4 Pro lossesI hampe By PAUL HELGREN It was supposed to have been the year. The ingredients - talent, the ex- perience of the NIT championship, a returning starting five - were there. Despite a couple of early detours last season, the road appeared firmly paved for Michigan's first run at the Big Ten basketball title since a puffy-haired guard (Ricky Green) teamed with a cat-like center (Phil Hubbard) to lead the Wolverines to a sizzling 16-2 mark in 1977. BUT ALL that changed on a fateful Saturday last May when it was learned that another frontcourt/blackcourt duo - 6-11 center/forward Tim McCormick and 6-3 guard Eric Turner - would forego their remaining year of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft. One could almost hear a collective, silent groan emanate from the empty halls of Crisler Arena. There goes the Big Ten, it said. There goes the NCAA tournament. There goes what might have been. Michigan coach Bill Frieder heard the melancholy drone all the way from Europe, where he and his team were touring at the time. But like a proud skipper he maintained his ship was still sea-worthy. "OUR PROGRAM," said Frieder, who is entering his fifth year at the helm, "is to the point where even if we have some adversity - an injury, a kid going pro - we're gonna have suc- cessful years. We've recruited pretty well now for two or three straight years. From that standpoint I think we're gonna maintain and stay in the upper-division (of the Big Ten) and be in contention for an NCAA tournament berth." In other words, the Michigan basket- ball team is hardly a sinking ship. But the treacherous Big Ten could keep the Wolverines struggling just to tread water. They finished in fourth place in the Big Ten last year, well behind Illinois, Purdue and Indiana. And while it appears the Purdue Miraclemakers might finally drop in the standings, the Illini and Hoosiers have essentially their entire teams r NIT Champions 4 returning. OTHER TEAMS - perhaps Min- nesota and Iowa - are sure to rise. Take away two starters from the Michigan lineup and even a third-place finish is optimistic. Nonetheless, Frieder sees a silver lining in the departures of McCormick and Turner. "Anytime you have losses like that it gives some of your guys a shot in the arm," said Frieder, who also lost the steady play of guard Dan Pelekoudas to graduation. "(Robert) Henderson, Garde Thompson, (Butch) Wade - they're probably happy. They see an opportunity for themselves. It renews enthusiasm." ADDITIONALLY, Frieder will no longer have to worry about the enigma of Eric Turner. Mysterious as an extra- terrestrial, "E.T." could play out of this world one night and then look like his mind was off on another planet the next. His numbers took a tumble last year, down to 10.8 points per game and 42 percent shooting, as compared to 14.7 and 47.5 as a freshman and 19.2 and 48.1 as a sophomore. More importantly, the vibrancy and spark that Turner once ignited on the court came in irregular spurts last season. Back spasms accounted for early-season erratics. A brief hot streak popped up in the middle of the Big Ten season but after that Turner's play-especially his shooting - wallowed in inconsistency. There's no definitive answer for Turner's problems. Perhaps he never adjusted to his new non-scoring role. Perhaps his contention that he was stifled by Frieder's methodical style of coaching was true. Rumors even sur- faced that he was disenchanted with his coach. WHATEVER the case, it should come as nc shock that Frieder made no protest when the skittery backcourter from Flint Central High decided it was time to move on. "It got to the point where I felt that since it (going pro) was on his mind that much he probably should do it," Frieder said shortly after returning from Europe last May. Joubert ... European leader Frieder won't know for sure how badly Michigan will miss Turner's ball handling and quickness until the season gets under way. But if Antoine Joubert steps in and restores order, then Wolverine fans may soon forget all about passing wizard who passed up his last season with the Maize and Blue. "ANTOINE provided a lot of leader- ship in Europe," commented the 41- year-old coach, in reference to the Wolverines' European tour. With the Big Ten adopting the 45- second shot clock Joubert will get a real opportunity to strut his open-court stuff. If the 6-5 sophomore lives up to anything near the all-everything hype he received out of high school a year ago, then look for the ball to be solidly in his hands this season. Look for his 9.0 scoring and 3.1 assist averages to rise accordingly, too. A helping hand in the backcourt from fellow sophomore Garde Thompson and fellow Detroit Southwestern High grad, senior Leslie Rockymore, wouldn't hurt. Rockymore's shooting completely collapsed last season (42.5 percent). But his experience will earn him another shot at starting. His limited ball-handling abilities means he must score, or else Thompson or newcomer Gary Grant will get the starting nod. GRANT, FROM Canton, Ohio's McKinnley High School (the same school that gave us Hubbard) led his team to the AAA championship, while earning Player-of-the-Year honors for himself. He made the Parade Magazine and the McDonald's All-American teams and was rated among the top 10 recruits in the country by virtually every scouting service. The 6-2 guard averaged 23 points, seven rebounds and, according to Frieder, is that most rare of species - a freshman who ' played excellent defense in high school. "Grant's a great one," saidFrieder. "The thing is, in high school he played good defense (Grant averaged over three steals per game). Most high school players don't play a lot of defen- se." So while it's easy to see why Frieder isn't fretting over the loss of Turner, it's just asobvious why he did everything he could to convice McCormick to stay. THE WOLVERINES' will miss Tall Timber's bulk and steady play around the hoop. Without a definitive big man Michigan will find itself bullied out of rebounds and easy buckets. "No one will ever know all the good things that Tim did for our basketball team," Frieder stated, leaving out the logical conclusion, until this year. What bulk Michigan does have comes in the presence of 6-7, 230-pound junior Butch Wade. Wade's a good rebounder but a poor outlet passer, which will hurt if Michigan is going to run. Wade will definitely need help in the trenches. FRIEDER DOES have scorers up front, however. Svelt junior center Roy Tarpley is pure dynamite from within 10 feet ofsthe basket but will still lose bounds to the bumpers andgrinders. His team-leading scoring average of 12.5 could easily rise to 15 or more. The Wolverines' resident sky-walker Rich Rellford, also a junior (it's hard to4 believe these guys are juniors, isn't it?) is mighty explosive himself but must learn to hang on to passes and rebound with authority. Other wingmen - Robert Henderson, Paul Jokisch, freshman Steve Stoyko - are question marks at best. Jokisch will play football for Bo this fall, so even if he does return to the basketball team his role will be limited. Henderson, chosen "Mr. Basketball" in the state of Michigan in his final year of high school, looked simply dreadful last year. Whether he has anything left to contribute remains to be seen. Stoyko comes from Bay Village, Ohio, and is rated only a fair recruit. But he might get a chance to play, nonetheless. Clearly then, Frieder has a big job ahead of him. Key ingredients have been removed from Michigan's cham- pionship recipe. But a skillful re- mixture of what remains could make for a palatable season, after all. Daily Photo by CAROL L. FRANCAVILLA Roy Tarpley, last season's Most Valuable Player for the Wolverines, will be called upon to lead the defending NIT Chamns this year because of the losses of Eric Turner and Tim McCormick to the NBA. IT'S THE CHOICE OF THE COACHES 4 JERRY ERICKSON'S Personal & Distinctive Hair Care 668"8669 Appointments Available Open Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays 8:30-8:00 p.m. Saturdays 8:30-3:00 p.m. 8065S. STATE ST. 1984 Big Ten Standings Conf W L Illinois ............ 15 3 Purdue..........15 3 Indiana..........13 5 MICHIGAN........10 8 Ohio State .......... 8 10 Michigan State....8 10 "Minnesota .........6 12 lows . ........... 6 1' Northwestern ...... 5 13 Wisconsin .......... 4 14 Overall w L. 26 5 22 3 22 9 23 10 15 14 :15 13 15' 13. 13 15 12 16 8 20 5 10 12 17 19 24 31 OHIO STATE at Illinois at Purdue MINNESOTA IOWA MICHIGAN STATE at Northwestern 1984-85 Schedule November 26 DETROIT December 1 GEORGIA 5 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 8 Dayton 10 WESTERN MICHIGAN 12. EASTERN MICHIGAN 15 NORTHERN. MICHIGAN 17 ALCORN STATE 22 RUTGERS 29 Tennessee January 2 INDIANA February 2 at Wisconsin 7 PURDUE 9 ILLINOIS 14 at Iowa 16 at Minnesota 21 WISCONSIN 21 at Michigan State 28 WISCONSIN March 2 NORTHWESTERN 6 atOhioState 9 at Indiana Bud-ding coach leads women ..... Got a Problem? Solve It with a Hewlett-Packard HP-12C or HIP-15C from Ulrich's By PHIL NUSSEL With only eight wins in two years, the women's basketball team has been, to most observers, a joke. But with a new coach and a host of improving young players returning, the 1984-85 edition of Michigan women's basketball could be more than a gag. Taking the reigns of the team from the much-maligned Gloria Soluk is Bud Van De Wege, Jr., a 1980 graduate of Michigan. Van De Wege, 26, has been an assistant on the men's basketball team for the last four years. "THERE'S A LOT of question marks," Van De Wege admitted when asked about his new position. "It's a new area for me and there's a lot I have to learn about." Without a doubt, Van De Wege is going to make a lot of changes in the program. As far as the team's playing style goes, Van De Wege made no predictions because he has not seen the team play. But he did make it clear that he would strive to establish a more demanding and disciplined program, something most observers thought his predecessor failed to do. Thenew coach said he believes he has a lot of capable athletes to work with this coming season. The most capable is surely last year's most valuable player Wendy Bradetich. BRADETICH, a junior forward from Oregon led the team in scoring with over 18 points a game. Her 120 rebounds also led the squad. On a few occasions, she literally carried the team, scoring 29 points in two different games. She was the only player to start in all 26 games last season. ANOTHER IMPORTANT returner will be junior guard Orethia Lilly. The -:..- _= _._. _ - z'u u __ East Cleveland, Ohio native was one of the team's better outside shooters and was second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.5 points a game. Jerene Middleton, a sophomore for- ward, was one of last season's few pleasant surprises. As a freshman, she led the team in shooting percentage (46%), was second in rebounding (119), and was third in scoring (7.4 points per game). Middleton, 5-11, only started three games, but saw considerable playing time, averaging over 20 minutes a game. JUNIORS Amy Rembisz and Sandy Svoboda will return and most likely bat- tle for the starting center position. Both players showed improvement during last season, especially after 6-7 center Lynn Morozko was declared academically ineligible. Morozko, ac- cording to Van De Wege, is not expec- ted to return. Four new faces will be on this year's squad. They are Sara Basford, Loria Feldman, Shawne Brow, and Kelly Benintendi. All are shorter than 6-0, with Brow being the tallest at 5-11. L=-.I HP-12C PS;' HEWLETT ~PACKARD HP-15C HP-12C HP-15C The most powerful handheld finan- The HP-15C's powerful functions cial calculator available. 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