The Michigan Doily-Friday, February 19, 1982-Page
13.
.., #
Hoop managers: no play, no pay
By DAN NEWMAN
There are not many students willing
o work four to six hours a day without
receiving any pay or recognition in
return. But Phil Giroux and Bill Mit-
chell are exceptions.
They are the co-head student
managers for the Michigan basketball
team, and they can be found most every
where you find the team, whether it be
at practice or on the road.
NO, NEITHER of them show up in
he box scores the next day, but you
ame it and they do it. Giroux and Mit-
chell work behind the scenes making
signs, taping games, clipping
newspaper articles, and cleaning ip
locker rooms. "Just about anything
that has to be done, we do," explained
Mitchell, a junior and physical
education major.
Although the job may seem tedious
and thankless to others, neither Giroux.
or Mitchell feel any bitterness toward
.heir duties. "It's not like a burden {to.
Wne.If I thought the job was a burden, I
wouldn't do it," said Mitchell, adding,
"I'd do anything, anything for the
team."
Giroux echoes a similar loyal at-
titude. "I don't see it as an obligation,"
said the sophomore. "We don't get paid
but we are treated well."
Both Giroux and Mitchell were in-
volved with athletics throughout high.
school, .which helps explain their
tremendous devotion and loyalty to the
team.
"I HATED sitting in the stands and
watching-I missed being part of a
team but I knew I wasn't good enough
to play," said Mitchell, explaining his
reason for wanting to become a student
basketball manager.
Giroux became a student manager
his freshman year, just as Mitchell had
done a year earlier. So far, Giroux has
had no regrets. "I wanted to take on the
responsibilities," he said. "I'm lear-
ning a lot from the job." t
Giroux and Mitchell admit that some
of their duties are monotonous and not
very exciting. But, as Mitchell noted,
"Not just anyone could be a basketball
manager because not everyone could
put up with some of the bullshit."
DURING practices the student
managers help out on drills, reboun-
ding, or whatever is asked of them.
Sometimes, though, as Mitchell says,,
"we do a lot of sitting. But I figure it
will pay off in the end."
The basketball managers do get some
benefits, such .as free meals, free
travel, and free lodging on the road. "I
really think it's beneficial'going on the
road trips and meeting lots of 'people
through the program," said Giroux.
MITCHELL AGREES. "It's a great
experience going to all different places
and seeing all these great players and
coaches. It's an opportunity you just
can't passup."
The Toledo native also believes that
his character has also developed
through his experiences as a student
manager. "You really learn to budget
time," said Mitchell, who is taking 18
credits, working 10 hours a week as a
referee, and who still finds time to keep
in shape.
"It's given me a lot of self-confidence
in terms of making sure things run
smoothly," Mitchell adds. "It's
satisfying to know that I make the
coaches' and players' job a little
easier."
GIROUX HAS only words of praise
for Michigan basketball. "Everyone in
the program is great," he said. "'It's a
class organization."
Although Giroux and Mitchell agree
on a lot of things, each sees his job
playing a different role for the future.
"It's just something I want to do," said
Giroux, who expressed no desire to go
into coaching or athletics.
But Mitchell marches to the sound of
a different drum. "I want to coach
college basketball and I think this ex-
perience will definitely help me reach
this goal." As for skeptics, Mitchell
points to assistant coach Bud Van-
DeWege, who, like himself, started off
as a student manager.
At Michigan games, the student
managers aren't dressed in uniforms,
but they certainly are a part of the
team.
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Hoosiers
trounce
Badgers
BLOOMINGTON (AP) - Uwe Blab,
*ndiana's 7-2 center, led four players in
double figures as the Hoosiers trounced
Wisconsin, 88-57, last night in Big Ten
action.
The Hoosiers scored 21 unanswered
points midway in the first half to erase
a 12-10 Wisconsin lead and sweep to a
31;12 advantage.
Indiana, in holding the Badgers
scoreless for more than eight minutes,
had four points apiece from Jim
sThomas, John Flowers and Ted Kit-
Ichel. Indiana led at the half 35-16.
Flowers and Kitchel finished with 12
points each and Thomas had 11.
The Hoosiers opened a 23-point lead,
54-31, with 11:29 remaining, and Coach
Bobby Knight went to his bench. They
built the lead to 30, '61-31, with 9:12
remaining, on a three-point play by
Thomas.
Indiana, which plays Purdue Satur-
day in West Lafayette, saw its lead
alloon to 32 puints twice, 81-49 and 83-
51.
Purdue 52, Illinois 44
CHAMPAIGN (AP) - Sophomore
Russell' Cross scored 13 second-half
points last night to help Purdue avenge
an earlier loss at home and defeat
Illinois, 52-44, in Big Ten basketball ac-
tion.
Cross, taking advantage of Illinois'
foul trouble, went to the basket several
times late in the half and added five
free throws to pace the Boilermakers to
their seventh Big Ten win in 13 games.
Purdue is 10-12 overall.
Purdue's leading scorer was senior
forward Mike Scearce with 16 points,
followed by Cross with 15. Illinois' high
scorer was senior guard Craig Tucker
with 13 points.
Both teams played poorly in the first
half, which ended with Purdue ahead
16-12. Illinois shot just 23 percent from
the floor and its first half point total set
a new Assembly Hall low, beating the
old record of 14 points set against Ohio
State a month ago. Purdue made 33
percent of its field goal attempts in the
first half.
Minnesota 76,
Northwestern 66
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota
guard Darryl Mitchell led a balanced
scoring attack with 18 points as the
eighth-ranked Gophers whipped Nor-
thwestern, 76-66, in Big Ten basketball
last night.
The victory boosted Minnesota to 18-4
overall and 10-3 in the Big Ten. The
Wildcats'fell to 7-15 and 3-10.
Northwestern appeared to be putting
together an upset early in the contest.
The Wildcats grabbed a 28-22 lead with
6:45 left in the first half as they took ad-
vantage of 11 Gopher turnovers.
But that was the last scoring North-
western managed in the first half. Min-
nesota ran off 13 uninterrupted points
and took a 35-28 lead.
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