Women's Gymnastics
vs. Bowling Green
Crisler Arena
Saturday, 2 p.m.
The Michigan Daily
SPORT S
Tuesday, March 17, 1987
Men's Gymnastics
vs. Michigan State and Air Force
Crisler Arena
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Page 7
,.
Adamantly Speaking
BY ADAM OCHLIS
McLain's story reveals the
problems in college athletics
You read Gary McLain's words and shake your head, almost in
disbelief. And so you read them again. And again.
Sports Illustrated featured McLain's own account of his drug use
. during his years as a basketball player at Villanova University
(1981-1985) in this week's issue. He tells how he used drugs
(predominantly cocaine) all the time. Before the games, during the
games, after the games.
He took drugs before Villanova's NCAA semi-final game against
Memphis State. He didn't take them in the championship game
against Georgetown, a game considered by many to be one of the
best ever. But five days later when the team met thetPresident at the
White House, McLain was "wired."
So you sitethere, reading McLain's story that, if fiction, would be
a best seller, wondering how this could happen. Not only how he
got involved with drugs, but also how, when almost everyone knew
of his problem, he still played for the national champion Wildcats.
BUT ALL the blame can't be channelled to McLain. From his
coach, Rollie Massimino, to the NCAA to the television networks,
Gary McLain became a victim of the system.
After reading the article
numerous times, it becomes
obvious that Massimino knew of 3x
his star point guard's involvement
with drugs. Twice, "Coach Mass"
con fronted McLain about his
rumored drug use. Twice, McLain
denied the rumors. Even Rev.
John P. Stack, the dean of
students at Villanova, went to
McLain about the allegations, and M
again McLain denied them.
Would a drug test have solved
the real problem? I don't think so.
Massimino is one of the nicest
people you could ever meet. From
his days as the basketball coach at
my high school alma mater in
Lexington, Mass., to his days at
Villanova, Massimino sincerely
cares about everyone he comes in
contact with. But can you blame
him for not drug testing McLain?
COLLEGE SPORTS is a '.r
big business, and not one athletic
director in the country would deny
it. Although said over and over, Massimrino
it's true: the pressure to win is enormous, and those who can't win
-at.,aonsistent leveltare.the unemployment line right in the face.
Athletes make millions of dollars a year for their university, and the
figure grows each time a conference signs a television contract.
In this year's NCAA tournament, each round is worth $200,000
to the winner. We're talking big bucks. As much as Massimino
" cared for McLain, it would be senseless for Massimino to turn him
in. He couldn't win without McLain, and both parties knew it.
"I figured he had too much to lose. After all, I was the star point
guard. I figured he wouldn't want to risk losing me," McLain writes
in the article - an article he received $40,000 for. "I honestly
believe nothing ever came out of it not because he didn't have
enough to go on, but because he had so much."
This is why some coaches give players cars and women. This is
why some boosters give recruits money, cars, and women. This is
why some coaches give the parents of recruits money to pay back
taxes in an attempt to get their son to commit to that university.
Massimino had a lot to lose if he turned McLain in. It just
happens McLain turned himself in, and now Massimino and
Villanova are suffering the consequences.
I in no way condone McLain's actions. I don't even know if his
story is just that - a story. For $40,000, many people could be
conned into doing almost anything. But that is not the point.
The point is that college athletes and coaches in the major sports
are used by the system. They are in a no-win situation to an extent.
And the sad part is that there's nothing anyone can do about it. Drug
testing at the tournament should help, but it still won't cure the
problem. Cheating and drug abuse will continue in college sports as
long as winning and money are the primary objectives. That's the
way it always has been. That's the way it always will be.
Blue suffers NCAA nightmare
By KEN GOLDBERG
For Michigan's track program,
the NCAA Indoor Championships
in Oklahoma City this past
weekend consisted of one bad dream
after another. A disqualification of
Chris Brewster in the 3000 meter
run and an error by meet officials,
which seriously jeopardized the All-
American hopes of the Wolverines
3200 m. relay team, led Brewster to
call the meet "one crazy weekend."
Despite setting a new personal
record and recording the second
fastest time ever for a Michigan
runner, Kelli Bert's time of 2:45.50
in the 1000 m. run placed her
fourth in her preliminary heat. The
senior failed to qualify for the
finals.
In the 3000 m. preliminary
trials, as Brewster and two other
runners went for the tape, the
Michigan senior bumped a
competitor attempting to pass.
Officials ruled that Brewster
interfered and disqualified him from
the finals, ruining the Ontario
native's hopes for an indoor title.
"Obviously a disqualification is
a judgement call," said Brewster,
"but traditionally when contact is
incidental and at the end of a race,
the officials let it slide. When you
have the best milers in the nation
pushing for All-American, contact
is bound to occur."
MICHIGAN'S relay squad of
Matt Butler, Earl Parris, Rollie
Hudson, and Omar Davidson was
victim to an official error.
On Friday, officials mistakenly
placed the finish line in the eighth
lane eight yards too far. They
realized their mistake after all the
preliminary heats had been run.
Despite running in the extended
lane, Michigan's squad had
qualified for the final heat.
Officials, however, decided to
remedy the situation by running a
timed final on Saturday. The
Wolverines proceeded to set a new
school record with a time of
7:22.40 seconds, just two seconds
off the American record; to finish
fifth in their final heat. Due to the
timed trial, the faster times of
Pittsburgh and Georgetown in an
earlier heat pushed Michigan's
Brewster
... disqualified at NCAAs
standing down to seventh. Only the
top six qualify for All-American.
"The whole situation with the
relay was unfair," said Michigan
coach Jack Harvey.
SPORTS OF THE DAILY:
Wolverines clip
Jayhawk wings, 15-3
From Staff Reports
EDINBERG, Texas -
Freshmen Rich Samplinski and
Greg McMurtry led the Michigan
baseball team to a 15-3 win
yesterday over Kansas at the Citrus
Tournament hosted by Pan
American University.
Samplinski, a third baseman,
scored three runs and had five RBIs.
Center fielder McMurtry had two
hits and three RBIs.
Sophmore Dave Peralta recorded
his first collegiate victory in relief
of starter Chris Lutz.
The Wolverines (2-1) face St.
John's and Miami of Ohio today.
Lady divers make
splash in Champaign
Total domination! That's the
only way to describe the women's
diving squad's performance this past
weekend at the NCAA diving
regionals in Champaign, Ill.
Collen Smith, Bonnie Pankopf,
and Clara Trammell took the first
through third spots, respectively,
on the. three-meter board. Diver
Carolyn Kennedy almost completed
the domiiation, but she failed to
make the cut, placing fifth overall.
In the one-meter board, juniors
Smith and Pankopf finished second
and fourth, respectively, to qualify
for the NCAA championships in
Indianapolis this Thursday through
Saturday. Biting at their heels were
sophomores Amy Hansen (fifth)
and Trammell (sixth).
"(The women's diving squad) did
a great job." said Michigan head
coach Dick Kimball. "They
competed well and were very close
in placing more divers (into the
Championships)."
Junior Mary Fischbach will join
Smith, Pankopf, and Trammell in
Indianapolis. This past February,
Fischbach qualified for the NCAAs
in the one- and three-meter boards at
the Big Ten championships.
- ALVIN BORROMEO
Men tumblers lose
grip, fall to Illini
Even though the Michigan
men's gymnastics team had three
new personal and season high
scores in Saturday's meet at Crisler
Arena, it still couldn't beat Illinois.
The Wolverines started on pace
to set a new season-high team
score, but then faltered in the final
event, the high bar. Michigan head
coach Bob Darden was proud of the
team in the early-going. "Our
consistency was way up over our
previous meets," said Darden. "I
wish we could have rounded out the
meet the way we started it, but we
just didn't click. Normally, we have
a 46-point high bar squad, but we
dropped to a 43."
Illinois won the meet with a
276.80 score. Michigan finished
second with a 266.70 while
Western Michigan was last with a
258.75.
Michigan set numerous
individual records. Steve Yuan set a
personal best and a Michigan high
score of 9.35 on pommel horse.
Mitch Rose's score of 9.65 on the
parallel bars and Ken Haller's 9.05
on the vault were both personal
records.
Michigan's Brock Orwig barely
missed winning the meet all-
around. Illinois' Tigran Mkchyan,
who scored a 55.20, topped Orwig's
55.15.
- PETER Q. ZELLEN
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Women tumblers
roll past(
By IAN RATNER
Led by sparkling performances
from sophomore Janne Klepek and
junior Angela Williams, the
Michigan women's gymnastics
team rolled to its third-consecutive
win in defeating Central Michigan,
178.75-174.55.
"I'm pleased that we won," said
Wolverine head coach Dana
Kempthorn, "however, that wasn't
our main concern. We were aiming
for a 180.0 team score in order to
qualify for the NCAA regionals
(April 11)."
Michigan captured first-place
honors in each of the five events.
Klepek, who has battled back from
an injury-riddled freshman season,
prevailed in the all-around, uneven
E 1
Aippewas
bars, and floor exercise.
Williams, Michigan's top
performer, continued her excellence
this season with first-place finishes
in the vault and balance beam.
Despite the individual efforts,
Kempthorn remains wary of the
postseason tournaments. "We had
some outstanding performance
along with some unfortunate
misses which cost us our 180.0
goal," said Kempthorn. "We can't
afford anymore mistakes, especially
with the Big Ten's coming up in
two weeks."
'Michigan (9-5 overall, 1-3 Big
Ten) must contend with Bowling
Green this Saturday at Crisler
before traveling to the Big Ten
tournament, March 27-28, in
Madison.
ITTRIE
FOR
LSA REPRESENTATIVE
IN THE MSA ELECTIONS
TODAY and TOMORROW'
in the
FISHBOWI, UG L, and DORMS
r
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