Ward shines; backcourt struggles again

Jerod Ward wasn't superhuman last night. He wasn't a hero. But he was active. And for Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe, that's a step in the right direction.

"Jerod Ward was very active early in the game," Ellerbe said. "I was happy with the way he worked out on the floor. His activity on the boards really helped us get off to a good start."

With Ward banging the glass early, the Wolverines were able to exploit Cleveland State's halfcourt zone-defense en route to a 14-point halftime lead. Michigan outrebounded the Vikings, 24-18, in the first half and went on to win the game, 77-59. Ward scored 14 points and grabbed nine boards. His rebound total was second-best in the game, behind only teammate Robert Traylor's 15.

And here's an even more impressive statistic: Ward had four steals last night. Now, if it were Travis Conlan with a four-steal game, it wouldn't merit comment - but Ward had only 17 total steals last season.

SARA STILLMAN/Daily Louis Bullock and backcourt mate Robbie Reid struggled last night, committing 10 turnovers and dishing out just six assists.

"That's me. If you want to call it the new me - OK," Ward said. "That's me. That's something you can expect to see through the season, and it's only going to get better."

After the game, the ultra-reserved Ward was still reserved, but he did admit that Michigan's season-opening loss to Western Michigan was "quite embarrassing" for the team. He also admitted he was not mentally prepared for the opener, and said the Wolverines wanted to "make a statement" in last night's contest.

"We challenged Jerod a little bit," Ellerbe said. "He's a senior. He's gotten a lot of support from people in the program, and we're giving him some opportunities in terms of minutes and options within the offense. And he's starting to take advantage of them."

On the other hand: Although Ward's teammates were pleased with his effort last night, there was one player who probably didn't benefit from Ward's strong performance: Brandon Smith. He electrified the crowd with a couple of nifty second-half moves to the hoop and played a strong game overall, scoring nine points in just 15 minutes of action.

Ellerbe said with Ward playing the way he was, it was difficult to find extra minutes for Smith.

"Brandon improves a little bit each game," Ellerbe said. "He's a guy that should really be out on the floor for more than 15 minutes, but it was hard tonight with Jerod playing so well."

The tattooed freshman, who thrives on the fast break, is already becoming a bit of a fan favorite.

"Sometimes it looks like he doesn't play hard because he's so smooth out there," Ellerbe said.

Backcourt backup: Robbie Reid and Louis Bullock struggled for the second-straight game, amassing 10 turnovers together and just six assists. Bullock, who made just one of his nine shots in the loss to Western, was 5 for 15 last night. And after entering the season having made at least one 3-pointer in 44-straight games, Bullock is 0-for-11 behind the arc this season.

11-20-97