0 Baseball vs. Ferris State Tuesday, 2 p.m. Fisher Stadium The Michigan Daily SPORTS_ Tuesday, April 11, 1989 Big day for Blue Basketball with Bust and press conference (left) Michigan Athletic Director Bo Schembechler attended the annual Michigan Basketball Bust yesterday and took time to greet the players including guard Rumeal Robinson, who won this year's Defensive Player Award. Senior forward Glen Rice was the 6 team's Most Valuable Player. b (right) Michigan coach Steve Fisher fields questions from reporters during yesterday's press conference. It came as no surprise when Schembechler named Fisher the Wolverine's new head coach after going 6-0 in this year's NCAA tournament as an interim. He led Michigan to their first ever national championship. Football Spring Game Saturday, 1 p.m. Michigan Stadium Page 8 "I Fisher Continued from Page 1 Players are ready to work on defending their national cham- pionship under Fisher. "I'm happy to see they decided this thing," Terry Mills said. "Fisher's undefeated and has a lot of class. He helped us win this title and he should be here to help defend it." Glen Rice added, "Bo was saying he wanted a Michigan man, and everyone on the team and in state feels Fisher is the best Michigan man for the job." Particularly appealing to Schembechler was the way Fisher handled himself under pressure during the tournament aid his strong interest in the players. "Fisher will run a player-oriented program in the best interests of the guys who play," Schembechler said of his choice. "I think Steve is a forceful disciplinarian even though he doesn't give you that im- pression." Fisher added: "I know the type of program Steve Fisher wants and it parallels the type of program Bo wants. And this will be Steve Fisher's program." Blue Banter Schembechler showed he hasn't lost his feel for humor, last night at the annual Basketball Bust. A few of his thoughts... -On Sean Higgins: "My favorite player, he's going to be a great player some day or I'm gonna kill him, is Sean Higgins. He's a friend of mine in case you don't know." -On Mills: "I like this Mills. When the big boys in the paint start to push him around, he could hold his own. We could put 25 or 30 pounds on him and line him up at the other tackle." -On the coaching situation: "Right after the tournament, I re- ceived letters of congratulations, saying 'Now you should hire Fisher to coach Michigan.' Two or three days later, letters came in saying 'What the hell are you waiting for to name him coach.' A couple of days ago, a letter came in 'You sonofabitch...' APPLY NOW! Michigan Telefun d E-xp-e-r- i e-n-c-e - T-h-a-t -"P a-y-s Rib Continued from Page 1 "I'm excited and yes, I'm proud," Fisher said. "This is going to be a new program, a program of which Bo Schembechler and Michigan President James Duderstadt can be proud." Shock the world. Fisher is the only undefeated coach in America and has become the national icon for assistant basketball coaches everywhere. Vol- umes of letters to Schembechler gave the athletic director an idea of who he should hire. "During the tournament, I got some letters that said I should give him a chance," Schembechler said. "After the tournament, I got some more that said I should hire him immediately. Just the other day, I picked up a couple saying, 'You son of a bitch."' "I've never heard of an undefeated head coach getting fired," Terry Mills said during the tournament. Neither had Schembechler. Shock the world. Fisher steered a team that had declared itself on a "mission," to its eventual goal. In the process, spec- tators were entitled to see a Mich- igan team with more confidence and more desire. It was amazing how different the players reacted to their new leader- ship. Mills, who had been labelled generously "inconsistent" all season, responded with the best six-game stretch of his career. He is the epitome of what Fisher did with the Wolverines. "He's a people's coach." Lov Vaught said before the Final Four. "We're enjoying ourselves again. The game of basketball should be fun." "I don't have to worry about making a mistake and ending up on the pine," Demetrius Calip added. That sentiment about Fisher struck a familar chord with Schem- bechler. "It will be a player-oriented program. Just like the football program." Shock the world. After the two interviews Schem- bechler had with Fisher last Wednes- day and Friday, he was convinced of who his choice should be. He conducted no other interviews out- side of Fisher and no one was ever contacted in person or invited to Ann Arbor for an interview/visit. During the search, there were rumors surrounding Indiana coach Bob Knight, who Schembechler said he would talk to about his coaching vacancy. This was highlighted by rumors that Knight had been seen in Detroit Metro Airport last week. Another rumor concerned San Antonio Spurs head coach Larry Brown, whose travels in his coach- ing career would make Gulliver cringe. Brown, who won the 1988 National Championship with Kan- sas, supposedly expressed interest when his team was in Detroit last month. Brown denied everything emphatically. There were two Knight proteges that were alleged candidates until yesterday's announcement. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who has taken his team to the Final Four three of the past four seasons, and Evansville's Jim Crews, were gossiped to be factors in the selection, but neither one was interviewed. -J "I don't know if he talked to anyone else," Fisher said. "To tell you the truth, I don't want to know." Shock the world. There were recent allegations into Michigan's basketball program sur- rounding the recruitment of Mr. Basketball in Michigan, Michael Talley. The 6-foot-2 inch guard, who is driving around a new 1989 Mustang convertible that was pur- chased by his grandmother, was ru mored to have beep illegally recruit- ed by the Wolverines and Frieder. The Michigan State program, which was sure that it had Talley coming to play for the Spartan's, complained to the NCAA. I've heard of turning green with envy. Needldes to say, Schembechler investigated and found nothing. Another potential problem sterfi- med from former Michigan star Rdy Tarpley, who has had recent drqg problems. Supposedly, Tarpley was taking drugs when he was in college and it was speculated that maybe Fisher knew something about it. Well, Schembechler, before his two meetings with Fisher, knew the speculation that spread around town and prepared himself for the upcom- ing discussion. "I asked him some of the most difficult questions that I could think of," Schembechler concluded. "He responded to them very well. No matter how I analyzed it,- the choice always came up Steve Fisher. "I said that I would choose the man who I felt would be the best basketball coach for Michigan and that man is Steve Fisher." Shock the world. OO FUN Generous Bonuses $5.00 to 6.50 per hour Flexible Evening Hours Call 763-7420 Stop by at: 611 Church St., Suite 304 4 If you' ee ever dreamed of being behind the controls of an airplane. this is your chance to find out what it's really like. A Marine Corps pilot is coming to campus who can take vou up for trial flights. 'e're looking for a few fI A_ If you re cut out for it. well give you free civilian flight training. maybleb eo $n100 a month cash while \ou're in schooll And someday ou etuld be fLing - a I larrier. Cobra or F A-18. .I ;et a taste of what life is like the top. The fl ight's on us. 4 4 4