V V V '5 V V V V V V w w IRP , v v W' Slam, bar, thankyou, ma' am! By GREG MOLZON Basketball fans can't help but notice Michigan's No. 25 out on the court. Whether he's throwing down a fast-break slam, making a behind-the-back pass to a teammate for an easy score, swishing in jumpers from three-point land, picking an op- ponent clean in the open court, or wildly waving his arms in the air to excite the fans into a frenzy, Gary Grant merits at- tention on the basketball court. The 6-3, 195-pound guard long ago received the adora- tion of Michigan fans. Grant has been a crowd favorite his entire career at Crisler Arena, becoming Michigan's most exciting athlete since football great Anthony Carter, and one of the Wolverines' all-time basketball greats. "There's no question," said Michigan head coach Bill Frieder, "that he has done as much for Michigan basketball as any player in a long time." BIG TEN opponents certainly realize the prowess of the man they call The General. He has terrorized the confer- ence for three years with his slick shooting and defensive excellence. "He's a great player. He's one of the best defensive guards in the country," Purdue's All-Big Ten guard Troy Lewis said. "I always have to gear myself a whole week to prepare for Gary. That's exactly on my mind. I don't think about nothing else but Gary." Lewis should know. He scored 39 points, while being guarded by Antoine Joubert and Garde Thompson, in an 89- 77 Purdue victory over Michigan early last season. The sec- ond time the teams met, the Boilermakers could have clinched an outright Big Ten title, but Grant guarded Lewis and held him to five points in a 104-68 Wolverine blowout. The Midwest media have also recognized Grant's su- perlative play. At the Big Ten's preseason press conference, Grant was not only voted on the preseason All-Big Ten first team, but was also selected to be the league's player of the year. Does Grant believe the media made the right pick? "Oh yeah. I agree with it, but it's still an honor I have to go out and work for," he said. "Gary is an outstanding basketball player. He is very deserving of all the accolades he has received," Frieder added. However, until this season, Grant has not received the national recognition that he has deserved as one of the coun- try's premier all-around guards. GRANT WAS LEFT OFF practically every first and second team All-American list last season. Instead, the honors went to such guards as Steve Alford, Kenny Smith, Dennis Hopson, Mark Jackson, and David Rivers. Grant was arguably the finest defensive guard in the nation and also had comparable offensive statistics to every one of these guards. For example, compare Grant with everybody's All-American, Alford. Grant is unquestionably a better defensive player, and although Alford helped lead Indiana to a national champi- onship, he had much more help from his teammates than Grant did. Alford was supposedly a better offensive player, but statistics show otherwise. Scoring FG% Assists ErB~j Steals Grant 22.4 ppg 53.7 172 159 86 Alford 22.0 ppg 47.4 123 87 39 Possibly it was Alford's 89 percent free throw shooting to Grant's 78 percent that gave him the advantage. Along with other notable players like J.R. Reid and Rony Seikaly, Grant was further shunned nationally when he failed to make the Pan American Games' team this past summer. Guards Rex Chapman, Jeff Lebo, Jerome Richard- son, and Keith Smart were picked ahead of him by coach Denny Crum of Louisville. REFUSING TO criticize Crum, Grant explains that he did not play well and was out of shape (he was coming off arthroscopic knee surgery) when the Pan Am tryouts were held early in the summer. "I feel that me not making the team made me a better player and person, because that's the first thing I've ever been cut from, and it made me think about things differ- ently," Grant said. One thing Grant may be thinking about is making the 1988 Summer Olympics' team. Georgetown's John Thompson will be the coach and Grant would fit in quite nicely with Thompson's defensive style of play. Grant said he will be better prepared for those tryouts, and Thompson would be smart to take note of what happened to the Pan Am team that neglected to select the defensive wizard. duty General Gary Grant commands respect from coast to coast Grant's omission becar favored U.S. team lost to B cause the guards could not ian, Oscar. "I wanted to g but I couldn't do it," Grant Jumping through a te only things the 22-year-old sive list of credentials sincf ton, Ohio, where he was a h his Canton McKinley team Michigan assistant c responsible for recruiting surprised by Grant's all-arc was very surprised that h somed once he got here," F accomplished have been b fense has just blossomed." HERE ARE SOME *Big Ten Freshman of Ten in 1985. Second tearr Defensive Player of the Ye 1987. *Has started every gam for Leslie Rockymore's f starts 31 games this season, than anyone in Michigan hi *Led the team in steak years, and in scoring last ye *Has a 15.8 career sc leading Wolverine career sc uip as the second leading sc only Mike McGee. *He is second on the] toine Joubert and will mov eHas two of the top th sists in a season, with 185 *Has won the Wayma fensive player all three seas Grant has not only ac proven to be a winner. He 20-win seasons and two squads. "When he came in sive glue that put that bur those two Big Ten champi Now, the Big Ten's le for another conference title round in the NCAA Tourm GRANT WIL L H shoulders because of the de leaving the team without experience. The senior wil while Rumeal Robinson, K( or whoever else is in the b Grant already has take and worked to prepare th something I'm going to Grant said. "It's going to cause I'm going to have to and cannot do." Mike Grant, Gary's 1 coach for the Wolverines & going to do whatever it tak The Wolverines wou] great team if Grant had de( team with Michael Jordan the Chicago Bulls would h round. The Wolverines are cei for a final season. "I thin plete guard in the country things and do each of those Unfortunately for thei on a mission to prove ju made a commitment to hir everybody in the country 1 country. Senior guard Gary Grant this season is looking to make his fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan has lost in the second round in each of the past three seasons. Illinois' Lowell Hamilton says "In your face" to three Wolverines. PAGE 14 ,WEEKEND/NOVEMBER 20, 19872 WEEKEND/NOYNB RAi 1987 }+