Not yet two months into the job, Tommy Amaker was still familiarizing himself with Ann Arbor, with his new work-place, with Michigan.

He made an appointment to meet Coach Bo in May. He walked over to Schembechler Hall, named for the legendary Coach Bo himself, to shake hands and talk with the most Michigan of Michigan men.

"It still kind of jolts you how forceful and how passionate (he is) about Michigan. I love that," Amaker said. "He still has fire, passion. Even with a peon like myself who he"d never met before, he"s leaning across his desk, clenching his fists, talking about Michigan. You still feel the passion from him."

Schembechler, now regarded as the icon for Michigan sports, had no prior association with the University before taking over a struggling football team in 1969. But every football, basketball and hockey coach hired after that had some connection to Michigan.

Four years ago, Amaker, who has no ties to Michigan, was looked at as a candidate to replace Steve Fisher. But then-Athletic Director Tom Goss promoted Brian Ellerbe, who Amaker calls a friend from when both lived in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Amaker ended up at Seton Hall.

"I was happy to see (Ellerbe) get the position," Amaker said. "Things didn"t work and years later, here we are. It"s funny sometimes how fate can happen."

On March 29, after Athletic Director Bill Martin"s screening committee gave him the o.k., Amaker became the first coach of a revenue sport without any ties to the school since Bo Schembechler.

"If I could ever become half of Coach Bo, I would be a very happy man," Amaker said. "That"s a pretty tall order. That says a lot about the history and tradition of our school and our athletic teams."

The history and tradition are not lost on Amaker. In fact, they are integral parts of this new attitude, the new mantra that he is brining to Michigan basketball.

Be passionate. Be prepared. Be honest. Have fun. Be Michigan.

Amaker has been saying those words over and over, to his players and anyone else who cares to listen to him talk about his new program. The words run around the inside of a brightly lit dome inside the team"s new lockerroom to drive those points home. All the while, Amaker bombards his athletes with symbols of the past.

There are photographs of All-Americans on the walls leading to the lockerroom. The banners that hang in the rafters were made more visible to the players when on the court. There are pictures of old Michigan players together on the court, hanging in his office.

"I love the pictures of when guys are huddling together or picking someone up off the floor. It shows a level of effort, a level of teamwork. I want to kind of convey that message," Amaker said. "There are so many subtle ways that you can deliver messages and that"s one way that we"re going to try to do things with words, with phrases, with thoughts for the day, with pictures.

"Just the little things without always having to beat someone over the head with it saying "teamwork, teamwork, teamwork." There"s always something around that"s going to emphasize that, confirm that. That message is always conveyed in everything that they see."

The youth and intensity of the 36-year old Amaker has had an infectious, trickle-down effect, taking over the team. Riddled with both off-court and on-court problems for the past several years, there is now a palpable, renewed enthusiasm about Michigan basketball.

"Everyone"s excited about being here. There"s almost an energy. You can feel the excitement," tri-captain Chris Young said. "It started out being coach Amaker, just the way he is, his excitement and enthusiasm. But after that it kind of rubbed off on the captains. After that, it kind of rubbed off on the juniors and the sophomores and the freshmen."

"Everybody"s doing it, you have to buy into it," said another tri-captain, Leon Jones. "There"s no other choice."

The pervasive buzz about Michigan basketball extends to the fans on campus, in anticipation of something great from Amaker and his program in the near future, if not the immediate present.

"I think any time there"s a change, sometimes what comes with that is there"s some hope. It"s nice to be a part of that influx of hope right now," Amaker said. "This program is never going to be contingent on one person whether it"s going to be a player or a coach. Everything here is bigger than one individual."

The hope also stems from Amaker"s past accomplishments and background. At Seton Hall, Amaker took the Pirates to four consecutive postseason appearances, including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in March of 2000. Meanwhile, Michigan has missed out on postseason play for two of the past three years.

Amaker drew some criticism for barely reaching the NIT and losing in the first round with last year"s best recruiting class in the nation.