0 a 4C - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 5, 1985 Cagers aim to better 1984-'85 bests By STEVE WISE This could be a disappointing season for the Michigan basketball team. Wait a minute. Did he say disap- pointing? IS THIS the same group that retur- ns' all five starters from an NCAA- qtfalifying, Big Ten Championship team, having graduated only one regular player. Is this the same team that posted a 26-4 overall record and a 0.-2 Big Ten mark? Is this the same §guad whose 17-game winning streak set a school record and matched the best season in Michigan history? Are we talking about the Wolverine squad that brings in last year's Michigan Mr. Basketball and five other highly regarded recruits? " Affirmative on all counts, but head coach Bill Frieder thinks all that could create inflated expectations. "People are gonna have to under- stand that there's a very good possibility that even though we might be a better basketball team and go further in the NCAA tournament, we might not duplicate our record," Frieder said. "PEOPLE WILL be shooting for us more. We might not get as many breaks. We might not win as many close games. We might not stay as healthy. A lot of things can happen," added the ever-cautious coach. But for those less disposed to pessimism, the 1985-86 Wolverines provide plenty of fuel for the fires of expectation. The list has to begin with center Roy Tarpley. The 6-11 senior achieved much of the potential that few other than Frieder saw in him as a high school player. Tarpley's 19.3 points per game and 10.3 rebounds led Michigan and helped earn him the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player award. DESPITE Tarpley's fine season, Frieder hopes the Detroit native can improve in a few areas. "He's gotta get so he doesn't put the ball on the floor every time he touches it and where when he gets it, he finds a way to get to the basket," Frieder said. The fact that Tarpley had trouble getting to the basket was one reason 0 0. 0. Villanova. MICHIGAN'S other great strength, its guards, also struggled in the NCAAs. Sophomore Gary Grant, the Wolverines' second best shooter in the regular season with a 56.3 field goal percentage, went oh-for-everything in the tourney. By November, Grant will likely have put those two bad nights behind him and recovered to his Big Ten Rookie of the Year form. The 6-2 point guard will again lead the Michigan defense with his quickness and inten- sity. Junior Antoine Joubert also struggled in the post-season. Having improved in all areas last year, the 6-5 guard seemed somewhat confused in Ithe NCAAs, especially against Villanova Like Grant, Joubert's shooting touch also disappeared. "YOU CAN'T have guys in your lineup shooting one-for-nine," said Frieder, the Associated Press' national Coach of the Year. "(Joubert) was one-for-nine on two occasions in the last six or seven games. "That's inexcusable. You can ac- cept it from a freshman or sophomore, but you can't accept it Daily Photo by DAN HABIB Despite plenty of muscle, Roy Tarpley (42), Robert Henderson (15) and the rest of the Wolverines could not slip past Wakefield, Mass. Mark Plansky and eventual national-champion Villanova in the second round of the NCAAs. from a junior or senior." Frieder rarely needed to accept poor shooting from starting forward Richard Rellford. Last year the 6-6 senior shot 57.7 percent from the floor, but for this year, Frieder is less con- cerned about Rellford's sometimes spectacular tip-ins than the way he tips the scales. RELLFORD'S pattern the past three years has been to begin the year weighing around 230 pounds and even- tually trim to 220. For the Florida native to improve significantly this year, according to Frieder, he must begin the season at the lower weight. "His goal," said Frieder, "should be to get himself in the type of shape this summer that he eventually gets into in February." The shape of Michigan's other star- ting forward, Butch Wade, is only a problem to opponents. The 6-7, 235- pounder evolved into a defensive en- forcer last year, consistently slowing 1 Tarple Rellford .... Frieder thinks he'll improve ... trimmer? Ulrich's makes G~r showing your true blue ... alot easier. .f w% We have everything even Jr: the most enthusiastic4 Michigan fan could ask for, %": no matter what the size or age. And it's all available by ULRICH'S mail from our Michigan Gift Catalog of an ever-increasing selection of ash trays to animals, baby bottles to blankets, felt- banners to frisbees, "M"-flags to mugs, prints to pendants, spiral notebooks to scrapbooks, t-shirts to tire covers, and much more. Catalogs also available for Calculator and Computers-we carry Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, Epso & Sharp. All at low competitive prices. Professional Books-including hard-to-find technical and reference books. Art & Engineering-supplies for the amateur and professional. Just stop in and pick up any of our catalogs, or phone in-or easiest of all mail the coupon below and we'll send them to you. VWo said shopping had to be a hassle? A or shutting down the other teams' big men. WADE'S OFFENSE, though, falls into Frieder's "unacceptable" category. Not quite a 49 percent field goal shooter, Wade's touch is uncer- tain outside, sometimes even within two feet of the basket. While lamenting Wade's offensive deficiencies, Frieder said the senior's defensive and leadership abilities may secure his starting spot this year. "I'm not so sure if we replaced one of the starters it'd be Butch Wade," Frieder said, "but that's a way he can improve, offensively." IF ANY of the front-line starters were to be replaced, the most likely candidate would be senior Robert Henderson. The 6-9 former Mr. Basketball seemed to get more aggressive and more confident with each game last season. Henderson's rebounding and defen- se may have been the best of any Wolverine in the NCAA games, but Frieder feels his offense must get less "mechanical." While Henderson works on mechanics, sophomore Steve Stoyko needs body work to beef up his fairly slim chance at a starting job. Stoyko must add to the 6-9, 195-pound frame he threw around fearlessly in brief appearances last year. "HE'S GONNA help us some," said Frieder, "but he's gonna have to im- prove a great deal to go past those four seniors. His job is to beat the freshman coming in." The main threat from the freshman should come from 1985 Mr. Basket- ball, Glen Rice. A 6-6 forward, Rice averaged 28 points per game his senior year in high school. The other freshmen include four big men, 6-10 J.P. Oosterbaan, 6-8 Loy Vaught, 6-7 Mark Hughes and 6-6 Mike Griffin, and one guard, 6-2 Billy Butts. SOME OBSERVERS compare this year's freshman to the class that in- cluded Tarpley, Wade, Rellford and Henderson, but Frieder says other than Rice, the current crop "did not have the same credentials." The true importance of the fresh- man, Frieder said, is how they com- pare to their elders in practice. Said Frieder: "You worry about them let- ting up a little and forgetting how hard they had to work to attain what they've attained. "But that's the good thing about our freshmen. If one of these (veteran) guys starts taking things for granted or not doing the things he's supposed to be doing, we're gonna have kids who can replace them. "THAT'S GONNA make the seniors better because they've got young kids pushing them and make the young kids better because they're playing against good seniors." Those seniors are so good partly because they have experienced a suc- cessful season and also stumbled through a couple of NCAA tournament games. Their experience should provide the Wolverines with a wealth of senior leadership, something with which Villanova was laden last year. "You hope it brings them closer (to an NCAA title) and you hope they'll work that much harder," said Frieder. "(The team's improvement is a result of maturity. You try to keep it, dwell on it and hope it even im- proves from where it is now." As for where it is now, even Frieder admits he's not disappointed. S,I I F - AwAd------- 51YEARRS MORE THAN A BOOKSTORE - i --- - - r - - E - ---i-PlasePrint v 2 1 1 1 j I ! . ___ QQI yr _ __ _ _.. 4 / r J i T I The attention to detail on a Peugeot touring bicycle is immediately apparent in both look and ride. Come in today and check one out. GO 0PEUGEOT J1 f 14- Bi t ? d eexe i al~ aof c~x.I ew " 6 . u a S l I 44 FA