Grown-up Battier ready to erase poor showing

Duke forward Shane Battier had last season's game with Michigan circled on his calendar for quite some time.

After starring at nearby Detroit Country Day and then leaving home to play basketball for the Blue Devils, the freshman was anxious to show the people back home what he could do.

And as top-ranked Duke rolled into Ann Arbor, the Michigan fans turned out in full force, anxious for their first look at the man that they once hoped would become a Wolverine.

But Battier's homecoming would turn bittersweet. Plagued by foul trouble throughout the game, Battier managed just 2 points as Michigan pulled off the 81-73 upset before an unusually rowdy Crisler crowd.

"That was tough," Battier remembers of his first collegiate game in the state where he was crowned Mr. Basketball in 1997. "I had dreamed all my life about playing Michigan and going into Crisler Arena. When it happened, we didn't play well."

Battier, in particular, didn't play well, much to the delight of the crowd. And while his foul trouble had plenty to do with that, the McDonald's All-American was also struggling to adjust to the pressures of being a student athlete at a place where either one is a full-time job.

"Last year at this time, the whole grind of college really got to me," Battier. "With academics, finals and basketball going in full force, everything crashed into my head at one time. The (game against Michigan) was the culmination of that."

But now Battier has grown up. And at 8-1, Duke is licking its chops as it welcomes Michigan into Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday to try to exact some revenge for three straight losses to the Wolverines.

"This year, I feel much more relaxed," said Battier, who is averaging 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the talent-laden Blue Devils. "I feel like I have my ground."

And now that he has adjusted to being a member of one of the most scrutinized basketball programs in the nation, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound sophomore is looking foward to redeeming himself against the Wolverines on Saturday.

"Anytime you play the hometown boys, you're going to be up for it," Battier said. "When you add the element of the loss from last year into the game, it's tough not to get excited."

And Duke has plenty to get excited about against the Wolverines. In addition to the stunner last season, Michigan escaped Cameron with a rare win two years ago, as a Robert Traylor dunk in the closing seconds propelled Michigan to a 62-61 victory over the Blue Devils.

But Traylor and the rest of the players are mostly gone from the Michigan squads that have had Duke's number the past three years. And with a suspect Michigan frontcourt this year, Battier and the Blue Devils have every reason to believe that they can administer some fairly embarrassing payback on Saturday.

Still, Battier - who played AAU basketball with current Wolverines Josh Asselin and Leon Jones in high school - isn't taking anything for granted against this year's depleted Michigan team.

"The lack of blue-chip talent names hasn't had any bearing," Battier said of Brian Ellerbe's squad. "One thing I've learned about Michigan is that it doesn't matter who they have, they're going to come out and strap 'em up every game."

There is no doubt Battier and the Blue Devils will be ready, as they have been every game this season. Despite suffering a last-second loss to Cincinnati in the Great Alaska Shootout, Duke has rolled over foes this season, as they did in Wednesday's 116-86 thumping of Florida.

And Battier - the best player to come out of Detroit Country Day since former Michigan star Chris Webber - has played a big part in Duke's success. The Blue Devils already have a host of scorers, so the versatile forward often ends up doing things that don't show up in the next day's box score.

"My role is like silly putty - it's ever-changing," Battier said. "Some games it calls for me to score a lot of points, sometimes my role entails me to be a passer."

With so much Duke talent to pass to, it's no wonder that Battier takes pride in making the great players around him even greater. Such as fellow post player Elton Brand, widely regarded as the best big man in the country.

"The rest of the big guys just try to complement Elton," Battier said. "We just try to play a game that allows him to do his thing."

And although Brand may be averaging a double-double this season, there is one category in which Battier clearly leads his fellow sophomore - floor burns.

While Brand and guard Trajan Langdon may score the bulk of the Blue Devil points this season, Battier takes more charges than both of them. Which is just as big as a crucial 3-pointer in the eyes of the sophomore, who will try to draw plenty of contact from Michigan tomorrow.

"Whenever I take a charge, I get up and look at the degenerated look on my opponents face, and it picks me up," Battier said. "It's not something that shows up on the stat sheet, but it's instrumental to winning ballgames."

12-11-98