Hipps Toss: Douglas Speaks Out; Big Ten Predictions
Iowa State Coach Candid About Changes That Need To Be Made To Sport
By Andrew Hipps “Staff Writer
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Douglas Speaks Out About Rule Changes
When Iowa State head coach Bobby Douglas speaks, people listen. Or at least they should. He is not only one of the most successful coaches in the history of wrestling; he is also one of its greatest ambassadors.
Douglas earned conference coach of the year honors nine times while at Arizona State and three times at Iowa State. He was USA Wrestling’s Man of the Year in 1992 and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2000. He has also been USA Wrestling’s top choice to coach several World and Olympic teams throughout his career.
Douglas, who also serves on the rules committee, spoke openly last Thursday during a Big 12 teleconference about what wrestling needs to do to survive and flourish at the collegiate level.
“I’ve been preaching for a long time about making our collegiate rules more compatible to international rules, “said Douglas. “I don’t like all of the international rules, but if American wrestling is going to continue to grow, we need to be a part of the Olympic program. At the rate that we’re losing medals at the Olympic level, freestyle wrestling has a chance to disappear from the face of the earth. If we tweak our rules at the collegiate level, we’ll bring our wrestling up at the international level – and this will help wrestling overall.”
Douglas talked about the possibility of eliminating riding time.
“I advocate getting rid of riding time, “said Douglas. “I don’t have a problem with riding time”¦ except that there is too much stalling, too much holding. It’s debatable as to when you can score points in riding time because the clock is always off. You can never keep riding time precisely. So I’m saying that we need to get rid of that. “
He talked about the importance of coaches improving their skills for the overall betterment of the sport.
“As the younger coaches come in – they’re more progressive, “said Douglas. “We have some coaches that never go to the training camp to upgrade their technique. Some coaches never get involved in international style wrestling. I get involved in all those things just to upgrade myself – to make myself a better coach. But I also want to help wrestling grow – and I think tweaking the rules could help us do that. “
“I think it’s the greatest tool for educating kids in the world – wrestling, “said Douglas. “All the things it brings to the table for our youth, it has a right to remain in the modern sports arena, but we have to change some things. I think there will be changes. “
2005 Big Ten Tournament Preview
The 2005 Big Ten Championships will be held at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on March 5-6. Iowa won the 2004 Big Ten title, while Minnesota placed second, finishing only five team points behind. Strangely, both teams will enter this weekend’s event as slight underdogs, as Michigan and Illinois are expected to battle for the Big Ten title. As usual, many of the weight classes will be tightly contested. Below is a weight-by-weight preview of the Big Ten Championships.
125: This might be the toughest weight class in the conference, with five wrestlers ranked in the top ten in the country. Kyle Ott of Illinois, the 2004 NCAA runner-up, is looking to claim his first conference title after losing in the semifinals and placing third last year. Nick Simmons of Michigan State placed third in the conference and seventh in the country in 2003, but took an Olympic Redshirt year in 2004, placing sixth at the Olympic Trials. Eighth-ranked Joe Dubuque of Indiana is 21-2 this season and placed fourth in the conference last year. Minnesota’s Bobbe Lowe and Northwestern’s John Velez should also figure into the mix.
Finals Prediction: Nick Simmons (Michigan State) over Kyle Ott (Illinois)
133: While this weight class is filled with talented wrestlers, it’s a nightmare to seed. Defending Big Ten Champion Mark Jayne of Illinois is 21-2 this season with both losses coming to freshman Mack Reiter of Minnesota. Reiter, however, has conference losses to Tom Clum of Wisconsin and T.J. Enright of Ohio State. Clum won a Big Ten title at 125 last season, but has conference losses to Jayne and Iowa’s Mario Galanakis this season.
Finals Prediction: Mark Jayne (Illinois) over Tom Clum (Wisconsin)
141: Michigan’s Josh Churella missed the first part of the season with a high ankle sprain, but came back in December and has proven to be one of the top freshman in the country. He is 16-1 overall and undefeated in the conference this season (9-0). Andy Simmons of Michigan State, who is ranked fifth in the country, is 26-2 this season and has yet to wrestle Churella. While this weight class will likely come down to a finals match between Churella and Simmons, there are other talented wrestlers looking to break through. Those wrestlers include Cassio Pero of Illinois, Mike Simpson of Indiana, Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa, Ryan Lang of Northwestern, DeWitt Driscoll of Penn State, and Ed Gutnik of Wisconsin.
Finals Prediction: Josh Churella (Michigan) over Andy Simmons (Michigan State)
149: Michigan has another extremely talented freshman in Eric Tannenbaum. Tannenbaum is 29-3 this season with all of his losses coming from outside the conference. Ty Eustice of Iowa, who placed third in the conference year, is 25-4 and ranked seventh nationally. Purdue’s Doug Withstandley was the surprise of last year’s Big Ten Championships, reaching the finals at 141 – after entering the tournament unseeded. He has wrestled well against many top wrestlers this year, but has yet to beat a wrestler ranked in the top eight in the country. Anton Dietzen of Illinois, Darren McKnight of Michigan State, and Craig Henning of Wisconsin all have 20 or more wins this season.
Finals Prediction: Eric Tannenbaum (Michigan) over Ty Eustice (Iowa)
157: This looks to be a two man race between Michigan’s Ryan Bertin and Illinois’ Alex Tirapelle. In their only meeting this season, on February 6th, Bertin won a 3-2 decision over Tirapelle. However, these two have forged one of the greatest rivalries in the Big Ten, exchanging victories since 2003. Bertin claimed the 2003 NCAA title by defeating Tirapelle in the finals. Their match-up (if it happens) will likely determine who earns the top seed at the national tournament. Joe Johnston of Iowa lost a close 7-5 match to Tirapelle earlier this season and can score points in bunches. Nathan Galloway of Penn State, who is ranked 18th in the country, has competed with the top wrestlers in the country, but lacks the consistency to be a serious threat. Other wrestlers that could make noise include Brandon Becker of Indiana, Tyler Turner of Wisconsin, C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota, and Mike Kimberlin of Northwestern.
Finals Prediction: Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) over Ryan Bertin (Michigan)
165: Michigan’s Ryan Churella claimed the Big Ten title at 149 a year ago and hasn’t missed a beat since moving up two weight classes. He is 28-1 this season and currently riding a 28-match winning streak after dropping the first match of the season to 2004 NCAA Champion Troy Letters of Lehigh). Talented freshman Mark Perry of Iowa has excited the fans in Carver Hawkeye Arena all season long with his go-for-broke style. Perry is 21-3 this season, which includes a 7-5 loss to Churella on February 13th. Minnesota’s Matt Nagel is ranked 10th in the country and has wrestled close matches with both Churella and Perry. Donny Reynolds of Illinois and Jake Donar should figure into the mix as well.
Finals Prediction: Ryan Churella (Michigan) over Mark Perry (Iowa)
174: Before winning the prestigious Midlands title in December, Northwestern freshman Jake Herbert was a virtual unknown. Since that tournament, however, he has garnered national attention by his number four ranking and 23-1 record. Herbert’s only loss this season, which came less than two weeks ago, was to Illinois’ Pete Friedl, a wrestler who he had previously beaten on the way to his Midlands title. Friedl is 28-3 this season and ranked third in the country. R.J. Boudro of Michigan State is solid and has the potential to make some noise, as does Nick Roy of Michigan. Brady Richardson of Indiana lost a close 12-10 decision to Herbert earlier this season and could play the role of spoiler. Kelly Flaherty of Wisconsin and Gabriel Dretsch of Minnesota should be competitive as well.
Finals Prediction: Jake Herbert (Northwestern) over Pete Friedl (Illinois)
184: Illinois’ Brian Glynn, a returning All-American, is expected to be the top seed after finishing his senior season 28-3. One of Glynn’s losses, though, came to Eric Bradley of Penn State (at the Midlands), which he has since avenged. Iowa’s Paul Bradley finished fourth as last year’s NCAA Tournament, but hasn’t been able regain that form yet this season – and has suffered five losses within the conference. Brady Reinke of Wisconsin missed the first half of the season, but came back win 18 straight matches to close out the season. Ben Wissel of Purdue, Roger Kish of Minnesota, Mike Tamillow of Northwestern, and Andy Rios of Indiana all help give the weight class depth.
Finals Prediction: Brian Glynn (Illinois) over Paul Bradley (Iowa)
197: After a disappointing fifth place finish at last year’s Big Ten Championships, Ohio State’s J.D. Bergman rebounded two weeks later to finish third at the NCAA Tournament as a true freshman. Bergman has quickly become one of the most exciting wrestlers in the country because of his big move potential. He enters this weekend with a 33-6 record, but has lost twice in the conference. Bergman lost 7-5 in overtime to Purdue’s Nathan Moore and was caught in a cradle and pinned by Michigan’s Willie Breyer. Phillip Davis of Penn State, Matt Delguyd of Northwestern, Tyrone Byrd of Illinois, and Ryan Flaherty of Wisconsin all have the potential to contend for a spot in the finals in this weight class.
Finals Prediction: J.D. Bergman (Ohio State) over Matt Delguyd (Northwestern)
HWT: Minnesota’s Cole Konrad placed third at the NCAA Tournament a year ago and enters this weekend with a 29-3 overall mark. Konrad has yet to lose to a conference opponent this season. Greg Wagner of Michigan, who placed sixth in the country last year, comes in with an equally as impressive record of 26-2 – with both losses coming to Konrad. However, Wagner did defeat Konrad once last season in dual. Pat DeGain of Indiana took Konrad into overtime this season (losing 7-5) and has won 14 of his last 15 matches. Matt Fields of Iowa is having an impressive freshman campaign, but has struggled lately – losing his last three matches. Dustin Fox of Northwestern and Kurt Nail of Ohio State, both freshmen, could figure into the mix as well.
Finals Prediction: Cole Konrad (Minnesota) over Greg Wagner (Michigan)
Other Division I conference tournaments and national qualifiers this weekend:
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC): Saturday, Greensboro, NC.
Big 12 Conference: Saturday, Omaha, NE.
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA): Friday-Saturday, Boston, MA.
Eastern Wrestling League (EWL): Saturday-Sunday, Clarion, PA.
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA): Friday-Saturday, Annapolis, MD.
Mid American Conference (MAC): Friday-Saturday, Kent, OH.
Southern Conference: Saturday, Greensboro, NC.
The Division III Nationals and NAIA National Tournament will also be held this weekend. Check out TheWrestlingMall.com throughout the weekend for results of those tournaments and others across the nation.
Andrew Hipps also accepts feedback at [email protected]
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