Page 8-- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 11, 1987 I Higgins gets wish: Michigan LOS ANGELES (AP) - "I had to do this for me," Los Angeles high school basketball star Sean Higgins says of the family struggle and collegiate investigation that has opened the way for him to play at Michigan instead of UCLA. Higgins, a highly recruited senior at Fairfax High, was released from his national letter of intent to play at UCLA because he signed under duress, the Collegiate Commissioners Association ruled 'Tuesday. The ruling clears the way for Higgins to sign a letter of intent ;with the University of Michigan, which he plans to do next month. "Michigan was always my first choice," Higgins said. "It's the place I always wanted to go. UCLA A| was never my decision. I hope there aren't any hard feelings there because I had to do this for me." As soon as he heard of the ruling, Higgins contacted Michigan coach Bill Frieder. "Well, Sean called me on Monday evening to indicate to me that the Pac-10 and the National Letter of Intent Steering Committee has released him from him his letter, and that he was free to go to school anywhere that he pleased and he was available to play next season," Frieder said. "His question to me is do I have a scholarship for him? I said yes. He said he would be announcing on Tuesday that he would definitely be coming to the University of Michigan. So we're excited about m of he ich~igan 13aiIQ it." The ruling gives Higgins, who led undefeated Fairfax to the Los Angeles 4A basketball title two weeks ago, four years of eligibility at Michigan. Had he not been released, Higgins would have had to forfeit one year of eligibility if he reneged on the agreement in order to play for the Wolverines. "My first reaction was happiness," Higgins said. "I was silent for a minute because it was hard to believe. I'm just very happy to be released." Higgins had claimed in a Sports Illustrated article last month that his stepfather had threatened him with a baseball bat and slapped him when he said he wanted to go to Michigan to be near his natural father, Earle Higgins of Southfield. The prep star said he signed the UCLA letter of intent under coercion the same morning. The younger Higgins, who moved out of his mother's home a short time after the baseball bat incident and has been living with relatives of his father, also told the magazine that UCLA alum Steven Antebi offered him a car, an apartment, and a summer job that would be made available to him if he signed with UCLA. Antebi has denied making any such offers. After signing the UCLA letter in November, Higgins retained a lawyer through his natural father and asked UCLA to release him from the agreement. School administrators notified Pacific-10 Conference officials, who began investigating the matter. Pac-10 officials provided the Collegiate Commissioners Association with information from its investigation, which did not connect UCLA with the incident. Pac-10 Associate Commissioner David Price eventually will report to the CCA and the NCAA on any possible violations UCLA or school boosters committed in the recruiting of Higgins. Price conducted the investigation on behalf of both organizations. A spokesperson for UCLA said school officials would not comment on the incident. 411 OF leavin' for the summer? stayin' for the summer? advertise it in the summer sublets! MARCH 27 ONLY $25 Deadline: March 23 Ads may be purchased at The Michigan Daily (8 am - 5 pm). Also, for your convenience, ads will be sold in the Fishbowl March11 & March 18, 1nramn-27pm. For more information call 764-0557 Associated Press. Defending heavyweight champion Mike Tyson gets his stomach pounded by a medicine ball prior to last Saturday's fight. He defeated James "Bonecrusher" Smith in a unanimous decision. THE SPORTING VIEWS Ip Tyson fight example of boxing's decline BY DOUGLAS VOLAN The sport of boxing is deteriorating at a rapid pace. Saturday night's supposed thriller, pitting Mike Tyson against James "Bonecrusher" Smith, serves as a fine example. Smith, who realized that he didn't stand a chance after Tyson's first punch, decided to make a mockery of the sport. Acting hardly like a "Bonecrusher," Smith just stood around and taunted Tyson. Although many observers insist that Smith just wanted to go the distance, I truly believe that Smith i r , _ ., ~ ti L -. 'o'" MEDICAL SCHOOL & DENTAL SCHOOL NIGHT tried to win. His strategy: taunt Tyson enough to get him to do something stupid, such as throw punches after the bell, and get disqualified. EVEN WORSE, Smith decided to drop his gloves when he voiced his expletives. It looked like something out of Rocky III, when Sylvester Stallone shouted at Mr. T, "You ain't so bad!" And it worked - Tyson threw a punch after the bell three times! Unfortunately for Smith, Tyson was not only allowed to continue, but didn't lose any points either. Smith, on the other hand, lost points for merely holding Tyson. Try and figure this one out. For a brief moment Tyson became so frustrated that he too dropped his gloves, and the two of them just stood there shouting at each other. The fans, who payed $750 for ringside tickets, were outraged. THE MOST amusing part of the whole farce was when Smith dropped his gloves and Tyson went after him. Good ol' "Bonecrusher" took off to the other side of the ring with his hands moving up and down at his sides, prompting HBO's announcers to name a new dance after him - the "Choo Choo shuffle." The most appalling part of this whole charade was that each "fighter" took in over a million dollars for this masterpiece. One can't really knock Tyson though - it wasn't his fault. After all, he landed almost as many punches as Smith threw. Every time Tyson came inside, Smith grabbed onto him, and the referee had to separate them. This has happened to Tyson before. In a recent fight against Mitch Green, Green too came away standing after pulling the same trick as Smith. You would think these guys had more pride in themselves. What's the point of getting into a ring with a guy, if you're not going to try and win? I guess a million dollars is reason enough. OPEN UNTIL 3 A.M. ON FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS o a GUS'S PIZZERIA 310 MAYNARD - (INSIDE DOOLEY'S) 665-5800 BUY ANY SIZE PIZZA with 2 items or more exp. 6-1-87 Receive Identical PIZZA FREE with this adv. ONLY, not good with any other offer. UM, WAYNE, & MSU MEDICAL SCHOOL - UM & U of DETROIT DENTAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS DEANS & STUDENTS HERE... INFO ON ADMISSIONS, PREPARATION, CAREERS AND MORE... THURSDAY, MARCH 12 7PM - 9 PM 2nd FLOOR, ANGELL HALL PRE-PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CAREER PLANNING AND PLACEMENT A UNIT OF STUDENT SERVICES ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF EDUCATION? If yes, come to a meeting: Rent a Car from Econo-Car r OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK ~J' WHEN: WHERE: Wed., March 11, 6 p.m. Room 1322 (Tribute Room) School of Education Bldg. WE RENT TO 19 YR. OLD SWUDETSI * Choose from small economical cars to fine luxury cars. " Special weekend rates. * Pick up services upon request. " We accept cash deposits. :r Faculty and staff will be available to answer questions about programs, financial aid opportunities, and admission requirements. If you have questions, call: OFFICE OF ACADEMIC SERVICES (313) 764-7563 1228 School of Education Bldg. ECONO-CAR 438 W. 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