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 A FULL SERVICE MEXICAN RESTAURANT With DANCING NIGHTLY, presents Ann Arbor's Premier Discoteque All CHURCH ST.-NEAR SOUTH UNIVERSITY 995-5955 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 -----------------------------, I IMASPECIALISTS in I " Perms: Curly, Wavy, This month receive a I I & Relaxers 10% DISCOUNT I "Precision Cuts Q% DIServiTe _ oo on oll servitors I "Color "Color Correction FE Y " Facial & NailsWITH THISCUPON) I * Press & Curls WHICO N) I MON.SA T..9-7 Ann Arbor's Cornerstone of Beauty 311IWO Ubrty 994-5057 i... _ ,.. .._ ... _ .. _,.... _-_. - _-. - - ...-- - - -.. . 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 } a : iir