PAGE EIGHT THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1965 Hoop Fans: Here's Line on'M By RICK STERN (The information to be present- ed in the following article is of vital importance to any University of Michigan student. Without suf- ficient knowledge of the material it concerns, you will be left out of any dormitory bull session, you will feel useless when your father asks you about it at Thanksgiving, and you will not understand the allusions which your professor makes to it in lectures.) Aha, you say. At last the truth about REACH and GROUP! No. What Mrs. Hatcher really puts in her tea, then? Unh uh. Stanley Nadel's selective service number? Nope, you're still a mile off. Here's a hint: Bill Buntin, George Pomey, Larry Tregoning. OK-now subtract these three and add: Craig Dill, JohnClawson and John Thompson. You know now that we're talking about Michi- gan's basketball team, the most talked about basketball team in the country. But you don't know the answer to the arithmetic prob- lem. Don't feel bad because Dave Strack doesn't either and he's the coach. Says Dave: Three Big Ones Gone "We lost three players who are, in effect, irreplaceable. You just don't get players like Buntin, Pomey and Tregoning. But we think we have the boys who can play basketball on a level with the players we lost. Of course we won't know for sure until we get into actual ompetition." (If you're a girl or a Viet Nam protestor, you can stop reading now because you have the essen- tials of the matter, and can at least' listen intelligently in any discussion of the. 1965 team. If, however, your Dad is rabid, or your roomate writes sports for the Daily, you better keep reading.) Replacements Obviously since you intend to go more deeply into the matter you have to know a few facts about the three "new" starters. We'll start with Dill. At 6'10" and 210, he is the replacement for Buntin (6'7", 230.) Personally I think he'll do one helluva job against any Big Ten center he's put up against. But you don't particularly care what I think, so lets listen to Strack again. "He's got good speed and he's a good shooter. He's strong but not as strong as Buntin." Strack points to the 20 pounds which Buntin had on Dill as im- portant, but can point to three equally important inches which Dill has on Buntin. Dill is ajunior and saw action last year as Bun- tin's back-up man, impressing often enough with deadly hook shots and jumpers from outside the key. Looking Forward On everybody's mind is the for- ward who's going to play along side Captain Oliver Darden-as of this moment a young fellow from Naperville, Illinois by the name of John Clawson. Many had looked to Jim Myers as Tregoning's prob- able replacement. Strack explained why Clawson is the current front runner. "My- ers sprained his ankle just before we began practicing, and it is just rounding into shape. Jim has done some good work for us the past two years but Clawson has been impressive in the early weeks of practice." Myers is 6'8" and Clawson barely hits the 6'5" spot. So Strack is sacrificing three inches of height under the rugged boards of today's style of ball. But he expects Dar- den to "carry a little more of the rebounding burden than he pre- viously had to." Bench Help Strack- mentioned architectur- ally-minded Dan Brown as another forward who figures to see action this season. Clawson, interestingly enough, was in line for a starting position at this time a year ago, at a guard spot. But he was beaten out by hustling John Thompson, who in turn, was replaced by George Pomey when the Big Ten season began. Of the three newcomers to the lineup, Thompson is the only one who has proven his ability under actual game conditions. His clutch shooting in the late moments of the Indiana game played the largest role in the overtime vic- tory, and his contributions during the winter tournament in New York were equally significant. Strack refers to Thompson as a "proven performer," and is not concerned by the fact that the senior from Pontiac, Illinois stands just 6'1", small by college standards, even for a guard. Pitts, Bankey Back Up Closely following Thompson and providing Strack with excellent depth at the guard slot are Jim Pitts and Dennis Bankey, both about 6'3", and both from Detroit. "Bankey's quick, and speed is very important in our plans. Pitts, though just a sophomore is an exceptionally strong rebounder. (OK, time for the average Joe to tune out. The rest is a discus- sion of more complicated factors such as strategy and "pressure," designed largely with the "arm- chair expert" in mind.) Strategy then, offensive first. Strack says that "our niain ideal is to utilize our strengths. We have a mostly new group working as a unit for the first time and it's naturally a problem getting them to work together. We've made changes from last year though not radical. For example we'll run plays for Darden or Dill that we might not have done with Buntin. Defense? "We're hopeful of im- provement in this area too. We're working like the devil to get in our positions upcourt faster. Losing Pomey, who was an outstanding defensive man, is a handicap we'll have to overcome." Pressure Problem? Pressure might be considered a problem on a team which has won two consecutive Big Ten cham- pionships, and was the runner up to UCLA in NCAA finals last sea- son. Strack digresses. "People have come to expect good performance from Michigan. Sure, this creates pressure, but it's no problem. Our players have come to expect it, and consequently it doesn't bother them as much." (If you're a betting man, you'll want to be sure and get in on the next few lines. The information 'concerns Michigan opponents and their relative merits and demerits.) Strack needs to look no further than the first game for what he considers a "rugged test", of the new Blue team. Tennessee is the opposition and the Vols were 20- 5 last year, with a good portion of that squad returning. Also on the early schedule are Wichita, San Francisco and Duke, all potential national powers. Strack points out that "these are teams which will give us an ade- quate picture of the kind of com- petition we'll face in the Big Ten. Who does Strack look for to provide tough challenges in the Big Ten? "Iowa and Minnesota of course, both of which have four out of five starters back. But don't count out Michigan State either. They could surprise along with any of the squads which are high on potential but low on ex- perience." (Well, you're prepared now, and can stay on a par with anyone but Walley Weber, when the sub- ject of Michigan basketball is brought up. Incidentally there's another player on the team whom you may want to remember- fellow by the name of Cazzie Russell.) EEE thEE 'Ti. -is buying your 'Ensign NOW I 'while they're only $5 (NEXT SEMESTER THEY'LL BE $6.) How-Hertz goes to coilene to put iou in the driver's seal! 4 r 0 Students. re iice I You need never nb tied to one spot again. Start plan- - nin holiday weekends, swinging HEPrz Saturdays, relaxed Sundays. To reserve a shiny new Chevrolet or other fin9, / car,alI you need do is head A /for your nearest Hertz office. r./ ie rtz rates are always low, \Wthl" especially on weekends and holidays. Further: insurance and gas are included (even if you buy gas on the road). And think about this: if two, tour or six students rent one car, the cost can be CRAIG DILL 1 _. 1 i Enclosed find $5.00 (Check or Money Order payable to the Michiganensian) for one 1966 MICHIGANENSIAN. We cannot bill you later. A receipt will be sent when your order comes in. Of NAME_ N) ANN ARBOR ADDRESS___ MAILING INSTRUCTIONS: $1.00 additional charge if you wish the book mailed anywhere in the world. 014 40$$$$$ split that many ways! How can you miss! Hertz makes every course you drive a snap! Go Hertz every time! watson's Service 400 E. Washington Street Ann Arbor, Mich. 663-8677 HERTZ RENT A CAR let HERTZ put viIn.lbS driver' seuai i i ! _. LI - - - - - - - - I