Page 14-Saturday, December 6, 1980-The Michigan Daily
JUNIOR FORWARD IS 'MR. ENTHUSIASM'

The Michigan Daily-Saturday, Dec
II-

Co-capt. Garner plays with gusto

By SCOTT M. LEWIS
Determined, aggressive, and in-
domitably enthusiastic-all these ad-
jectives can be used to describe Thad
Garner, Michigan's starting forward
and 1980-81 co-captain.
Garner, the 6-7 junior from Ham-
mond, Indiana, came into his own last
season, scoring 10.0 points and
collaring a team-leading 6.7 rebounds
per contest. His statistical performance
was a sharp contrast to that of the year
before, when he spent most of his time
on the bench and averaged only two
points a game.
In his freshman campaign, Crisler
Arena fans often voiced their
displeasure with then-head coach
Johnny Orr for using Garner, who by
his own admission is not a great outside
shooter. Many Wolverine fans used to
moan when Orr replaced the crowd-
pleasing Alan Hardy (now with the Los
Angeles Lakers) with the jittery fresh-
man Garner.
WHAT HAPPENED? Why, by last
season's end, had Garner become
Michigan's most popular (and, along
with Paul Heuerman, most improved)
player?
The reasons behind Garner's
popularity lie deeper than the improved
statistics. He earned his popularity by
diving into the stands to save a loose
ball; by throwing all of his 190 pounds
under the basket and confronting the
huge centers of the Big Ten; by taking
charge of the Michigan attack, an
unusual achievement for a power for-
ward.
In short, he played the game the way
college basketball is supposed to be
played-with zest and hustle.
GARNER TYPIFIED the
Wolverines' style of play last season:
boundless hustle which, at times, bor-
dered on reckless anandon. It appeared
from the stands that he truly enjoyed
playing the game. And, to no one's sur-
prise, he does-a great deal.
"I just go out there and have a lot of
fun," said Garner, who possesses an
innate sense of timing which allowed
him to make 51 steals last year, by far
tops on the team. One can usually find
Garner slapping hands with his team-

-IM lf - AM... -k.::.. ,,4
Daily Photo by MAUREEN O'MALLI
MICHIGAN'S THAD GARNER leaps high to prevent Ohio State guard Car-
ter Scott from unleashing a downcourt pass, while Mike McGee prepares to
vacate the area. The 6-7 forward, whom TV sportscaster and former
Marquette coach Al McGuire called "a future All-American," averaged 10
points and 6.3 rebounds last season.
tooka lot of sole searching
to come up with this boat shoe.
We did a lot of soul searching before we decided to
make boat shoes. We were already up to our ankles, you
might say, making the best boots and hand sewn shoes
on land. But after we decided, that's when the real sole
' searching began.
We tried a lot of soles that missed the boat before we came
up with a specially designed Vibram* sole. One that holds
fast and really lasts. And after we'd gone overboard making
such a fine sole, we made the whole rest of our shoe j

mates and smiling on the court after
Michigan executes a good play.
"I just like to play basketball, that's
all there is to it," he continued. "It's a
great honor to be playing in the Big Ten
and an even greater honor to be chosen
as co-captain of a Big Ten team."
GARNER'S CAREER at Michigan
turned the corner exactly one year ago.
He and his Wolverine mates were
trailing Marquette by 13 points with
about ten minutes remaining. Sud-
denly, Garner reeled off an eight-point
spree in little over three minutes, and
Michigan was on its way to a startling
road victory.
"Not only did Thad score for us (he
scored a career high 19 points that
night), but he also went to the boards
and got us some big rebounds," said
coach Bill Frieder.
"You have to like a guy like Thad,"
Frieder continued. "He comes to play
every game and is just a great in-
dividual."
GARNER IS an outstanding
representative of Michigan basketball,
according to Frieder. A gutsy perfor-
mer on the court and a gentleman off it
alike, he has won the admiration of
Wolverine and opposing fans.
Recounting an incident in Charlot-
tesville, Virginia, last March provides a
case in point. A Virginia basketball fan
interrupted a sportswriter covering the
Wolverines, moments after Michigan
had lost to the Cavaliers in the NIT
quarter-finals.
"That Number 45 (Garner), he was
behind by ten points with three minutes
left, and he sailed and helped our boy
up off the floor," the fan said. "That's
class. We didn't do that in the ACC
Tournament.
He's a champion.'"
Final year
may be best
for McGee
(Continued from Page 5)
into an excellent player on the court
and an excellent person off the court."
Its likely McGee's road won't stop
when he finishes his last season in Ann
Arbor, for a lot of NBA teams could use
a player of his talents. McGee is aware
of this fact but is by no means con-
sumed by it.
"I should get drafted pretty high," he
said. "And I'm looking forward to it."
But for now, he said, "I'm concen-
trating on the season."
So when Michigan is on the agenda,
Big Ten, your "secretaries of defense"
had better be ready. The "scoring
machine" is coming your way.

TIM McCORMICK is not The Savior.
And followers of Michigan Wolverine basketball
1980-81 will do well to remember that, as the 6-10
center deals with all the trials and tribulations
that a widely-recruited and highly-publicized
freshman must.
Not to say that McCormick won't make a con-
tribution, and a significant one at times, to Blue
cage fortunes in the upcoming campaign. It's just
that inconsistency is bound to be part of his game
as he makes the adjustment from high school ball
to the type of competition he will encounter in
college basketball's toughest conference.
In recent years, the Wolverines have not been an
effective offensive rebounding team; McCor-

mick's strength underneath the bucket will make
a difference there. Similarly, coach Bill Frieder
will implement McCormick's large frame at the
other end of the floor to make it as difficult as
possible for the likes of Herb Williams and Jay
Vincent to pump in points.
But it would be unreasonable to expect, or even
hope, that the Clarkston High graduate will do all
that game-in and game-out. First of all, his mere
presence in the lineup may cause problems,
though unattributable to him as a player, that
would not otherwise occur.
Lack of quickness
Moving McCormick into the pivot would

...AND IN THIS
CORNER .. .
Mark Mihanovic
McCormick won't be
the panacea for Blue

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necessitate the shifting of P
strong forward spot. Many b
say, "Great, at 6-8, Heuernr
play forward anyway."
I'm not so sure.
Heuerman became a ver3
season, as he battled his tal
terparts with an intelligent, I
new-found jump shot from
Ralph Sampson, at the I
Tournament in Virginia, was
to totally dominate Heuern
many Ralph Sampsons arour
Whether Heuerman woulk
at strong forward is questio
never been his forte, and q
are the rule, rather than the
Ten.
Then take the lineup shift
Garner would be equally el
ward as he has been at his fo
move of Mike McGee to the
creates further problems
Quickness problems.
McGee has no peer when i
ball to the basket, but his te
defense would be amplified s
chasing backcourt men throe
And the extra running requi
might take away from McG
sive potential. That is why
Smith and the failure to recr
hurt the Wolverines; there is
See McCORMI(

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leathers that stay soft
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you dunk 'em in salt
4 water. We added nylon
stitching to resist rot, mildew
and stress. Eyelets that were all
solid brass. And a padded
leather collar that really snug-
gles up around your ankles.
"ew Timberland boat shoes. Now
he folks who make the best hand-
sewns on earth make the best
handsewns on water.

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The e The Sole
A whole line of fine leather boots and shoes that cost plenty, and should.
The Timberland Company, Newmarket, NH 03857
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JEWELRY
AND
FINE WATCHES
REPAIRS
1 '3 South University. Ann Arbor
662-3773

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M-F 9:30-8:00
Sat 9:30-6:00


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