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Page 20-Wednesday, January 12, 1983-The Michigan Daily
Turnerrng it around at Michigan
(COmtinued froai Page 3)
of times we come out and we may be
flat at some points in the game. People
may not be humping it up as much as
they should on defense or they're not
sure exactly where they're supposed to
be at. My job is to make sure everyone
is calm and doing the things they're
supposed to. I think that's basically
what the leadership role is as far as
being on the court is concerned."
OFF THE COURT, Turner has
become a kind of big brother for the
freshmen. Listening to their problems
and offering advice he gained during
his highly publicized freshman year,
Turner feels he has a good relationship
with just about all of the freshmen.
The newcomers often seek the
sophomore's advice on matters on, as
well as off the court. "I feel pretty good
about that," he said. "I am the captain
and they do really rely on me to supply
some leadership."
Does Michigan coach Bill Frieder
feel Turner has helped the freshmen
make the difficult transition to college
basketball?
"I THINK so," the third-year coach
said. "I think he's helped and that they
all like him and respect him. They see
him out there working hard and I think
it helps to have them work hard.
"A lot of them came here because of
the way Eric passes the ball. They're
all big kids and they know if they work
and do the things they're supposed to do
and get open, they're going to get the
ball."
Freshman Robert Henderson agrees
with his coach that Turner has helped
him on the court.
"HE'S MADE me learn to look when
I'm open," said the 1982 Michigan Mr.
Basketball, "or else he'll hit you in the
back of the head with the ball. It's good
because if you're open he'll get the ball
to you."
Richard Rellford has also found Tur-
ner to be a guiding force, while learning
to adjust to a better type of competition.
"Eric talks to us all the time," said
the Riviera Beach, Fla. native. "That's
what is good about him. Like some of
the shots you take now he'll tell you
something like 'it won't go in the Big
Ten' which I think is true because I
looked at a couple of Big Ten films."
ALTHOUGH-TURNER is the team
leader, he is also only a sophomore and
finds he sometimes needs to turn to one
of the "older" players for advice.
"I look to Ike (Person) a lot," he said.
"He doesn't really say much as far as
being out on the court is concerned, he
does his thing by example. I look to him
for leadership because a lot of times
players are looking at me and I'm
looking for some leadership also.
"That goes without saying about Dan
too, he's always setting a good example
no matter what the situation. I think
that's very important that you have a
base to go to or someone to look to even
if you're the captain and people are
looking at you."
ALONG WITH the leadership role,
Frieder is concerned about Turner's
performance on the court. Despite his
amazing skills, Turner still has room
for improvement in his game. Along
with his other achievements, Turner
led the team in turnovers last year
(118) and both he and Frieder know it.
"He's got to eliminate his
carelessness and casual mistakes,"
said Frieder. "He's making eight or
nine turnovers a game right now and he
can cut that to three or four just by
being more concerned about it and
being mentally involved in not allowing
mistakes.
"Defensively, he's got the quickness
to play great defense. He doesn't have
the determination all the time to play
great defense though. I think the one
thing that's going to make him either a
great player or not is if he comes along
and does the things defensively that
he's capable of doing."
"I'M STILL trying to improve my
defense, and not turning the ball over,"
said Turner. "A lot of times I turn the
ball over trying to create a situation or
something like that. I don't mind about
those too much, but I'm trying to
eliminate some of the careless tur-
novers that really don't need to be tur-
novers. I think then that I would be an
improved ballplayer."
Turner also cited the improved play
of his backcourt partner Leslie
Rockymore as a benefit to his game.
The sharpshooter out of Detroit South-
western has made the successful tran-
sition from forward back to guard.
"There's nobody that's going to be
able to double-team me and expect
Rock to miss a 10-15 foot jump shot by
himself," he said. "If they double team
me I'm going to get him the ball and I
know he can hit. Rock and I worked a
tremendous amount over the summer
on our ball handling and learning each
other. I think we did a good job of that
and I think it's showing that he's im-
proved a whole lotand I feel that I have
too."
may have cost him some well deserved
attention. Turner, however, says
despite the rough season he has no
regrets about choosing Michigan in-
stead of another school.
"I DON'T regret the choice," he said.
"I have Michigan in my blood, so to
speak. I was recruited by quite a few
other schools, but you kind of have an
idea in your mind where you want to go
even though you're being recruited and
you want to check out some of the other
programs. It's just in my blood and I
really couldn't see myself anywhere
else."
If anything, says Turner, the team's
relative obscurity as a result of last
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f :":" 1 . ........... .......................................................................................................... ......,.,..... ................... .........
I hav
e Michigan
blood, so to
in my
speak
in my
really
myself
else.'
I
. . . it's just
blood and I
couldn't see
f anywhere
-Eric Turner
The Michigan Daily-Wednesday
Frieder s rebuilding
odyssey keeps going
with new foundation
By JIM DWORMAN
If Bill Frieder were to write a book about his experience as Michigan's head ball game. A
basketball coach, he probably would title it "Rebuilding a Program-The Hard dition you ha
Way." And no title could be more appropriate, because rebuild is exactly what "WE HA
Frieder has done in his two-and-one-half years at the helm of the Wolverines. And go long, but
his job has not been an easy one. they'll be in
_ Upon taking over for Johnny Orr in 1980, Frieder inherited a senior-dominated because in
team. Mike McGee, Johnny Johnson, Paul Heuerman and Mark and Marty Bodnar going to do t
provided the experienced nucleus for a team which Frieder guided to a 19-11 supposed to
record and a spot in the National Invitational Tournament. tell them to
BEYOND THE seniors, however, Orr left little for his long-time assistant. be more m
Thad Garner was the lone junior on the squad and none of the three meaningful
sophomores-Ike Person, Joe James and Leo Brown-played any considerable and we c
amount of time in their first two years at Michigan. hometowns
Frieder did not have much to build on when he took charge of the Wolverines. summer."
In effect, he started from scratch. . In other
As it turned out, he stayed there for an extra year. stronger Ro
THE ORIGINAL freshman class recruited by Frieder, at the time considered And as t
to be among the nation's best, didn't pan out as well as planned. Tim McCormick, on with the n
the only contributor of the group to Michigan's 19-11 team of '80-'81, missed his en- "WHENV
tire sophomore season with double knee surgery. Jon Antonides, McCormick's practicing, r
backup, also missed the year due to a groin injury. M. C. Burton, a talented for- rest of the ti
ward, transferred to Toledo. Dean Hopson, a high school All-American, didn't play part of the jo
like one. Dan Pelekoudas, the least-heralded of the group, found himself thrust into Frieder
a starting position after barely playing as a freshman. Quincy Turn
To make matters worse, James quit the team, leaving Frieder with a core players, too.
group of one senior, one junior, two sophomores and three freshmen. "You ha
As one might expect, the season was not a successful one. Michigan lost 13 of so we recrui
its first 14 games and it was back to square one for Frieder. AND W
It was at this point that the rebuilding finally got off the ground. Freshman three-quarte
Eric Turner developed into one of the top guards in the Big Ten and Person became year-old wil
a solid frontliner. Even Pelekoudas and freshman Leslie Rockymore and Willis classes. The
Carter improved to the point where the Wolverines won six of their final 12 Big Te bringing in a
games and finished with a 7-20 record. Or can h
MORE IMPORTANTLY, by season's end Rockymore
Frieder had landed five prize recruits: Richard ms. "Every
Rellford, Paul Jokisch, Robert Henderson, Roy For Fried
Tarpley and Butch Wade. Combined with the doing-it and
return of McCormick and Antonides (and the loss
of Carter, who transferred, and Hopson, who was
academically ineligible), the group gave Frieder
a foundation upon which to build.
And that is where he finds himself today, faced
with the task of transforming a team with promise
into a team that fulfills its promises. It is an im- 1967-6
provement upon last year's situation, but it is a 1968-7
situation of which Frieder has seen enough. 1970-7
"HOPEFULLY, THE situation we're in now will 1973-7
never happen again," he says. "We're practically 197-$0
starting over here. You can't let your program get 1980-81
into that position where you don't have three or
four veterans returning that are solid players that 1981-8
you can count on to run
things and to be depen-
dable . . . and then let
your younger players
grow and gradually get
better and work into those
situations. We don't have
g that right now."
What Frieder does have
is a group of players
struggling to learn his
playbook while at the
. same time work them-
selves into shape, two
time-consuming pro-
cesses.
"There's just so much
to learn when you have so
many young players like
we do this year," says
Frieder. "It takes a lot of
time to teach a lot of new
people all the offenses
that you want to run, all
the defenses that you
want to run, how to han-
dIe all the various
situations that are going
to come up in a basket-
y, january 12, 1983-Page 5
And how good of con-
ve to be in.
VE players that can't
you'll see next year
very good condition
the summer they're
he things that they're
do. Because what we
do in the summer will
eaningful. It wasn't
to them last summer
an't go into their
and coach them in the
words, this fall the coach expects a s
,y Tarpley and a Butch Wade that can drib
hese players develop, as they now are d
ext stage of the rebuilding-recruiting ne
WE'RE not involved with the team-t
eviewing films-I would say recruiting to
me," estimates the third-year head coact
b because you have to get the good playe
already has signed one player to a natiu
ner of Benton Harbor. He hopes to land
Frieder will not recruit a forward this ye
ve to recruit to your needs," he says. "L
ted big guys. This year we need guards so
NHEN these guards finally don a MichiE
rs of the way there. Assuming he recru
i direct a team with depth in the fresh
following year-Turner's senior year-
nother strong group of freshmen.
he? The following year, 1985, Frieder v
and McCormick. Recruiting is a continuo
year has to be a good recruiting year."
er, you see, the rebuilding never stops. I
et seasons like last year's live only in me:
Bill Frieder's Coaching
7 Alpena H.S.Junior Varsity Coc
0 Flint Northern H.S. Junior Va:
3 Flint Northern Varsity Coach
5 Michigan Assistant Coach (44-
0 Michigan Head Assistant Coac
1 Michigan Head Coach (19-11)
2 Michigan Head Coach (7-20)
... ... .. .... ..... . ...*.. . . . ...
TURNER HAS improved to the point
where he is considered one of the top
guards in the conference-a point that
has not escaped the Wolverine
playmaker.
"Right now I feel that I'm one of the
best guards in the league," he said. "I
would like to think that. By the time the
Big Ten season rolls around I'm looking
to be the premier guard in the league
where people really have to try to ad-
just and deal with me."
Despite Turner's obvious skills, the
Wolverines' poor showing last season
season may turn out to be a bonus this
year.
"A lot of people really don't know
what we're capable of doing," he said.
"The fact that we didn't do too well last
year, the people didn't look at us and I
think it will be a big surprise to some
people to see me as well as some of the
fellows doing well."
If this is true, the other Big Ten teams
may have to learn the hard way what
Michigan fans already know, Eric Tur-
ner does play well. Very well.
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