoring the possible advantages of other options. As a result, people can end up making worse decisions, prioritizing the title a list gives rather than the benefits of slightly lower-ranked options. Not only that, but the process of ranking is self-perpetuating, as rankings can inf luence future rankings. This can lead to negative outcomes, as the top-ranked option can keep its position for extended periods, even if there are more deserving alternatives. The U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of the top
colleges in the United States draws strong reactions from students and administrators alike and informs much of the decision-making at universities. Given that many students heavily rely on rankings for their college decision, universities recognize the importance of maintaining their high spots. After Vanderbilt University fell five spots in the most recent ranking, the university issued a statement bemoaning a “lack of rigor” in the rankings. The list evaluates schools on weighted factors such as graduation rate, affordability and reputation. Attributes such as reputation among peers are weighted much more than affordability or economic mobility. Of course, the methodology behind the rankings is rather subjective — who is to say that one factor
is any more important than another? Again, much of this boils down to what matters most to a person individually. If one were to value economic mobility and affordability rather than prestige, lesserknown schools like Baruch College would perform much better than the usual suspects — Harvard University, Stanford University and Yale University. Schools have also made questionable decisions solely for ranking purposes. In 2022, Columbia University was caught misrepresenting admissions data to maintain its high rankings. Ultra-selective schools refuse to enlarge their class sizes to keep up with increased application volume to maintain their selectivity score on the U.S. News rankings. These developments are tangibly bad for students
applying to colleges, and undermine the integrity of the rankings themselves. Not only have these developments made it harder for students to be admitted into these colleges, but they have generated a spectacle around the college admissions process. While rankings and lists are a useful way to summarize and simplify vast amounts of information, it’s crucial to remember their inherent subjectivity and limitations. They often tend to ignore their own best outcome and the unique nuances of individual criteria, leading to distorted perspectives and decision-making pitfalls. Instead of relying solely on any ranking, people should use a more nuanced approach, evaluating any option through a personalized and holistic lens.
Taking a break is being productive LIV FREY Opinion Columnist
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he three-week stretch between Thanksgiving break and winter break can feel never-ending. For many students, breaks are a wake-up call to those who have slacked off all semester and now need to overcompensate for their previous lack of effort, either by catching up on lectures, completing all of their missing assignments or studying for final exams. Yet, despite the need to lock in and be as productive as possible, some might overdo it to the point of extreme burnout. As we head into the home stretch of this term, it’s important to take a pause from work every once in a while. Not only do meaningful breaks help study sessions be much more productive, but they also lead to greater success come final exams.
A major cause of overworking during finals week is poor time management. An estimated 90% of college students struggle with time management in one way or another, with an estimated 80% to 95% of students struggling with procrastination. It’s common sense not to procrastinate, yet students still do it. The primary cause of procrastination is fear of completing an assignment poorly, which leads to students avoiding the assignment entirely. Of course, it’s also common sense that procrastination leads to stress, but because it is so late in the semester, the time is now to make up for all of the missing work or study for exams that can make or break your grade. Despite tendencies to procrastinate, most students simply cannot afford to slack off. Although this school has a majority wealthy population, with 66% of students coming from the top 20%, there are
still students who have to work to support themselves. Adding a job on top of coursework can make students fall behind and receive poorer grades than those who can afford to not work while in school. Recognizing that not everybody has enough time to dedicate to school is also necessary to give good advice as to when it is optimal to take study breaks. Of course, it’s not wrong to want to over-prepare to ensure maximum success; we live in a society that promotes overworking ourselves. The University of Michigan’s student culture also perpetuates a need to overwork because, simply put, this school is hard and full of overachievers. At the University, it’s not uncommon to hear people talk about their stellar grades, mindblowing extracurriculars or competitive internships. That environment can feel like we
can never take a break because there is always something that needs to be done. Constantly feeling the need to work can also be a sign of imposter syndrome — which roughly 20% of college students face at one point or another. Managing our imposter syndrome starts with recognizing that we don’t have to be working all the time. In the long run, it is better to give ourselves rest. Although we feel the need to overwork ourselves, the truth is, it is not possible to cram that much information into our brains or sustain focus for long periods of time, hence the need to give your brain a break every now and then. Cramming’s effectiveness may vary from person to person, but the general consensus is that it is better to pace yourself. It may seem counterintuitive to be taking breaks, but the longer you work on a task, the less efficient you become.
But what constitutes a good break from work? For starters, it’s not going on your cell phone. Half of your mind is always thinking about what’s on your phone, so going back to your phone logically impairs your mindfulness to focus on a task. Good, nonproductivity-hampering breaks can include taking a walk, showering, eating a snack, meditating, cleaning or even taking a 15-20 minute power nap. Incorporating these into your study routines can help decrease stress and increase efficiency, focus and the amount of information you can retain. Additionally, there are ways to study smarter, not harder. Retrieval practice focuses on active recall methods rather than passive methods of studying. Doing practice tests, making f lashcards or making your own questions are all considered effective because they force you to make more
mistakes, which is ultimately how you learn from them. If you are under a time crunch, the Feynman Technique works because it forces you to explain the concept in simple terms. And if you are really under a time crunch, spend a couple of hours on the concepts that you are the weakest in, using active recall methods. Don’t try to cover everything if you don’t have the time for everything. So before you trudge to the Shapiro Undergraduate Library for another all-nighter or buy another Celsius to stay awake during a late study session, do a quick check-in with yourself: Have I eaten enough today? Am I going to bed at a reasonable hour? Am I able to get some sleep during the day tomorrow? Taking care of your physical and mental health should always come before any test. And remind yourself that whatever happens during finals does not determine your worth as a human.
Sports
8 — Wednesday, January 17, 2024
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
‘A smile is contagious’: The first and lasting impressions of Olivier Nkamhoua JONATHAN WUCHTER
Daily Sports Writer
Ask anyone about their first impression of Olivier Nkamhoua — they’ll remember it. For many, it’s his handshake, his voice or his smile. But rather than detail how that smile and maturity saw the graduate forward become a leader from the early practices, Michigan assistant coach Saddi Washington simply characterized it all as a “burst of energy”. Instead of elaborating on his first impression, Washington let Nkamhoua make another first impression of his own. “Have you talked to him yet?” Washington asked Oct. 10 at Big Ten Media Day. “Wait until you talk to him, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.” Minutes later, Nkamhoua walked out with his new teammates, chosen to represent his new school for the maturity, energy and smile he had shown his new coaches. And confidently, Nkamhoua presented himself for the first time as a Wolverine. After just 30 minutes, Nkamhoua walked back off the stage, and by that point he had already presented himself — crafting his first public image as a member of the Michigan men’s basketball team. And everyone knew exactly what Saddi Washington was talking about before. The feeling was just as he alluded to. Nkamhoua’s excitement crept through as he talked about new teammates, his leadership showed by way of his confident tone and his interactions
with those next to him exhibited the trust he built. It was a strong first impression. But the lasting impression was Nkamhoua’s smile. In that first press conference, Nkamhoua reiterated his goals of taking his game to the next level: the NBA. At each level, each destination, that goal has remained steadfast. For the Helsinki native, that meant moving 4,000 miles across the world. For his junior year of high school, Nkamhoua enrolled at Richard Montgomery High School in Maryland. But he lost his season to a broken leg, leaving him with just one season of prep basketball to prepare for the collegiate ranks. And holding mostly low and mid-major offers at the time, Nkamhoua looked to prove himself on the national scene. In the offseason between his junior and senior year of high school, Bishop Walsh School, also in Maryland, hired Dan Prete. For the first time, the school was set to play a national schedule. Prete was in a similar position to Nkamhoua — looking to prove himself. And of course, Prete vividly remembers his first meeting with Nkamhoua. “When I met him, I just knew he was the centerpiece of the program from day one,” Prete told The Michigan Daily. “Where it was a perfect match to bring into the school. And he was genuine, had a great smile. And he was just so driven, and he knew what he wanted to do. He had one year left and we were just starting so it’s kind of one of those perfect fits.”
Prete saw the motivation of a kid with lofty goals and the talent to go along with it. And alongside it all, he remembers the smile. It was the first impression that told Prete all he needed to know. And what Prete also knew was that Nkamhoua could show all that to recruiters and coaches. He just needed the chance to make an impression. The opportunity presented itself in the preseason, as Bishop Walsh took on top-five Oak Hill Academy. Although Nkamhoua didn’t make his first impression by shaking the hand of each college coach, the effect was the same — Nkamhoua captured their attention. And he did so on the court. Nkamhoua’s matchup that game was future Illinois center Kofi Cockburn. Despite the marquee matchup and the loss, Nkamhoua shined on both ends, holding Cockburn to just three points while dropping a doubledouble himself. Just like that, Nkamhoua made his first impression on the national recruiting scene, receiving interest and offers frolm high-major colleges. But the lasting impression on Dan Prete wasn’t about his oncourt performance. “We had played just a couple games,” Prete said. “And then all of a sudden we were playing a team that was in the top five in the country. And we lost that game by four. And he cried in the locker room. And that’s when I knew this guy cared.” That moment validated what Prete saw when he first met Nkamhoua. It showed the pas-
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Built in the city of brotherly love, Phil Martelli is defined by his relationships NOAH KINGSLEY
Managing Sports Editor
If there’s one thing Phil Martelli has had a lot of when it comes to coaching, it’s time. From taking an assistant job at his alma mater, Division-III Widener just outside Philadelphia, fresh out of college in 1977, to earning his current role as the Michigan men’s basketball team’s associate head coach, Martelli has spent nearly his whole adult life coaching basketball. That’s given him plenty of time. Time to learn more about the game, to draw up new schemes. Time to earn accolades like AP National Coach of the Year and lead teams to the Elite Eight. But most importantly — at least if you ask Martelli — time to build relationships with each and every person who comes through his door. “I make it an effort to make a connection,” Martelli told The Michigan Daily. “And to make a personal connection, not a professional connection. There was no professional school, and you all of a sudden became a coach. I’ve always been Phil Martelli first, and then coach is what I did. That’s not who I am. And I wanted people to know who I am.” Whether it was by instituting an open-door policy, his philanthropic work or his commitment to accepting speaking engagements, Martelli let his community know who he was. Yes, he succeeded plenty on the court, but he left his most lasting impression by making meaningful connections with anyone he crossed paths with. Even as he gained national recognition for his coaching skills, he never strayed from that guiding philosophy. “He understood that there was a bigger picture to this, that it wasn’t just, ‘hey, win a game, lose a game,’ ” Phil Martelli Jr., son of Phil and head coach at Bryant, told The Daily. “… Whoever it was, somebody who’s connected or somebody who’s random that said, ‘so and so is sick, could you reach out to them.’ He wouldn’t just reach out to them, he would go to their house. … He understood that there’s a platform for something bigger than a 40-minute basketball game.” And with his teams’ accomplishments on the hardwood and the relationships he built off of it, Phil etched his name in the tradition of Philadelphia.
Coaching 34 years at a Big 5 school in Saint Joseph’s — 10 as an assistant and 24 as head coach — may have predisposed Phil to recognition in Philadelphia. But he didn’t just coach at Saint Joe’s. He coached and played at all different levels throughout the city, allowing him to become a figure in the community beyond just the head coach of the Hawks. “It’s unique in terms of the fact that he coached high school basketball there for a long time, that he played in the city and in the Catholic League,” Jimmy Martelli, son of Phil and current Penn State assistant coach, told The Daily. “… So his imprint is not just on one school or one level, but I think it’s hopefully felt throughout all levels of basketball in that city.” As he worked his way up the Philadelphia basketball ladder, Phil built new bonds. He became close with fellow Big 5 coach Fran Dunphy, who coached at Temple and Penn for years against Phil, before recently joining La Salle’s staff. It didn’t matter for Phil if Dunphy was a rival on the hardwood, because he was a friend off of it. “We’d try to beat the brains out of each other playing,” Dunphy told The Daily. “However, the immediate reaction afterwards is ‘what are we going to do over the next week or so?’ … Things like that don’t necessarily happen throughout college sports, or sports in general, where you’re so close with the enemy. I never felt like it was the enemy.” Coaching is what Phil does, so for 40 minutes, him and Dunphy were enemies. But Phil Martelli is who he is, so anytime outside of that, he was Dunphy’s colleague and friend — whether that was on the recruiting trail, at an event or doing work together for Coaches vs Cancer. That, perhaps, is where Phil left his biggest mark on Philadelphia and its community. As co-chair of the Philadelphia chapter of Coaches vs Cancer alongside Dunphy, Phil got a chance to give back to the city that he grew up in, to use the platform he created to fight for an important cause. It also gave him a chance to create more of the relationships he values, connecting with anyone who gave to the charity. To make those connections, Phil always took the extra step — even if that meant going to a random elementary school on any given night to pick up a small
donation check. “You should not get respect because of a title,” Phil said. “You can get respect for the way you do your, quote unquote, business. In order to get respect, I wanted to give it. So if it meant a $50 check for Coaches vs. Cancer, I wanted to respect the people that took their effort, or it was their check, it was their talent or their treasure. “… Oftentimes, people say, ‘man, that’s abnormal.’ I think the other way. I think to not do it would be abnormal.” By giving respect to those he encountered and earning it in turn, Phil built a legacy in Philadelphia. Not just as Phil Martelli the basketball coach, but as Phil Martelli the person. He became a pillar of the community, and a household name. When his time at Saint Joe’s came to an end, though, continuing his coaching career meant taking him away from the community he had established so many bonds in. It meant challenging who Phil Martelli is. Phil left his mark on Philadelphia. In turn, it also left a mark on him. He’d spent effectively his whole life there, after all. So when Michigan coach Juwan Howard came calling in 2019, the decision to take the job in Ann Arbor came with some weight. Accepting it meant leaving the city he had built so much in. For his family, it came as a bit of a surprise to see him leave the area. But Phil wasn’t done coaching, and he wasn’t done making connections, even if it meant moving 500 miles away to keep doing both of those things. For him, that just meant getting out of his comfort zone. Away from Philadelphia, it hasn’t been quite as easy for Phil to make the connections he cherishes so much. After practices in Philadelphia, he used to have another engagement to get to nearly every day. Now in Ann Arbor, he tends to go straight home instead. Making the switch back to an assistant role after 24 years in the driver’s seat has been an adjustment, too. “There are certainly times where I’m like, ‘how do I do this, or how do I do that,’ ” Phil pondered. “Even going to church on Sundays, there’s not a lot of times in Philadelphia, if any, that when I go to church on a Sunday, I don’t end up in a conversation with any number of people.
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sion that Nkamhoua displayed from the beginning.Because for all the smile, the handshake and the confident voice could convey, that was the lasting impression Nkamhoua wanted to show: His desire to be great and his desire to win. Catching the attention of Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, Nkamhoua joined the Volunteers for four seasons. After a solid career at Tennessee, in addition to his time playing for the Finnish youth teams, Nkamhoua’s game was well known by the Finnish coaching staff when he was set to join the team in 2022 in preparation for the FIBA World Cup the following year. Nkamhoua just had to introduce himself first. “With Olivier, I remember
well, the first time when we shook hands, because I think everybody knows that smile,” Finland national team coach Lassi Tuovi told The Daily. “What he has on his face, it’s something special.” It wasn’t the same “perfect fit” as in high school. Team Finland’s roster ranged from seasoned professionals to teenage players who had yet to play a game of college basketball. And while Nkamhoua carried his signature smile into it, he wanted to tailor each first impression to every player and coach around him. With Tuovi, he expressed his desire to improve individually and help the team excel collectively. With his older teammates like NBA All-Star Lauri Mark-
kanen, who he shared a position with, Nkamhoua acted as a fly on the wall, observing how to play and act at the highest level. But with younger players he wanted to be a leader. “I really try to be a bigger brother to Miro, because he’s younger than me,” Nkamhoua told The Daily. “His path is similar to mine.” Nkamhoua and Baylor guard Miro Little were the only two players on the roster set to play college basketball in the fall following the 2023 FIBA World Cup. For Little, it would be his first season of college basketball. Nkamhoua took it upon himself to make sure Little was prepared.
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
‘I try to give everything I can possibly give’: For Lauren Hansen, hard work is second nature MEGAN SMITH
Daily Sports Editor
Ten thousand hours. That’s how long it takes to become an expert at something — at least, according to the Michigan women’s basketball team’s graduate guard Lauren Hansen. Hailing from Setauket, New York, Hansen originally excelled in soccer. But when Steve Pikiell — the father of her soccer teammate who also happened to be the then-head coach of the Stony Brook men’s basketball program — noticed Hansen’s drive, he invited her to a camp at the college. Hansen was immediately hooked. “I’ve always been a competitor, and I just love the game,” Hansen told The Daily. “So those two things together and preparation and then having great people in my corner give me a chip on my shoulder, especially being from New York. I think it’s kind of a culture thing, but it comes from a lot of the time that I put in.” That competitiveness has been present from the beginning. Hansen quickly rose through the ranks of her local youth basketball organization, playing age groups three years ahead of her. Her AAU team, Exodus NYC, traveled nationwide to play against other top programs, with Hansen as the star. Her teammates and coaches became like family, so much so that Hansen has the team name tattooed above her left knee. “We had read this book by Malcolm Gladwell,” Pete Hansen, Lauren’s dad, told The Daily. “It mentions in there about the 10,000-hour rule, that you need to practice 10,000 hours to be an expert in anything. Then (Lauren) would put up shots in the driveway for an hour and say, ‘Do you think I got to 1,000 yet?’ ” Lauren continued her success at Ward Melville High School under the coaching of former WNBA player Samantha Prahalis-Holmes, becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer — boys or girls. She was ranked as the No. 20 guard in the nation by ESPNW and earned USA Today all-state honors in her senior season after averaging 27.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Lauren led her team to the league title as both a sophomore
and a junior, culminating in a McDonald’s All-American nomination. “I always felt like I had something to prove,” Lauren said. “It was fun to compete and circle people on the rankings list and be like, ‘I’m excited to play this person and this person and this person.” Lauren had put in the work. Enough so that out of high school she drew the attention of several mid-major programs — including Michigan — but ultimately committed to Auburn, where she started 20 games in her freshman year. The team wasn’t the right fit for a variety of reasons, so Lauren looked for a change. Liking the physicality of the SEC, she transferred to Missouri. It was there that Lauren started receiving national attention. The setting: Mizzou Arena on Dec. 30, 2021. The visitor: No. 1 undefeated South Carolina riding a 43-game win streak against unranked teams. The home team: The unranked Tigers with just three players available off the bench and zero program wins against a first-ranked team. The score: 69-68 in favor of the Gamecocks. The time: five seconds left in overtime. The ball: lofted in the air by then-junior Lauren’s hands as she put up the gamewinning layup. The ball bounced off the glass, rattled against the front of the rim and tipped back into the net. With 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock, Missouri had toppled a giant — and Lauren had hurled the final rock. The moment couldn’t have been written any better. Lauren’s dad, Pete, was in Nashville anticipating the Tigers’ upcoming game against Vanderbilt. He recalled walking through the city later that evening stunned as every establishment, from dive bars to bistros, showed replays of his daughter’s buzzer-beater on their TVs. National outlets like The Boston Globe, Yahoo Sports, USA Today and CBS Sports picked up the story as Lauren helped Missouri become just the seventh unranked team in NCAA Division I history to beat the No. 1-ranked school. Looking to transfer one final time for her graduate year, Lauren drew the eyes of coaches across the country, but Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico wasn’t just any new face. Barnes Arico
already had her eyes on Lauren from the AAU circuit to her high school recruitment to her first go-around in the college transfer portal. So when it came time for Lauren to find a school to use her final year of eligibility, Barnes Arico knew she had to have her in the program. “She has a certain edge and softness to her,” Barnes Arico said Nov. 18. “… I’ve been watching her for a really long time. … She’s a big playmaker. We know that, we try to get the ball in her hands when a play needs to be made.” Now a grad student for the Wolverines, Lauren continues to embrace her role and make her mark on yet another team. Junior guard Greta Kampschreoder called Lauren “a spark” for the team, a player that her teammates can count on to drive to the basket but also make plays for everyone else. She’s taken on a new role as point guard this season — a position she hasn’t played since high school — and continues to improve with every game. Lauren recorded a season-best 21 points on Dec. 20th and as her confidence as a leader grows on and off the floor, the points come along with it. Her dribblepenetrate, step-back jumper has developed into a nearly unguardable move, resulting in five firstquarter triples against Florida A&M on Dec. 22. “I try to give everything I can possibly give to every program I’ve ever been a part of,” Lauren said. “… I want to win everything. (The team wants) to win championships, we want to be a championship program, but also we want to chase our potential more than anything else and every single day we (try) to be the best we can be. Even if we win the game by 20, we’re still going back and being like, ‘We could have done this better, this better or this better.’ ” Lauren has long surpassed her lofty practice goal, now closer to 20,000 hours than she is to 10,000. She has made more buzzer-beater shots for the Wolverines, though none have had the dramatic flair of her layup against South Carolina — yet. But these are all just moments, pieces of her story. Lauren Hansen is more than that.
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Sports
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 — 9
With natural talent and family support driving him, Frank Nazar III forging a flourishing hockey career
REKHA LEONARD
Managing Sports Editor
Frank Nazar III was in his eighth-floor dorm room when the fire alarm went off. He waited as his fellow students filed down the stairs. And then he waited some more. After hip surgery mere weeks prior left him on crutches, making his way down eight flights of stairs wasn’t a simple task. However, Frank’s mom, Gina, had anticipated this exact scenario. She set up a plan of action with Michigan Housing that would send someone to help Frank down the stairs in the event of a fire. But when an actual fire occurred, of course, nothing went according to plan. As Gina tells it, Frank waited for 15 minutes, and when he looked out his window and saw smoke, he decided he would wait no longer. “He went down the eight flights of stairs with his crutches by himself and got himself out,” Gina recalled to The Michigan Daily. “Thankfully it was a kitchen fire and it didn’t go far, nothing really happened. But the irony of the whole story is that there actually was a fire.” Just as Gina did everything she could to protect her hampered son from a fire, Frank’s family has adapted to support his hockey career every step of the way, while instilling the work ethic that drives him. Frank was determined to hobble down those stairs, and he was even more determined to come back from his injury stronger than before. It wasn’t easy, though. Frank was on the precipice of his freshman season with the Michigan hockey team when he made the difficult decision to address a nagging hip injury. With that decision came four weeks on crutches and a months-long rehab process, which meant the disappointment of missing out on coveted ice time with his new team. It was a massive setback during a crucial period. “He looked at it as, ‘Yeah, for the short term this is gonna suck I can’t play my freshman year, but in the long run, this is what I need to do for my body, for my future in hockey,’ ” Gina said. “His maturity level really shone through quite a bit when it comes to making that decision and being able to figure
out how to navigate through it and deal with it.” Months that should have been filled with skating and adapting to the college game were instead spent rehabbing and watching from the sideline. Michigan coach Brandon Naurato kept Frank involved by having him watch film and help with stats during games, and Frank credits much of his preparedness upon his eventual return last season to that work. What he couldn’t have prepared for, however, was how the speed of the game hit him when he first returned to action. “I think the hardest thing last year coming back was just getting back into hockey sense and getting back into that game feeling,” Frank told The Daily. “That was hard getting up to speed on things.” Hard as it was, it didn’t stop Frank from making a grand entrance. He made his collegiate debut against Michigan State in East Lansing on Feb. 10, but the next night in Detroit, playing in The Duel in the D, Frank truly arrived. Crossing the blue line with the puck after a Spartan turnover, Frank had a three-on-one opportunity. For a split second, he reverted to his selfless tendencies and debated passing, which caused him to slightly mishandle the puck. But it was his moment, and he took it, rifling in his first career goal in a Michigan sweater. To make the moment even sweeter, 15 members of Frank’s friends and family were in attendance to witness it. And not only that, but Detroit itself holds a special place in the Nazar family’s hearts. In a way, it’s the origin of Frank’s hockey career. *** Making their home in Mount Clemens, a suburb of Detroit, the Nazars lived a quiet, blue-collar life. They owned a parking garage in downtown Detroit, across the street from Joe Louis Arena, which was home to the Red Wings until 2017. Through parking cars for the Wings fans and experiencing the thrill of the hockey culture in Detroit — which at the time was at its peak, accentuated by Stanley Cup celebrations — Frank’s dad fell in love with the game. And he passed on that love to his only son. “One day he was watching hockey in his room, and I came in and was watching with him and
he asked me if it was something I wanted to try out,” Frank said. “And he signed me up the next day.” The Nazars weren’t the traditional hockey family that tends to pass on hockey talent from one generation to the next. That’s not to say they weren’t fervently in support of Frank’s endeavors, because they were. But no one in the family had played or coached hockey, so as much as they were fans of the sport, having a talented player of their own meant there was a learning curve. “It’s a crazy world,” Gina said. “Especially in Michigan, Minnesota, Chicago, youth hockey is insane. So it’s not an easy world to get into, especially if you’ve never been a part of it before.” The Nazars had to learn quickly, though, because from the moment Frank stepped on the ice at around age six, he fell in love with playing hockey. More than that, his natural talent was unmistakable. As he progressed, joining a house hockey league in Mount Clemens, his abundance of skill grew obvious — to some at least. “The coaches were like, ‘He’s really, really talented,’ ” Gina remembered. “And we’re like, ‘He’s nine. What do you mean?’ ” They might not have known the game well enough to see Frank’s talent at the time, but then Frank was invited to try out for a travel team, and he made it. From there, the Nazars were sucked in — they became a hockey family. Around the age of 12, things started to get real for Frank. Hockey turned into less of an extracurricular and more of a path that he could follow to college and beyond. He’ll be the first to admit that he didn’t really understand what committing to a school meant, aside from the fact that it was something cool to post on your Instagram. But with his mom’s guidance, he landed on Michigan, committing when he was just 14 years old. That year was a big one for Frank. He also won a national championship with his Little Caesars 14U team, and the coach of that team, Brian Felsner, proudly calls Frank “the best player I’ve ever coached.” The two still skate together whenever Frank has a break to go back home, and when they do, Felsner remembers the first time he watched Frank on the ice. “It was kind of like a wow factor,”
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Felsner told The Daily. “He is that good. I thought, ‘Wow, this kid, he’s going to be a special player,’ and I’ve always believed that since the first time I ever saw him play.” Felsner described Frank as an “elite skater” and a “perfectionist.” But before he got to any of that technical jargon, he laid out his most important observation: that Frank is “a better kid than hockey player.” He’s quiet yet kind. He’s humble yet competitive. And he attributes a lot of his character to his sisters. *** Growing up with three older sisters meant that Frank was spoiled with attention. But that doesn’t mean his sisters went easy on him. In fact, they claim credit for his hockey success off the premise that they never let him win, making him earn victory in every competition, every time — difficult when you’re the youngest. “He was like five years old playing Monopoly the real way,” Gina said. “And then mom would be like, ‘Just let him win.’ And they’re like ‘Never.’ ” There may have been some hurt feelings at the time for kid Frank, but as a young man, he knows he wouldn’t be who he is today without his sisters. “A lot of people ask me and are shocked when they hear me say that I loved having three older sisters,” Frank said. “But it’s true
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Five freshmen make debuts in seasonopening Michigan victory
GRAHAM BARKER Daily Sports Writer
When Akshay Puri stuck the landing after his rings routine, his first event of the day, his teammates let out a roar that seemed louder than usual. As Puri stepped off the mat, that roar turned into a chorus of “he’s a freshman!” chants that echoed until he made his way back to his teammates. In his first collegiate meet, Puri had earned a score of 13.75 on rings, good for a secondplace finish in the meet. The Wolverines held the top two individual positions for rings as well as three other events by the end of Saturday’s meet, as the Michigan men’s gymnastics team handily defeated Simpson and Greenville. It wasn’t necessarily the projected top contributors leading the way for the Wolverines, though – it was the
freshmen that rose to the occasion. “(The freshmen) stepped up,” junior David Wolma said. “This is their time to prove why they need to be in the lineup compared to some of the older guys.” And on a team like Michigan, open lineup spots will certainly be hard to come by. The Wolverines return 24 of 30 routines from last year’s NCAA runner-up campaign, and are the first team in 17 years to have two all-around NCAA champions on the roster: graduate Paul Juda and sophomore Fred Richard. As a result, Michigan’s freshmen don’t have much room to make their mark. But with Juda and Richard sitting out for Saturday’s season opener, chances were available for newcomers to make their case. Trying to seize the opportunity, freshman Pierce Wolfgang highlighted the freshman
performances, winning the allaround with a score of 78.2. Despite Wolfgang only placing in the top three for horizontal bar, he looked consistently comfortable in each event. He finished top 10 in the meet for four of his six routines, only scoring lower for floor exercise and pommel horse, where a 3.9 difficulty score dragged his overall score down. “One thing I really want to work on is getting my pommel horse difficulty and confidence up,” Wolfgang said. “But that just comes with time and it’s already made strides throughout my time being here.” Fellow freshman Kyle Walchuk made up for any pommel horse shortcomings, though. Walchuk – who competed at a high level in the event in junior championships – impressed on pommel horse with a nearly flawless routine, earning a meet-leading score of 14.3.
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“(His success at the junior level is) why we put him on today,” head coach Yuan Xiao said. “I believe he can do much bigger routines than this, too.” Along with Wolfgang and Walchuk, freshman Kevin Chow debuted on pommel horse, putting up a 13.45 for a third-place finish. Jake Islam was the final freshman to compete on Saturday, tying for eighth and fourth on the vault and floor exercise, respectively. It remains to be seen which freshmen will earn their spots in the lineup with the return of Juda and Richard, but Saturday proved to not only build the freshmen’s confidence, but to strengthen their relationships with the rest of the team. “After today, trust is built between them and the coaches, and also between us older guys,” Wolma said. That trust will become increasingly important in the coming weeks. With the more challenging Windy City Invitational approaching, Michigan’s lineup will have less room for error. No matter the final lineup decisions, though, the Wolverines will need to stick together to succeed – and the freshmen are a crucial part of that. “We’re all working together for the same goals, the same ambitions,” Wolfgang said. “We’re all highly motivated athletes here for the same overall cause.” The ultimate goal for Michigan, a national championship, has been within reach for years. But the Wolverines have repeatedly fallen short, finishing as fourth or better in the last four championships. Regardless of their eventual roles, the members of this highly-touted freshman class will try to find what Michigan has been missing in recent years as the season gets underway.
because they made me who I am today and kind of brought out the personality and taught me what I needed to know.” If Frank’s sisters take credit for his hockey success, there was no more triumphant day for them than the 2022 NHL draft. When Frank was selected 13th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, his family members jumped to their feet to hug him, with tears of joy in their eyes. All of his work, his family’s guidance and the hundreds of dollars spent on equipment and camps came to fruition. As Gina expressed, it was “mesmerizing.” The draft was one of the highest points of Frank’s career thus far, but it was immediately followed by his hip injury and subsequent surgery that claimed much of his freshman season. Now, Frank has climbed to the mountaintop once again. Halfway through his sophomore season with the Wolverines, he feels like himself again, and it’s beginning to show. Naurato deemed his most recent game played for Michigan on Dec. 2 the best of his college career. And on Friday, he won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championship — an opportunity he missed last year while recovering from his surgery. His performance in the tournament showcased one the pillars of his character and the reason why he is such an impactful
playmaker — his selflessness. He notched eight points, all on assists, in seven games, consistently dishing up opportunities for his teammates to shine. “He’s never about himself,” Felsner said. “He would go out of his way to help another kid or help a kid become a better player. He’s never about himself. He’ll never make you feel like he’s cocky or it’s about him. He’s just maybe one of the most personable kids I’ve ever met.” As the accolades have rained down over Frank’s hockey career, underneath it all he has remained appreciative of what his family and community did for his early development and plays every day to make their loyalty worth it. Frank was born with a gift. Natural hockey skill, yes, but perhaps the even greater gift was being born into a family that helped him shape his talent. It didn’t matter that the Nazars weren’t the traditional hockey family — because they were just the one that Frank needed. He had the skill, and he developed the determination with the support of his loved ones. Through adversity, injury and immense successes, Frank has remained steadfast in his path to building a fruitful hockey career. Because he wasn’t just born with it. His family showed him how to fight for it.
ICE HOCKEY
‘A jack of all trades’: The versatility that typifies T.J. Hughes ELLIE RICHARD Daily Sports Writer
There’s an old adage that says you can be ‘a jack of all trades, but a master of none.’ It’s a saying that makes sense in theory. After all, it’s difficult for an individual to express interest in a variety of fields and excel in each of them. Unless, of course, you’re T.J. Hughes. A Hamilton, Ontario native, Hughes is known for his love of the game — any game. It could be soccer, hockey, badminton, lacrosse or any other sport under the Canadian sun. You name it, Hughes loves to play it. Indeed, he has played it at some point in his athletic career and achieved great success in the process. But his journey to the Michigan hockey team doesn’t begin with other sports. Let’s start from the very beginning. It all started at the age of two. Before each of her children entered school, T.J.’s mother, Lisa, brought them to a parenttaught ice skating session. For T.J., the popular Canadian pastime required a brief learning curve. Slipping and sliding around the ice, he had to copy the motions of older kids to find his footing. It’s fair to say it didn’t take him long. By the age of three, toddler T.J. was not only skating on two feet, but doing so with a stick in his hands. His parents entered him into a miniature hockey league, and thus his athletic story began at just three years old. “When he was little I tried
to buy him trucks and different things,” Lisa told The Daily. “He always wanted the ball.” T.J. gravitated towards sports at an early age, and the same can be said for other members of his family. Growing up with two older sisters — Vanessa and Olivia — T.J. had built-in teammates from the start. This especially rings true with Vanessa. A collegiate athlete herself, Vanessa played basketball for four years at the University of Waterloo. The two naturally share a competitive edge, and seeing as they are only fifteen months apart, they engaged in a host of family competitions over the years. From hockey games in the street to soccer scrimmages at the park, the games were neverending. Vanessa and T.J. even found ways to turn a typical sibling disagreement into a competition. “We used to have boxing gloves,” Vanessa told The Daily. “We would each take a glove and just fight when we would get upset with each other. It was play fighting, but eventually, he would always win and then I’d get upset. That was kind of the routine that we had.” The games played inside the Hughes household prepared T.J. well for the sports he played outside of it. Many competitive athletes specialize in a sport early on. Specialization has its perks as one-sport athletes have the luxury of spending substantial time in their respective fields.
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Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan overpowers Stonehill, 7-1, capitalizing on power plays to sweep series
LYS GOLDMAN Daily Sports Editor
It’s not always easy to gauge where teams are at when playing significantly lesser opponents. For the No. 15 Michigan hockey team, the weekend played out as a tale of two games against winless Stonehill. In Friday’s 12-4 bludgeoning, the Wolverines controlled the game from start to finish. But on Saturday, the Skyhawks came out hungry. It didn’t look like the same lopsided affair that transpired just 24 hours earlier. “I don’t think it was the start that we were looking for,” Michigan associate head coach Rob Rassey said postgame. “I think we came out a little bit flat. … It was just one of those games where it took us a while to get into the flow.” About halfway through the game, however, the Wolverines found their footing — and from there, they didn’t look back. Sweeping its first series out of the
six-week break, Michigan (10-73 overall) overpowered Stonehill (0-22) on Saturday, 7-1, fueled by successful special teams efforts. Going 5-for-6 on power plays and killing both penalties they incurred, the Wolverines’ special teams performance kickstarted their offense and allowed them to pull away as the game went on. “At the end of the day, I thought special teams was really good,” Rassey said. “Scored some power play goals, and I think from top to bottom guys really had a good second half of the game.” Special teams providing and sustaining the spark was especially important in a matchup like this one because, as Rassey pointed out, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Michigan in the opening period. Less than four minutes into the frame, Stonehill broke through a sluggish Wolverines defense to get on the board first. As Michigan failed to clear the puck out of its defensive zone, Skyhawks forward Henri Shreifels snuck one past senior goaltender Noah West to
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take an early 1-0 lead. The first period continued in back-and-forth fashion. But following a successful penalty kill, the Wolverines converted on their first power play opportunity. With about six minutes left in the opening frame, sophomore forward Rutger McGroarty found fellow sophomore forward T.J. Hughes on the goal line to knot the score at one apiece.
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After a successful coach’s challenge waived off a second Stonehill goal for offsides, both teams headed into the intermission tied at 1-1. As the Skyhawks thirsted for their first win of the season, Michigan needed to ride the special teams wave and come out stronger to avoid the severe upset. And the Wolverines did just that. In the second period, they looked much more like the team
that netted 12 goals in the opening matchup. “We have to be consistent,” Rassey said. “It’s not something we can turn on and turn off when we want to. If we want to be great, you got to be great every day. So that was kind of the message this morning and going into (Saturday’s game), and it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re trying to get better every day.” After a wraparound shot by sophomore defenseman Tyler Duke about six minutes into the second frame, Hughes tapped in a rebound for his second goal of the night. Michigan added another two goals in the period, the first from freshman forward Garrett Schifsky — his 10th of the season. The second came on another Wolverines power play, this time from junior forward Dylan Duke off a redirected shot. As the Michigan offense started to click, taking advantage of extraman opportunities, West came up big in net to hold Stonehill to a single goal — sending the
Wolverines into the second intermission holding a 4-1 lead. With another power play chance midway through the third, sophomore forward Gavin Brindley fired a slapshot past the Skyhawks netminder to put Michigan up 5-1. The Wolverines had thorough control by that point, as West and their defense continued to stand their ground. Michigan converted on two more power plays in the final frame, with junior forward Mark Estapa potting both goals as the Wolverines took a 7-1 advantage to the final buzzer. “It was a slow start, but obviously a win’s a win and a sweep’s a sweep,” Hughes said. “So it’s good for us to get a sweep back in the books and start off the new year strong.” Out of the gate on Saturday, Michigan struggled to find success on both ends of the ice. Driven by their special teams performance, however, the Wolverines turned the game around and took care of business.
ICE HOCKEY
Michigan obliterates Stonehill, Noah West holds down the fort early, boosts Michigan in win over Stonehill 12-4, behind commanding offensive firepower ELLIE RICHARD Daily Sports Writer
Sneaking past the Michigan line of defense, two Stonehill forwards powered their way to the front of the net. The Wolverines relinquished a two-on-zero breakaway opportunity, and the Skyhawks looked poised to cash in and tie the game at two. Senior goaltender Noah West said not so fast. West sprawled across the crease and flashed his right pad to deny Stonewall the game-tying tally. He protected the goal and the lead all in one motion, and that was not the first time on Saturday that he was able to do so. The No.15 Michigan hockey team indeed turned to West numerous times throughout the first half of Saturday’s game due to a sluggish start. After thrashing the Skyhawks 12-4 the night before, and scoring four goals in the first period, the Wolverines struggled to recreate that same dominance early on. Stonehill not only outshot Michigan 10-8 in the opening frame, but also recorded the game’s first goal less than five minutes into the contest. “I think we got off to a slow start,” West said. “… I thought we were good the last half of the game, but the first half of the game we struggled. I mean, it’s not a hidden fact.” A crowd at Yost stunned into silence, coupled with a Skyhawk bench roaring in excitement stymied the Wolverines’ ability to regain control of the game. The two tripping penalties assessed to Michigan in a four minute span
further hindered its ability to find its groove. It was in these early moments that West came up the biggest. Delivering several stops on the penalty kill and five-on-five, West kept Stonehill from adding to its lead and changing the complexion of the game. “I thought Westy was great,” associate head coach Rob Rassey said. “I think when it was 1-1 there in the first period they had a little bit of a flurry, and he kept us in it and made some really big saves … I think the guys have all of the confidence in the world when he’s in the net and he showed why.” This same confidence came to light in the second half of the contest. Following West’s big save on the two-on-zero chance, Michigan cracked the game open. Goals from freshman forward Garrett Schifsky and junior forward Dylan Duke gave the Wolverines a 4-1 advantage — one that the Wolverines never relinquished. Michigan scored three more goals in the third period, propelling them to a comfortable 7-1
win. West prevented a 2-2 tie and allowed his team to turn it into a 4-1 lead with one big play in the middle of the second period. However, if you ask him about it, he will tell you that it wasn’t anything too flashy. “I felt like I forced them to pass, and I feel like I took away the shot pretty well, so I just read that,” West said. “ … I thought it was a simple save, but it’s a big statement in the game to help gain momentum.” West helped steadily build this momentum throughout the game, turning away seventeen of eighteen shots on the night. Many of these saves were not overtly flashy, but rather routine stops such as freezing pucks under his glove or turning them away with his pad. Nonetheless, West turned in the saves he needed to make so that Michigan had enough time to find its footing. And with their foot on the gas in the second half, the Wolverines were able to cruise to a sweep against Stonehill off the foundation that West gave them.
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REKHA LEONARD
Managing Sports Editor
The No. 15 Michigan hockey team’s forwards brought the firepower Friday against Stonehill. Only 17 seconds into the game, it was bombs away as the Wolverines’ very first shot of the game became their first goal. With its offense dominating from the jump, Michigan (9-7-3 overall) throttled Stonehill (0-21), 12-4. And coming off a gold medal win at the World Junior Championship, the Wolverines’ top line of sophomore forwards Gavin Brindley, Rutger McGroarty and Frank Nazar III led the charge, tallying six goals between them. Nazar took the opening draw, and gave Michigan the first possession of the game. A few passes later, Brindley found himself all alone in front of the net with the puck. And a mere 17 seconds after the opening buzzer, he opened the scoring for the Wolverines with a flick of his wrist. “I try my best to score the first shift,” Brindley said. “I know it gets everyone going in Yost and the Children (of Yost). So I just think getting that first one is huge no matter what game or no matter what team you’re playing. So setting the tone was big, especially when we’re starting.” But as fast as Michigan’s top line had taken the lead, the Skyhawks punched back. Two minutes after Brindley’s goal, Stonehill notched a power play goal only six seconds
into its advantage. Suddenly, the Skyhawks were back in business — for a total of two and a half minutes, that is. The Wolverines pulled away quickly, scoring three more goals in the first period, including another tally from its top line. This time, Nazar potted the score with assists from McGroarty and sophomore defenseman Seamus Casey — another World Junior champion. ”We know they can score,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said of his top line. “And if they do things the right way away from the puck like they just did to win a gold medal then we’re gonna have a lot of success.” And that’s exactly what happened in the second period, as the Wolverines blew the game wide open with a relentless offensive attack. They put up shot after shot, blowing past defenseman like they weren’t even there. It took Michigan just under 11 minutes to double its lead. Up 8-1 halfway through the game, the Wolverines coasted through the rest of the second period. But even playing slightly more laid back didn’t stop them from scoring. With less than three minutes left in the period, Brindley scored his third goal of the game — marking his first career hat trick. Freshman forward Nick Moldenhauer then gave Michigan a 10-1 lead with a wrister from the wing. Although the game was out of reach entering the third period, the Wolverines didn’t hold their same
dominance. Stonehill scored twice in the first three minutes of the period, and Michigan’s forwards didn’t match the Skyhawks’ energy. A late-period turnover resulted in another Stonehill goal, giving the Skyhawks four — tied for their season high. “I think these games are tough to plan when you’re up 10-1 going into the third,” Naurato said. “I liked the way we finished, but I didn’t like them scoring three goals in the third period. We’re talking about the team defense and stuff.” As much as the Wolverines’ defense lacked in the third period, their offense had given them more than enough cushion. And with under three minutes left in the game, Michigan’s offensive firepower returned to ice the game and give the limited fans who remained something to cheer about. Once again, the top line delivered as Brindley notched his fourth goal of the night. “We got a lot of puck touches and had the puck on our stick quite a bit,” Brindley said. “So I think as games move on, and we keep playing together, we’ll keep getting more chemistry, and hopefully we’re at our best when we need it.” Offensively, the Wolverines’ top line delivered. It scored half of Michigan’s goals, and Brindley alone scored as many as Stonehill did all night. The game was more than over after two periods, and both teams knew it.
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ICE HOCKEY
Fourth line jumpstarts Michigan blowout over Stonehill through key goals and chemistry
ANNA MILLER
Daily Sports Writer
When the No. 15 Michigan hockey team defeated Stonehill 12-4 in its 2024 opener, it allowed for production from each player. And while the top line scored half the goals, the bottom-six forwards had an opportunity to step up and get their name on the board. And so, enter the fourth line players — freshman forward Tanner Rowe, sophomore forward Kienan Draper and graduate forward Chase Pletzke. Each having standout nights in their Wolverine careers, the trio potted three of the goals of the night and an additional assist. But while they ended the night on a high, the line didn’t start that way. Early in the first period, Rowe received a high sticking penalty, sending him to the box and forcing Michigan to kill off a penalty. Less than ten seconds into the penalty, the Skyhawks took advantage of their power play and tied the game at one goal apiece. While Rowe’s early penalty
led to a tie game, he made sure to make up for it. Less than five minutes into the period, Draper won a faceoff in the offensive zone and tipped it back to Rowe, who took a slapshot opportunity and capitalized on it, providing the Wolverines the lead once again at 2-1. Rowe got his special moment with his first goal for Michigan, but it also served as a key moment for the rest of the team. Because from this moment, the floodgates opened for the Wolverines. They scored eight straight goals, putting the game away early. And while Rowe’s goal slingshot Michigan into goal after another, this wasn’t his only contribution to the game. He cleared pucks and forced turnovers, reaping the rewards of his efforts at practice. “In practice, (I’ve been emphasizing) having good habits,” Rowe said. “Doing the little things right and asking the coaches for help in video and everything, so I think that really helped from the break and having a fresh restart, too.” Early in the first period, Rowe
received a high sticking penalty, sending him to the box and forcing Michigan to kill off a penalty. Less than ten seconds into the penalty, the Skyhawks took advantage of their power play and tied the game at one goal apiece. While Rowe’s early penalty led to a tie game, he made sure to make up for it. Less than five minutes into the period, Draper won a faceoff in the offensive zone and tipped it back to Rowe, who took a slapshot opportunity and capitalized on it, providing the Wolverines the lead once again at 2-1. Rowe got his special moment with his first goal for Michigan, but it also served as a key moment for the rest of the team. Because from this moment, the floodgates opened for the Wolverines. They scored eight straight goals, putting the game away early. And while Rowe’s goal slingshot Michigan into goal after another, this wasn’t his only contribution to the game. He cleared pucks and forced turnovers, reaping the rewards of his efforts at practice.
“In practice, (I’ve been emphasizing) having good habits,” Rowe said. “Doing the little things right and asking the coaches for help in video and everything, so I think that really helped from the break
and having a fresh restart, too.” With Rowe and Pletzke finally getting their moments on the ice and their names on the stat sheet, the fourth line showed up in a big way. Rowe’s goal kickstarted Michigan’s
scoring frenzy, and Draper and Pletzke helped sew up the blowout. As evidenced by their 12 goals, when people on all lines produce, the Wolverines’ offense shows no signs of stopping.
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Wednesday, January 17, 2024 — 11
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan snaps five-game losing streak, defeats Ohio State, 73-65 LINDSAY BUDIN
Daily Sports Editor
As Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton drained a wide-open 3-pointer to cap off a 16-0 run and give the Buckeyes a four-point lead in the second half, it seemed like history was bound to repeat itself. Four days ago, a 12-point halftime advantage over Maryland vanished en route to the Michigan men’s basketball team’s defeat. Three days prior to that, a 10-point lead over Penn State at the half turned into a demoralizing sixpoint loss And against Ohio State, it seemed like a nine-point halftime edge would give way to yet another collapse. But unlike the two games prior, the Wolverines didn’t sink after relinquishing their lead. Michigan (7-10 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) bent but didn’t break, despite the 16-0 Buckeyes’ (12-5, 2-4) run, winning its first game in 30 days, 73-65. “This time we didn’t put our heads down,” senior forward Terrance Williams II said. “We
just stayed connected and stayed together, and we pulled it out.” That connection the Wolverines found toward the end of the game wasn’t discernible to start the contest, shooting just 8-for-25 in the first 13 minutes. But due to Ohio State’s own disorganized scoring efforts, the Wolverines survived through their offensive struggles. Carrying the brunt of their scoring, graduate forward Olivier Nkamhoua hit five of the Wolverines’ first 10 field goals. Although the majority of Michigan’s first half was a shooting clinic gone wrong, the Wolverines found their touch in the final six minutes, going 6-for-9 over that stretch. Behind the strong finish, an impressive 7-for-11 performance from deep and Ohio State’s meager 32.3% clip from the field, Michigan remained in the driver’s seat. With a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from sophomore guard Dug McDaniel, the Wolverines entered the break with a ninepoint advantage. But the Wolverines know all too well that halftime leads guarantee nothing. After all, they fell in their previous two contests after hold-
ing double-digit edges at halftime. “We’ve done a bad job of staying together,” Nkamhoua said. “We’ve done a bad job of staying connected in those moments when we get down or they make a run and things aren’t looking so good for us. We need to do a better job. And we did a better job today.” But for much of the second half, there didn’t seem to be any growth from Michigan. After stretching
Michigan locks up Wisconsin in return to form, 76-52 TAYLOR DANIELS
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team prides itself on its defense. And rightfully so — the Wolverines lead the Big Ten in scoring defense, with junior guard Laila Phelia leading the way. But recently, Michigan has struggled to close out effectively on the perimeter, surrendering 24 3-pointers in two consecutive losses. The Wolverines’ game Saturday afternoon against the Big Ten’s worst-ranked scoring offense in Wisconsin was a prime opportunity for them to buck that trend, even with graduate guard Elissa Brett, one of Michigan’s top defenders, out with a knee injury. And the Wolverines (12-5 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) did just that, stif ling the Badgers (8-8, 2-3) to fuel a confident return to form, 76-52. “We pride ourselves on the defense every day,” senior forward Cameron Williams said.
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Unlike those two games, though, the Wolverines didn’t let an abysmal stretch in the second half define the outcome. They didn’t throw in the towel, as they had against the Nittany Lions and the Terrapins. For once, Michigan had an answer. “When teams go on runs, it’s easy for the mind to start to have doubt creep up,” Michigan coach
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
“So I think being able to show up and actually produce on defense, help each other out, scramble, get those like hustle plays, I think that really showed today.” However, Michigan didn’t f lash that dominant defense in the first five minutes. Wisconsin buried two quick 3-pointers and moved the ball effectively into the paint, showing signs of a fast-paced, high-scoring affair. The Wolverines followed suit, responding with three triples of their own. But when they went cold for a five-minute stretch, their strong defense ensured that cold streak didn’t matter. Forcing five turnovers and snatching away three steals in a span of nearly six minutes, the defense sustained the lead the Wolverines built early on by closing out strong on Badger shooters and infiltrating passing lanes. Michigan finally broke out of the cold spell by getting the ball into the paint. Feeding Cameron Williams and graduate forward Taylor Wil-
their lead to 12 points, the Wolverines took their foot off the gas. Their struggles to stay together and connected took center stage as the Buckeyes found their groove. As Ohio State’s shots began to fall, a 12-point advantage quickly turned into a four-point deficit. Just like in its last two games, Michigan had no response as the Buckeyes took control — at least not initially.
liams inside, the Wolverines quickly amassed a strong post presence. The Williams’ 12 second-quarter points and dominance on the offensive glass carried Michigan into the halftime break up 36-21. “It’s been an emphasis to just to really utilize our posts, whether that’s getting it inside-out or going to work in the post,” Cameron said. “Threes will fall down, we’ll get that. We can also o-board off of that. But when we get into the post, I think that’s how we become more successful as a team. You make the defense really have to play in a different way.” And in the third quarter, the Wolverines stuck to what was successful in the paint. Between feeding Cameron for eight post points and Phelia heating up for eight of her own from the f loor, Michigan worked from everywhere inside the arc to extend its lead. Its defense ensured that the Badgers wouldn’t cut into that margin, either. Holding Wisconsin scoreless for seven minutes of the quarter and forcing seven turnovers, the Wolverines locked down any f luid action the Badgers tried to set up. To start the fourth quarter, both teams continued with more of the same — Michigan fueling its offense in the paint and Wisconsin struggling to score while coughing up the ball. And in the closing stretch with their bench players on the court, the Wolverines came alive from beyond the arc to put the game away for good, ballooning their lead above 25 points. In a game designed as an opportunity to reset, Michigan did just that — returning to form on the defensive end and finding a groove inside.
Juwan Howard said. “I reminded our group at a time out, ‘next play mentality.’ But that ‘next play mentality’ has to be more than just words.” Instead of succumbing to Ohio State’s run, the Wolverines followed Howard’s lead, using that “next play mentality” to overcome their woes. And just like in the first half, it was Nkamhoua who got Michigan’s offense going. Knocking down a mid-range jumper, Nkamhoua broke the five-minute-long scoring drought. Following that scoreless stretch and a 7-for-20 start to the half, the Wolverines finally found their rhythm. They connected on six of their final 10 shots to recapture their lead. After struggling from behind the arc all half, they finally found their stroke, hitting three of their five second-half threes down the stretch. And after 30 days — a month of close losses and blown leads — Michigan snapped its bad habits Monday against the Buckeyes. After 30 days, the Wolverines found their way back to the win column.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Cameron and Taylor Williams perform when called upon against Wisconsin SAM NOVOTNY
Daily Sports Writer
Fitting into your role on a basketball team is not always easy. It’s especially hard when the expectations and results vary drastically throughout the season, even game-by-game. And for senior forward Cameron Williams and graduate forward Taylor Williams, their roles with the Michigan women’s basketball team have been anything but consistent this season. With the variability of their roles and minutes always at question for almost every game, Taylor and Cameron have faced the challenge of navigating the mental and physical aspects of being ready to contribute whenever they are called upon. In Saturday’s blowout win against Wisconsin, they showed they were prepared. “You just gotta stay the course no matter what is handed to you,” Cameron said. “We always have a next man up mentality, so just be ready whenever your number is called.” Cameron, who started every game last season, began the year as a starter and looked to be a lock to hold down her spot. But 10 games into this season she found herself relegated to the bench, in a role she was very unfamiliar with. Taylor, too, found herself starting some games earlier this season, but the real variability in her role is the time spent on the court. She has seen as much as 28 minutes, like she did against South Dakota, or as low as 6 like she did against Minnesota on Tuesday. Although Cameron regained her starting role — with Elissa Brett sidelined with a leg injury — it was Taylor who struck the Badgers first. She was a key piece in getting the Michigan offense rolling in the second
quarter, driving an important run. She found herself easy layups and jumpers by clogging the passing lanes and getting out in transition, as well as with second chance opportunities. Her quick spark landed her as the team’s leading scorer at the half and put the Wolverines up by double digits. “Spark plug. I mean she is a spark,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She can affect the game with her length, with her athleticism, with her defense. She got a steal and went one-on-one coast to coast.” After a slower first half, Cameron followed Taylor’s lead into the second, becoming more aggressive in her post touches and hounding the offensive boards en route to an eightpoint, five-rebound third quarter. Cameron’s big third quarter continued to propel the Wolverines into the driver’s seat against Wisconsin, but it also came at a big point in her season. After losing her starting job at Illinois, her minutes have waned, bottoming out with just two minutes played against
Ohio State just three games ago. There have been points where it looks like she isn’t key to the game plan anymore, she has struggled at times to find her touch around the basket, but on Saturday, those moments were forgotten. “She’s just an amazing example,” Barnes Arico said. “Because she came out of the starting lineup after starting for two years and didn’t pout, didn’t cry … so that’s like a coach’s dream.” Capping off her performance in the fourth quarter, Cameron secured a 16-point double-double, just her second double-double of the season. While her shooting wasn’t perfect at 6-for-15, she cleaned up her own misses often, snatching eight offensive rebounds. On Saturday, Cameron and Taylor delivered a prime example of staying ready whenever your name is called upon. Because when injuries popped up and they were once again heavily relied upon to get Michigan a win, they demonstrated their ability to get to work and blowout the Badgers.
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MEN’S BASKETBALL
Terrance Williams II provides an answer for Michigan in win over Ohio State
LIZA CUSHNIR
Daily Sports Editor
Down by one point with 3:37 to play, Terrance Williams II launched a 3-pointer from the top of the key. It ricochetted high off the iron, rolling around before dropping into the basket, giving the Michigan men’s basketball team a lead it never relinquished. But that wasn’t his biggest shot of the night. That came three minutes later. Up four points with 0:33 remaining, the talented senior forward found himself alone in the corner with the ball headed his way. He launched another 3-pointer, and this shot took no detours on its way through the basket. Williams delivered again, finding nothing but net to give the Wolverines an insurmountable seven-point lead and blow the roof off of Crisler Center.
Williams’ dagger didn’t just seal Michigan’s 73-65 victory. It didn’t just shut the door on rival Ohio State. It didn’t just snap the Wolverines’ five-game losing streak. It was also Williams’ fifth make of the game from downtown — on as many attempts — highlighting an 18-point, five-rebound, three-assist performance, his most impactful of the season. “He made a three towards the end of the ballgame that was, one would say was a dagger,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. “But it was nice to see the smile on his face after he made that three.” That smile from Williams stayed put long after the game and into his postgame press conference. It was a smile he earned through his allaround performance on Monday. His team-high plus-19, 11 points higher than his next-leading teammate, is indicative of how Williams catapulted the Wolverines on both
ends. In addition to his offensive showcase, he delivered defensively as well. In the second half, Michigan let up a 16-0 run to the Buckeyes over its five-minute scoring drought. Williams was on the bench for most of that stretch, getting some of the few minutes of rest the Wolverines could afford to give him all game. When Williams was out, Ohio State delivered its most lethal blows, scoring nine unanswered points to take the lead. “We talk a lot about offense because he makes shots and he makes timely shots,” Howard said. “But defensively, he’s rock solid as they come. Because he’s so smart as a player. He has a high IQ and he knows which position to be in. He also knows the other team’s sets. We ask our team to watch film, T-Will doesn’t hesitate. He watches not only just film, but he watches games just to get a feel for his opponent.”
Whether a result of his extra film study or other factors, Williams’ performance was reminiscent of his 2022 performance against the Buckeyes, when he stepped up in a major way to keep Michigan’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive. After a rough 2022-23 campaign, Williams has seemingly built back the same confidence he previously played with. This season, a solid offensive contribution from a confident Williams is common. So when Williams launched his shot with 33 seconds left, he didn’t flinch. “(My confidence) was very high, my confidence is high all the time,” Williams said. “So I just took the shot. I work on it every day. So this is not a new shot for me and I just took it, shot it, I always do.” While this season Williams often shoots from beyond the arc with confidence, connecting from deep on 44.9% of his attempts, he also
acknowledged that it wasn’t always this easy. “We all gotta go through something, and you know, I think that was my going through something last year with how I played,” Williams said. “You learn from your lessons. You can never lose if you learn from it. So that’s how I took it. And that’s why I came back this year with more confidence, worked on my game and that was shown.” The results of Williams’ work left no doubts on Monday, demonstrating his offseason improvements for everyone to see. Confidently shooting 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, Williams had a great
day. But it wasn’t a fluke. Rather, it was a result of his active work to build himself back up. With two clutch 3-pointers in the final four minutes and an undeniable all-around presence, Terrance Williams wasn’t just confident. He was the answer the Wolverines needed, time and time again.
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SPORTSWEDNESDAY
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
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SportsTuesday: Michigan’s future doesn’t hinge on Harbaugh’s decision PAUL NASR
Daily Sports Writer
T
oucan Sam electrifying the National Championship parade crowd. Shirtless o-lineman on the beds of Ford F-150s. Players catching hot dogs slung from the crowd. Across South University Avenue and down State Street in Ann Arbor, the scenes were plentiful on Saturday. The man of the hour opted for a different mode of transportation. No semitruck trailer or bursley pick up. Instead, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh — along with some of the team’s captains and biggest stars — smiled and waved to the crowd from the bed of a mini fire truck. A swarm of supporters pursued Harbaugh’s vehicle for far different reasons than they would have after a 2-4 season in 2020. Harbaugh was feeling the love. While players with then-pending decisions about returning, like junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, were also on the fire truck with Harbaugh and were also being begged to stay, at the National Championship Celebration
later that night in Crisler Center, athletics director Warde Manuel confirmed what plenty of the clamor was about. Standing alone in the bed of a pickup truck for the route, he was hearing it from the crowd all afternoon. “I will answer the question that I heard about 500 times at the parade route, I am working on getting (Harbaugh) a new contract, I promise you,” Manuel said, evoking a standing ovation in Crisler Center.
type than ever. Yes, Harbaugh is a great coach. There’s a reason he did what he did in the NFL and at Michigan. There’s a reason why NFL teams like the Los Angeles Chargers are lining up to interview him. Yes, he’d help the Wolverines next year. But nothing at Michigan hinges on his return. What makes Harbaugh special is his ability to build places anew. As corny as he often is, he knows how to build a culture, he knows
Whatever he chooses won’t alter the Wolverines’ trajectory, because he’s raised the program’s floor to stand high with or without him. When Harbaugh took to the podium to speak later in the ceremony, he was serenaded with, “10 more years,” chants from players and fans alike. The guy that many wanted gone three years ago is now wanted everywhere — across the NFL and equally at Michigan. Wolverines fans clearly want their National Championship coach to stay, and who can blame them. He’s given Michigan its best football in decades, he delivered a National Championship, he might be one of the best active head coaches on the planet right now — Bill Belicheck and Nick Saban’s news making that sentence easier to
how to build a program, he knows how to turn things around. He proved that in every coaching stop in his career, and has now made it abundantly clear at Michigan. Whether the mini fire truck alluded to it or not, Harbaugh came to Ann Arbor and put out the fires of his underperforming predecessors to eventually lift the Wolverines from mid to the mountain top. Now that he’s done that, what he does next doesn’t have as big an impact on Michigan as you might think. Replicating this season’s success right away, for example, would be very hard for anyone to do — Harbaugh included. Even if he does come back, the Wolverines won’t win a National Championship next year. If he doesn’t come back, they won’t either. They’ll have a new quarterback and a
new o-line, they’ll be good but they won’t be the best. Should the team next year be led by Harbaugh, or a protégé from the program Harbaugh rebuilt like offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, the results would be the same. That’s not to discredit Harbaugh as a coach, it’s actually to his credit. He’s lifted the program up to a point that it can easily go 8-4, 9-3, 10-2 or better each year with or without him. He’s restored Michigan as a powerhouse, one that isn’t reliant on one specific head coach for success, but one with a brand of winning that supersedes any one person. 8-4, 9-3 or 10-2 not good enough anymore? That’s fine; Harbaugh’s coaching has shown what better looks like, but him staying doesn’t guarantee Michigan goes 13-1 or 15-0 whenever he’s here. Him staying doesn’t mean McCarthy stays — he’s not. Him staying doesn’t mean the o-line stays — they’re not. As long as the Wolverines have the right people to sustain the new-era Michigan that Harbaugh built — they do in Sherrone Moore right now — then Michigan’s production both short term and down the line won’t be directly tied to Harbaugh being there or not. It will instead be tied to the fact that Harbaugh was there. He was there to lift Michigan out of the Rich Rod and Brady Hoke eras. He was there to end decades of embarrassment against Ohio State. He did the part that he was uniquely qualified to do — bring Michigan back. There are a handful of people qualified to keep the program rolling — he’s one of them, but not the only one. So Harbaugh can keep his fire truck in Ann Arbor or take it to shake up an NFL franchise. Whatever he chooses won’t alter the Wolverines’ trajectory, because he’s raised the program’s floor to stand high with or without him. PHOTOS: EMILY ALBERTS, KATE HUA/Daily Design by Lys Goldman
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