Page 14-The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, March 28, 1990
Blue hopeful that Webber will replenish basketball team
Michigan's
by Albert Lin
Daily Sports Writer
-_
Last Friday, Chris Webber stepped onto the floor of Crisler Arena and
scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. But he was wearing the black and
gold of his Country Day Yellowjackets.
What Michigan fans want to know is if he will ever wear the familiar
maize and blue.
Webber, a 6-feet-9, 230 pound junior is considered by many the finest
high school player in his class. He has averaged 24.5 points, 12.4 rebounds,
and 4.6 blocks on the year.
Chris Wallace of Blue Ribbon Sports and Barry Temkin of Basketball
Weekly both ranked him as the premier player in the class of 1991. Dave
Krider of USA Today has him in the top three in the country.
He is the top player in Michigan "by far," says Mick McCabe of the
Free Press , an opinion also reflected by his selection as the number one
player in Michigan by the Detroit News and the Free Press, and by his
second consecutive selection to the News' Dream Team. Webber is also a
Parade first-team All-America selection.
The experts know that Webber has tremendous all-around skills. His
game compares favorably to that of former Kansas star Danny Manning,
with inside and outside abilities, strong rebounding and exceptional
ballhandling talent for a big man.
Clark Francis of the Hoop Scoop says, "He's definitely one of the top
three high school juniors in the country. He's a phenomenal talent... He's
the type of player that can step into a program and do the same things that
some of these guys are doing this year like Bobby Hurley and Kenny
Anderson. He can get you there."
Webber led the Yellowjackets to a second
consecutive state title on Saturday, scoring 30
points, pulling down 14 rebounds, and
blocking eight shots in a Class B victory over
Saginaw Buena Vista. What makes this feat.-
even more remarkable is that last year Country
Day won the Class C title last year.
"Not too many teams have won it in one
class and then elected to move up, voluntarily,
and won it again, so it was a big achievement
in my life," he said.
Though he is softspoken off the court,
Webber is unquestionably Country Day's vocal
leader on the floor. His 25 points Friday were
evenly distributed by quarter - six, six, four,
nine, respectively - but when the game is on
the line, Chris is the man to go to. As he
says, "When I want the ball, I think it's time
for the team to score."
His first love was football. "If you asked
me what schools I dreamed of playing football!
for I could tell you right now, but basketball,
no, I've never really had dreams about playing
basketball in college because I never followed Take one...take two. Detroit
it that much," he says. But as he grew, "it Webber dunks. The 6-feet-9
didn't look like I was gonna get to play much of the top high school junio
football."
A father of a classmate, who was an AAU coach, recognized Webber's
potential and offered to help him with basketball. "He's the one that made
me a basketball player," Chris says, "Without him, I wouldn't be playing
basketball."
Former Michigan coach Bill Frieder reportedly "babysat" Webber in his
early high school years. He doesn't mind the use of that term, and he has the
utmost respect for Frieder.
"I think he is the best recruiter there is - the best," he says. "He was at
my first high school game, and that's something, even if I don't play
basketball in college, I'll always remember."
tural resource
Despite his athletic talent, Webber does not neglect his education. He
decided to attend Country Day because of its better academic program, but he
originally harbored thoughts of attending Detroit Southwestern.
When asked why he explains, "I'm a product of Detroit. I felt that all the
people in the city should stay in the city and help the city out, and help
rebuild it," he says. "I looked at myself as being a hypocrite by going out to
the suburbs, and playing and going to school, when the city is in need."
Growing up in private schools, Chris has been in an academic
atmosphere his entire life. He believes in academics because, "I've been
around a lot of kids who played basketball, and I've seen the stories, I've
faced the stories...I've dealt with reality a lot and I just know that in life you
have to study, and you have to go to a great school, so I just want to make
something of myself in doing that."
'I just want to go some place where it's real
basketball crazy. That will help me a lot'
-Chris Webber
He sees himself as a communications major in college, with thoughts of
being a sports writer or commentator. He will prepare himself for a non-
playing career because he realizes that basketball could leave him in one day;
he looks ahead to possibly playing in the NBA with caution. "I wouldn't
mind it," he says, "but I'm not counting on it."
When will the 17-year-old make his college choice? He will probably
wait until the regular signing period one year from now.
And what are the Wolverines chances of
getting him? "It's great in academics, it has a
very good coach, and it's always in the elite of
basketball. And it's close to home," he says.
"It has a lot of pros, and I really haven't
thought of the cons that much."
He also wants to play now. "I definitely
want to go someplace where I can play right
away, and that I feel has a chance to win a title
or win their conference," he says. "I'm really
not fond of sitting on the bench, so yeah, I
want to play right away."
But some of the other things he is looking
for in a school do not appear to be here. "I just
want to go some place where it's real
4kbasketball crazy. That'll help me out a lot," he
says.
David
Hyman
Tourney snub doesn't
diminish senior effort
The time finally came. Nine seniors skated for the last time with the
crested 'M' on their chest.
Though these players did not represent a dynasty or era, they
represented Wolverine hockey for four years - four years of much
improvement and excitement to Michigan hockey.
Though the careers of these players ended on a sour note when the
team failed to receive a bid to the 12-team NCAA championships, one
must look past this gaffe by the NCAA selection committee and look at
what these players provided the Wolverines.
Coming into this year, and throughout the season, this senior class
was looked upon as the nucleus. If Michigan expected to reach its goal
of "going to the Joe" - the CCHA Final Four - and possibly the
NCAAs, these seniors needed to become a major factor.
Michigan made it to Joe Louis for the first Wolverine appearance in
the CCHA Final Four since playoff play began in 1982. With the help
of these seniors, Michigan defeated Bowling Green to finish in third
place after falling to Michigan State in the semifinals.
Since the present seniors arrived in Ann Arbor for the 1986-87
season, Michigan has improved its record in each successive year.
Michigan coach Red Berenson noted that their four years has been a
culmination of four years of improvement. He added that the players
came at a rough time and they were part of the rebuilding.
With nine first-year players during that 86-87 season, the Wolverines
suffered through a long year. Michigan finished in eighth place the year
before with only 12 wins and improved to seventh place, compiling a
14-25-1 record.
Yet with the growth and maturity of these players along with some
new blood, Michigan improved to consecutive fifth and two fourth-place
finishes, including this season's 24-12-6 mark.
The Wolverines catapulted themselves from one of the league
doormats to one of the top teams in what some people consider the
toughest college hockey divisions. A 10-game turnaround in only four
years is marked improvement for any college sport and the Wolverines
should hopefully be able to continue its winning ways.
But new leaders will have to emerge without these seniors around the
rink. This happens every year in college sports - players graduate or
leave early, requiring teams to find new leaders each year. This is not an
unusual situation, and the Wolverines should not have trouble finding
new leaders to step forward in the years to come.
Michigan began this season placing six first-year players in
prominent roles: By the end of the season, all of them matured and were
considered veterans by both coaches and other players.
Many of these newcomers credited the seniors with providing them
the guidance and leadership they needed to succeed in their first season.
This tutelage will enable these rookies to further help newcomers in the
next few years.
Without these seniors around Yost in the future, the hockey team
will take on a different appearance. The loss of nine players out of a total
of 26 is significant.
For now Michigan fans say thanks to Rob Brown, Todd Copeland,
Tim Helber, Randy Kwong, Mike Moes, Ryan Pardoski, Alex Roberts,
Warren Sharples and Brad Turner.
0
As for style of game, Chris wants to play
"very much running, running a lot. I wanna go
to a team that presses and that fast breaks,
that's like their basic offense."
The general feeling among recruiting
experts is that Michigan State leads the
Webber derby. It is too early to say, but when
asked if Michigan's possible decline in
basketball prominence might steer him away
from the Wolveerines, Webber cited Michigan
State as an example of a team that followed
t Country Day's Chris
9 forward is considered one
rs in the country.
9
followed an unsuccessful year with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. He also
mentioned State's Steve Smith as a favorite player.
He does feel that Fisher will "surprise a lot of people next year, even
without all the talent." Even if the Michigan program is down, "one person
would come back and help them, act as a pioneer, in bringing them back."
So as pressure begins to mount for his senior year, Webber says he will
not let that affect him. "I'm really looking forward to next year, because it's
my last year. I think I'll be in the spotlight a little bit, and I really won't
mind that because it'll be my last year, and I just want to have fun on my
way out and have a lot of memories."
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