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November 28, 1979 - Image 7

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1979-11-28

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

e B S . .full court
Y _PRES
Blue feasts ..
. . . will they continue?
By STAN BRADBURY
' .WINDSOR, WHO WAS destroyed by Michigan 135-75 Monday night at
Crisler Arena, might be a joke to the fans but the Wolverine players
a and coaches take the game very seriously. It serves a very useful purpose,
I bven though it's just an exhibition game, and Coach Johnny Orr said he ;
would like to continue to open the year with the Lancers from across the
Detroit River.
And, in all seriousness, it is possible to look at the lopsided contest
agaisnt an inferior team and really get a good look at what the Wolverines
are going to be like this season.
No-they're not going to score in triple figures every game and they'll
probably never come very close to doubling an opponent's score the remain-
der of the season. But through the layups, dunks, brilliant passes, and easy
steals the die hard Michigan fans who showed up for the game got a good
look at the upcoming season.
Michigan had their weak points and they had there strong points against
the 0-5 Lancers, currently on a six game exhibition tour against major
colleges in the States. By no means were the Wolverines invincible over the
much smaller Windsor team, as evidenced by the Lancers' 75 points.
"I think it showed us exactly what we expected. We were quick, good
shooters, not really that good on defense and inconsistent rebounding," Orr
said. Orr and his crew got a most valuable look at the Wolverines in game
situations as all twelve players were on the floor for at least ten minutes and
they all scored.
They shall return
Michigan assistant coach Bill Frieder said, "For our purposes at this
' time of the year it's (Windsor) a super game for us." Both Orr and Windsor
coach Dr. Paul Thomas are looking forward to putting the Lancers on the
schedule next year, making it the third year in a row for the post-
Thanksgiving feast. Last year, in the first meeting between the two team,s
Michigan won by a similar score of 128-77.
Of the play exhibited by the Wolverines, it was the 'new' Mike McGee
who stood out the most. McGee is now a total team player-Orr and the other
players will agree to that. McGee can do it all.
Monday night he was passing, rebounding, working on defense, and, as
always, scoring. But what was most impressive about McGee was his shot
selection improved tremendously over last year and his field goal accuracy
- was 79 per cent (19 out of 24) en route to his 43 point performance. All this is
only a little more than a half of the game.
Thomas said, "McGee is the best we've seen all year. The thing about
McGee is his first step-the first step on his drive is so quick he's just by
everybody. It's almost like he can do anything he wants out on the court."
Thomas was also very impressed with the whole Michigan team. He said
that they were by far the best of the American teams they have played, in-
cluding Central Michigan, Nebraska, and Utah.
Blue lookin 'good
The Wolverines play CMU Dec. 3. "I'll be surprised if they don't beat
'CMU quite easily," said Thomas. "I think that they are going to surprise an
' awful lot of people in the conference this year. I just think they're a better
,z team than last year."
Also showing well for the Wolverines were Thad Gardner, Marty Bod-
,nar, Keith Smith, Johnny Johnson, John Garris, and Ike Person.
Gardner was the hustler of last year from his starting forward position
which he also held at the beginning of last season. The sophomore hit on five
mfseven fld goals ' gging eight boards and dishing out five assists.
B. } Anar, staing arnd Johnson each tallied ten points with high
3ccuracy from the fie .s also had three assists.
and Garris, who played behind Paul Heuerman at center, put in more time
and points than all last season combined. The sophomore tallied 11 points on
-a five of six effort from the field while hitting one of two from the charity
; 'stripe.
Person may have been the surprise of the game as the freshman grab-
bed a game high 15 rebounds and scored nine points. Joe James, another
freshman, added nine points and four rebounds for the Wolverines.
Smith, who did not start in favor of team co-captain Mark Lozier, was
4impressive not only at his old tricks of passing and ball handling but also at
scoring. He was second on the team in points with 14.
. Michigan, as a team, looked good against Windsor because it played well
in most areas, not because Windsor was inept. Michigan showed something
Monday night. They showed they have a lot more talent than they are given
credit for. They showed they have a good basketball team.
But good enough to be competitive in the Big Ten? Nobody knows.

The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, November 28, 1979-Page 7
CONFIDENCE MA Y BE A KEY

illinois
By ALAN FANGER
First in a nine-part series
To the Big Ten basketball writers
and broadcasters, it is simply termed
"the skid." It tends to be the focus of
any conversation about the Illinois
basketball team. It's also something
Illini coach Lou Henson and his players
would rather forget.
Nevertheless, Henson is able to speak
with restraint about a 1978-79 campaign
which saw the Illini drop 11 of their last
15 games after they had surprised
everyone by winning their first 15 con-
tests.
"I THINK INJURIES had something
to do with it. I think playing in a great
league had a lot to do with it," said
Henson at the annual Big Ten press
conference Sunday. "Also, I think
losing hurt us because we lost some
confidence. I think in order to play this
game you have to be confident."
Henson's point is borne out by some
rather disheartening statistics. Only
two Illinois players, Mark Smith and
Eddie Johnson, possessed a scoring
average in double figures. In their last
five games, the Illini failed to hit on
more than 40 per cent of their field goal
attempts. And in only three conference
games did they have a playerwho
scored more than 20 points.
With those figures firmly implanted
in his mind, Henson is out to avert
another mid-season collapse. All five of
last year's starters return to the lineup,
while guard Reno Gray is back after
sitting out a year of academic
ineligibility.
THE REFRESHING personnel
situation has prompted Henson to put a
quicker team on the court. Gray, a fine
ballhandler, will be the "quarter-
backing guard," while sharpshooter
Rob Judson (50.6%) moves to a
playmaking position in the backcourt.
Henson also shifted the 6-7 Smith to a
forward spot, his more natural position,
in hopes of further enhancing his
squad's quickness.

primed
For the next two or three weeks,
however, the Illini will be without its of-
fensive catalyst, 6-11 center Derek
Holcomb. The junior pivotman
sprained an ankle in practice last week,
thus forcing sophomore James Griffin
into the middle. As a result, Henson's

to bounce back

game, a mark well above their
averages last year.
"It's not that he's holding us back
from scoring 20 points a game," said
Johnson. "Last year, if I'd hit 50 per
cent of my shots, I would have
averaged 20. If we get down the team
I think injuries had
something to do with it
(illinois losing 1 1 of its
last 15 games). I think
pla ying in a great league
had a lot to (o with it.
Also, I think losing hurt us
because we lost some con-
fidence. I think that in

The Big Ten:
Basketbyll
Battleground
owners of a rarely-publicized statistic,
field goal defense percentage. Opposing
teams managed to hit for a composite
clip of only 40.4 per cent against them.
Henson can also rest easy knowing
his squad's situation down the bench.
The Illini have exceptional depth, par-
ticularly in the frontcourt, where 6-6
seniors Neil Bresnahan and Levi Cobb
combined for 13 points and 12 rebounds
a game. And freshman Kevin Bontem-
ps has looked quite impressive in the
backcourt.
"Right now he's probably the best
ballhandling guard as far as running
the ball club," said Henson. "He's
coming along defensively but he's not
as strong as the other players."
Early on, the Illini should discover
which of last season's two faces fit
them. After opening at Brigham Young
Friday night, they face a nonconferen-
ce schedule which includes Marquette,
Missouri, and Long Beach State. That's
enough to send any team on a (hush-
hush) skid.

order to

plav this garne

. i
you have to be conjident.'
-Lou Henson
sammaammmessomassma~~WAmmsmemmesiseesmln

pre-season offensive plans have been
set back.
Holcomb, who transferred from In-
diana two years ago, is considered an
excellent defensive player-in one
game against South Carolina, he
blocked 11 shots. Henson now wants his
big man to perform at the other end of
the floor.
"OUR OFFENSE revolves around
getting him (Holcomb) the ball," said
Henson. "Last year he'd get the ball
and he wasn't aggressive offensively as
we felt he should be. We think he's a
pretty good offensive player. He just
needs to be concerned about scoring."
But Holcomb isn't expected to
provide all of Illinois' scoring punch.
Henson said Smith and Johnson are
capable of scoring 15 to 18 points a

concept, and get the penetrating guard
this year, a player might blossom into a
20-point scorer.,,
WHILE POINT production is a sore
spot for Henson, defense certainly isn't.
The Illini last season were proud

SPORTS OF THE DAILY

Knicks edge Pistons
By The Associated Press

Grapplers wrestle to
deadlock with MSU
By K. ANTHONY GLINKE
Michigan's Nemir Nadhir and Steve Fraser, wrestling at 167 and 190 respec-
tively, scored the only pins, but it was not enough as the strength of Michigan
State's lower weights carried them to an 18-18 tie.
The Blue grapplers started slow as 118 pound freshman Tom Davids dropped a
close decision to State's Tony Uhlmann 7-5. Davids led4-1 after the first period but
could not sustain his advantage. At 126 it was all State as captain Jeff Thomas beat
two-time state champ Larry Haughn from Traverse City, 9-4. Haughn was redshir-
ted last year as a freshman and is currently filling in for the injured Jim Mathias.
Another freshman, Bob Siar started the Wolverines on their winning ways at
134 with a tough win over former Lansing Eastern star, Gary Crump. Siar escaped
twice and gained one penalty point to outscore Crump 3-1. At 142, State's Jeff
Therrian outpointed Mark Pearson 7-2. Therrian, also from Eastern, led all the
way through the match and is touted as a heavy contender in both the Big Ten and
the NCAA.
IN ONE OF THE night's most exciting matchups Michigan's Lou Joseph beat
off a late surge by a determined Dave Rodriguez. Joseph led 6-1 at the end of the
second period, but Rodriguez began working his upper body in a series of severpl1
spectacular throws. When the smoke had cleared, the final score stood at Joseph
10, Rodriguez 8. ,
Steve Fraser, everybody's preseason All-American, gave the crowd what it
came for with a sound trouncing and eventual pin of State's Mark Severn. The fall
came with one minute and 32 seconds left in the third period. The Michigan cap-
tain was clearly in command as he led 14-3 at the time of the pin.
The Wolverines.now go on the road for two weeks to compete in the Penn State
Invitational, a dual meet with perennial power Lehigh.

NEW YORK - Ray Williams scored
26 points including five in overtime, to
lead the New York Knicks to a 116-114
National Basketball Association vic-
tory over the Detroit Pistons last night.
WIlliams scored five points in the last
3:57 of regulation play, then opened the
overtime with a three-point play and a
basket to put the Knicks ahead to stay.
Rookie Center Bill Cartwright added
23 points for the Knicks, who posted
their fourth victory in the last five star-
ts.
James McElroy had three baskets
and an assist as the Pistons broke to a
13-3 lead in the first 4:17. They extended
the margin to 46-28 midway through the
second quarter before the Knicks
reeled off 13 straight points and closed
the gap to 53-49 at halftime.
A layup by Cartwright and two
baskets by Ray Williams gave New
York its first lead of the game at 55-53.
But after an exchange of baskets,
Detroit outscored the Knicks 23-6 over
five minutes to regain control. Forward
Terry Tyler scored nine points in that
surge, which gave the Pistons a 78-63
lead.
The Knicks later responded with a 23-
4 burst, Michael Ray Richardson
scoring nine points and rookie Sly
Williams getting eight as New York
moved in front 92-88 with 8:08 to play.
Bob McAdoo scored nine points in the
next 7:17 for the Pistons, tying the score
105 with a free throw with 51 seconds to
play. A basket by Hollis Copeland with
37 seconds left put New York in front,
but two free throws by McElroy with 21
seconds left sent the game into over-
time.

It was the ninth consecutive road loss
for the Pistons, who got 26 points from
McElroy and 23 from McAdoo.
-AP
Red Wings 5, Ha bs 5
DETROIT - Guy Lafleur scored two
goals and assisted on another as the,
Montreal Canadiens rallied from a 4-0
deficit to tie the Detroit Red Wings15-5
in National Hockey League play
Tuesday night.
Detroit posted a four-goal barrage in
the first period. Peter Mahovlich
scored at 2:54, Vasclav Nedomansky
hit the nets at 4:43, Mike Foligno scored
a power-play goal at 13-44 and Dennis
Polonich tallied 21 seconds later.
The Canadiens replaced goalie
Michel Larocque with rookie Richard
Sevigny in the second period and the
game changed drastically. Lafleur
finally put the Canadiens on the board
with his 19th tally of the season at
14:15.
Rejean Houle and Pierre Larouche
each scored early in the final period to
cut the Montreal deficit to 4-3.
Nedomansky got his second goal on a
Detroit power play at 11:21, but Lafleur
answered with his 20th goal at 17:20 and
defenseman Serge Savard got the
equalizer 40 seconds later to give the
Canadiens, who also hit the Detroit goal
post five times, the deadlock.
A crowd of 16,117 fans, largest of the
season, showed up to watch the
Canadiens play their final game again-
st the Red Wings in 50-year-old Olympia
Stadium, which the Wings vacate Dec.
27.

_ __

-MOPES HIGH FOR MOSCOW TRIP:

Donakowski
By JOHN FITZPATRICK under-the-table pa
He's one of the best distance runners the best runners a
in the country, and was as fine a track- four thousand doll
man as Michigan has ever produced - Donakowski.
yet Billy Donakowski's high school The tour did not
never had, and still doesn't have, a for him: "We were
track. "My high school was never big before the first me
on track," he says. customed to the tim
Donakowski has just completed his we were to leave fo
most prolific season of racing since his that my passport h
graduation from Michigan in 1978; a U.S. embassy was c
season which produced times such as to wait till the ne
4:05 in the indoor mile, 13:32 for 5,000 really screwed up,
meters, and a 28:13.9 for 10,000, good stadium with only
for fourth place behind American and about 20 minut
record-holder Craig Virgin's 27:59 at figured I might as
the Penn Relays last April. "It was spite of everything.
rainy and cold - a runner's dream," "Giving it a try'
says Donakowski of that race. "Virgin best of 13:32 for
sort of took off by himself from the 5,000, in back of
start. I lost contact for a little while, but medalist Rod Dixoi
came on fast at the end." - a real surprise," sa
This regular stream of quality marks Overall, Donako'
s characteristic of Donakowski's with the status
areer of steady improvement. After Europe. "It was te
coming to Michigan as a 9:15 prep two 10,000 people out to
miler he qu'ickly established a on Tuiesday nights.
reputation as an aggressive, com- a band to keep ev
petitor, finishing sixth in the Big 10 before the meet. So
cross-country championships. After a televised; when the
successful senior year which included a assumed that the
fourth place finish in the NCAA indoor working knowledge
-two mile, Donakowski now runs for the like in the U.S. whe
New York Athletic Club as he pursues a has to be explained.
BS in engineering at Michigan to Like all wor
augment his degree in architecture. Donakowski is ai
This past summer saw the ex- Olympics; "I'm g
Wolverine take his first European track the Olympic team
,tour; "Nike started the whole thing, year. It's a tough e

aim
yments: "Some of
are getting three or
ars a race," noted
begin auspiciously
e in London a week
et in Oslo, to get ac-
ne change. The night
or Oslo, I discovered
had been stolen; the
closed then, so I had
xt day. Things got
and I made it to the
four hours of sleep
es before my race. I
well give it a try, in
meant a personal
Donakowski in the
f Olympic bronze
n's 13:18. "That was
id Donakowski.
wski was impressed
accorded track in
rrific! They'd have
watch races, even
One time, there was
veryone entertained
ame of the meets are
ey televise races it's
e viewers -have a
e of track, it's. not
re every little detail
ld-class runners,
ming for the 1980
oing to try to make
in the 10,040 next
vent:- a grueler --

s at Olympic goal
Virgin has run a 2:14 marathon, Dick you off."
Quax of New Zealand, 5,000 meter The far-off future does not weigh
silver medalist in the Montreal Olym- heavily on Bill Donakowski, though. His
pics, has run 2:11, and recently 10,000 training and racing is now geared to
meter man Mark Smet of Belgium ran one race in Eugene, Oregon this spring
2:10 in his first 26-miler. The marathon in the Olympic Trials, a race which he
isn't for Donakowski, though: "I'm too hopes will provide a two-way ticket to
quick!" he laughs. "It just wouldn't be Moscow as a member of the U.S. Olym-
worth it. I'm better suited for the 5,000 pic team.
and 10,000."
Donakowski's plans after 1980 are SCO RES
hazy: "I might try a few road races if NBA
I'm still competing." Is there a chance New York 116, Detroit 114
he'll give up serious running? "Maybe. Denver 96, Washington 91
Track is a very narcisstic type of sport. New Jersey 118, Milwaukee 93
A lot of the better runners are very Buffalo 5, Boston 2
aloof, very competitive. I can remem- Philadelphia 6, Hartford 2
ber during the track tour, me and some
of the guys who I'd raced against or The ATHLTES SHOP
were in events similar to mine would be
playing poker. They'd be trying hard to GUTS RUNNING TOPS
beat me; it was like they were trying to $15.00 value-only $9.95
get me not only on the track but in a
game of cards! People like that turn 309 S. State

ADVANCE TICKETS available
at the .Michigan Union.
Schoolkids and Where-
house Records. Recordland
in Briarwood " and Second
Chance.

Thrill to the excitement of an
Elega nt LSCCTHE114JE
U\
/ 7 ' 11-

III

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