David eppolito / Photo Editor

During their first ever season as members of the Big East conference, the Hurricanes made sure their presence was known. After a dual victory last weekend against conference rivals Notre Dame and Syracuse, Miami will be heading to the Big East Championships this weekend in Pittsburgh for the first time. They take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (20-10 overall, 10-3 in conference play) at 1 pm tomorrow.
UM (24-4 overall, 10-3 in the Big East) is seeded number three coming into the tournament, with Notre Dame (21-7, 11-2) in the top spot, followed by Virginia Tech at number two. Connecticut (14-14, 9-4) claims the number four seat.
“We’re going to the Big East tournament to win it, so there’s always some pressure associated with winning,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “Right now it’s a big excitement and a new challenge.”
Welch led the ‘Canes to a 17-7 record during the 2001 season–the program’s first year back since 1982. They did not participate in Big East play until this year, which made them eligible for the tournament.
UM, which leads the Big East in hitting percentage with .268, fell to the Hokies 3-0 in Blacksburg on October 26. Common conference losses for both Tech and the Hurricanes this season were to Georgetown and Pittsburgh. Miami struggled to knock off Notre Dame 5-4 last Friday, while Virginia Tech showed no mercy in a quick 3-0 battle on Sunday.
“We did not play well the first time we played [Virginia Tech] this year, and we want to redeem ourselves,” said Welch. “We need to pass and run our offense, and we need to contain theirs. I think if we can do those two things then we have an excellent chance of winning the match.”
Senior Marcela Gamarra had 38 total attacks against Tech, while sophomore Valeria Tipiana, who was named Big East Conference Co-Player of the Week on November 18 for the second time this season, had 18 kills in the match. Freshman Karla Johnson had the high hitting percentage (.474). The ‘Canes out-blocked the Hokies 8-7. Tech sophomore Annie Spicer led her team with 16 kills. The high hitting percentage went to senior Cheryl Stinson (.267). Senior Ana Lang had 36 total attacks.
Although UM was unsuccessful in the quest to be on top of the Big East going into the tournament, they had a crucial win over Connecticut 3-0 on November 3. Tech fell to the Huskies 0-3 two days earlier.
The teams are as evenly matched as humanly possible going into the championships. Miami leads the Hokies in kills per game (16.55 to 15.04) and blocks per game (2.56 to 2.15). Tech leads in service aces per game (1.75 to 1.64) and digs per game (16.62 to 16.11)
Hurricane outside hitter Marcela Gamarra is first with 4.23 kills per game, posting 406 total. Sophomore setter Jamie Grass is on top in digs, with 394. Virginia Tech’s Ana Lang leads the team with 3.86 kills per game, totaling 432. She also leads in digs, with 415.
Defensively, Miami freshman Robin Lewullis averages 1.36 blocks per game and has 131 total. Hokie middle blocker Cheryl Stinson has an average of 1.3 blocks per game, with 139 total.
The loss to Virginia Tech was obviously not detrimental to Miami’s impressive statistics.
“We just need to iron out a few little things in our play,” said Welch. “I’d like to see us make some improvements defensively and add a little bit more patience.”
As for the prospect of playing Notre Dame again? Welch says they’ll cross that bridge if they’re successful enough to come to it. She’s just happy about getting the opportunity.
“It’s going to be a great new experience for us to get to go and be a part of the post-season with the conference.”
If the Hurricanes defeat the Hokies, they will play the victor of the Notre Dame-Connecticut match for the Big East Title Sunday at 1 pm. A defeat over their opponent in that match will automatically give them an NCAA tournament berth.

You can reach Melissa Teich at melissateich@hotmail.com.

You can see the anguish in Ferne Labati’s face. The hunger in her eyes. The joyous tone of her voice after her Miami Hurricanes’ women’s basketball squad knocks off a Big East power. Or, the somber tone of her voice after a ‘Lady Canes loss decreases their postseason chances. Any way you choose to look at it, Labati is as obsessed with winning as much as any coach in any sport across the nation.
As Miami tips off their 2002-2003 season tonight against South Florida tonight, Labati, with the help of her coaching staff, will be up and emotional in front of her bench, doing all it takes to start the most important winning streak: A 1-0 record. If you ask Labati about specific goals, she’ll tell you that they have ultimate goals, like making it to the NCAA Tournament, but right now they are worried about the next game. Labati is as much of a teacher as she is a head coach. She’s just as concerned as shaping up their personalities off the court and making sure they are learning just as much in class as they are on the court.
But, of course, Labati has plenty of time to think about wins and losses. And while the 250-153 record compiled in her 14 seasons at Miami is certainly something to be proud about, it’s also probably not at the forefront of her mind. Instead, the last four seasons ending without an NCAA Berth is something that Labati spends a lot more time thinking about of course, one can suggest that last year capped off a three-year rebuilding program and that a NIT berth and fifth-place finish in the Big East conference exceeded expectations. That’s not good enough for her, nor should it be. There’s no question she wants to win and has the ability to draw a winning game plan 25 times a year. Her overall record says that.
So, the question should be this: Do the players have what it takes to get to the Big Dance? Last year, they exceeded expectations but came one victory short of a likely NCAA Tournament berth. Severe offensive droughts resulted in silly losses at West Virginia or Providence. Win one of those and they are in. Hit a few more shots in a should-win contest at South Florida and they are in.
All three of those losses were a result of an inconsistent threat on offense. No one really wanted to step up on a consistent enough basis to score 15 points a game. Well, Meghan Saake wanted to, but a jump from six points a game to 11 was a big enough improvement for this year. Saake is one player that gives full effort in both practice and game situations, and her reward will be higher expectations. Saake should be the best all-around player on the team and unless unexpected injuries or other factors occur, Saake will be a 15 points per game scorer.
Who else will match her effort? In order for Miami to be a true Big East contender, they need more than one consistent player. Chanivia Broussard should be the best offensive player on the team, but a rash of injuries and several off-court problems have hindered that. Broussard still has more talent than anyone else on the squad, but whether she comes to play as a first or second team All Big-East member will be answered over the course of the season.
Like Saake, Shaquana Wilkins showed great strides of improvement last season, but that will not be enough this time around. Moving into the center position, Wilkins will already experience a size disadvantage for much of the season and needs to compensate that with hustle, grit, determination, and a consistent 10 points and eight rebounds on her stat sheet.
The point guard position, which has not seen a set starter over the past two seasons, is closer to one with the emergence of Yalonda McCormick. The sophomore likely will move into the starting position she was trying to win last season, but waiting for McCormick to develop slowly isn’t going to help matters. McCormick doesn’t have to be the offensive machine she was in high school, but needs to play mistake free basketball, and that means more distribution of the basketball and less turnovers trying to go one-on-one with an opponent.
Several veterans coming off the bench will contribute some skills, but needs to play smarter this year. Alicia Hartlaub, Melissa Knight, Hutashi Wilson, Vera Arsova and Fallon Phanord give Miami one of the most talented bench units in the Big East, but plays like Knight’s errant pass at the end of Tuesday’s exhibition game can overshadow the talent level.
Then, there are the freshmen. The fact that Tamara James likely will start dictates her importance on this squad. If she wants to remain a starter by the time Big East conference play rolls around, she will need to produce like a veteran. The same goes with Tatjana Marincic and Katie Hayek, if both want to get significant minutes off the bench.
The bottom line is top to bottom, this team has all the pieces in place to be one of the top three teams in the Big East and one that will get a berth into the NCAA Tournament. They have a great coach and a good senior leader. They also have a lot of unproven talent and play for a program that has experienced disappointment four seasons in a row. It is time to erase all that, it is time to stop rebuilding, and it is time to get that NCAA Berth. If for no other reason, than for your coach, who cares about you and the program as much as any other coach in the country.

You can reach Jeremy Marks-Peltz at jmp310@hotmail.com.

Last season, the Premier Players handed the Hurricanes women’s basketball team a twenty-point loss at the Knight Sports Complex. This season, the Canes played host to the Premier Players again, and this time, they gave a much better effort in a 68-65 exhibition loss.
The ‘Canes trailed by just five points at halftime, so they were still in the game at that point, but they still were not pleased with a first half effort that saw the ‘Canes turn the ball over several times.
“In the beginning, we didn’t do well, so we wanted to come out and start the 2nd half well,” said point guard Yolanda McCormick.
However, they gave up a 20-8 run to open the second half, as the Premier Players pushed the lead to seventeen, their largest lead of the game. However, just when it looked like the ‘Canes were going to get blown out again, they came storming back, and closed the gap to one point on a Melissa Knight 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining. Even though the ‘Canes went on to lose 68-65, they showed great heart in battling back.
“I just think that you look at each possession and start to chip away. We started to put our shots in and stopped turning the ball over, and anytime you do that and play hard on defense, you are going to be successful,” said Coach Ferne Labati after the game.
The ‘Canes had closed the lead to 66-65, and looked to be in business when Melissa Knight stole the ball with thirty seconds remaining. However, her pass to Hutashi Wilson was errant, and the Premier Players got the ball right back, hit their free throws, and won the game.
“We still have some inexperience at the guard position and that hurt us a little bit down the stretch. I think that you go through the situations that happened at the end of the game in practice and correct them. It’s a learning process,” said Labati.
The ‘Canes were led by foward Chanivia Broussard, who came off the bench to score 16 points, and Shaquana Wilkins, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Wilkins scored 11 of her 15 in the second half of play.
Point guard Yolanda McCormick chipped in with eight points and a game-high 11 assists. However, senior leader Megan Saake struggled, going just 1 for 9 from the field after scoring 24 points in the first exhibition game.
“Megan Saake will have to be the leader of the team. She is the senior and the Big East player of the year… I think she lost confidence in the first half. She struggled and she took shots she wasn’t set to take, and she lost confidence, but we will correct that,” said Labati.
The ‘Canes could never find the answer to Houston Comets star Tynesha Lewis, who scored the game high 26 points, and was the key part of the big run by the Premier Players early in the second half that pushed the lead to seventeen.
“She’s a great player and the bottom line is we gave her too many good looks at the basket,” said Labati.
As for who will start at point guard when the season opens Friday, the jury is still out, but it does not seem to matter to the two girls involved in the race, Hutashi Wilson or Yolanda McCormick, who will start.
“It doesn’t matter who starts. I feel like she can do the job just like I can do the job. It only matters when I get in that I can go out to play and contribute,” said McCormick.
The key to the season opener Friday will be to come out and play disciplined basketball. If the ‘Canes take care of the basketball, they should be able to handle South Florida and start the season off on the right foot.
“We know to come out to play like a team and to play like we are going to win, we are together and we have been waiting for this day since we lost last season,” said McCormick.
As for the season goal, the Canes have just one mission, and Yolanda McCormick summed it up best when she simply said: “Big East Champs!”

You can reach Darren Grossman at drg215@aol.com.

Many would not be able to describe the experience of being a part of teams that are practically undefeated throughout your high school and possibly whole college career. DJ Williams is one of the few that is living that fantasy.
Growing up in Pittsburg, CA, he attended De La Salle High School. On graduating high school, he was nationally regarded as one of the top defensive players in the nation. Highly recruited, Williams chose Miami over California, Texas, and Michigan.
After Williams’ freshman year at University of Miami, he debated transferring schools. It was a tough transition for him to continue his schooling across the country.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Hurricanes linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves, “You could add him to the list of a thousand other freshmen across America. Because everyone has second thoughts when they go away to school whether they are far away from home or not. It was probably a little more difficult for him because he was 3000 miles away. But even the kids who stay close to home have second thoughts if they made the right decision on where to play ball. It wasn’t by any means unusual, and we’re just happy he decided to stay.”
He visited home after his freshman season at Miami, and realized that his friends at home came into their own at their new schools as well, which pushed him to adapt to the new ways of Miami. Williams became more comfortable and began to open up to the rest of the guys on the team little by little.
If making the decision to remain at Miami was not big enough, he continued on to change his position on the Hurricanes squad. Playing Linebacker in High School, then coming to Miami originally as a fullback, he decided that it might be best for him to return to the position he has excelled in for the four previous years of being a ‘Cane.
“The change, well, I felt that for me to maximize my talent, it would be on the defensive side of the ball,” stated Williams. “The fullback, they don’t really get the ball too much, and I felt that I would be a better asset to the team on defense.”
Although this position change occurred at the parallel time as head coach Larry Coker stepped in for former head coach Butch Davis, they had no connection. However Coker has been pleased with the way DJ has filled the position.
“Well now, I wish we could have cloned him and made him a fullback and a linebacker,” exclaimed Coker. “But we couldn’t do that. He most likely belongs at linebacker though, that’s probably his best position. I think he might even have a future in the next level at the linebacker position.”
Hargreaves felt that it was a smart decision for DJ to change it up and take on a new position at UM. It has been a plus for the team, he felt, even though he still agrees that DJ could have excelled in both positions.
“DJ has certainly improved from last year. I think that having a year under his belt at linebacker has helped him,” Hargreaves said. “Just the experience has helped him. And even though he played linebacker in high school, things here in college are a little different. He has made the transition well and becomes better as the years go on; the goal is to get a little bit better every year, and he seems to be doing so.”
Losing only to Washington during his freshman year, Williams has been accustomed to winning, however he does not let it get to his head. He does however, still check in on his high school at home often to find that they are still undefeated.
“I don’t think about it too much, it’s actually not that important to me,” Williams said. “What I focus on is that we just win here as a team. Yes, my high school is still undefeated since I have left. The season, unfortunately, is over by the time I get the chance to head home though. Their season is over around the 6th or 7th of December, and we don’t get to go home till the 23rd. I still keep in touch with the coaches though and they keep me posted on what is going on with my former team across the country.”
DJ is pleased with the way he has been playing this season. He is second on the team, behind Jonathan Vilma, with 71 total tackles; 35 solo and 36 assisted. He also has one sack, for a 5-yard loss. He feels that he has improved immensely from last year. Repetition, knowledge, and pure experience are the factors he feels had the most impact on his development.
“I’ll tell you, DJ is just playing really super,” Coker confirmed. “He has just grown so much as a player, and also as a person; he just shows so much leadership on the field. There are a lot of positive things about DJ, and I’m very happy with his progress.”

You can reach Dana Strokovsky at Hoopg1rl6@aol.com.

Men’s Tennis
University of Miami athletic director Paul Dee has named Bryan Getz the interim head men’s tennis coach. Getz replaces former head coach Jay Berger who resigned to accept a United States Tennis Association National Coaching position.
Getz has been the assistant coach under Berger for the last two seasons helping guide the Hurricanes to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2001. That season Miami also claimed its seventh BIG EAST Championship.
Last season Miami finished 12-10, advanced to the NCAA tournament for the sixth consecutive season, and ended the season with No. 36 national ranking. Todd Widom, ranked 13th in the 2002-03 preseason rankings, garnered All-America honors as a freshman last season reaching the round of 16 at the NCAA Men’s Singles Championships.
“I want to thank the University of Miami, particularly Athletic Director Paul Dee for the tremendous opportunity that has been bestowed on me,” said Getz. “I plan to maintain the high level of excellence established under coach (Jay) Berger and look forward to guiding our current group of student-athletes to the NCAA tournament for the seventh consecutive season.”
Getz recently coached All-American Todd Widom to the semifinals of the 2002 National Indoors in Dallas, Texas.
“I am very pleased that the University named Bryan (Getz) the head coach,” said Berger. “I have the utmost confidence in his abilities and I know he will continue with the great tradition our program has.”

Men’s Basketball
Head men’s basketball coach Perry Clark announces the signing of 6-6 forward Karron Clarke (Brooklyn, NY), 6-9 forward/center Leonard Harden III (Detroit, MI) and 6-11 center Yankuba Camara (Gambia, West Africa) to national letters of intent to attend the University of Miami next fall.
“I am extremely excited about this recruiting class,” said Clark. “We were able to add what we felt we needed. We became bigger and stronger on the front line and added a top-30 recruit.”
Clarke, ranked 29th in the nation by ESPN, averaged 19 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals as a junior in leading Lincoln High School in Brooklyn to a 23-5 record and the New York City Public School Championship.
Clark (6-6, 180), a first-team All-City honors last season, is playing his senior season at The Winchendon School in Winchendon, MA.
Harden (6-9, 240), who is playing his junior college basketball at Garden City (KS) Community College, can play forward as well as center is the sixth-ranked junior college center according to Lindy’s.
Camara (6-11, 250), who is playing at Moberly (MO) Area Community College, is a developing talent known for his rebounding and shot blocking ability.

In order for the Hurricane swimming and diving team to continue improving and make a run at a Big East title, they will have to rely on their seniors for leadership and individual achievement. One senior in particular who has made incredible strides in the last two seasons and could wind up with several individual titles at the end of the year is Christine Williams.
Williams, who transferred from Florida State two years ago, has been a fixture in the 50 meter, 100 meter, 200 free, and 100 meter back events. Coach James Sweeney expects a huge contribution from Williams in the next couple of events.
“We have a couple of really important events coming up soon, starting with the Indiana Invite this weekend,” Sweeney said. “Our goal for Christine is to have her qualify for the NCAAs in the 50, 100, and 200 free during the US Open.”
Growing up in Trenton, New Jersey, Williams established herself as a dominant performer throughout her four years of prep school at Notre Dame (NJ). She set national high school records in the 50-meter and 100 meter freestyle, and was a four-year MVP at her school.
As for her career at UM, Williams emerged as one of the best swimmers last season when she earned two top-five finishes in the Big East Swimming and Diving Championships and earned a 23.32 time at the 2001 U.S. Open.
This season Williams has set her sights a little higher for the team and for herself.
“I think we have a really good chance at the Big East title,” Williams said. “We will have to take care of Notre Dame, who is always tough, but we are capable this year. As for myself, I hope to win an individual title in the Big East and qualify for the NCAAs at the U.S. Open.”
To prepare for this season’s tough schedule, Williams worked harder than most other swimmers in the off-season, and it has shown thus far.
“I trained during the summer every day for at least three hours a day,” Williams said. “It was tough because I was balancing school, an internship, and training, so sleep was hard to come by.”
“Christine worked mostly on strength training this off season,” Coach Sweeney said. “She also improved her mechanics and has, overall, made significant strides as far as improvement goes.”
Williams indicated that she has a few specific meets in mind that she has circled on her calendar.
“The Indiana tournament this weekend should be a positive experience for the whole team,” Williams said. “I am very excited for the Big East schedule as well. There are some tough teams out there, like Notre Dame and Rutgers, that we will have to go up against, but we feel we have a good shot at the title.”
Coach Sweeney feels that with Williams’s work ethic and desire, she has a chance to compete after her career at UM is over.
“She’s a hard worker, and if she decides to continue to swim beyond college, then she could definitely qualify for the Olympic trials,” Sweeney said. “She sets a positive example for the rest of the team and works hard in and out of the pool.”
This time of the season is always hectic for the ‘Canes swimmers and divers. After the Indiana Invite, the team will have a short Thanksgiving break and then have to compete in the U.S. Open, which is always critical for them. These two tournaments will help Miami prepare for the tough conference schedule that awaits.
“I think we are ready for this stretch of the season,” Williams said. “These two tournaments will be a good opportunity for the entire team to prepare for the Big East.”
These two events give Williams a chance to emerge on the national scene by qualifying for the NCAAs and making a name for herself in the tough Big East conference. Given her work ethic and desire, no one should doubt Christine Williams when she says that the Hurricanes are capable of shocking Notre Dame and capturing the Big East crown.
You can reach Eric Kalis at elk777bc@hotmail.com