Women's Gymnastics Big Ten Championships Friday and Saturday, Time TBA Varsity Arena SPORTS Men's Swimming NCAA Championships Friday and Saturday, Time TBA Indianapolis, IN The Michigan Daily Tuesday, March 20, 1990 Page 9 Wolverines net split decision Blue beats Arkansas, loses to West Virginia by Eric Berkman Daily Sports Writer A weekend jaunt to Pittsburgh Onetted the Michigan men's tennis team mixed results. Sparked by sin- gles victories by David Kass, John Karzen and David Pierce and doubles wins from Kass and Scott Cuppett as well as Karzen and Mitch Rubin- stein, the Wolverines pulled off a 5- 4 victory over Arkansas on Saturday. . "Arkansas beat us last year in the same event," coach Brian Eisner said. "So it was nice to get the win back. Overall, we had a good team performance-everyone played well. If you can put nine good matches out there, you should usually get five points." However, Michigan was not as fortunate Sunday, losing to West Virginia 7-1, the sole Wolverine vic- tory coming from Rubinstein. West Virginia is a better team," Eisner said. "They also beat Arkansas. West Virginia plays ex- tremely well on hard, fast indoor courts, which is exactly what we played them on." Eisner described the 7-1 deficit as "a very deceptive score." "We lost three three-set matches," he said. "If we had gotten all three of those close matches plus Rubin- stein's win, a doubles win would put us right over." Eisner stressed that Cuppett had two very close matches. In addition to losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to the Razor- backs' Donnie Wood, he lost 2-6, 6- 4, 6-4 to West Virginia's Paul Mancini. "Cuppett has been outstanding," Eisner explained. "Both of his matches were extremely close three- set matches. Against Mancini, who is between 10 and 20 in the nation, he played a really tight match." "I played well, but I should have won both," Cuppett said. "They were tough matches, but I'm not sat- isfied with letting two very close matches get away. "These were much tougher schools than what we have left, so I look to win my next few matches," he added Eisner also noted that Kass, Michigan's first singles player, was hampered by an injury this weekend. "Kass's shoulder was bothering him, so I defaulted number one dou- bles on Sunday," Eisner explained. "We have spent a lot of time work- ing on putting more spin on his second serve-this changes the posi- tion of his toss, moving it to the left. This created an irritation in his shoulder. He'll play Wednesday- then he can have a few days off and correct it completely." Summing up the whole weekend, Eisner said, "you never feel satisfied in losing but I do see improvement. And the guys see it and know it too." JOSE JUAHE2 Michigan forward Sean Higgins hams it up during last year's post-championship pep rally. Speculation has persisted that Higgins is about to announce his plans to file for the NBA draft. A word to the wise for The Dean It is clear that I suggest that Sean forward, should sta Steven Cohen Eisner 'm not breaking new ground when I Higgins, Michigan's 6-9 junior y in school for his senior season. Everyone from Higgins' high school coach at Los Angeles' Fairfax High School, Harvey Kitana, to his college coaches, to NBA scouts, to his father feel he would profit from spending another year in college to work toward his degree in education. "At this time I think it's the wrong thing to do," Higgins' father, Earle, said last night. "The only thing I have to say is if I see that he consciously made that decision on his own I could learn to live with it." e tan by Michael Bess Daily Sports Writer The agonizing waiting game is almost over. Indi- anapolis is only a couple of days away for the men's swim team, as the NCAA's begin on Thursday. Go back to November. Coach Jon Urbanchek and his team had their season goals clearly in mind. First, &steady improvement in times throughout the regular season. Second, a fifth consecutive Big Ten champi- onship. Third, a national title. Two down, one to go. In listening to the coaches and swimmers all year, the NCAA championships are all that seem to matter. It's almost as if their season would be a disappointment if they are unable to capture the national title. Talk about high expectations. It would be absurd to down- play such a successful season. But this collection of athletes is extraordinary. We're talking about some of the premiere competitors in the world. Everyone knows about the magnificence of Brent Lang and Mike Barrowman, but often lost in their shadow are a number of All-Americans. Names like Rick Wilkening, Eric Wunderlich, Eric Bailey, Eric Namesnik. All must perform in order for the maize and blue to reign supreme. The Michigan program has won five consecutive Big Ten championships under Urbanchek. Impressive per- formances. Also significant is the Wolverines' progres- sive improvement in the past four NCAA champi- Reality of NCAA title approaches 1986- Big Ten Champions, 25th in the NCAA's. 1987- Big Ten Champions, 6th in the NCAA's. 1988- Big Ten Champions, 5th in the NCAA's. 1989- Big Ten Champions, 3rd in the NCAA's. Notice a pattern. The Wolverines are determined not to regress, which means they must finish no worse than second. Quite a challenge, but the they are prepared. They have viewed the regular season as merely an exhi- bition to the big show in Indianapolis. Every perfor- mance has been measured against NCAA standards. To put it lightly, they have a one track mind. Go back to January. Michigan defeated number one Stanford at Canham Natatorium. The following week, two heart-breaking dual meet -losses to highly ranked USC and UCLA. Five days later, a first place finish in the Dallas Morning News Invitational. For most, such a roller coaster ride of fortunes would be emotionally draining. Invigorating victories, disap- pointing defeats. Yet throughout the season, the Wolverines have remained remarkably focused on their ultimate goal. If they accomplish a national title, will students de- molish South U. in a drunken frenzy? Probably not. But whether they win it or not, Urbanchek's swimmers should be recognized for what they are. The premiere team at the University of Michigan. Then why has he fueled speculation by remaining in Los Angeles to discuss the matter with his mother? It is obvious that a player who came into Michigan with all his credentials-he was California's state Player of the Year twice, and a McDonald's and Parade All-American-could feel that his talents were over- looked or underused on a team with three other potential NBA players. In addition, he has endured a frustrating three seasons at Michigan which started even before he arrived in Ann Arbor. First there was the highly celebrated incident in which he claimed that his step-father coerced him into signing a national letter of intent with UCLA.. Next, Higgins, along with teammate Demetrius Calip, was declared academically ineligible and missed the second half of his first season. He was also involved in an off-court drinking incident and a fracas at the CCRB. This season he had been playing solid all-around basketball until he was injured. He was recognized as his team's best defender after he shut down Northwestern's Walker Lambiotte, Illinois' Kendall Gill, and Minnesota's Willie Burton. He finished the season third on the team in assists and connected with the third-most three-point goals. But on January 31, he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot and was phased out of the offense somewhat on his return. Whether or not Higgins' apparent interest in turning pro resulted from a lifelong interest in the NBA game - Higgins has often stated he always preferred the pro game to the college version- frustration, or simply the lure of NBA riches, is something only Higgins knows. Pete Babcock, the Atlanta Hawks Director of Player Personnel, feels that no matter what his reasons would be for turning pro, Higgins should wait another year. "My philosophy has always been that there are very few players who benefit from coming out early," Babcock said. "I understand the enticement but (the NBA) is such an adjustment even after your senior season. If you come out early, then maybe you don't make it (past that adjustment). " Babcock also pointed out that the NBA does not make a point of soothing damaged egos. "You don't have as much attention as you do coming out of the schools in the NBA." NBA Director of Scouting Marty Blake concurred. "That's (going pro) is his privilege, of course, but the fact that he applies doesn't mean that teams are obligated to select him." He then added somewhat sarcastically, "I don't know why (he may have decided to go pro). On the basis of his superlative junior season?" Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West was even more emphatic, saying "I just think he should stay in school, period." Though much of the speculation abouttHiggins' future may be unfounded-Higgins has yet to make a decision according to Michigan Sports Information Director Bruce Madej- Higgins' father is under- standably a bit frustrated. Earle Higgins played his college basketball at Eastern Michigan and later played for the NBA's Indiana Pacers. Currently he spends his time counseling youth with a program called ALERT (Athletes Learning Educational Resource Training) which encourages youngsters to get their education. Mr. Higgins understands the irony involved in his situation. "It's kind of sad," the elder Higgins said. "You give advice to somebody else's kid and they listen to you. I guess he"ll have to learn from his mistakes. Sometimes that's the best way. "Sometimes prioritizing is difficult when all you're life you dream of going to the NBA and you try to follow your father's career." Before the younger Higgins makes any decision on his career, he would be wise to pay heed to the message of a poem relayed to his father by former Wolverine great Cazzie Russell: Sometimes when you're feeling important. Sometimes when your ego is in bloom. Sometimes when you think that you're the most important person in the room. Sometimes when you think that your leaving will leave an unfulfillable hole. Just follow these simple instructions and see how it humbles our soul. Take a bucket and fill it with water. Put you're hands in it up to your wrists. Take your hands out and the hole that is remaining is the measure of how much you will be missed. Now you can stir as you enter or you can splash galore but its the same as it was before The quaint moral of this story is to do the best that you can and be yourself because there is no indis- pensable man. i onships. Look at the record: HIGGINS Continued from Page 1 fin, Loy Vaught, Rumeal Robinson, and Terry Mills. A short while later, the speculation was quelled when both the coaching staff and Higgins adopted the stance that he would re- main for his senior year. 0 "People just assume I'm going to go pro because of the situation (the loss of four seniors)," Higgins said in January. "The NBA is something I've al- ways dreamed of but it's not some- thing that can't be waited for. I plan on coming back but you never know." Apparently, the season's disap- pointing conclusio. rekindled Hig- gins' thoughts of the NBA. He had been playing the most consistent basketball of his college career until a stress fracture in his left foot side- lined him on January 31. At the time, Higgins was averaging just over 16 points a game. He returned six games later but his playing time decreased signifi- cantly. In his last six games, he av- eraged 6.8 points and less than 20 minutes of playing time. Higgins Sr. said that he has re- peatedly advised his son to stay in school and finish up his senior year. "He knows how I feel about it," he said. He added that he didn't feel his son's decreased playing time weighed into it, and indicated surprise over the recent developments. "I thought he was looking for- ward to next year," Higgins Sr. said. "He and Demetrius Calip would probably be the only seniors starting and it would have been his year." "(The coaching staff) is not really sure what is going on either. They're taking a 'let's wait and see what happens' approach." WOMEN'S SWIMMING NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS 1.Texas 632.0 2.Stanford 622.5 3.Florida 477.0 4.Califomia 263.0 5.UCLA 224.0 6.USC 182.5 7.Michigan 163.0 8.SMU 122.0 9.Arizona State 118.0 10.Nor'western 100.0 flr:.i . , .r .: r: ;{r f.. lrv ", r/".;!".. r " ! rlr: Jl'f r. !1" Yr" : %f''r JJr , ?,G,'i: f: : i i:{ :- "". . rrJr.Jf Jv' f ${i err frj>fJ$ l'lr' tfl'ffl.; ":: ' r: ":.:: f lJfl jJ , rf %rf r l r . .+! fl '" ,, "...: . .''J!/lrfrfrrJ "fr:;; r r f "f..ff: :. %r;:".;,r :f ilry/" lrr:" ., lf;xrr,'',;n;":.r .::/r.: f;:,:y! ". J".r ". :. :: :.yrrrrJ ...: "J51 , rPr ice.?:?"ii..: ": '"."::.'l ;::Jii r: f j":rji' f :::" 1: J..4'fr f 1ff¢?" f'if l .:ff f OPEN WIDE!' DENTAL HEALTH DAY at the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DENTAL SCHOOL SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1990 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ii ~hI SQ1IAeRe V rNCT t-C, GIxXG AN 0 0Q kr O - " free oral screening " free x-rays " open to the- public " parking available at the Fletcher Street parking structure - U of M Dental School located on the corner of Fletcher and N. University,in Ann Arbor - enter at the north or south entrances, and go to the first floor reception desk 0 Attention Psychology Majors PSI CHI Honor Society Presents --fiDGr- A I r