THURSDAY, MARCH 10,''1966 THE MICHIGAN DAILY lftArtim ctv4v"*%.v THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1966 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE SEVEN '' ...and Number 55, Oliver Darden By GIL SAMBERG Acting Associate Sports Editor There are individuals who can be sketched as quickly as a phrase. "The finest image of collegiate athletics-that's Oliver Darden." And if men were but impersonal impressions, Dave Strack's capsule description would fit well. But a fast phrase can at best only "fit," not represent, a person . . . espe- cially here. 'Picture' Player Swooping down at the from some unseen corner action, Darden's kind of boards' of the picture play can't really be captured in a still-life. For the daring,, the unexpected height, and the jolt- ing swiftness of a purposeful mis- sile has yet to be recorded faith- fully. On a basketball court, Oliver Darden can cause an almost ap- prehensive excitement. He is a muscular figure-sirambling, pois- ed, streaming . . . In the end there is the expectation of boldness, of quick and decisive reaction. And he always comes through -with it -whether cannonballing off the backboards or pumping in a 20- footer from the side--he always comes through. "He's the kind of ballplayer I like to call a 'garner'," said Strack of his team's captain. "When the chips are down he, like Cazzie, seems to come on even stronger than before. He's one of the most exciting players-a fearless re- bounder who puts everything into it. It's this daring that you sense." Strack: 'Quiet Independence' After four years of coaching Darden, Strack is sure about his man. "Oliver is one of the finest young men I've had the fortune to know," he states. They coach knows Darden's quick wit and his quiet independence. He sees him as a mature individual, a fine captain, and a favorite with the student body. It is truly unfortunate that more of the members of that amorphous student body can't really get to know this fellow transient beyond what they can see from 20 yards away, or be amazed by on television, or throw away in a press release, because it is clear that this is an individ- ual who even the most devout cynics could admire. Oliver Darden is a scrupulous- ly independent person. He does not shrink from expressing his Views, and often his frankness is prone to be mistaken for near= cynicism. There is little that could be farther from the truth. "I came to Michigan with a lot of that college rah-rah stuff in mind-the Frank Merriwell picture' more or less. . . . As a senior in high school I was really appre- hensive about getting in and staying in. Ihthought that the transition might be too tough. "Well, I found out that it's all exactly the way you make it. With the right outlook, the right atti- tude, there's very little that can stand in your way.", Darden came out of Detroit Western a three-year All-Stater and a prime target for swarms of recruiters. But he had already de- cided to go to an in-state school -Western, State, and Michigan were the ones he had been consid- ering. Friends Favored Michigan "At home whenever friends of the family gave me advice, it al- ways came out 'Michigan.' I knew. that if I could afford it, I would' go here. When I was offered a scholarship, that was it." He declared his preference quite early, and Strack remembers it especially because Darden was such a big catch for a "basket- ball school"like Michigan. And Darden came to Ann Arbor with the dream-the one that all the high school hot-shots have and the one which is so seldom realized --of becoming an All-American, a "success." He soon came to see that bas- ketball was simply the means to an end, not an end in itself. Plenty of Practice "I realized that basketball was giving me a chance to get an edu- cation. As an athlete I was given a scholarship to play a particular sport-more, to excel in that sport. And to do thatwe have practice, and plenty of it. "Yes, I can see it as a job of sorts . . . if anything, a part- time job. If I have a test or some- thing like that, of course, I can always get out of a practice. "But it's basically the same for, students who are on academic scholarships. We have to put in the extra work, the extra time, to 'earn' them." "If Oliver decided to play pro- fessional ball, he'd be one of the good ones," says Strack emphat- ically. "Oliver is too courageous to be battered under the boards, and he's certainly a deft shooter any- where from 15 to 20 feet out. "He's mature," Strack contin- ued. "He knows what he wants, and he'll work hard to get it." Law School Next..."? The coach obviously knows what Darden does have in mindsy law school. An American history levels of sports. But when you are part of a real team, you would never jeopardize its chances for your own. That's always in your own. That's always in your mind." Good Word for Yost Yoste Fielde House, the inno- cent structure on State street, has never been considered a play- er's palace in recent years. But Darden can see the old echo cham- ber - compared with Cobo Hall, where you couldn't hear a bomb drop-as adding to the enthusi- asm of the crowd. This, he feels, is important in any sport: "The crowd at home, at Yost, is really fantatsic. You can see that they're more critical than they used to be, a couple of years ago. "Now they expect you to win and to be better every time out. "But the crowd can be great. It can really help. When it's with you it can make the quick tempo of the game. "When a crowd is against you, you try harder to keep it quiet. You want to do something bet- ter, something more. And when you try too hard, that's when the crowd is stampeding you." Reminiscences Darden graduates in April. He looks back easily: "I've seen bet- ter physical plants than Michigan has. There are a lot that are pret- tier," he adds jokingly. "And Michigan will always be here when you graduate. "But a school - the buildings, the classrooms, and things like that-are no better than the peo- ple in them. . . . I'd make the same decision about coming here if I had the choice again. "But I've learned that people will be OK no matter where you are if you treat them right. "Now, some people are sincere, others aren't. There are some peo- ple who are always willing to help you. They may have been through some of the same experiences and want to give you a hand . . . like the coach. "But sometimes it isn't wise to rely on others too much. You should depend on yourself, on your own abilities. When things get too easy, one can easily be- come complacent and expect more from life than it actually can offer. That can be one of its biggest dis- appointments. "I've found that if you a definite plan in life, college is the place to start on it. I know that, for me, these have been the four most productive years of my life." Third-Time Charm? Darden now captains a team that is one of the best in the na- tion. It has been this team, more or less, that has come close-- very close-to that NCAA top spot SCORES NBA Los Angeles 119, Cincinnati 116 Philadelphia 123, St. Louis 115 NHL Boston 3, Montreal 1 Toronto 1, Detroit 0 New York 1, Chicago 0 for two years. This is their last chance at it. "It's been our goal,' says Dar- den. "We've wanted another chance at it. We didn't give up hope when we were at our low point - after the Arizona State game. We've been playing for it all year.. "And if there's a team that's going to beat us, it will have to put up one helluva fight to do it." Place your bets, folks. The Crop and Saddle Club of Michigan is holding its annual horse show on Sunday, March -13. If you want to enter or would like transportation, call Beth Rosengrad, 665-6329. The show starts at 3 p.m. at Stoney Ridge Stables, Chelsea, Mich. * * * Thirty members of the Michi- gan band will add noise and spirit to the Wolverine NCAA efforts on Friday and Saturday nights. Led by George Cavender, the contingent wvill depart for Iowa City at 1 p.m. today. Yes, secretaies Many of them do. and it's a matter of record that becoming a seetary iS the betay to letrstrted n any fiel. Secretaries are needed everywhere-the better the job, the more skills and education are required. Gibbs Special Course for College Women lasts 8 months and includes complte echnical train. the cont ingnildesentalr buYnsssujets Free lifetime placement servlcL e eYouan executIve? It culd happen. Write College Dean for GIBBS GIRLS ATWOR K. SECRETARAL 21 Marlborough St., ROSTON, MASS. 02116 200 Park Ave., NEW YORK, N. Y. 10017 53 PlymouthSt., MONTChAIR,N.J.07042 77 5. AngelI St., PROVIDENCE, R. 1.02906 C;OUNSELORS WANTED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONAL CO-ED CHILDREN and TEENAGE CAMP in WAYNE COUNTY, PENNA. Several openings for experienced supervisors and counselors skilled in sports, archery, tennis, swimming, nature, music, and photography; also Specialists to work with new Teenage work and performing arts camp-in music (orchestra, a choral work), drama, film-making, carpentry and construction. Ethel Abrams, Exec. Dir. Interviewing on Friday, March 11 From 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. at Summer Placement Office CIVIL ENGINEERS want to live in Ann Arbor? CIVIL ENGINEERS WANTED BY THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR Salary $6,734 with B.S. and $7,410 with M.S. with rapid increases scheduled. The city of Ann Arbor offers security plus the finest municipal fringes benefit program in the state. All interested engineers are requested to contact the Personnel Dept., city of Ann Arbor, City Hall. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER PUTTING EVERY POWERFUL MUSCLE into one of 217 re- bounds, which he snatched this season, Michigan basketball Captain Oliver Darden shows what clearing the backboards is all about. Darden's rebounding efforts combined with 'a deadly jump shot to win him All-America recognition this season. WAA Crop and Saddle Club Holds Annual Horse Show major as an undergrad, he is planning to remain a student for at least a few years longer. But the money-makers in the key NBA cities know what they want, too! And they certainly know how to get it. Darden is considered one of the really good prospects in 1966: He would be the "perfect forward." The first of the serious feelers from the NBA have been coming in far awhile. "I have mixed feelings about the pros," Darden explains. "I feel this is one of the things that I have to face squarely. If I decide to play pro ball for one year, it'll become two, then three . . . and I don't think I can afford to stay out of school that long. I don't want to be side-tracked. Money Not Prime Concern "Money isn't a determining fac- tor here-it shouldn't be. I've nev- er had too much money, so I won't be missing much. Besides, that'll come later. "Right now I get my teaching certificate in April (he is present- ly student-teaching at Tappan Junior High School). And that should be enough." Chalk him up as a "profession- al-draft dodger." Experience Brings Impressions Three years of varsity basket- ball have resulted in impressions and opinions. There is no question in the senior's mind as to the nature of the game. "Obviously the main thing is to win," he says. "We don't practice five days a week for nothing. "Winning is fun. Losing is not. Really, how you play the game' is not the biggest thing in a per- son's mind no matter what he's doing. It comes naturally. We do anything that is legal to win." His idea of a "team" is a little different from the usual ones. It comes from first-hand observa- tion and experience. "I think, basically, that when you're'out there,' you're playing for yourself. That goes for all Triple Thick Shakes .. 22c 31 Delicious Hamburgers 15c 2000 W. Stadium Blvd. By GRETCHEN TWIETMEYER "We're the greatest riding club on this campus," quipped its presi- dent, Beth Rosengrad. That's not just because the Crop and Saddle Club recently moved its location to spacious, well-kept Stoney Ridge Stables or because it sponsors an annual horse show. It's because they're the only riding club on campus. The equestrians' big event of the year is their horse show, which is this Sunday at 3 p.m. They offer competition in 11 classes and award a grand championship tro- phy to the winner of the most total points in certain classes. Novel events, which don't count toward the trophy, are the pair class and the knock-down-and- out class, where the rider is elim- inated after he knocks down' a fence. And the 16-member drill team will put on an exhibition. The club itself, sponsored by the Women's Athletic Association, meets for two hours every week. But, says Beth Rosengrad, "Just because the WAA sponsors it peo- ple get the impression that it must: be for coeds. That isn't true, by any means." From 7 to 8 on Thursday nights the club offers open riding. In- struction is done by experienced members and the sponsor, Diane Albright. SPORTS NIGHT EDITOR: STEVE FICK The drill team, under the direc- tion of drillmaster Craig Adler, practices for the second hour. "The main problem with the club," concludes Beth, "is that most people don't even know it exists. But anyone is welcome to join, and any one connected with the University can participate in the show." Provided he can sit on a horse. 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