The Michigan Daily-Thursday, NoN
Page 12-Thursday, November 30, 1978-The Michigan Daily
MEET THE REST OF THE WOLVERINES:
Michigan player profiles
Talent pool
floo'ds over
The Big Ten will be tougher this year,
say the Big Ten coaches. Why? Because
of an influx of key players who weren't
around last year. Players likePhil
Hubbard at Michigan, who sat out last
year with a knee injury.
In addition, players like Derek
Holcomb at Iowa and Wes Matthews at
Wisconsin will be back after a year
layoff. Of course, there's still plenty of
familiar faces too-Earvin Johnson,
Mike Woodson, Kevin McHale, Joe
Barry Carroll and others.
In this story compiled by Gary Kicin-
ski and Dave Renbarger, the Daily
previews the Big Ten teams in order of
last year's finish.
Last Y
1. Michig
2. Indiana
Minnes
4. MICHII
I
There are only 12 players on Mich-
igan's basketball roster this season,
including three freshmen and five
sophomores. Both the rookies, led by
Thad Garner, and second-year men are
expected to see considerable action this
year, as the run-and-gun Wolverines
should be substituting more often.
Here is a rundown of the players not
featured elsewhere in this supplement,
including their backgrounds and Orr's
expectations of them, compliments of
Geoff Larcom, Brian Martin and Jamie
Turner.
I
34G-F Soph. Johnny Johnson 20 64
I
in Big
I
30
G Soph. Mark Bodnar
175 6-3
OHNNY JOHNSON
came to Michigan
last year as a highly-
touted recruit with star-
ting potential, but in-
stead gathered the most
splinters from the end of
the. bench this side of
Mike Robinson.
Last year's problems
have been labeled as
"attitudinal." Orr
maintains that Johnson
Johnny Johnson's Varsity Record:
Yr. G-S FG-FGA Pct. FT-FTA Pct. Ast. Reb. Avg. Ppg.
Fr. 20-0 29-59 .492 10-17 .588 10 16 0.8 3.4
never was in shape last
year, and told him to
consider transferring to
another school.
Frieder said that
Johnson never really
wanted to leave, but
Johnson says that "I
was gone. I was going to
either USC or Syracuse.
. . I don't know why I
changed my mind."
But Orr is sure glad he
did, as Johnson has
shown plenty of pre-
season promise, curren-
tly vying for a spot in
the starting lineup.
As coach of the champion
Michigan State Spartans, Jud
Heathcote is undeniably king
of Big Ten basketball. But the
wise-cracking coach is more
than willing to share the
throne with the princely Ear-
vin Johnson.
"If we have one advantage
e
2I
Ten
"Our big question is, 'C
we live without Mych
Thompson?"'
So says Minnesota coa
Jim Dutcher, who is fac
with the seemingly insi
mountable task of fielding
competitive team with
serniors and just two juniors
6.
7.
8.
9.
an
ial
ch
ed
ur-
a
no
.
ican
(.s
Thompson, as well
.TIT WOULD BE trite
to say that Mark
Bodnar started off the
season on the wrong
foot, since his left foot
was imbedded in a cast
for the first month of
workouts. As a result,
he is still working to
catch up to his team-
mates in the program.
His contribution to
this year's team is
dependent upon the
Mark Bodnar's varsity Record:
Yr. G-S FG-FGA Pet. FT-FTA Pct. Ast. Reb. Avg. Ppg.
Fr. 21-0 8-19 .421 2-3 .666 8 7 0.4 0.9
Purdue
Ohio St
Illinois
Iowa .
Northw
Wiscon
speed of his progress.
His high school career
runs parallel to his
brother Marty's
(naturally), and he
possesses largely the
same attributes and
abilities.
A hint to people who
want to tell them apart
this year, besides the
numbers on their jer-
seys; Mark shoots lef-
thanded while Marty
shoots right, and Mark
has a trace of a
mustache on his upper
lip. From there on,
yoI're on your own.
I
45
F 'Tr. Thad Garner
190 6-7
24
G Soph.
Marty Bodnar
175 6-3
F RIENDLY and
softspoken, Thad
Garner has nonetheless
taken the Wolverine
basketball program by
storm, impressing
coaches and teammates
alike with his hustle and
talent.
"Garner's a constant
worker, he dives for
loose balls and he has
great quickness," said
Orr. "He's a complete
player, he makes
everyone he plays with
look good."
Frieder also had wor-
ds of praise for the
Gary, Ind. product.
"Thad's not concerned
with shooting the ball.
He complements our
frontcourt well. Gar-
ner's ideal to put in with
McGee and Hubbard."
"I'm not a powerful
athlete," said the
modest Garner. "I try to
play an all-around game
and not ignore my
defense."
T HIS HALF of
twin brother
dem from Barber
Ohio posseses an
credibly consist
jump shot from
perimeter. Marty
nected on over 63
cent of ."his shots
year (14-22), to leas
Wolverines in field
percentage.
A Pct. Ast. Reb. Avg.1
.750 7 14 0.7
the sophomore guard will
tan- most likely see action as
rton, a substitute to pierce
n in- zone defenses with his
tent accurate jumpers.
the He had some trouble
con- last year adjusting to
per the running philosophy
last at Michigan. "My game
d the isn't quickness, but
goal smart defense and
The shooting," Marty said.
His shooting ability will
merit considerably
Ppg. more playing time than
P. last year's average of
4:18 minutes per game.
Thad Garner's Prep Highlights:
" averaged 21.2 points per game at Bishop Noll H.S.
in Hammond, lnd.
- averaged 12.9 rebounds per game
. named Honorable Mention Prep All-American
I
I
53 F-C Fr.
Marty Bodnar's Varsity Record:
Yr. G-S FG-FGA Pct. FT-FTA
Fr. 21-0 14!22 .636 9-12
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John Garris
Fr
THE TOP LEAPER mu
on the Wolverine we
squad John Garris aver- sin
aged 30 points and 15 re- m
bounds in his final year toi
of high school. Orr plans
to use the rookie at both so
forward and center this thi
season if the situation sa
arises. ab
"Garris is a tremen- m3
dous talent," said wi
6-9
195
over some of our Big Ten opponents, I think that
it's maybe because we're slightly better coached,"
Heathcote said. "That's because Earvin is helping-
me.
Heathcote has moved Johnson, last year's Big
Ten Player of the Year, out to a full-time guard spot
this year, and plans on letting him do everything on
offense. The coach called Johnson "the best
basketball player in the open court in all of
basketball," and that includes the pros.
But Johnson is only one-half of the superstar
combination that State boasts in the title defense.
The other is senior Greg Kelser, who Heathcote
called "one of the top five forwards in the country."
Add three more proven regulars like Jay Vincent,
Terry Donnelly and Ron Charles to the line-up, and
you've got the makings of another championship.
But MSU's weak link is its bench. "We have just
five kids on scholarship," says Jud the Joker. "The
rest of our kids alternate. We bring some
intramural kids out one day and some substitutes
and J.V.'s out the next day. We have nobody else on-
our squad that can play basketball."
As a result, Heathcote's "iron-man five" will see
plenty of action, and must keep away from foul
trouble. If they can do this and staying injury-free,
the other nine teams could be in trouble.
There are those who believe
that Indiana coach Bobby
Knight could take a team of N
rhesus monkeys and coach A t
them to an NCAA tournament A
bid..
Last year Knight, described
by many as a "coaching
genius," guided a team laden with freshmen and
sophomore to a 21-8 record and a second-place tie in
the conference.
That's not to say that Indiana's players; aren't
talented. The 1978-79 Hoosiers are again a young
team, featuring just two juniors and two seniors,
but are led by returning starters Mike Woodson and
Ray Tolbert.
Woodson, a 6-5, 195 junior, led the Hoosiers in
scoring and was fifth in the conference in both
scoring and field goal percentage, compiling 19.7
ppg and a 54 per cent shooting accuracy. Woodson
was named to, second-team All-Big Ten for the
second year in a row, and is well on his way toward
eventually becoming Indiana's all-time scoring
leader.
Sophomore center Tolbert impressed many
around the league with his play last year. Tolbert, 6-
9; 215, showed marked improvement during the
year, shooting only 34 per cent from the floor in the
pre-season, but progressing to a 50.3 percentage in
conference games while averaging 11.7 ppg.
With Wayne Radford and Jim Wisman gone, the
other starting spots are expected to be awarded to
guards Butch Carter and Tommy Baker and
forward Steve Risely, all of whom were part-time
starters last year. Three Indiana All-State recruits,
6-9 Landon Turner, 6-8 Ted Kitchell, and 6-5 Randy
Wittman, are expected to have an immediate
The loss of the All-Amer
The familiar faces in the
Purdue basketball program
belong to Joe Barry Carroll
and Jerry Sichting. Carroll is
the tallest center in the Big
Ten at 7-1 and used his height
to block 105 shots last year.
Sichting is the tenacious floor
general who directs the
offense.
The unfamiliar faces belong
ieder. "He's working
uch harder than a few
eeks ago. For John it's
mply a mater of
aturing and adjusting
our system."
"I've never had to run
hard in my life as in
is preseason," he
id. "I'll worry less
out scoring this year,
y biggest contribution
ll be rebounding."
arris was an
norable mention prep
I-American while at
assick H.S. in
ridgeport, Connec-
cut.
9
to the new coach,
as Osborne Lockhart and Dave Winey, has Dutcher
looking to returning juniors Kevin McHale and
James Jackson and a whole slew of
underclassmen-including a freshman class
generally acknowledged as the finest in the country.
"We'll have at least two starting freshmen, and
possibly three," said Dutcher. Leo Rautins, a 6-8
forward called the greatest player in Canadian
history, posted a 30 ppg average as a prep. As
impressive as that statistic is, the Gophers have
four more frosh phenoms with equally impressive
numbers. Guards Mark Hall (38 ppb.), Darryl
Mitchell (28 ppg.), guard-forward Trent Tucker
from Flint (29 ppg.) and center Gary Holmes (26
ppg.) round out what is sure to become the nucleus
of an outstanding team-with time.
Lee Rose, and the new people in the line-up that must
replace Walter Jordan and two other graduated
starters. This poses a large problem for the former
Charlotte coach-since none of his players have
indicated that they can do it.
"The young people that we will be depending on
certainly don't have the size nor the scoring
capability that he (Jordan) has," said Rose,
indicating that he can expect a short honeymoon in
theBig Ten.
Two years ago Ohio State
basketball coach Eldon Miller
went out and had the finest
recruiting effort in the nation,
seeking to re-establish the
game of. roundball at OSU.
Last year the fruits of labor
were very much apparent, but
obviously not ripened, as the
Buckeyes finished in the middle of the pack with a
9-9 slate.
This year, however, many Big Ten people figure
that Miller should be ready to make the harvest.
Instead of a starting line-up that contains four
freshmen and a sophomore, Miller can put some Big
Ten experience out on the court this season.
The elder statesman of the Buckeye starting
contingent is junior Kevin Ransey. a first-team All-
Big Ten choice last year. An excellent shooter and
penetrator, Ransey can throw OSU's offense into
high gear at any time.
The real jewel of the '77 recruiting season was 6-11
240-pound center Herb Williams. The big man is
expected to develop into one of the conference's top
pivotmen this year.
With Ransey and Williams plus soph sidekicks
like Carter Scott and Jim Smith, the Buckeyes could
be ready to make another substantial move up the
Looking for a pc
surprise team in the B
this winter? Try Illinois
Coach Lou Henson is
dent that his team is tt
one that Fighting Illir
have seen in the past d
Then again, he's not
confident that his '79
will be able to improve
conference finish.
"As good as we m<
"there are still four or fi
berated ahead of us."
With the addition of 6-
the Illini have the big
year. They also have
Johnson and Mark Sm
Neil Bresnahan and Lev
In last year's Bii
opener, Iowa's top all-
forward Bill Mayfield w
for the season with a
hand. This year May
back, stronger than ev
his frontcourt partner
Hargrave isn't. Hargra
Big Ten's leading reb<
last year, is out indefi
eligibility.
So Iowa coach Lute
stacked against him in
Big Ten's second divis
junior guard Ronnie
Conference selection a
quick Lester will be sup
Mayfield and Vince Bro
in the pivot. 6-10 JC trar
also help the Hawkeyes.
The Wisconsin Badge
counting on a talented
court tandem to improv
ninth-place standing
year ago.
Returning to the line
the Badgers is 6-1 soph
Wes Matthews, who w
Badgers leading score
season with a 14.5 aver
lems sidelined him earl)
Paired with Matthew
"Clyde" Gaines, who li
average (11.3) and as
Badgers are also exp
center Larry Petty,
summer.
John Garris' Prep Highlights:
" averaged 10.3 points per game atliassick H.S. in
Bridgeport. Conn.
" averaged 15.6 rebounds per game
" named Honorable Mention Prep All-American
G
ho
Al:
B
Br
tic
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First-year Northwe
coach Rich Falk mus
sometimes like he's los
forest when watching I
ball practice.
The Wildcats sport v
undoubtedly the tallesi
in the league, featuring
players at 6-7 or talle
tallest, 7-0 Brian Jung,
Arizona. "He is an excer
great mobility," said Fa
Other big fellas up
starting forwards Mike
Boesenl6-8.
Falk ought to quickly
capabilities, as the Wil
.North Carolina, Rice ane
-ta~ndings.~
- I
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