Women's Basketball vs. Ohio State Friday, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena The Michigan Daily. SPORTS Thursday, January 12 1989 Men's Basketball vs. Minnesota Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena PageM r BLUE BEGINS HECTIC WEEK 'M' hosts BY DOUG VOLAN Michigan basketball coach Bill Frieder was able to dictate the 'cupcake schedule the Wolverines have played thus far. Much to his chagrin, however, he can Wrot do the same for the Big Ten season. With three games in the next five days beginning tonight against Minnesota (Crisler Arena, 8 p.m.), Frieder is frenetic. "I'd like to commend the Big Ten for coming up with such a tremendous basketball schedule for us," Frieder said sarcastically. "This is what we've been trying to avoid, but here we are with three games in five days." Following tonight's game, the Wolverines face No. Illinois in Champaign, and then return home to face * Ohio State on Monday. "We've got a tough, tough week ahead of us," Frieder said. "But we cannot look past Minnesota in any shape, way, or form." INDEED, the Gophers (8-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) should prove a good early season test for the Wolverines, especially up front with forwards Richard Coffey and Willie Burton, and center Jim Shikenjanski. Coffey (6-foot-6, 230 pounds) won the Big Ten rebounding crown last season, averaging 8.7 per game. This year, Coffey is boarding at a 9.2 clip. Burton is also tough in the paint, where he scores the majority of his team-leading 15.9 points per game. 'All teams have to have guys who you can go to inside and be able to score," said Minnesota coach Clem Haskins. "Willie is the player able to do that for is. He gives us the tough baskets inside." Shikenjanski, heavily recruited by Michigan out of high school, has also been effective underneath the basket, averaging 11.4 points per game. "They're very, very aggressive on the inside," Frieder said of the Gophers' front court. "Our guys will have to continue to work and be more Gophers aggressive." MINNESOTA also has a very talented backcourt, led by senior Ray Gaffney, who is averaging 10.6 points as the team's sixth man. "Gaffney is the key," Haskins said. "He can come off the bench and really get us going into our offense." Starters Melvin Newburn and Kevin Lynch are also important contributors. Newburn's 14.6 points per game ranks second on the team, and Lynch, a very aggressive defensive player, is also in double figures, scoring 11.7 per game. When Gaffney caught the flu earlier this season, Lynch became the starter. The move worked so well that Haskins decided to stick with his newly-found lineup. "Our chemistry is finally right," Haskins concluded afterward. Reserves Walter Bond, Connell Lewis, and Bob Martin join Gaffney to give the Gophers a solid bench. "We feel good about our depth," Haskins said. Michigan's Sean Higgins, eligible to play tonight after completing his three game suspension, will come off the bench. Kirk Taylor, who scored 10 points in his first Big Ten start against Northwestern on Saturday, gets the starting nod tonight. "I'm not going to just insert him," Frieder said of Higgins. "He's going to have to come off the bench now and prove himself. He will have to work his way back into the starting lineup." Blue banter What was Frieder's response to receiving basketball analyst Dick Vitale's award for twinkie scheduling? "Tell Vitale when he comes in on Monday (to announce Michigan's game with Ohio State for ESPN) to bring all his bullshit because we need some for some patch-up work around Crisler Arena. We can just throw it around there and fix up some of the stuff that needs fixing," he said. JOHN MUNSON0i lY*,~ Leroy Hoard, who made this 61-yard run in the Rose Bowl last week, ran away from monetary offers when he was recruited out of high school. Hoard incriminates SMU BY MICHAEL SALINSKY Michigan fullback and Rose Bowl MVP Leroy Hoard was allegedly offered $150,000 by a person connected to the Southern Methodist football program three years ago when he was a high school senior. Hoard disclosed on Mitch Albom's radio talk show on WLLZ- FM Sunday that he was offered a suitcase filled with cash. He refused Albom's request to name the school while on the air because he didn't "want to get involved in that stuff," referring to NCAA investigations. Michigan Sports Information Director Bruce Madej said Tuesday that the program involved was SMU, a member of the Southwest conference that was issued a "death penalty" in February of 1987 because of numerous NCAA viola- tions, some involving recruiting. Madej said that Hoard disclosed the school's identity later Sunday night. Hoard has been unavailable for comment. Because of the penalties already levelled on SMU, Madej does not think there will be an NCAA investigation into the matter. Dan Beebe, Chief Enforcement Officer of the NCAA, was unaware of the allegations when contacted Tuesday. Beebe said he expected to find out about the matter soon when press re- ports from this week are scrutinized. Hoard's claims were published in. the Detroit Free Press, for which Albom is a columnist, as well as the Associated Press wire. According to-Beebe, Hoard's case could be a matter of investigation if it would substantially add to the case for which the NCAA has previously penalized SMU. The athletic office at SMU refused to comment on the allegations or even to acknowledge that they had heard of them. .;Y.. , &a _ dd " ' %, dyy. t r .. 4 °:; 'q::. Pressure Potokar bears A. ."'' . : -"I" heavy weight BY STEVEN COHEN Bob Potokar comes to the mat. It's his turn to wrestle at heavyweight for the University of Michigan. His teammates watch in anticipation because whether they will go home as winners or losers depends solely on the 6- foot-i, 240-pound junior wrestler from Ohio. Being a heavyweight and the last one to wrestle in each meet, Potokar is often placed in such a situation. It seems unfair, but it comes with the territory. Potokar has won decisive matches, but the memory of those that he has lost is far more powerful and lasting. Like the Iowa State loss last year. THE HAWKEYES were winning, 16-15, but Michigan could have pulled out a victory against the defending national champs with a victory in the final match. But Potokar lost a close match and a dejected Michigan team was left to ponder what might have been. No one blamed Potokar for the loss; a match is decided by all ten wrestlers, not just one. But that didn't make it any easier for him to handle. /Dady And the fact that the team had a 15-8 lead which other wrestlers had the squandered didn't make him feel any better either. But people have high expectations for Potokar. "Bob has the ability to'bp' an NCAA All-American or champion," said Michigan coach Dale Bahr. These expectations add to the pressure on the heavyweight. Potokar has always had to deal with pressure. Coming from a talented wrestling family, with two brothers who wrestled in college, Potokar followed their lead becoming a three-time state champion in Ohio. When it came time for Potokar to choose a college, he spurned Ohio Sods State in favor of Michigan, both for the education it could offer and to make yles. a name for himself somewhere else. His brother, Ed, was a two-time All- iway American for the Buckeyes. First-year swimmer Eric Wunderlich competes in the breaststroke last night agains meet by the score of 73-40. MEN SWIMMERS REMAIN UNDEFEATED: JOSE JUAREZ st Oakland University. Michigan won 6 m 9 ease BY ANDREW GOTTESMAN The Michigan men's swimming team demolished yet another foe last night, this time a Division II one, in the latest of a series of games that head coach Jon Urbanchek terms "quality practices."' Michigan, ranked No. 4 in the country, defeated Oakland University, 73-40, raising their record to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Oakland dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. "These are good practice meets," said 0 Urbanchek. "They will help prepare us for the Stanfords and Berkelys." Michigan will make its first-ever Western road trip for dual meets later this month. OAKLAND'S coach Pete Hovland also considered the meet more of a practice for his team. "We don't expect to beat Michigan, or .s past U push them, but it helps. We need to get out of our circle," he said. Oakland led the meet only once during the entire evening, after taking first and third places in the very first event, the 200-yard individual medley. After that point, however, Michigan took control. The Wolverines swept the top three spots in the next two events, as they did six. times during the meet, the 1,650 freestyle and 200 freestyle, respectively. Senior Mats Nygren earned the first of his two blue ribbons in the 200, finishing in 1 minute 43.07 seconds. First- year swimmer Scott Hart took the 1,650. NYGREN won his second race in the 500- freestyle, touching the wall in 4 minutes 36.95 seconds. He was the only swimmer with multiple wins during the meet. However, there were two major bright spots Oakiand for Oakland. Sophomore Hilton We dominated both the 50 and 100 sprint freest He won the 100 in 45.87 seconds, and blew a two Wolverines in an exhibition heat of th His time in the race was faster than the winr in the race that counted. "Every year we have two or three individ that can compete with Michigan," said HovL '"They need races like that." Urbanchek was also impressed by Wo performance. "Besides Woods most of t swimmers really don't measure up to Divisi standards," he said. Michigan, in the form of junior Bill Ha also dominated the diving competition. H first took the 1-meter springboard with a scor 298.05. He followed that show with a 3-m victory, tallying 306.90 points. 50. ner's uals and. od's heir on I ryes, ayes re of eter HE ALSO CHOSE Michigan for the workout partners it could offer. The most important one was graduate assistant Kirk Trost. Trost was national champion at heavyweight for Michigan in 1986. His quick, explosive style is similar to Potokar's. Having Trost to wrestle with is a great help for Potokar, but it can also be a cross to bear, as comparisons between the two are inevitable. "There were a lot of expectations for Bob when he came in because he was such a blue-chipper out of high school," said graduate assistant Will Waters. "But everybody takes their lumps in their first few years." Potokar finished 53-32 the past two years, good enough to be named Freshman Wrestler of the Year by the Amateur Wrestling News and to have qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. But if he is going to live up to his expectations, the time is now. He has See Potokar, Page 12 GET IT! The Personal Column MCIGAN - DAILYCASIEADS DA Rent a Car from Econo-Car OPEN 7 YS A WEEK - Choose from small economical cars ? 0 A 6S WHAT'S HAPPENING RECREATIONAL SPORTS FOR YOUR WINTER TIME FUN, DON'T FORGET THAT THE OUTDOOR RECREATION CENTER LOCATED IN THE NORTH CAMPUS RECREATION STT T ThMIT- A C R AMT AT FC3T I TfDPMT FUf A UTTfl