Monday Quick Hits: Jalen Comes Home

By Sean · Monday, February 25, 2008 · 1:46 AM |  Share | 5 Comments 

• The Michigan hockey team split with Michigan State over the weekend to delay the clinching of the CCHA title for the Wolverines. U-M played a bad game on Friday at MSU as the Spartans won 5-2 in impressive fashion. That loss meant that Michigan could only clinch the CCHA title on Saturday at Joe Louis Arena with a win and a Miami (Ohio) loss.

  Although the title-clinching win will have to wait as Miami (Ohio) won their game, Michigan did put themselves in good position going into the final weekend of the regular season by beating the Spartans 5-2. From the very start Michigan was in control of the game, and despite a shaky 2nd period, came out on top with a big win.

  With only a home-and-home against Ferris State left on the schedule, Michigan needs just one win or two ties to clinch the CCHA title. Of course, there are many other scenarios that could play out resulting in Michigan winning the CCHA, but the easiest path to the title is by winning on Friday. It will be Senior Night at Yost against Ferris, and tickets are still available if you want to watch Michigan play for the CCHA title.

  (Highlights: Friday’s game; Saturday’s game)

• Jalen Rose was honored at Saturday’s basketball game and spoke to the crowd at halftime. You can watch his speech here, but the picture quality sucks. The audio is decent, though, which is all that really matters.

  In his speech, Rose mentioned the Fab Five and gave the impression that he hoped they would all be honored by Michigan someday. I think 3 of the other members will be honored eventually, but I’m not sure if Chris Webber ever will be welcomed back to Ann Arbor. He can’t be back until 2013 anyways due to a 10-year ban from associating with U-M, but even after that I really doubt a lot of people will be ready to embrace him and the Fab Five as a whole.

  UPDATE: Here is a better video of Rose’s speech at halftime.

• 12 walk-ons from tryouts a couple weeks ago were asked to join the football team to train with Mike Barwis. If they can survive, they will get to practice in the spring.
• The NFL Combine is underway in Indianapolis, and four Michigan players on offense have had their chance to show scouts what they’re made of. Jake Long has been one of the most impressive players at the combine so far as his stock seems to be rising. In between pranking Vernon Gholston and being mentioned as the possible #1 overall pick, Long was working hard in various drills to show that all of his hype is well deserved.

  Long may have had a great few days in Indy, but the same can’t be said for Mario Manningham and Mike Hart. Both had slow times in the 40-yard dash and now seem to be dropping on draft boards. Hart’s slow 40 time (4.67) is no surprise, which is why his falling stock surprises me a bit. People should have expected this given that he always has lacked speed, but regardless, Hart is beginning to fall down some draft boards. He isn’t falling quite as fast as Manningham, who really had a rough few hours yesterday in Indy.

  Manningham ran a 4.59 40-yard dash, which was a surprisingly slow. Mario has always seemed to be faster, and hopefully he will show that on his pro day when the scouts come to Ann Arbor. In the meantime, he better hope the combine doesn’t make too much of an impact on the teams that were looking at picking him as his stock is drastically falling right now.

  The fourth player at the combine from Michigan right now is Chad Henne. There hasn’t been much talk about him, but as of right now it’s looking like he’ll be a second-round pick. That could always change, but for right now he is in good shape.

  (Adrian Arrington was also in Indy but didn’t participate in any of the drills due to an injury)

• Speaking of Arrington, he talked with the Detroit Free Press and had some very interesting things to say. Specifically, he indirectly said something that really shed some light on Ryan Mallett’s departure from Michigan.
  

  Q: Do you think Mallett would have stayed at Michigan if Carr had returned?
  A: “Talking to (Mallett), he’s a pretty good friend of mine, he was leaning on staying. He was probably going to stay.”

  Wait just a second. Mallett was leaning toward staying if Carr had returned? To me, that meant that Mallett was thinking of leaving long before a coaching change was made, which shows you why Rich Rodriguez really didn’t have much of a chance to get him to stay considering he already had one foot out the door when Coach Rod got here. What I find funny is that Arkansas is trying to get the NCAA to waive the one year that Mallett has to sit out because he felt “forced out” by the coaching change. That certainly doesn’t sound like the case at all, especially with what Arrington said.

• Andy Staples of SI.com wrote a great article on Sam McGuffie.
• The Toledo Free Press talked with the Elliott Mealer and his family.
• Brent Petway, fresh off of an NBDL dunk title, is challenging Dwight Howard to a dunk contest.
• For those that even care anymore (I’m not one of them, by the way), Terrelle Pryor visited Ohio State “unofficially” yesterday. If he does end up picking OSU, it sounds like he’ll fit in perfectly with the Buckeyes.
• Kelvin Sampson resigned as Indiana’s coach on Friday, but did get paid $750,000 to do so as long as he doesn’t sue the school.
• The Michigan baseball team is off to a 3-0 start after sweeping Villanova. Next up for U-M is a game against the New York Mets, a team owned by Michigan graduate Fred Wilpon.