Game #9

MICHIGAN wolverines (3-5)
vs.
MORRIS BROWN fighting wolverines

Saturday, December 23, 2000, Noon
Crisler Arena (13,562), Ann Arbor, Mich.

Complete Release in PDF (20 pages, 107 KB)    

Radio Coverage: WJR (760 AM Detroit) will originate the game on the Michigan Basketball Network. Fred Heumann will handle the play-by-play and Dugan Fife will be the color analyst for the Wolverines.

Television Coverage: The game will not be broadcast on television.

Game Day Live: All Michigan men's basketball games can be followed live with Game Day Live on the Michigan website (mgoblue.com). Features include live audio for all games and live stats and a shotchart for home games.

Tickets: Available. Tickets prices for single-game tickets are $18 for the blue section and $14 for the gold section. For further Michigan basketball ticket information call the Michgian Ticket Office at (734) 764-0247.

Coaches: Michigan is coached by Brian Ellerbe, who is in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach. He carries a 55-47 record in his four years with the Wolverines. Morris Brown is coached by Russell Ellington, who is in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach. He in his fourth season with the Fighting Wolverines and began the season with a 33-50 record at the school.

Rankings: Michigan is not ranked. Morris Brown is not ranked.

Officials: Donnee Gray, Larry Memminger, Bill Connor

Morris Brown Website: Morris Brown does not have an athletic website, but school information can be found at: www.morrisbrown.edu.

Senior Hits 100 ... For Third Time
Senior Josh Asselin hit the century mark for the third time this season, as he played in his 100th consecutive game for the Maize and Blue against Bowling Green (Dec. 13). He also collected his 100th career game and 100th career block at Duke (Dec. 9) to become the 40th Wolverine to play at least 100 career games. He is currently tied at 101 career games with John Johnson (1978-81) and Leslie Rockymore (1982-85). Glen Rice (1986-89) and Loy Vaught (1987-90) hold the U-M all-time mark with 134 career games in the Maize and Blue. Asselin has missed only one game in his career, during his freshman year due to illness against Towson (Nov. 24, 1997).

Asselin Clips Falcons
Senior Josh Asselin broke out of a mini-slump and played one of his strongest games of season against Bowling Green (Dec. 13). He started the game and finished with a season-high 18 points and also had nine rebounds. He also collected four blocks for the second time this season and had a career-high three steals in the win. He added an assist and went 5-for-7 from the field and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe to help clip the Falcons. For the season, he is averaging 7.9 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Climbing the Swat Charts
In addition to his longevity on the court, senior Josh Asselin became the sixth Wolverine in history to surpass the century mark in blocks with two swats at Duke (Dec. 9). He then added four against Bowling Green (Dec. 13) to push his career total to 104. Roy Tarpley (1983-86) is the U-M all-time leader with 251 career blocks.

U-M Career Block Leaders

1.	Roy Tarpley (1983-86)	251
2.	Chris Webber (1992-93)	175
3.	Eric Riley (1989-93)	160
4.	Maceo Baston (1995-98)	138
5.	Terry Mills (1988-90)	111
6.	Josh Asselin (1997-present)	104

More Numbers for Asselin
Senior Josh Asselin surpassed the 650-point career barrier on a free throw against St. John's in the BB&T Classic (Dec. 3). He currently has 673 career points for the Maize and Blue. With his 469 rebounds, Asselin is just 31 boards away from becoming the 30th Wolverine in the history of the program to surpass the 500-rebound barrier. Rudy Tomjanovich (1968-70) holds the all-time Michigan mark with 1,039 career rebounds.

Asselin Collects Eighth Career Double-Double
Senior Josh Asselin collected his eighth career double-double with his 12 points and 11 rebounds against Wake Forest (Nov. 28) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. His last double-double was against Iowa (Jan. 22, 2000) with 22 points and 11 rebounds. His 11 rebounds also gave him his 10th career game with double-digit rebounds.

Asselin's Career Double-Dips

Date	Opponent	Points	Rebs.
Jan. 5, 1999	Indiana	16	10
Jan. 16, 1999	Ohio State	22*	10
Jan. 28, 1999	Illinois	12	10
Mar. 4, 1999	vs. Purdue	19	10
Nov. 19, 1999	Oakland	10	10
Jan. 16, 2000	Illinois	13	10
Jan. 22, 2000	at Iowa	22*	11
Nov. 28, 2000	Wake Forest	12	11
* career highs

Blanchard has Career Night Against Bowling Green
Sophomore LaVell Blanchard continues to prove there is no such thing as a sophomore jinx as he tallied a career-high 28 points against Bowling Green (Dec. 13). He bettered his 25-point outburst at Boston College (Dec. 19, 1999). The total also gave him his third 20-plus-point performance on the season and 10th career. In addition, he tied a career high with 11 field goals against the Falcons. He previously struck for 11 against Towson (Dec. 28, 1999).

Blanchard Rising Fast to 600
Sophomore LaVell Blanchard scored his 500th career point on a 15-foot jumper against St. John's in the BB&T Classic (Dec. 3). He currently stands at 553 career points for a 15.4 career average, just 47 points away from the 600-point plateau. Blanchard has scored in double figures in 28 career games, leading the team in scoring in 18. He has a career high of 28 points against Bowling Green (Dec. 13) and has 10 career games posting 20 or more points.

Both Sides of the Board
Sophomore LaVell Blanchard has led the team in rebounding all season long with his 9.0 boards a game. But what makes it interesting is he has been cleaning the glass on both ends of the floor. He has 72 rebounds on the season, 32 on the offensive end and 40 on the defensive end. He led the team as a freshman with 7.0 rebounds a game, with a breakdown of 72 offensive and 147 defensive.

Blanchard Does it Again
Sophomore LaVell Blanchard recorded his 12th career double-double and third double-dip this season with 20 points and 10 rebounds at Duke (Dec. 9). He is leading the team in scoring with 18.6 points a game and also leads the team with 9.0 rebounds a game.

Blanchard's Double-Dips

Date	Opponent	Points	Rebs.
Dec. 1, 1999	vs. Georgia Tech	18	13*
Dec. 19, 1999	at Boston College	25*	10
Dec. 23, 1999	Duquesne	16	10
Jan. 2, 2000	Colorado State	11	11
Jan. 8, 2000	at Purdue	21	10
Jan. 25, 2000	at Indiana	19	13*
Feb. 13, 2000	Indiana	23	12
Feb. 19, 2000	Penn State	16	11
Mar. 1, 2000	Iowa	15	11
Nov. 17, 2000	at Oakland	19	13*
Nov. 25, 2000	Wagner College	24	13*
Dec. 9, 2000	at Duke	20	10
* career highs

The Dynamic Duo
Freshman Bernard Robinson Jr. and sophomore LaVell Blanchard have become the dangerous duo for the Wolverines. Both have almost identical stat lines as they have led the Wolverines all season long. Blanchard has pulled ahead as he leads the team with 18.6 points a game, while Robinson Jr. is second with 17.3. Both have played in all eight games, starting seven. Blanchard has 17 assists to Robinson Jr.'s 16. "B-Rob" has eight steals to "L.B.'s" six. Blanchard is shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 41.9 percent on three-pointers and 77.6 percent on free throws, while Robinson Jr. is shooting 45.5 percent, 33.3 and 83 percent in all the same categories, respectively.

Getting to the Line
LaVell Blanchard and Bernard Robinson Jr. have made a habit of getting to the free throw line in the eight games played this season. Blanchard has made a team-leading 49 trips to the line, with Robinson Jr. just behind at 47. But, "B-Rob" leads the team with an 83 percent mark from the charity stripe. Blanchard is connecting on 77.6 percent of his shots.

Streak Grows for Junior
Freshman Bernard Robinson Jr. has made 19 consecutive free throws over the past four games and leads the team with an 83 percent mark from the charity stripe. After missing his first free throw of a two-shot foul in the second half against Maryland (Dec. 2), "B-Rob" has not missed since. He sank the next three against the Terrapins, then went 8-for-8 against St. John's (Dec. 3), 6-for-6 at Duke (Dec. 9) and 2-for-2 against Bowling Green (Dec. 13) to keep the streak alive.

Streak Begins For Blanchard
Sophomore LaVell Blanchard has followed Bernard Robinson Jr.'s streak at the free throw line as "L.B." has made 13 straight free throws. After going 1-for-2 on his first trip to the free throw line against St. John's (Dec. 3), he did not miss the next six against the Red Storm. He followed that with a 3-for-3 performance at Duke (Dec. 9) and went 4-for-4 against Bowling Green (Dec. 13) to keep his streak going. For the year, Blanchard is shooting 77.6 percent from the charity stripe.

Make That Eight Now
Freshman Bernard Robinson Jr. has scored in double figures in all eight games this season. He is second on the team lead with 17.3 points a game. He has not scored below 12 points on the season and has a career high of 20 against Maryland (Dec. 2). Fellow freshman Avery Queen has followed suit, but on the defensive end as he has collected at least one steal in the first eight games. He leads the team with 11 total, for a 1.3 per game average.

Streak Comes to an End for Groninger
Sophomore Gavin Groninger ended his streak of 36 consecutive games with the Wolverines when he missed the Bowling Green game (Dec. 13) due to a sore knee. Groninger hurt the knee in practice after running into teammate LaVell Blanchard and knocking knees. Groninger's left knee then swelled and bruised causing him to rest the knee against the Falcons. Groninger has practiced all week and will play against Morris Brown (Dec. 23).

Groninger Raises Bar
Sophomore Gavin Groninger poured in a career-high 20 points coming off the bench against Western Michigan (Nov. 21). He eclipsed the old mark of 19 he had against Purdue (Feb. 24, 2000). The interesting part was that Groninger had those 20 points in just 13 minutes of action against the Broncos. For the season, Groninger is averaging 6.1 points a game.

Continuing with the Marathon
Senior Josh Asselin has played in 100 consecutive games for the Wolverines and has played in 101 total career games, missing only one game due to illness during his freshman season at Towson (Nov. 24, 1997). Juniors Leon Jones and Chris Young have played in every game in their Michigan careers, a stretch of 68 consecutive games.

Young Continues Strong Play
Chris Young has continued with his breakout junior season. He has started all eight games this season and is averaging 9.8 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. In addition to nearly doubling his career averages, Young is shooting a Big Ten-leading 69.0 percent from the field as he is 29-of-42 on the season. The 2000-01 season has been full of highlights as he recorded his first career double-double against Western Michigan (Nov. 21) with a 14-point, 13-rebound performance and then his second against Wake Forest (Nov. 28) with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Young's 13 boards in both games destroyed his career best of nine recorded at Northwestern (Feb. 26, 2000). In addition to the rebounds, Young set a new career best in minutes against Wake Forest, logging 33 against the Demon Deacons.

Young Adds Second Double-Dip
Junior Chris Young collected his second career double-dip in four games with his 10 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds against Wake Forest (Nov. 28) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Young had his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win against Western Michigan (Nov. 21).

Young's Career Double-Dips

Date	Opponent	Points	Rebs.
Nov. 21, 2000	Western Michigan	14	13*
Nov. 28, 2000	Wake Forest	10	13*
* career highs

Queen Passes Out Career-High Dishes
Freshman Avery Queen destroyed his career best for assists when he recorded nine against Duke (Dec. 9). His previous best was six dimes at Oakland (Nov. 17). For the season he is averaging 3.9 freebies a game, leading the team with 31 total. In addition to his averages, he has collected at least two assists in eight straight games.

The Defensive Weapon
Freshman Maurice Searight has proven that his 4.2 speed (40-yard dash) is for real. The Wolverines' defensive "glove" is using his speed and agility to cause havoc and pressure against U-M's opposition guards. In addition to his defensive pressure, Searight has come off the bench in all eight games this season and been able to penetrate and then dish. He has 19 assists on the season, while averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds a game.

Moore Continues to Shake the Rust
Freshman Josh Moore continues to shake the rust after missing a year of basketball. He has progressed further and further with each game. For the season, he has started five of eight games and is averaging 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. To date, his best performance came against Wagner College (Nov. 25), as he finished with 10 points and nine rebounds -- both career highs.

H-G-3 Gets First Career Points
"Soul Patrol" member Herb Gibson scored his first career points as a Wolverine at Duke (Dec. 9). Junior Gibson went 2-for-4 from the free throw line in the final two minutes against the Blue Devils to finally crack the scoring column. He collected his first career block as well in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Gibson walked on to the team three seasons ago and has been a mainstay ever since.

Roe Records Multiple Firsts
After not playing in a single game last season, "Soul Patrol" member Rotolu Adebiyi has played in three games during the 2000-01 season. He made his collegiate debut against Western Michigan (Nov. 21), playing in the final minute. Since then, he played in the final minute against Wagner (Nov. 25), collecting his first rebound, and then the final two minutes at Duke (Dec. 9), where he collected his first career block and steal against the Blue Devils.

Gotfredson Makes Division I Debut ... as a Starter
Senior Mike Gotfredson received the biggest news of his basketball career as he was told he would play in the regular-season opener at Oakland (Nov. 17) ... as the starting point guard. The game also marked the first in his Michigan career, and he finished with a rebound and an assist in four minutes of action. Gotfredson sat out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules after coming to Ann Arbor from Calvin College. Since then, he has played in the final minute of the Western Michigan (Nov. 21) and Wagner (Nov. 25) games. He also played in the final two minutes at Duke (Dec. 9).

Robinson Jr. Named to BB&T Classic All-Tournament Team
Freshman Bernard Robinson Jr. was selected to the BB&T Classic All-Tournament team after averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in Michigan's Classic games against Maryland (Dec. 2) and St. John's (Dec. 3). Robinson Jr. hit for a career-high 20 points and tied a career high with seven rebounds against the Terrapins, and followed that performance with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists against the Red Storm. Joining Robinson Jr. were George Washington's SirValiant Brown (MVP), St. John's Anthony Glover and Maryland's Juan Dixon and Byron Mouton.

The Tall and the Short of It
Freshmen Josh Moore and Avery Queen have already made an impact in the Michigan history books. Moore comes to Ann Arbor one of the tallest players in Michigan history. The 7-2 Moore ties Jon Antonides (1981, '83-84) as the tallest player in history. Conversely, Queen comes to Ann Arbor as the shortest player ever. His 5-7 frame beat out 5-8 Dave Hart (1971-72) for the honor.

A Taste of the Big Time
The Wolverines traveled to Washington, D.C., using the Detroit Pistons' travel jet, Roundball One. The Wolverines got a taste of the NBA life flying in first class to the nation's capitol. The Wolverines chartered the Pistons plane for the trip and will use it for the rest of the season, with the exception of the Purdue game (Jan. 3).

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423