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Page 2-Saturday, December 6, 1980

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Waiting game
is finally over

The Michigan Daily-Soturday, D
National Preview
SampsonVirginia tabbed ci

or 'new
By DREW SHARP
Bill Frieder has finally landed the
only job he has ever wanted. After ser-
ving seven seasons as Johnny Orr's
right hand man, the Saginaw native has
taken over the Michigan basketball
reins and will guide the team through
the tough Big Ten season.
"Realistically, it's going to be tough
to win the conference," said the 37-
year-old Frieder. "So we're really
shooting for the NCAA tournament."
However, the road to the March ex-
travaganza is paved with many ob-
stacles for the Wolverines. Not only are
the conference clubs tougher than last
year, but there is also concern surroun-
ding Michigan's overall personnel.
FRIEDER SAYS that he likes to have
the nucleus of last year's team coming
back, although that team finished sixth
in the Big Ten. He also feels that the
Wolverines claimed one of the finer
freshman classes in memory, even
though he doubts most of them would
make a serious contribution this year.
"The kids returning from last year's
team gives us stability in practice and
they do provide a great deal of leader-
ship," continued Frieder. "But they're
back from a team that finished in the
middle of the pack last year so there is
quite a bit of room for improvement.
"Our freshmen are highly publicized,
but it is a big jump from high school
ball to the Big Ten so that means that

coach
more of a teacher than Coach Orr and
with the number of freshmen on the
team, he has to teach the basics to these
guys.''
Before coming to Ann Arbor in 1973,
Frieder had built a remarkable
coaching record in three years at Flint
Northern High School. His teams won
two Class A state championships, put
together a 37-game winning streak (still
the record for the longest streak by a
Class A team in Michigan) and had an
overall record of 65-9. For his efforts, he
was awarded the Detroit News' Coach
of the Year honor in 1972 when his team
went 25-0 and won its second con-
secutive state title.
SEVERAL OF Frieder's flint Nor-
thern players went on to star in college
basketball, namely the Wolverines,
Wayman Britt and the late Terry
Furlow at Michigan State.
Although Frieder is a little skeptical
about this year's talent, he is pretty
sure about who will play major roles in
the team's fortunes.
Junior co-captain Thad Garner and
senior Mike McGee will take the for-
ward spots, Heuerman will anchor the
middle and senior Johnny Johnson
along with one of the Bodnars, Mark or
Marty, will fill out the backcourt
positions. Some improvement is expec-
ted from sophomores: Ike Person, Joe
James and Leo Brown, but the eyes of
Ann Arbor will be focused on what kind
of contribution heavily recruited


By GREG DeGULIS
The perennial argument of who's
number one in big-time college
athletics has kindled thousands of
heated barroom discussions and college
basketball is no exception. Unlike foot-
ball, however, college basketball is
blessed with a season-ending tour-
nament to foreclose any doubts about
who is the best in the land. The teams
most likely to appear as favorites in the
48 team NCAA tourney follow:
In the Pac-10, the motto of "the more
things change, the more they stay the
same" held true last season as sur-
prising Oregon State captured the
league crown while fourth place UCLA
ended up in the NCAA finals.
OREGON STATE, coming off an ex-
cellent 26-4 record last year, returns
pre-season All-American 6-10 center
Steve Johnson to lead the Beaver at-
taack. Johnson averaged 17.1 ppg while
shooting at an NCAA record of 71 per
cent. Complementing Johnson is 6-8
freshman Charles McMinnwille, touted
by many as the best prep cager to
emerge out of Oregon.
Right on the Beavers' tail looms the
awesome tradition of UCLA. The
Bruins ventured from fourth in Pac-10
to second in the nation mainly on the
lightning quickness of sophomore
guards "Rocket" Rod Foster (11.5 ppg)
and Michael Holten (5.1). Also retur-
ning to offset the loss of strong reboun-
ders Kiki Vandeweghe and Gig Sims
are sophomore Darrin Daye (6-7) and
prep All-Americans 6-3 Ralph Jackson
and 6-8 Kenny Fields, both from the Los
Angeles area.
Moving east to the Middle Atlantic
states, the roundball intensity of UCLA
can be found in both the SEC and the
ACC. In the light of college basketball
tradition, Kentucky is endowed as well
as any school in the nation.
THIS YEAR the Wildcats will be tur-
ning frequently to 'the big man,' 7-1
sophomore center Sam Bowie, a
preseason All-American selection.
Bowie (12.9/8.1) is flanked by some of
the best raw talent around in guard
Dirk Minniefield, 6-6 forwards Derrick
Hord and Charles Hurt. Sliding into the
shoes of departed Kyle Macy is 'Mr.
Basketball in Indiana,' freshman Jim
Master.
Another loaded SEC team to look for
is unpredictable LSU. The Tigers
return four regulars to a team which
compiled a 26-6 record and a number
two ranking from UPI. Although
DeWayne Scales opted for the NBA, the
Tigers can boast of 6-7 leaper Durand
Macklin (17.6/9.7) and 6-7 frosh Lear-
nard Mitchell (32.0/18 in high school).
Returning to the 'Bluegrass state,'
who can forget defending NCAA cham-
pions Louisville Cardinals? Despite the
loss of all-universe Darrell Griffith, the
31-3 Cards retain the beefy front line of
Rodney McCrae (6-7, 220), Wiley Brown
(6-8, 220) and Derick Smith (6-6, 205). 6-
9 Scooter McCray, who possibly will
play guard, has returned this year to
bolster the Cardinals' prospects for
1980-81.
INCHING FURTHER to the East and
South lies the self-proclaimed "hotbed
of college basketball," the ACC. This
eastern coast conference sent five
teams to the NCAA's and the winner of
the NIT in Virginia, who beat Michigan
o mn nhequaerfinala. -olh - -..
To marny. Maryland should head up

the country. Sampson's statistics last
season, were at best, barely impressive
(14.9/11.2), but as the NIT proved, he
will dominate the immediate future.
Flanking Sampson is a fine suppor-
ting cast which will lead Virginia to the
national title. All-ACC guard Jeff Lamp
(6-6, 17.4 ppg), 6-3 Jeff Jones and 6-5
Lee Baker are all experienced seniors
hungry for that number one status.
Leaving the Appalachians behind for
the flatter Midwest, four teams emerge
as legitimate contenders for the
mythical national crown, two indepen-
dents from the Chicago area and one
from the Big Eight.
LEADING THE independents is, of
course, Chicago's favorite team, the
Blue Demons from DePaul. Superbly
coached by the 'grand old man' of the
game in Ray Meyer and possessing last
season's college player of the year,
Mark Aguirre, beware of DePaul.
Aguirre (26.8 ppg), Clyde 'the Glide'
Bradshaw (10.5), sophomores Terry
Cummings (14.2) and Teddy Grubbs
(7.8), and junior Skip Dillard (12.0)
comprise an awesome array of talent.
An hour from DePaul, in South Bend,
Notre Dame possesses an Irish whiskey
still full of talent beginning with the
front line. Everybody's least favorite
All-American Kelly Tripucka
(18.0 ppg), Tracy Jackson (15.1) and
Orlando Woolridge (12.2) make up a
solid threesome. At guard, sophomore
John Paxson will try to help Irish fans
forget Rich Branning, but nobody will
be capable of filling the defensive shoes
left by Bill Hanzlik, the graduated
wizard on 'D.'


prove on
pleting a f
Curtis Bez
junior Ric
Tigers sol
might see

Mar
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... Cavalier kingpin

List of Wolverine Coaches
W L Pct.

Rounding
the Misso
football-do
preseason
Steve Stir

G. D. Corneal (1908-09)
Elmer Mitchell (1917-18)
E. J. Mather (1918-28)
George Veenker (1928-31)
Frank Cappon (1931-37)
Bennie Oosterbaan
(1937-46)
Osborne Cowles (1946-48)
Ernie McCoy (1948-52)
Bill Perigo (1952460)
Dave Strack (1960-68)
Johnny Orr (1968-1980)
*Bill Frieder (1980-)
*does not include 1980-81 season

1
24
106
35
78
81
28
40
78
113
209
0

4
18
53
12
57
72
14
47
100
89
113
0

.250
.571
.667
.745
.577
.529
.667
.460
.438
.559
.649

the ACC. Bolstered by 6-7 senior Albert
King (ACC player of the year, pre-
season All American, 21.7 ppg) and 6-8
Buck Williams (15.0/10) and senior
guard sharpshooter Greg Manning
(64.3 field goal percentage), this may
be the Terrapins' year.
Haunting Maryland, as always, are
the boys from the 'southern part of
heaven,' Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Local deity Dean Smith lost five
regulars, including All-American Mike
O'Koren, so this may be a rebuilding
year for the Tar Heels. But UNC has
never heard of rebuilding, its a con-
tinuation of success.
LEADING THE Heels will be 6-6
senior guard/forward Al Wood, who
averaged 19 ppg while shooting at an
impressive 57 per cent from the field.
James Worthy, a 6-8 sophomore, gar-
nered substantial amounts of playing
time as a freshman, so the Tar Heels
should still be strong underneath.
The guard situation, however,
remains cloudy pending the return of 6-
2 junior Jimmy Black, who suffered a
fractured vertebrae in a June
automobile accident. The other guard,
6-1 sophomore Jim Braddock survived
the summer unscathed and should start
for Dean Smith.
There remains one defending cham-
pion in the ACC, but unfortunately for
the conference, it wasn't in last year's
NCAA tournament. Instead, the ACC
triumphed in the NIT with the Virginia
Cavaliers capturing the Madison
Square Garden tourney.
THIS SEASON expect the Cavaliers
to be in the Final Four in Philadelphia's
Spectrum as a quick glance up the 7-4
frame of sophomore Ralph Sampson
will attest. Sampson, who rejected a
hard sell from the Celtics' Red Auer-
.bach.. returns -to- grac.the".Charlot-
ftevihle ca - :ithe berer in

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there is a lot to learn, expecially on
defense. It's rough out there for then.
They seem to be getting hurt every day,
but they're learning. Hopefully, we can
find a couple who will help out this
season."
WITH EIGHT of his 14 players either
freshmen or sophomores, Frieder will
have his work cut out for him, trying to
teach these kids the fundamentals of
basketball, but teaching has been
Frieder's game all along. And the
players know it.
"Coach Frieder breaks it down into
the fundamentals more than Coach Orr
'did" ' YaWidpifoY Ubia'pain- P.a ',
Heuerman. "That's his style. He's

freshman Tim McCormick will make
this season.
FRIEDER IS cautious when he talks
about the 6-10 star from Clarkston.
"McCormick has been doing a great
job. He has suffered from bursitis of the
hip and some knee problems, but he's
just going to have to learn to play with
pain," continued Frieder, a 1976
graduate of Michigan holding both a
BBA and MBA degree. "There's
nothing wrong with his knees and I
think he will get stronger as the season
goes on. Whether he starts or not
remains to be seen; however, I expect
See FRIEDER, Page 6

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