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Rice
Senior forward looks
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lead Blue to Final Four
By Doug Volan
EKEND FILE PHOTO
with plenty of
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Glen Rice will raise Michigan fans to their feet
acrobatic slams this season.
He can destroy you with an acrobatic slam. He can
bury you with a soft 25-footer. His name is Glen Rice.
And the fate of the Michigan basketball team sits
squarely on his shoulders.
The senior forward has been plastered on magazine
covers throughout the country, and he is a preseason All-
America in every major poll.
Last season, he led the Big Ten in scoring (22.9
points per game) and was third in rebounding (7.8
rebounds per game) and field-goal percentage (59.1),
earning him a spot on the All-Big Ten team.
AT THE BIG TEN press conference last Saturday,
Rice was selected preseason Big Ten player of the year.
"He's the key to the whole works," Michigan coach
Bill Frieder said. "If he goes down, I don't know what we
will do."
College basketball analyst Dick Vitale added: "Rice is;
the most valuable player in the Big Ten. He's a prime-
time player, baby. This kid is for real."
There is no doubt that Rice can play. But this season
he'll have to do more than just put up impressive stats;
with the loss of All-America guard Gary Grant to the
Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, Rice will have to
take control.
"We're looking for a whole lot of leadership from
him," point guard Rumeal Robinson said. "Glen means
as much to this team as Gary Grant did to last year's
team, maybe more."
RICE SAID: "It's something I welcome. I'm ready
to step up and fulfill that position... I see my role as
being a leader on and off the court and to score when we
need the baskets, and even if we don't need them."
Robinson said: "The offense will probably go to him
the most. I look for him to take 75 percent of our
shots."
Indeed, the Flint native will assault many Michigan
records this season. Currently ninth on the career scoring
list with 1493 points, Rice figures to surpass former
Michigan stars such as Antoine Joubert and Roy
Tarpley.
In addition, Rice could break Cazzie Russell's record
for most points scored in a season (800), set during the
1965-66 campaign. Last year, Rice poured in 728 points.
After three disappointing seasons in which the
Wolverines, despite the presence of Tarpley, Grant, and
Richard Rellford, never advanced further than the final 16
in the NCAA tournament, Rice feels he's ready to lead
this year's squad to the Final Four.
"We're a much stronger and quicker team, and we've
got more experience than last year," Rice said.
RICE WORKED especially hard over the summer
in hopes of achieving that goal. After not surviving the
first cut in the Olympic tryouts, Rice went home to
work on his weaknesses - ball handling and defense.
Rice spent hours in the gym working on dribbling
with younger brother Kevin, a guard at Northern
Michigan.
According to Kevin, they worked on protecting the
ball, as well as Rice's spin move. "By the end of the
summer he was better than I was - and I'm a guard,"
Kevin said. "He can go to the hole a lot quicker and a lot
stronger now."
In addition, Robinson was able to give Rice some
pointers on dribbling.
"It was something he wanted to do because he wants
to extend his basketball career to the next level, and the
only thing that was holding him back was dribbling the
basketball," Robinson said.
GLAMOUR
Continued from Page 3
"Higgins is a guy I think can help
us offensively, but right now he's a
better forward than guard," said
Frieder. "He's not ready to play
against the types of guards in the Big
Ten."
Higgins, though, has made it
quite clear he wants to start no
matter where he plays. "I didn't come
2,000 miles to sit on the bench," he
said.
Taylor, Calip, and Griffin are all
playing well but have to gain
consistency and confidence in order
to play in a guard-oriented confer-
ence. Taylor right now is the
strongest of the three on defense and
Frieder loves defense.
Robinson, at least, is a solid
fixture Frieder can count on.
Robinson's hard working attitude and
tremendous athletic ability should
make fans forget about Grant soon
enough.
Said Wisconsin head coach Steve
Yoder: "Michigan is an extremely
impressive team. I cannot imagine a
team losing a player the caliber of
Gary Grant and possibly getting
better. But I just don't see any
weaknesses there."
Why is a Grant-less Michigan
team scaring Big Ten opponents?
One reason is last year's league-
leading scorer Glen Rice. As an AP
and UPI First Team All-Big Ten
selection, Rice led the Wolverines in
pointsand rebounds per game with
22.1 and 7.2, respectively.
AFTER smoothing out the
rough edges of his game this
summer, Rice, a 1988 preseason All-
American, could be a lottery pick in
the 1989 NBA draft.
"Rice is the most valuable
player in the Big Ten. He's a
prime-time player, baby. This kid
is for real," said ABC basketball
analyst Dick Vitale.
Playing opposite Rice at power
forward will most likely be junior
Terry Mills. Mills, who started in 33
games last year, is an excellent
passer from in the paint and a good
outside shooter for a forward.
"The front line has improved,
especially Terry Mills," noted
Frieder. "I look forward to them
giving more production offensively,
defensively and on the boards.".
The other big question for the
Wolverines is who will start at
center. Loy Vaught and Mark
Hughes both saw action last year.
The two big men split the starting
time with Vaught gaining 20 starts
and Hughes 16. Hughes was second
on the team in blocked shots with
17, while Vaught grabbed the second
most rebounds with 226.
THE WOLVERINES' new
recruits probably won't see too much
action, but could be used in specialty
situations. James Voskil is a good
shooting forward who works hard and
will, as Frieder points out, "defin-
itely help this ball club somewhere
in his career."
Joining Voskil on the front line
is 7-footer Eric Riley who is playing
better than expected. During an
intrasquad scrimmage Riley recorded
13 rebounds, while the next closest
player was Rice with four. Guard
Rob Pelinka is a good three-point
shooter and could get some spot
performances.
This Michigan squad is filled
with talent which only needs to be
put together in the right combin-
ations. Even with the guard dilem-
ma, they should make a strong run
for the Big Ten title and possibly a
national championship.
WEEKEND/JOHN MUNSON
'I've never seen a day on the basketball
court where you just didn't see (Rice) do
something that you said "Oh my God, I
can't believe he just did that."'
- Guard Rumeal Robinson
Senior guard Mike Griffin is one offour candidates for the
starting off-guard position. Sophomores Demetrius Calip,
Sean Higgins, and Kirk Taylor will also vie for the spot
opposite starting point guard Rumeal Robinson.
';
I
Rice's three-year totals
Year
'85-86
'86-87
'87-88
G
32
32
33
FG
105
226
3n
FGA
191
402
539
Pts.
225
540
772
Avg.
7.0
16.9
22.1
Reb.
97
294
236
Avg.
3.0
9.2
7.2
u I -V V .7y .7177 -JOY 1 40
, - ,.........L A
Totals 97 639 1132 1493 15.4 627
-Preseason Big Ten Player-of-the-Year
-First-Team All-Big Ten: APUPI
-Honorable mention All-American: UPI
-Won the Big Ten scoring title in 1987-88.
-Michigan's co-MVP in 1987-88.
-Second Team All-Big Ten selection: UPI
6.5
Leah Shakdiel is the controversial and courageous Israeli woman who dared to
challenge the religious establishment in that country. This spring Israel's
Supreme Court affirmed her election as the first woman in Israel to serve on a
local Religious Council.
Leah Shakdiel
Jewish Sovereignty in Israel:
The Challenge and Frustration
Sunday, November 20,8:00 pm Green Auditorium,
Hillel, 1429 Hill Street
Sponsored by Jewish Feminist Group, Jewish Law Students Union, Progressive Zionist
Caucus, Union of Students for Israel, U-M Program of Judaic Studies, Temple Beth
Emeth, Congregation Beth Israel. m
Hillel does not necessarily endose the Daily's opinions or agree with its editorial policies 7690500
There is no question that Rice is a hard worker.
"There isn't a day on the basketball court where he
doesn't work harder than the person next to him,"
Robinson said.
"Glen is always going to lead by example," Frieder
said. "He gives us 100 percent plus for 40 minutes."
ALTHOUGH RICE may have trouble handling the
ball, he certainly has no trouble dunking it. Throughout
his career at Michigan, Rice has electrified the crowd
with his repertoire of acrobatic slams.
"I've been here for a year and a half now," Robinson
said, "and I've never seen a day on the basketball court
where you just didn't see him do something that you
said, 'Oh my God, I can't believe that he just did that.'
"He has a really strong personality when it comes to
the game," Robinson continued. "He pumps you up just
by knowing that there's somebody that good out there
with you."
Rice is counting on his offensive abilities to get him
into the NBA. Many scouts have projected him as a
lottery pick.
"I would do good in the NBA," Rice said. "I could run
the floor and rebound, and everyone says I've got a great
shot."
AT 6-FOOT-7, 215 POUNDS, Rice has the
build for a prototype NBA small forward.
"He's a better player right now than at any time in his
career," Frieder said. "He's made big strides and I look
forward to him having an outstanding year."
Despite the high expectations for him and all the
exposure he's been getting, Rice has not let it get to his
head.
"I'm the type of person who really doesn't get caught
up in all that," he said. "So when I see my picture (on
the cover of magazines), I just thank God that it was
possible."
So do Michigan basketball fans.
USED RECORDS
Stop in and see
619 PACKARD, ANN ARBOR,
for yourself.
MI 48104
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PAGE 4 WEEKEND/NOVEMBER 18, 1988
WEEKEND/NOVEMBER 18, 1988