The Michigan Daily- Friday, February 14,1992- Page 15 Rice cooking with the Heat Michigan's all-time leading scorer is making it big in the NBA by Theodore Cox Daily Sports Writer AUBURN HILLS - It was a little less then three years ago when Glen Rice was on top of his game. The Michigan forward led the Wolverine basketball team to the 1989 NCAA National Champi- onship by averaging over 30 points per contest during the tournament. Rice was hailed as a great college player on a great college team. It is a level of success that Rice has been trying to duplicate ever since gradu- ating from Michigan, because when he joined the second-year Miami Heat franchise in the fall of that same year, he found he was just an average NBA player on a lousy NBA team. But one thing remained constant in the transition - he was the cen- ter of the offense. When he played well, Miami played well, and vice versa. Two seasons later, Rice is on the verge of becoming a great NBA player, and Miami is on the verge of making the playoffs. "He's proven that he's a big-time NBA player," Heat coach Kevin Loughery said. "He's getting closer and closer to that all-star status, * which I think he'll reach next year if everything keeps developing." A recent game against the De- troit Pistons proved just how valu- able Rice is to the Heat. His shot was off and his field goal percentage dipped to 35 percent for the evening. The missed opportunities from the outside allowed the Pistons to de- fend the Miami inside game. Detroit went on to win, 109-98. But even though his shooting game was off, Rice still scored 21 points. And he didn't have the help of rookie guard Steve Smith, who was out with a family illness. Rice has become more than a shooter since leaving Michigan. He splits time between small forward and shooting guard with the Heat. His 6'8" frame gives him a defen- sive edge against guards, and he is still able to average over four re- bounds a game. "He's a complete player," Loughery said. "He's starting to create his own shots now and that helps. I think once he gets comfor- table taking the ball up to the hoop, there's no holding him back." The only weakness in Rice's game could be his hands, which Loughery points out are incredibly small for his size. But his hands have never stopped him from mak- ing the occasional spectacular dunk. However, there were times when Rice couldn't do anything right and the Miami organization certainly didn't hold back its criti- cism. Part of the problem was the high expectations the Heat had for Rice after he was taken as the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft. Rice had just set a NCAA tour- nament scoring record of 184 points while leading the Wolverines to the championship. His outside touch was incredible; he hit 57 percent of his shots from the field. So when Rice was taken by the Heat, it is no wonder the team de- cided to build the franchise around him. Miami had just completed its first year, only to end up in the NBA cellar. The ballclub needed a scorer to add some excitement to the franchise. Rice thought he was ready to be that player. But lingering champi- onship celebrations and a marriage kept Rice busy during the summer. The disruptions took him away from his game and made the transi- tion to the NBA difficult. "I think what made it so tough for me was that I came in over- weight," Rice said. "If I had come in good shape and playing the way I did in the tournament the year before, I don't think there would have been that much pressure." work year-round and keep my disci- pline," Rice said. "Then I can go into training camp feeling comfort- able." There was another major change that took place after his first year at Miami. Four of his teammates (Sean Higgins, Terry Mills, Rumeal Rob- inson and Loy Vaught) joined him in the NBA. The group still stays in contact, taking each other out when one's team plays against another's. "We always make it a point to give each other a little bit of advice, especially when our guys have ad- versity on- their side," Rice said. "We're still trying to stay together as a family." Rice has also had time to view Michigan's newest basketball fam- ily, the Wolverines' five rookies. "I think they are a really good team right now and I think they can become a great team," Rice said. "One of the things they are going to have to get used to this year is they are going to take some lumps. One of the things they got to do is really look forward to next year, and this year kind of hang in there and let everyone know, 'Hey, Michigan is going to be a great team."' Rice encourages the Heat to take the same philosophy. So far it is working. "We are playing with a great deal more confidence," Rice said. "We are going out thinking and be- lieving that we can beat any team in the league." Rice is finally beyond just be- lieving. His team is now winning. Rice just has to take his team to the step of winning consistently and he will be revered just as highly with Miami as he was at Michigan. Rice On top of the weight problem, Rice's wife had a miscarriage in the middle of the season. The dis- traction took him away from his game mentally. But Rice learned from the frus- trations. The next summer, he spent only half the offseason home in Flint. The rest of the time he spent conditioning and practicing with teammates in Miami. "I feel right now that I've got to Spikers host Buckeyes, Notre Dame Glen Rice displays the shooting touch that made him the Miami Heat's No. 1 selection (fourth overall) in the 1989 NBA Draft. by Dan Linna Daily Sports Writer Break is coming early for the *Michigan men's volleyball team. The squad will leave Ann Arbor for a month-long roadtrip following Saturday's tri-match at the IM building. Ohio State and Notre Dame will meet the Wolverines at 3 p.m. Sat- urday before Michigan goes to Bowling Green, where it will also face Kentucky as part of a tri-match at 3 p.m. Sunday. * "Notre Dame downed the Wolverines in preseason play at the MSU Comeback Classic and Michi- gan did not fare well against the Buckeyes in preseason play either. With a 4-3 record in the Big Ten (5-3 overall) in match play, the Wolver- ines cannot afford to let home games slip away. "We are definitely looking to take both matches, especially con- sidering we dropped two out of three last weekend," sophomore outside-hitter Justin MacLaurin said. "They are tough teams but we just need to execute. These should be two good matches." While the Irish and Buckeyes are considered tremendous football ri- vals, Michigan team members pointed out that this struggle was present in all sports. "These are two of Michigan's biggest rivals, period," sophomore outside-hitter Michael Rubin said. "They have the same sense of rivalry and none of the teams will have a problem getting up for these matches." While Sunday's matches with Bowling Green and Kentucky will have no bearing on the Big Ten standings, these matches will be important when seeding is deter- mined for the MIVA (Midwest In- tercollegiate Volleyball Associa- tion) Championships at the end of March. "It is important to rack up as many victories as possible," sopho- more outside-hitter Tony Poshek said. "Victories are important not only in our seeding down the road but for our confidence now. "We try hard to win every single match no matter who we play. Bowling Green and Kentucky are very good teams and they expect us to be good so they will be ready." The Wolverines have had only three dates on the road this season and have a 2-2 match record to show for it. Although Michigan has not been overly successful away from home, the team said it doesn't feel that its performance suffers on the road. "When you are home and have fan support, it can be a big lift," Rubin said. "But I don't think this team is negatively affected by the road. If anything, we give a stronger push on the road and that helps us to be a better team. "If we play up to our capability, I see no reason why we shoudn't sweep this weekend." This will be Michigan's last chance to play together as a unit, as not all of the team members will be traveling on the spring break trip. They hope that a strong showing will get them through the layoff and ready them to pick up where they left off. "Something was missing last weekend and it is important that we do well this weekend before the break," MacLaurin said. "I think it is very reasonable for us to think that we will take all four matches this weekend." The begining of the season brought personnel problems for the Wolverines, as the team lost two players who didn't return to school and another player who had schedul- ing conflicts. While Michigan's record is not where some had hoped it would be, the team is gelling now at the mid-season mark. "As a whole, I think the team has improved to the point where if we pass and play defense like we are capable, few teams can beat us," Ru- bin said. "I think our coach has found that he can go a little deeper into our bench. The reserves have stepped up and filled their roles well." mm", J A N N A R B O R EXPANDING HORIZONS AT SCHOOLKIDS' We make Valentine's Day gift giving easy with great prices on these sweet new releases from Columbia and Epic. S ISTORTION SOMEWHlERE BIETWEEN HIEAEN AND HfELL including: BAD LUCKiCOLD FEELINGS WHEN SHE BEGINS SOMETIMES I DO Ejiji. 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