. ==I -W -W The Michigan Daily-Saturday, Decer Page 4-S turddy December 6, 1980-the Michig6i Doily Freshman firepower 'M' picked for fift McCormick heads newcomer list By BUDDY MOOREHOUSE On the morning of April 5, 1980, coach Bill Frieder received a telephone call. "I'm sorry to tell you this, coach," said the voice on the other end. Frieder's heart stopped. "But you're going to be stuck with me for the next four years." No predicament could have made the newly-appointed head coach happier, for the voice on the other end of the line belonged to Tim McCormick, a 6-10 All- American from Clarkston and the most highly-recruited player in the state. McCormick's decision to bring his talents to Ann Arbor was the highlight in what turned out to be an excellent recruiting year for Frieder. THE OTHER members of Michigan's largest freshman class in four years are 7-2 Jon Antonides of Sarnia, Ont., 6- 7 Dean Hopson of Albion, 6-6 M.C. Bur- ton of Grand Rapids, and Dan Pelekoudas, a 6=1 playmaking guard from Downers Grove, Ill. Michigan's freshman class is considered by exper- ts to be one of the finest in the country. The arrival of McCormick and An- tonides marks a milestone in recent Wolverine basketball history. A bona fide "big man" has been absent from the Blue squad in recent years, but it appears that height will not be a problem for Michigan for the next few seasons. As a senior at Clarkston High, Mc- Cormick led his team to a 26-1 overall record and the Class A semifinals, averaging 25 points and 18 rebounds a game. His services were coveted by numerous schools, particularly Ohio State and North Carolina, but he says that he chose the Wolverines over the others because, "ever since I was a lit- tle kid, I've wanted to plaiy at Michigan.'' McCORMICK, ACCUMULATED numerous honors during his high school career, among them being named to the Class A All-State and Parade Magazine All-American'teams. Despite these ac- complishments, McCormick says that he still has a bit of learning left to do. "It's just incredible the things we have to learn still," said McCormick. "The MICHIGAN HAS long sought a legitimate "big man" to confront the sky- scraper centers of the Big Ten. This year, the Wolverine roster features two such players, 6-10 Tim McCormick (left), and 7-2 Jon Antonides. The landing of McCormick last spring is expected to pay immediate dividends, while An- tonides' major contribution most likely will be made in the seasons ahead. ' ยข a "? C . rQQ9 * oo* ,"O V 0* o * ?'~~ " J V d 0 4a0 O v Q o Better get Timberlands! Stubborn New England craftsmanship has made Timberland the fastest growing line of full grain leather boots in America. You can choose from rugged waterproof styles insulated to well below zero, to shearling lined boots, and other rugged outdoor styles for men and women. This winter, the best in warmth and comfort combine with the best in looks to make Timberlands your best buy. A wholine offine erbootsand s that cost plenty, and should. P.S. You can't warm one's heart at Christmas if they have cold feet! Van Boven In the Nickels Arcade 665-7240 Ann Arbor's largest Timbed i ' dealer seniors and juniors have so much more experience than me and the other freshmen. We're just like little kids now." At his size, McCormick is far from being a "little kid," but he says that he discovered how far he has to go when last year's starting center, Paul Heuerman, stayed with him and An- tonides this summer. "Paul showed us moves we should work on and helped us with our defen- se," said McCormick. "When we first started playing against him, Paul just destroyed me and Jon, because he knew so much about how to use his body; how to block out. Paul's a great example of all the work that has to be done." FRIEDER HAS said that if McCor- mick comes along well enough to start for the cagers this season, it would enable the coach to use a front line of McCormick, Heuerman and Thad Gar- ner, moving scoring machine Mike McGee to the backcourt along with one of Michigan's other guards. "That would make us more of a threat offen- sively," said Frieder. "But we would lose some of our quickness, so that's good and bad." Michigans other tower, Antonides, is the first seven-footer ever to wear a Michigan uniform. But having never played against competition the caliber of the Big Ten, Antonides admits that he won't be a factor right off. "This year for me is going to be a building year," said Aitonides. "It's a really big jump from Canadian high school basketball to the Big Ten." HOPSON HAILS FROM Albion, but played his senior year at Ann Arbor Huron last season, where he was named 71M word's out WoNXcMpu..., If you want to be in the know, you should be reading The Daily . . . the latest in news, sports, les affaires academiques, and entertainment ... CALL 764-0558 to order your subscription today to such honor squads as the Class A All- State and Parade Magazine All- American third team. Hopson has good speed and quickness, assets that are generally lacking on the Blue squad this year, so that could make him a factor right off. If the name M. C. Burton sounds familiar, it should. Burton's father, also,. named M.C., played for the Wolverines from 1957 to 1959, and currently sits in 12th place on the all-time Michigan scoring list. This year's M.C. averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds a game last year at Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Burton has displayed a flair for dunking in practice, and could provide help for the Wolverines this season at the for-. ward position. PELEKOUDAS IS the least- publicized of all the Wolverine recruits. However, he will most likely be a major factor for the Blue cagers in the near future because next season he will be the senior member of the guard corps when Mark and Marty Bodnar, Johnny Johnson and Mike McGee graduate af- ter this year. Pelekoudas, who was the .valedic- torian of his 712-member class at Downers Grove South High School, will hopefully provide help for the Wolverines in the backcourt this year. "I think that coach Frieder expects me to come off the bench and help with the ball-handling duties, help against presses and provide some leadership on the floor," said Pelekoudas. With a solid group of veterans and a promising crop of newcomers adding to the cause there is definitely cause for optimism among Michigan fans. championship. One guard spot will be filled by the 6-2 senior Scott (10.2), a versatile performer whose talents were often overshadowed by Ransey's scoring exploits. The other position is up for grabs: Todd Penn, Nate Sims, Larry Huggins, and junior college transfer student Ed Major are vying for a starting berth, while veteran 6-5 swingman Marques Miller will also see action at guard. -SCOTT M. LEWIS 3. Illinois Last year, the only deficiency which kept Illinois from being a more dominant factor in the Big Ten was its backcourt situation. The Illini had an excellent forward tandem and an adequate center combination, but the guard spot would usually spell disap- pointment for head coach Lou Henson. No More. Henson plucked from the high school ranks Derek Harper, considered by many to be the best freshman guard coming into college basketball this season. In the 6-3 playmaker from Florida, Illinois will be getting a player with lightning-quick speed and enough moves to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Other members of the Illini fresh- man contingent include 6-5 guard Mitch Arnold, another highly-recruited guard, forward Andre Allen and guard Craig Tucker, a junior college refugee. When you talk about a powerful for- ward combination, you need not look any further than the Illini. They take great pride in their two 6-8 seniors, Ed- die Johnson and Mark Smith, and well they should. The center spot is shared by junior James Griffin and senior Derek Holcolm. Neither one is devastating of- fensively, but with Johnson and Smith proficing most of the offensive punch, it's not really necessary. Derek Harper IS the guard spot for Illinois. He will definitely be an instant starter. Alongside him will be the four- th returning starter from last year's group, Perry Range. Other guards hoping to play a role in the Illini attack this year are sophomores Kevin Bon- temps, Quinn Richardson, and Sherrod Arnold. -DREW SHARP 4. Iowa Quiz question: Name the team which comprised the Final Four last year in Indianapolis? If you named the Iowa Hawkeyes as one of the teams, give yourself an 'A' for retention of Big Ten knowledge. With'the return of the top five scorers on the 1979-80 Hawkeyes' 23-victory, Final Four team, Iowa emerges as one of the legitimate con- tenders for the Big Ten crown. Despite the loss of oft-injured All- American guard Ronnie Lester, the Hawkeyes will remain strong due to a balanced arsenal. Four players scored between 11 and 14 points last year, so the opposition will not be able to con- centrate on one 'main' man. Junior guard Kenny Arnold (13.5), senior center Steve Krafcisin (12:3), junior forward Kevin Boyle (11.8), and senior forward Vince Brookins (11.0) formulate the Iowa foursome. Complementing the Hawkeyes' collection of steady but unspectacular players are center-forward senior Steve Waite 0 ), guard-forward sophomore Bob Hansen (5.6), and for- ward Mark Gannon (5.6). Coach Lute Olson, of course, provides Iowa with expert guidance proven by his award as college Coach-of-the-Year in 1980.1 -GREG DeGULIS 5. Michigan For the Wolverines-to move into the first division of the Big Ten, they have to receive some help from the newcomers-that is, from the freshman corps led by Tim McCormick. Michigan lost only three players from last year: Mark Lozier, who graduated, and Keith Smith and John Garris, who transferred to ,San Diego State and Boston College, respectively. None played a determining role in the team's fortunes. The Michigan lineup features the same cast which played its heart out last year and won the affections of fans throughout the region. Remember, however, that this starting unit-Paul Heuerman, Thad Garner, Mike McGee, Marty Bodnar and Johnny John- son-finished seventh in the Big Ten last season, five games behind first- place Indiana. Where Michigan needed help most last season was in the area of reboun- ding (it was eighth in the conference in this category, ahead of only North- western and Michigan State). Coach Bill Frieder filled a void in this area last spring by landing McCormick, the Clarkston product who at 6-10 and 230 pounds will give the Wolverines the height and bulk they sorely lacked. A key to the Wolverines' success this season will be the play of Johnson, who at times displays a magnificent, sweet shooting touch but whose overall play has been somewhat inconsistent: If Johnson can put together the kind of year of which he's capable, Michigan's long-range offense will be devastating. But offense wasn't the problem last year-rebounding was. The Wolverines, gritty performers though they were, simply couldn't match up under the boards against many of their larger conference rivals. If they can shore up this deficiency, Frieder and his team may earn themselves a NCAA berth come next March. SCOTT M. LEWIS 6.Minnesota The Golden Gophers return four of their starters from last year's team, Eddie Johnson but the one va McHale was pick and the tt year's NBA player of that has to take son Even though coach Jim Du returnees to w Darryl Mitche game last seas all-NIT team. Dutcher will r offensive leade Joining Mit< be 6-2 juniorP second behind Minnesota wit backcourt app area of the Go guards are ni backup streng Carl Dale, 6-1 and 6-3 freshni The Minnes of towering 7-2 and juniors ( Trent Tucker With height lik appear that t lose too many In addition t to the Minnea freshman Jin Wiley, a junior See B1 r V" RESTAUR ANT 120 E. Liberty 761-1470 i Sunday Special: B.B.Q. Beef Ribs or Fried Chicken-All You Desire! 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