l 0 The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, February 14, 1979-Page 9 EYES BIG TEN'S, NCA A'S: Leaper Lattan aims B ByiyAhEtRENBADGERJMI ByDasr ER m Eghot b BRAD BENJAM Marty Bodnar's right thigh has been in the wrong place at the wrong time once too often, and Michigan's third guard is on the injured list as a result. Bodnar was hit in the exact same spot for the sixth time this season in the Wolverines' practice on Monday. This time the thigh is so sore that Bodnar almost certainly will not play against Northwestern tomorrow night. His status for the Michigan State rematch this Saturday remains questionable. Michigan trainer Dan Campbell-who officially diagnosed the bruise as a con- tusion-explained the situation. "With each succeeding hit, it keeps getting worse. Right now he can hardly bend his knee, which makes him more susceptive to a (serious) knee injury." After stressing that Bodnar's condition is a day-to-day thing, Campbell said, "Right now we're looking for him to play on Saturday (at MSU), and possibly for him to play on Thursday. But I wouldn't wager the farm on that." In the meantime, the hero from last Saturday's last-second victory over In- diana is receiving a variety of treatment. In fact, Bodnar carries an electrical ner- ve stimulator on his belt that is wired down to the bruise and delivers constant stimulation and hopefuly speed the recovery process. "The nerve stimulator changes the pain sensations to a pins and needles sen- sation," said Campbell, adding that ice and pressure treatment are also being used. Bodnar is at a loss to explain why he keeps getting hit in the same place. "If this was just the first time it's happened, it wouldn't be so sore," said Bodnar, while'watching yesterday's practice in street clothes. "I'm wearing a pad from how on. "Hopefully, after today's treatment, I'll have more range of motion in my knee and I'll be able to jog a little tomorrow. I sure couldn't play right now in this con- dition." By JOHN LIBBE In the classroom, Wolverine high jumper Mike Lattany is just your average.junior, majoripg in industrial design. But once on the track, Lattany suddenly transforms into (drum roll, please) Mr. Overachiever! You see, Lattany stands 5-7 from the tip of his toes to the top of the knit hat which he is perpetually wearing. Despite his size, Lattany has somehow managed to fling his body over a bar set at the height of 7-21/2. For all of you who flunked Subtraction 101, that means Lattany jumped 19 inches over his head. This feat has qualified Lattany for the NCAA Championships in March. Lattany's career in jumping has had its ups.and downs (pardon the pun). As a junion at Mount Clemens High School, he cleared 6-7%, but went straight downhill his senior year. "I had a pretty bad back injury and only went 6-2 in the state meet," said Lattany at a recent practice. Macomb Community College was the next stop for Lattany and suddenly as a freshman, he cleared seven feet- / in- ches. It was no accident, as he explains. "Number one, I had gotten my back injury straightened out through chiropractic visits. Secondly, Y wanted to go 6-9. I started out in August and trained harder than I ever did before, and I went consistently higher and higher." Encouraged by his success, Lattany looked for a bigger school to attend as a sophomore. He faced a slight problem in the fact that it is illegal to recruit freshman junior college athletes. This wasn't about to stop Lattany. He sub-, mitted resumes to different schools, stating his event and his highest jump. "I made the first initial contact. I sent six letters and got five responses. Michigan didn't offer a full ride, but their academic reputation influenced me," he said. Lattany is basically a self-taught jumper. "I never really had a high jump coach. I had a big desire to excel in my athletic endeavors." He also, "received input from other jumpers," especially while attending an Olympic Development training camp held at In- diana University. Like most jumpers, Lattany is a flop- per, meaning he clears the bar head fir- st while on his back. And like so many athletes today, Lattany has his own lit- tle quirks. "Some people go through little rituals. I'm no exception." Before he jumps, Lattany measures his steps, finds his mark and then slowly rocks back and forth. "I developed it myself. It helps me relax. and concentrate on the elements of the jumps." He starts his run when he "feels ready mentally to go through my approach to the jump." "I really don't worry about my com- petitors. My competition is the crossbar." Lattany has been one of the most con- sistent performers on the Wolverine team this year, and one of the reasons is fellow jumper Kevin Robbins. "I always jumped by myself in high school and at Macomb 'and my first year at Michigan. It was lonely prac- ticing by myself. It's nice to have a teammate to go to meets with you. "It's always an added incentive to have a teammate to help you out while jumping in meets. I'm looking forward to Kevin and I getting some points for the old Maize and Blue in the Big Ten meet." Lattany is one to set goals for him-' self. "This year I'd like to pop a 7-4. 'Each inch at this phase is much har- der." "I'd like to go to the Olympic trials. I'll train harder in the summer for the 1980 Olympic season. As of right now, I can't say I'll have a really good shot. But with the knowledge I have acquired I hopeto season.' Oh y ously, L while ju It's anoi "It'sn wearing high sck high v be better next season than this es, the hat. As mentioned previ- attany wears this knit hat, even lumping in meets. The reason? ther one of his quirks. my good luck charm. I've been' it since I was a sophomore in hool." University of Michigan Dept. of Recreational Sports Intramurals _.. /.__ ,4J. Cross Country Ski Meet * FEBRUARY 18th (Sunday) * FULLER ROAD FIELD * NOVICE RACE-I1:30 p.m.-2.5 miles or 4 kilometers * ADVANCED RACE-2:15 p.m.-5 miles or 8 kilometers * Open to Students & User Pass Holders * REGISTER: Intramural Sports Bldg. (606 E. Hoover) or at the Race For Information-Jan Wedls-763-1313 SPOR TS OF THE DAIL Y Staub gives NEW YORK Rusty Staub, the American League's leading designated hitter last season and one of the steadiest hitters in baseball, may be "forced to leave the Tigers" if team of- ficials don't satisfy his need for finan- cial security. "I'd like to make it clear that I'm not threatening to quit," Staub said from his New York restaurant. Staub, who hit 24 homers and drove in 121 run§ last year, has two years SOPH SHRUGS OFF SLUMP Mc Gee tries new image ultimatum remaining on a three-year contract that pays him $200,000 per season. Rather than demand renegotiation, though, Staub simply wants an extension of the pact to provide some long-range security. "I'm not asking them for $800,000 a year, although my statistics say I rate it," Staub said. "I'm being intelligent and reasonable about the whole thing, but Mr. Campbell is not willing to negotiate." Staub added that he has several of- fers in the restaurant business that could provide him with "seven-figure deals." "I just want a solid base," Staub said. "I'd much prefer to play baseball in Detroit but I'll have to accept those business offers if the Tigers won't bend. I can play for another five seasons and I only want some kind of guarantee." -UPI Ali farewell PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis will fight an exhibition match at the Civic Center on March 12 as part of what is billed as the champion's farewell tour, a promoter said yesterday. Ali, who regained his crown for an unprecedented third time last year, also has signed for five-round exhibition bouts in Hartford, Conn., and Buffalo, N.Y., next month. Ellis, once Ali's sparring partner, formerly held the World Boxing Association title. Ali is currently recognized as champ by the WBA. -AP PLAY CUPID! Remember Feb. 14, and Your Sweetheart WITH A VALENTINE'S D TEST flNXIOUSM Blocking On An Exam?, Making Stupid Mistakes On Tests? WE CAN HELP As of February 14th there are only 22 places left in our Test Anxiety Reduction Program. For more information contact: 763-6311 or 764-8567 or come to K 103 West Quad. Program under the direction of Dr. James Papsdorf AY CARD By DAVE RENBARGER Mike McGee has changed his image. Perhaps not by his own choice, the Wolverines have a new McGee on their hands. As a rookie last year, McGee quickly made a name for himself around the conference. Relying strictly on his in- credible quickness and his accurate outside jumper, McGee scored more points than any freshman in Big Ten history. THIS YEAR has been a different story. Oh, the quickness is still there, and it's becoming more obvious with each passing game. But McGee's shooting touch mysteriously vanished sometime last December, and, try as he might, he cannot seem to locate it. In his search, McGee has apparently discovered that the game of basketball is more than a two-team, run-and-shoot competition. Accordingly, the sophomore from Omaha has been con- centrating on things like defense and rebounding lately, and the results have been encouraging. A new image is born. McGee's shooting woes have reached the acute stage. At Purdue he went 7- for-20, at Northwestern he was 3-for-14, and against Illinois two weeks back, he could manage no better than 10-for-27. In 12 Big Ten games, McGee has yet to hit more than half of his shots., and his percentage is an almost embarrassing .402. DESPITE THESE statistics, McGee maintains he's not in a slump, but one gets the distinct impression that even he's not so sure. "I'm not really slumping," he said more than once yesterday at practice. "I can score when I want to. .My shooting's not really off." No more than two minutes later, the SCORES NBA Cleveland 117, Los Angeles 111 New Jersey 111, Kansas City 102 Denver 104, Chicago 94 NHL N.Y. Islanders 6, Colorado 1 One of the interviewer wondered aloud if McGee's flourishing defensive and rebounding prowess could possibly be a by-product of his shopting frustration. His response was simple: "If you can't shoot, you gotta do something." HE CONTINUED., "I averaged 19 points a game last year and this year my shooting's been off and I'm still averaging, whatever (21.2 ppg). I don't call that a slump." McGee uses the rationale that his im- proved overall play makes up for his shooting drought, and here he's cer- tainly got a point. Barely 6-5, he's still the second-leading rebounder on the team and few defenders have been able to prevent him from scoring when he gets the ball underneath. Not many players draw more cheap fouls than McGee, and he has an uncanny knack for rebounding his own missed shots. So McGee can no longer be thought of as a pure gunner, and all these charac- teristics make up a part of his new image. But a good chunk of the n-w Mike McGee can be observed in his defensive work. Last Saturday against Indiana, for example, he made one big defensive play after another, coming up with four steals. BUT THERE ARE still plenty of rough spots to iron out before McGee is really a complete player. His great quickness becomes his own worst enemy at times, resulting in frequent traveling violations. "Sometimes I get to be going too fast," he admitted. "Once I get started, it's hard to slow down sometimes." If he can keep himself under control, McGee's value to a fast-breaking team is tremendous. And if Michigan's offen- se could only break as fast as it used to, it would be a lot easier to overlook his erratic shooting. "We ran more last year and that's more my game," McGee said. "I can get a lot of baskets in the transition game." ASSISTANT Coach Bill Frieder agreed. "So much of his game depends on running, and we just haven't been running well this year," Frieder said. "Then most of the other teams key on McGee. They sag on him in the man-to- man and when he drives, they peel off on him." All things considered - the missed shots, the steals, the travels and the rebounds - McGee isn't down on him- self. "I'm satisfied with the things I've been doing," he said. 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