Men's Swimming vs. Purdue Friday, 7:30 p.m. Matt Mann Pool The Michigan Daily- SPORTS Wednesday, January 13, 1988 Women's Basketball vs. Ohio State Friday, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena Page 9 X1' v.y.x full court Woman cager makes team, p S1 lives dream as Blue reserve By MICHAEL GILL During Sunday's upset win over Illinois, basketball player Barbie Loeher sat on the bench. She shot during warmups. She stood during timeouts. She cheered on her team- mates. She could want more, but she was happy. Happy as a rabbit. And then... Michigan head coach Bud Van De Wege watched a drive, a basket, and a foul. AS THE BASKET sealed the victory and Van De Wege hopped down the sideline in joyful glee, Loeher sang "Here comes Bud Van De Wege, hopping down..." to the tune of "Peter Cottontail." He didn't hear it at the time, but the bench ate it up. Loeher was there. She was part of the team. That's what counts. At the conclusion of Grosse Pointe North's basketball season last year, Loeher thought her career as a hoopster was over. Forever. Decid- ing to attend Michigan for academic reasons, basketball was not in the plans. She had a dream. "I tried out for the team just so I could say to myself that at least I tried," she said. AFTER A FEW days of walk- on tryouts, Van De Wege asked to meet with the three finalists in his office. "It really sounded like he wasn't going to keep anyone," Loeher ad- mits. "We spoke of basketball and how I would feel if certain situations occurred. He asked what my attitude would be like if I didn't play all sea- son. I told him I wouldn't care be- cause I'd be on the team and that's something I dreamt of since second grade. "I was getting the feeling that I made it but he hadn't told me. After ten minutes he said 'We'd really ap- preciate it if...' My heart dropped. I thought he was going to ask me to be manager - not that there's any- thing wrong with being manager. But I wanted to make the team. And he said "if you'd be a member of our team this year." What started as a conscious clear- ing motivation ended with stomach aches, sleepless nights, and an invi- tation to be the only first year walk- on of the 1987-88 edition of the Wolverine basketball team. AGAINST ALL ODDS the proverbial mountain climbed. But this was just the beginning. The emotion spills over. "I'm sitting in his office trying to be cool and calm while in reality I'm going crazy," Loeher said. "I was like shaking." Like shaking. EEH-Gads. The en- gineering student was now a jock. TOO EMBARRASSED to use the phone outside the athletic of- fices, she ran to Campus Corner. Carrying a roll of quarters with her, just in case the unbelievable became fact, she began throwing quarter after quarter - $3.75 worth - into the phone. She began telephone conver- sations with half the Western world. Her mom. Her high school bas- ketball coach. Her math teacher. Her dad's secretary. Her dad's colleagues. Brother. Sister. Everyone. "She's such, a classic case of somebody that came to a tryout and worked her tail off," Van De Wege marveled. "You watch her play for half and hour and you can see that she's somebody who's going to help you out. See LOEHER, Page 10 X S a Dolly Photo Former Michigan great Anthony Carter, now starring with the Minnesota Vikings, set a playoff record by catching 10 passes for 227 yards in last Sunday's upset of San Francisco. Carter cruises into NFC championship BY STEVEN GINNS caught 10 passes good for 227 yards, Former Michigan Wolverine, engineering the Vikings' win over Michigan Panther, and current Min- San Francisco, 36-24. nesota Viking-wide receiver Anthony In the process, the three-year NFL Carter has hit on all cylinders this veteran establish a new standard for season. playoff performances. His 227 re- The 5'11", 174-pound Carter ceiving yards easily surpassed the old sparked the Vikings to an 8 -7 record of 198, set by former Los record, which earned them a wild card Angles Ram Tom Fears in 1950. birth in the NFC playoffs. The Vikings road to the NFC CARTER charged ahead of all playoffs was not smooth, however. cther NFL wide receivers by catch- Problems both on and off the field ing 38 passes for 922 yards and have plagued them. seven touchdowns. His average of On the field, the Vikings had 24.3 yards per catch led the league, trouble deciding which quarterback to and earned him a spot in the Pro use. Throughout the season, Tommy Bowl. Kramer and Wade Wilson were in- consistent, forcing head coach Jerry Burns to alternate between the two. 'A luzfln j Furthermore, during the strike, Minnesota's replacement team hurt their playoff chances by losing all three games. OFF THE FIELD, several players faced personal problems. Kramer and defensive end Keith "This season has gone pretty Millard, admitted alcoholics, were good for me," said the soft-spoken forced to join Alcoholics Anony- Carter. "I'm pretty much on top of mous to solve their drinking prob- my game. I feel I have performed to lems. the best of my ability." The Vikings, however, have During the NFC playoffs, Carter been able to overcome these obsta- helped lead Minnesota to two upset cles, and according to Carter, those victories over the New Orleans problems "have not affected us at Saints and San Francisco 49ers. all." In the wild card game against the By overcoming these difficulties, Saints, Carter displayed what his the Vikings are now just one game abilities mean to the Vikings. He away from playing in the Super caught 6 passes for 79 yards, and Bowl. A victory over the Washing- scored two touchdowns; one with an ton Redskins in the NFC Champi- 84 yard punt return, and the other on onship game, this Sunday, will send a 25-yard pass from running back the Vikings to San Diego for the Allen Rice, as Minnesota sped past Super Bowl. New Orleans 44-10. The key to the game, isto "get a AGAINST the 49ers in the lead and be able to put (the NFC semifinals, Carter shifted gears Redskins) away and not keep them and improved his performance. He in the ball game," Carter said. ISRAELI FOLK D A N C ING One hour of instruction followed At Hillel by open dancing. For beginning and 339 E. Liberty W J' advance students. time Thursdays, Beginning Jan. 14 7:30-10pm Ourthree-yearand two-year sholarshipofeeeswon' Just easier to pay for. Even if you didn't start college on a scholarship, you could finish on one. Army ROTC Scholarships pay for full tuition and allowances for educational fees and textbooks. Along with up to $1,000 a year. Get all the facts. APPLICATION DEADLINES ARE SOON! Call (313) 764-2400 or visit the Army ROTC Office at 131 North Hall, Ann Arbor, ,I ARMY RESERVE CFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS Doily Photo by ELLEN LEVY First-year student Barbara Loeher won the final position on the Michigan women's basketball team during a try out for walk-ons. She scored heg; only two points against Ball State January 3rd. c'mon... thursday's classes aren't all that important L AUGA 'd RACK Stand td Ip Comnedy presents comedian TONY HAYES Student Comedians MIKE TOWER ERIC CHAMPANELLA WEDNESDAY JANUARY 13 And Your Host PETER BERMAN IN THE U-CLUB 10 P.M. $2.50 Admission / KTHE onAUY" "4" ,494 LPUG~i ACK fuyd . FridAy S turd a iN~ RS Su'iday M 0-133'~~~*,N IHSI ~ANN ~ ~ .-1SMltNt,..N 0JO+ )C) nut Become a Daily Photographer!, I Read and Daieqj Ceaoaijied6 CENTER FOR WESTERN EUROPEAN STUDIES Study abroad in Spain or Italy through The University of Michigan Earn in-residence credits; financial aid applies MICHIGAN-CORNELL PROGRAM IN SEVILLE, SPAIN: nn1 ic c t+a i .i n Sn+~,Qr~auv chk -(nv.+1 +.ci ana -rm v r aTlQv. i :. . .