Page 10 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 26, 1989 Roberts takes it o e boards BY RICHARD EISEN Next to a Michigan goal, nothing makes the Yost Ice Arena faithful cheer louder than a full body check by Michigan defenseman Alex Roberts. Whap. "You hear the fans when you hit somebody well," Roberts said. "A lot of fans, when you score a goal, are obviously going to cheer. But the next thing that they like best are hard hits. I find myself doing the same thing when I go to Red Wing games. "You see a good hit and it's 'Yeah! Nice check."' It's this attitude toward the game that has given Roberts not only the respect of his coach and teammates, but also his very own, rowdy fan club that sits behind the Michigan bench during home games. "It's nice to look up there and see fifteen people with my name on their shirts. I met them a few times," Roberts said. "They're just a bunch of hockey fans that took a liking to my style of play." Just what exactly is Roberts' style of play? And what is it about his style that is so damn fun to watch? "He's a different type of player. He's always there for you," defenseman Mark Sorensen said. "He always seems to be there, always in the play, always in the center of attention. He's rambunctious." Roberts said: "Maybe aggressive. I don't know about rambunctious. I'm more of a stay at home defensive type. I like killing penalties where you can be aggressive out there and I enjoy rubbing a little extra elbow in somebody's face." Likes to rub a little extra elbow. That's what's so damn entertaining. Although Roberts may seem abrasive on the ice, he's totally different off it. "Off the ice, he's kind of quiet. He's a low key guy," Sorensen, Roberts' housemate, said. "I don't think his style of play is really indicitive of the type of person Alex really is." "He's a mother's dream," defenseman Todd Copeland, another housemate, said. "A perfect child. The only one in the house that makes his bed in the morning." Next time Roberts smashes an opponent into the boards think of this: Because every article written about him mentions his hockey oriented family members, Roberts asked that his mother, Peggy, be mentioned in a story. "Just say 'his mother's his biggest fan," Roberts said. Maybe the Alex Roberts Fan Club needs another member. Although shoving someone after the whistle may be interesting for the fans, it has caused problems for Roberts. In his rookie year, he did a lot of elbowing, landing him in the penalty box 55 times for 117 minutes. "I learned a lot my first year the hard way," Roberts said. "I've settled down. I'm still taking some penalties, but I don't think I'm taking the same bad, stupid penalties that I've had." Roberts has calmed down a bit, taking 34 penalties last year. After last weekend's sweep of Ferris State, Roberts has 31 penalties. Using this new found tranquility, Roberts has shined frequently on offense, scoring 11 points already this season. His career high was last year's total of 13. "We're starting to call him Mr. Calm by the way he holds the puck," Copeland said. "He gives a lot of head fakes and everything. And I don't know what the defenders think, because when he comes down they just peel off. He's Mr. Calm, and he ends up making great passes." If it seems that Roberts is on top of his game, it's no mirage. Not only have the fans realized Roberts' excellent play, but his coach has as well. "He has shown steady improvement since his first year. But this year he's putting it all together," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "He's been a real tower of strength for us on defense. Al has improved to the point where he makes a minimum of mistakes and as a result he becomes a safe and reliable defenseman." To Roberts, this praise is just as good as seeing an opponent standing idly by the boards. "I just really want the coach to have that confidence in me where he could say 'Alex is playing good defensive hockey, mistake free hockey."' " The Schef's Specialty Turner still a standout on the basketball court BY ADAM SCHEFTER :.: «__ Landon Turner was always a good rebounder. His pounding under the boards and Isiah Thomas' finesse from the outside helped Indiana win the national championship in 1981. But his toughest rebound came three months later. On July 25, 1981, while on a state highway in Columbus, Ind., on his way to Kings Island amusement park, Turner was crippled in a car accident. He doesn't remember much about how his car went off the road, but he does re- member regaining consciousness in the hos- pital five days later. "I woke up and the doctor told me that I was paralyzed," Turner, 28, recalled over the phone from his home in Indianapolis last week. "I thought I was having a dream so I went back 'Coach Knight was always getting on me because I tried to slide by both academically and on the court. He was always real mad at me that I wasn't giving 100 percent.' - Landon Turner to sleep. When I woke up again and the doctor told me I'd never walk, I couldn't believe it." How could he? Turner was a beautifully shaped 6-10 forward. A player who moved with so much grace. He had one year of eligibility remaining and was projected as one of the top forwards in the country by NBA scouts. The sky was the limit. Yet somehow, he landed on earth, in a wheelchair, with no other choice but to rebound. AS IN THE PAST, he did an admirable job. He moved out of his parents', Rita and Adell's home, and into his own house, alone. He learned to drive a car. He joined the speak- ing circuit and lectured boys' clubs and high school students. Now Turner is turning back to the game that gave him so much hope. After having hesitations, he joined the Circle City Knight- riders, a wheelchair basketball team this past fall. His team is currently 8-8, but in this game, it's not the record that counts. Turner is out there in his chair, using his long arms to get around the way he once used his muscular legs. Despite being the biggest man on the floor, his size has never meant so little. He says blocking shots are near im- possible. Dunking, which he once did power- fully, is something he dreams about, just like any other kid first learning the game. There have been other changes. He has had to wear gloves on his hands to prevent calluses. He hasto exert more strength getting up and down the court than he ever has in the past. He has even missed plenty of layups in practice, something that would have been in- excusable during his college days, under his irascible coach, Bob Knight. BUT EVEN though his shot isn't always on target, how can you do anything but cheer his efforts? "Coach Knight was always getting on me because I tried to slide by both academically and on the court," Turner recalls. "He was always real mad at me that I wasn't giving 100 percent." He swears that his game is improving, and adds that he might try out for the 1992 paralympic team, a team that won the gold in Seoul shortly after the Olympic Games. He bashfully admits that his team isn't real good this year, but his voice livens up as it quickly adds how next year will be different. He is determined. He is rebounding. And he has never done such a good job of it. THROUGHOUT the conversation, he is very calm in speaking about his accident. He sounds bored by the questions that he has had to answer for the last seven years. The only bit of hostility in his voice comes when he men- tions the inadequate facilities for wheelchairs he discovered on a recent trip to New York City. "I really felt discriminated against," Turner said, raising his voice for the first time. "I'm independent r;nd don't like when I have to depend on other people." So he speaks his mind, which he does during most of his free time. He derives his greatest enjoyment giving speeches to children. "I want to help out these kids as much as I can," Turner says sincerely. "I always tell them to be positive about themselves. To have a good self-esteem. I tell them how my dreams 0 0 'You know, a lot of people go through life never really knowing how much they are loved. I've realized that people love me and care about me, and it really makes me feel good.' Landon Turner of playing in the NBA were washed away and that I could have been down and quit, but I didn't." He continues in the same tone of voice. "You know, one thing about the accident is that I discovered how-many people care about me. You know, a lot of people go through life never really knowing how much they are loved. I've realized that people love me and care about me, and it really makes me feel good." It is obvious that when his body was tam- pered with, his heart went unscathed. Abbott ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Pitcher Jim Abbott, the California Angels' No. 1 draft choice last year and one of the most decorated amateur ballplayers ever, has been invited to spring training with the team, it was announced Tuesday. The left-hander was one of eight non-roster players to get such an in- vitation, but clearly he will be the focus of interest when Angels' batteryman report to Mesa, Arizona, on February 16. "I look forward to it but I'm a bit invited to nervous. I don't know what'll be involved in starting out," said1 Abbott, the Michigan product who was the eighth player picked in last1 June's amateur draft. Abbott is on the Angels' Class AA roster and is slated to start out as a professional at Midland of the Texas League. He delayed his pro career last year to help pitch the United States to an Olympic gold medal in Seoul, South Korea. "If I have any one goal, it is to prove I can play on my ability," said camp Abbott, who has gained notoriety for having a brilliant collegiate career despite being born without a right hand. "The important thing is that I'll have a chance to make it, and it'll rest solely on my ability." Abbott, 21, made a clean sweep of available honors last year, including becoming the first baseball player ever to win the Sullivan Award, emblematic of the nation's top amateur athlete. He was also Big Ten player of the year and placed on several All-America teams. Abbott ... chance foe big leagues I co FILl THE MOST ITROF THE YE I CLASSIFIED ADSI Call 764-0557 I 0 Opportunities for Accounting and Financial Professionals R Jump into an entry-level career that will take you places at EDS. "BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR." THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW "BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR." Roger Ebert, SISKEL & EBERT ""ONE OF THE YEAR'STE BEST!" 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