Re: Go Blue

[Christiaan <christiaan.vorkink@yale.edu>]

to clear up all the traylor confusion once and for all:
        (from http://espnet.sportszone.com/ncb/news/970502/00223138.html)

'Tractor' backs up; Traylor will return to Michigan
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DETROIT -- Michigan sophomore forward Robert Traylor has changed his mind
and will remain at Michigan instead of entering the NBA draft.

"I never fully said I was going anywhere," Traylor told The Ann Arbor News
on Friday. "There are a lot of different reasons, but right now I'm not
prepared to talk about it."

A news conference was scheduled for Friday at Traylor's high school,
Murray-Wright in Detroit, to announce Traylor's plans to enter the NBA draft.

But the press conference was canceled Friday afternoon because Traylor has
decided to stay at Michigan, said Murray-Wright athletic director Robert Glenn.

"I talked to him last night," Glenn said. "In just going through his thought
process a little bit more, he changed his mind. ... He's going to give it
another year at Michigan."

Glenn said he agreed with the decision, saying Traylor could improve his
standing as an NBA draft prospect with another year of experience.

Michigan coach Steve Fisher did not return a phone message on Friday. But
Michigan athletic director Joe Roberson told the News he was surprised at
Traylor's turnaround.

"Obviously I'm very pleased to hear it," he said. "He's going to continue to
be a tremendous asset to our program."

The 6-foot-8, 300-pound forward was named the team's most valuable player
this year, along with guard Louis Bullock.

Traylor averaged 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 35 games last season. He
shot 55.6 percent from the field.

Earlier reports said Traylor was leaving for the NBA because of an NCAA
investigation into the basketball program and an investigation into
Traylor's ties to Ed Martin, a Detroit booster. Martin was banned March 10
from associating with the basketball program.

Published reports have said at least three convicted drug dealers received
free tickets to games through their association with Traylor, a conflict
with athletic department guidelines for player and coach conduct.

"The investigation as a whole has frustrated Robert to the point where he
was ready to leave Michigan," Glenn said. "He was not used to the way the
media ... presented information to the public. That had a lot to do with his
decision on leaving U of M. Not anything at Michigan."

In March, the university was reported to be investigating Traylor's use of a
new vehicle leased by his aunt. Though U-M officials said there was no
indication of anything improper about Traylor's use of the $47,906
custom-built Chevrolet Suburban, Traylor had not registered the vehicle with
the athletic department as required.

The eight-passenger vehicle, with a television set and two stereos, was
leased Feb. 25 by Traylor's aunt, Lydia V. Johnson of Detroit, a machine
operator for a Detroit steel company. Lease payments reportedly exceed $700
a month.

A previous vehicle Johnson had leased and allowed Traylor to drive -- a 1992
Chevrolet Blazer that cost $23,945 -- was reported stolen Jan. 11 in Detroit.