SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 1967
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
PAG REVEM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 1967 TIlE MICHIGAN DAILY PA(W ~I'V3~'M
1" ti u lci n rv "
V i
Michigan
Basketball
What
Almost
W as
*RON WILLIAMS
'Michigan Guard -1965-68'
By HOWARD KOHN of 1964. However, the scholarship
Ron Williams broke the racial rd tabled his application be-
Rron Williams bkesth rgial cause of low college board scores.
barrier on the West Virginia bas- "He'd taken the test on the Sat-
ketball team rather than break a urday morning after a big high
promise to his mother. school game and barely missed
Williams, an All-America pros- qualifying," explains Tom Jorgen-
pect who passed for more assists son, the other assistant coach
last year as a sophomore than any who's now at Northern Illinois.
West Virginia player since 1953, Williams agreed to retake the
test, but he also began examining
other college possibilities.
"The next two months were full
of indecision and tragedy for him,"
adds Jorgenson.
Alumni organizations, with zeal-
ous speeches fraught with "state
pride," beseiged Williams' home-
which was only 75 miles from the
West Virginia campus. West took
time out from the NBA to intro-
duce him to the highlights of the
blue-grass campus.
If You Read the News ...
k Even the West Virginia news-
x} papers crusaded for Williams to
{ M ,. stay at home.
.. Then, unexpectedly, his mother
died. "His last words to her were
a promise to attend West Vir-
ginia," tells Jorgenson.
Williams promptly signed an
athletic tender for the Moun-
taineers.
Shortly thereafter, Michigan re-
ceived his new test scores and
proceeded to offer him a Big Ten
athletic scholarship. "But, when
he told me that he'd already sign-
ed with West Virginia, I didn't
want him to cancel his agree-
ment," remembers Michigan head
was a nationally-touted player in coach Dave Strack.
the first integrated class of Moun- ae ad ck.
taineer basketball players. Cazzie and Co.
"Outside of Jerry West, he's "He had been very excited about
probably the best player we've the chance of playing with Cazzie
ever had," praises West Virginia and the other guys. Im sure that
coach Bucky Whaters. h e could have come,"
But Williams still remembers a declares Jorgenson.
bigger ambition. Williams averaged nearly 20
"Ever since he started high points per game last year and has
school, he'd planned on going to been pumping through over 20
Michigan," stresses' Jim Skala, ppg this season.
former assistant coach who help- "Of course, it doesn't really do
ed the Wolverines try to recruit any good to second-guess what
Williams. might have been. Looking back,
Big Game Hangover there have been several very tal-
Williams applied for a Michigan ented players who we tried to re-
athletic scholarship in the winter cruit but didn't choose Michigan
or who couldn't cut it. The play-
SPORTS NIGHT EDITOR: ers who finally came are the ones
JOHN SUTKUS who count," concludes Jorgenson.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN
'Michigani Center -1956-59'
By HOWARD KOHN "We last boys like Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain, who could because we wouldn't compromise
have filled up a large part of the our high academic standards to
Wolverine basketball vacuum in admit boys of outstanding athletic
the fifties, filled out his applica- ability," recalls Bill Perigo, Wol-
tion to Michigan in the fall of verine basketball coach between
1954. 1952 and 1960.
Clyde Vroman, director of ad-
missions, replied: "The commis-
sion on admissions has received
-Daily-Thomas R. Copi
LEW ALCINDOR
'Michigan Center - 1966-69'
By CLARK NORTON
What's T1%/ " tall, plays basketball, and has more press
clippings than there are scrapbooks to hold them?
Wrong, it's not two 312' midgets riding piggyback in a
newspaper office clipping all the crossword puzzles and shooting
paper wads into a wastebasket.
And you know it can't be Wilt Chamberlain. He's 1/2"
shorter. Besides, he already has another story about him on
this page.
Then who can it be but "Little Lew" Alcindor, the "Tower
from Power," "Super Dwarf," the star of stars at "Lew-CLA."
Egad. The name itself is enough to strike fear in the hearts
of 6'5" guards, and tears in the eyes of all-save one-college
basketball coaches.
Alas. That lucky coach is not one Mr. Dave Strack, pro-
tector of all that is righteous and just in the world, but evil-
hearted Johnny Wooden of UCLA, who reqruited Alcindor just
because he wanted to win basketball games. Everyone knows
all Michigan wanted to do was give him a good education.
But it is time the true story is told about how Mr.
Alcindor rejected the knowledge capital of the world for a
campus known only for its beautiful coeds, balmy weather,
and national championship basketball teams.
While a friend of mine and I were discussing the merits
of Mr. Alcindor in front of Elmo Morales, our New York
friend quietly looked up from his Zoo 101 textbook, acquired
a passive expression, and blurted, "That's 'Al-cin-dor,' not
'AI'cin-dor'."
At which point we asked indignantly how he knew.
"I know him," Elmo calmly answered, and went back
to reviewing the Krebs' Citric Acid Cycle.
Naturally no one believed him.
Spring brought the weekend of the annual Michigan basket-
ball banquet. A perfect time for introducing some fine young
men, all of whom happen to be over 6'5", to a fine campus, an
outstanding educational institution, and Cazzie Russell, not
necessarily in that order.
Alcindor had "made it known"-apparently through ESP or
osmosis-that he had narrowed his choice of lucky colleges
down to four-NYU, Holy Cross, UCLA, and (yippee) Michigan
Now this was Dave Strack's big chance to snow the schoolboy
phenom into realizing that Michigan was obviously his best
money (oops, poor choice-make that "bet"-oh, well, skip it).
And the sad tale begins. The same friend of mine, who
happened to be Elmo's roommate, was with me when early
Friday evening we overheard someone mention "I just saw
him in the lobby of the theater-he was a foot taller than
Dill!"
Three movies, of course, were blaring away at the time.
rwo were rather serious, well-made films, and one-at the
Michigan Theater-was named "Strange Bedfellows," a delight-
ful masterpiece of sex and slapstick starring those fine actors,
Gina Lollabrigida and Rock Hudson.
Naturally in an attempt to demonstrate the cultural atmo,9-
phere of the University, the new recruits were sent, accompan-
ied by Cazzie and the gang, to none other than "Strange Bed-
fellows."
After paying our $1.25 to get into the Michigan Theater
-on the hunch that that was the correct one-we began to
-Daily-Thomas R. Copi.
LEE LAFAYETTE
'Michigan Forward -1966-69'
search for someone we didn't imagine would be too hard to
miss. Our ulterior motive was, of course (chuckle) to con-
front Mr. Alcindor with the name of Elmo Morales in a
heartless attempt to embarrass our friend.
Overhearing Jorgenson telling someone "They're upstairs,"
my friend and I rushed up to the balcony. Immediately we
headed in the direction of a Cazzie Russell snicker, and we
found seats directly behind a group of rather high-headed
gentlemen. From what we could see of the movie, it reeked with
a passion, so when a shadow rose-rose-rose out of its seat in
front of me and headed downstairs, I felt no great loss at taking
chase.
The men's room brought no luck, so I forged my way to
the lobby. There, in all his splendor, stood three likely na-
tional championships, perhaps millions of dollars, and every-
thing a coach has ever dreamed of-in front of a coke machine.
"Fifteen cents? Who ever heard of charging 15c for a
grape?"
That's when I blew it. While a whole era of Michigan
basketball was arguing with a theater manager about a
nickle which he didn't have, I was nervously jingling change
in my pocket, hoping for only the opportunity to pose my
query. Alcindor darted off, thirsty and returning to a dry
movie, disillusioned by the world, and, what's more impor-
tant, Ann Arbor.
When Strange Bedfellows had run its course, everyone
managed to go their separate ways. Lafayette and Alcindor took
off with Buntin and Russell while Dill and Clawson entertained
others in the MUG. My friend and I returned to the Quad, never
expecting to view what seemed to be the Eighth Wonder of the
Modern World again.
Elmo's roommate greeted us with the information that
"Dave Strack called, wanting Elmo." Naturally we thought it
was a hoax, until, an hour or so later, Elmo walked into the
room with a smile from ear to ear.
"I'd like you fellows to meet a friend of mine, Lew
Alcindor," Elmo beamed. "And this is Lee Lafayette."
After Alcindor bent over noticeably to walk through the
door, and I had buried my palm in his, I managed to sputter
a weak, "How do you do."
It was a pleasant evening, but Lew appeared noticeably
disappointed. West Quad is not exactly the Ann Arbor Hilton,
and Alcindor didn't seem to cherish the possibility of lingering
in a similar pad for a whole year.
Neither was Elmo able to line Alcindor up with appropriate
social activity during his weekend stay. "Hey, Baby, where
are all the girls?" was a question that properly flummoxed Elmo.
Lafyette, however, is rumored to have spurned Michigan
because he thought Alcindor would, indeed, decide to come here.
Alcindor is obviously a very intelligent person, and shouldn't
have had much trouble making it through.
But something happened, very possibly that weekend,
to turn Alcindor's thoughts to the land of palm trees and
oranges.
Hopefully, to assuage our collective consciences, it had
nothing to do with lousy movies, lack of 6'9" coeds, a depressing
dormitory-or a 15c grape'drink.
But UCLA is on its way to a national championship now.
And it's not because they give green stamps.
Playing high school ball in the
slums of Philadelphia, Chamber-
lain dreamed of attending a Big
Ten school. One of his closest
friends, who was at Indiana, en-
tranced him with tales of Hoosier-
land superiority and The Stilt
first applied there.
Gotta Have Heart
Then, on a jaunt to see the
Michigan-Indiana football game,
he changed his mind and decided
on Michigan.
"He really wanted to come here.
Maybe for the same reason that
Cazzie did. He was impressed by
the desire of our players and he
knew he could help out," explains
Perigo.,
"There were easily a hundred
schools in the country who would
have taken him without question-
ing his academic record."
But both Michigan and Indiana
turned him down.
Disappointed by the refusals,
Chamberlain finally picked Kan-
sas. Disenchanted after three
years, he quit to free lance with,
the Globetrotters for a year. De-
stined for greatness, he's now cen-
ter for a pro team with' a 47-5
record.
He still fills out a size 16 shoe.
your application and I have the
following information to report. A
careful analysis of your high
school academic record to date in-
dicates that it falls well below the
level of students usually admitted
to the University of Michigan. ."
BIG TEN:
Spartans Drub Badgers
By The Associated Press
EAST LANSING - Michigan
State moved quickly into a 14-
point lead and then coasted the
rest of the game yesterday to de-
feat Wisconsin 68-61 in a Big Ten
basketball game played in spite
of the weather.
I I
,i
1[
Big Ten Standings
1
The Spartan attack was paced
by Steve Rymal, a junior guard,
who scored a career high of 21
points. Teammates Lee Lafayette
and Shannon Reading added 18
and 15 points respectively.
Michigan State held a 37-26
halftime lead.
A tight MSU defense held Wis-
consin's Chuck Nagle in check.
Nagle, who had been averaging
well over 20 points a game, was
held to 10 points. Joe Franklin led
the Badger scoring, with 11 points.
Wisconsin coach John Erickson
said his team played the "poorest
game in a long time--we turned
the ball over to Michigan State
too many times to be an effective
team."
You Can See a Previ of the
W L Pct.
Northwestern 3 0 1.000
Michigan State 3 1 .750
Indiana 2 1 .667
Wisconsin 2 2 .500
Illinois 2 2 .500
Ohio State 2 2 .500
Iowa 2 2' .500
Purdue 2 2 .50
Minnesota 1 4 .200
MICHIGAN 1 4 .200
Yesterday's Results
Michigan State 68, Wisconsin 61
Purdue 83, Minnesota 72
Ohio State at Northwestern,
postponed
Cazzie Named
Tops by Sport
Sport Magazine has honored
Cazzie Russell with its "Top Per-
former in College Basketball"
award for the year 1966 because
of his role in leading Michigan to
the Big Ten championship and an
NCAA tournament berth.
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