The Michigan
Daily - Friday, December 3, 1993 - 15
" Women
cagers look
to make It
two in a row
By BRENT McINTOSH
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
The seven dwarves? Nope.
Seventh heaven? Probably not.
Lucky seven? hmmm .
The Michigan women's basket-
ball team certainly does not consist of
Disney characters, and it may not be
in a state of peaceful bliss, but there is
no question that it is hoping that seven
is its lucky number this weekend.
That's how many Wolverines will
suit up today at 8 p.m. in the Marriott
Classic against the host California-
Irvine Anteaters (0-1). While that
number is up from the six Wolverines
that beat Eastern Michigan, 76-62,
Tuesday, the Wolverines (1-0) will
have to avoid injury and battle fatigue
to win the first-ever meeting of the
two schools, and then to win again
tomorrow against either California
State-Sacramento (0-2) or North
Texas (0-0).
"There's only going to be seven of
us again and playing back-to-back
contests will be tough as far as fa-
tigue," freshman guard Amy Johnson
said.
Johnson led the Wolverines
against Eastern Michigan with 21
points, 10 rebounds and eight assists
--in her first regular-season contest
sporting the Maize and Blue.
Johnson will probably be joined
in the starting lineup by sophomore
forward Jenhifer Bryzezinski and
freshmen Silver Shellman, Jennifer
Kiefer and Catherine DiGiacinto.
DiGiacinto also poured in 21 points
. Tuesday to go with a game-high 15
rebounds.
While the Anteaters may be more
experienced than the Wolverines, that
doesn't quite mean they're ready to
follow Bill Laimbeer into retirement.
Nine underclassmen pepper the 13
spots on the UCI roster.
Junior forward Jinelle Williams is
UCI's leading returnee, averaging
11.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game
:.last year in the Anteaters' two-vic-
tory campaign. Williams is comple-
mented by senior guard Karie
Yoshioka, who had 22 points in the
Anteaters' 73-67 loss to Arizona Sun-
day, but Coach Colleen Matsuhara
said she still isn't sure of the play of
anyone except Williams.
"Jinelle Williams is our leading
scorer," Matsuhara said. "We haven't
had consistent play from any of the
others so far."
With one win under their collec-
tive belt, the Wolverines are looking
to equal the sum of last year's victo-
ries today, and speculation abounds
that they could have a two-game win-
ning streak for the first time in over a
year.
"The teams that we play are defi-
nitely beatable," Johnson said. "I'd
like to tell you that we're going to
win, but I can't."
With Brzezinski and DiGiacinto
both standing 6-foot-1, the Wolver-
ines should be able to out-rebound the
Anteaters. Rebounding is a weakness
for UCI.
The other game today features
North Texas against Cal State-Sacra-
mento. Should the Wolverines win
0 today, they would play the winner of
that game tomorrow at 8 p.m.; a loss
would place them in the 6p.m. conso-
lation game.
- Daily Basketball Writer J.L.
Rostam-Abadi contributed to this report.
THE SPORTING VIws:
Laimbeer's tactics will not be missed
By MICHAEL ROSENBERG
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
If you ask Bill Laimbeer what his finest basketball
attribute is, he'll tell you its his unparalleled desire to
help his team win.
Actually, if you ask Laimbeer, he'll probably snort,
"Who the hell are you and why should I talk to you?"
That's because Laimbeer, who retired from the
Detroit Pistons Wednesday, is, by most accounts, an
egocentric jerk. In that sense, he is not alone among
professional athletes, many of whom wouldn't give you
the time of day if you bought them a Rolex.
What made Laimbeer different was his ability to
carry his obnoxious, selfish personality onto the floor.
He would do anything in a basketball game - flail
elbows, push players, even trip opponents. All in the
name of winning.
Did Laimbeer's attitude help his team win? Yes.
But that doesn't make it OK.
Basketball, like any organized activity, has rules.
The object of the game is to help your team win while
competing within those rules.
Now, obviously, not every offense can be met with
an equal punishment. If a player is injured by an
opponent and misses the rest of the season, the
opponent will almost certainly not be suspended for an
equivalent amount of games. If a player is elbowed in
the stomach while going for a rebound, chances are he
will not be awarded possession of the ball.
In other words, you can get away with a lot in this game.
Laimbeer knew that, so he showed little restraint
and less remorse in his effort to aid the Pistons.
Whenever someone asked him why he was so
aggressive, he would just shrug his shoulders and offer
some flimsy excuse about wanting to win.
But that doesn't cut it. Sure, his tactics helped his
team. So would bribing the referees or giving the
opposition's bus a flat tire, and if someone did that,
nobody would dismiss it is part of a desire to win.
There's a word for that kind of strategy.
Cheating.
There are different kinds of cheating. Some cheating
is easy to spot, and easy to discipline. Some cheating is
more difficult to spot, and almost impossible to
discipline.
Bill Laimbeer was a cheater. A good player, yes, but
a cheater. He broke the rules, not to mention any sort of
ethical standards, all the time, then would give that
dumb "What..did I do?" look when he was caught.
When you are as universally despised as Laimbeet
was, there's probably a pretty good reason. When yot
play in the NBA for 14 years and only three figures in
the league wish you good luck upon your retirement
none of whom are players - there's probably a reason.
Laimbeer was hated for the cheating. It gave him an
advantage he never earned. Many said that Laimbeer was
not a basketball player and would not have played a
minute in the NBA if he hadn't used cheap, illegal tactics.
This is not true. You don't lead the league in
rebounding, as
Laimbeer did in
1986, if you are
not a player. You
do not start on
two
championship
teams, as
Laimbeer did in
1989 and 1990, if
you are not a p
player.
Laimbeer did
not lack ability.
He did not lacktm io
determination.
He lacked2e
integrity. You
don't go injuring
others in your:'
profession simply Laimber
to improve your
status in the field. Not unless you're a lawyer, anyway.
There are no tears being shed for Bill Laimbeer. He
lost any chance for sympathy many elbows ago. He will
never be liked by his peers. He will never be respected
by them. He will never sit around with his
contemporaries, talking about the good old days, when
everyone worked hard and played fair.
Most of all, he will never be missed. No one that
ruthless ever is.
Jacksonville gives NFL solid southern market
REBECCA MARGOLIS/Daily
Catherine DiGiacinto shoots a jumper Tuesday against Eastern Michigan.
Pistonis drop fifth straight
first without Laimbeer
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and
a lot of NFL owners were gushing
about the selection of Jacksonville as
the NFL's 30th franchise.
"The southeast is the nation's most
rapidly growing area," Tagliabue said,
adding that NFL ratings in Jackson-
ville were higher than any of the other
four contenders.
"We get a lot of our players from
there," said Jerry Jones, owner of the
Dallas Cowboys, who indeed have an
inordinate number of players from
the state of Florida - thanks largely
to the fact that Jimmy Johnson coached
college football in the state and knew
the talent there.
But the fact remains that the NFL is
taking a calculated risk by tilting to the
southeast with its two newest franchises.
Why?
Because the NFL's most loyal fan
base is in the northern half of the
country - where it began and where
college football doesn't have the in-
credibly deep emotional loyalties that
run through the South.
To put it another way, draw a line
from Washington west to Denver and
turn it up north and you find the NFL
teams that have the deepest loyalties,
year in, year out; win or lose - Chi-
cago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buf-
falo; Washington, New York, Phila-
delphia, Green Bay and Denver.
The Sun Belt?
About the only city where an NFL
team draws consistently well is New
Orleans, which has the mindset of
those northern cities -we'll go to the
game to cheer or boo, but we'll go.
Forget Los Angeles, where USC,
UCLA, the Dodgers and the Lakers
are king - the Rams have to win to
draw and the Raiders have never re-
ally settled in.
San Francisco?
One reason the Niners are a good
road team is that their home crowd is
quite laid back. If they ever start los-
ing, how many of those fans will take
their wine and brie elsewhere?
And Florida's no great NFL
stronghold.
Sure,TampaBay haslost 10games
or more for 10 straight years (going
on 11)-a good reason NOT to draw.
But Miami has been a consistent
contender since Don Shula got there
in 1971, yet still doesn't sell out every
week - moving to safer and more
comfortable Joe Robbie Stadium from
the Orange Bowl didn't do the trick.
And visiting teams draw fans there-
watch this week's game with the Gi-
ants and check out how many trans-
planted New Yorkers are cheering for
the visitors.
Jacksonville could be a different
story - a city looking for an identity
that the NFL might put on the map.
Being "the only game in town" has
made NFL boomtowns of Denver,
Buffalo and New Orleans.
But the south is college football
territory and always has been. Florida
and Florida State are within a two-
hour drive and south Georgia, from
where the Jaguars also hope to draw,
is a place where "How about them
Dawgs?" is part of the dialect.
The question is what happens in
the fourth season, after the Jaguars
are 2-5 after having gone 1-15, 2-14
and 4-12?
If they get 73,000 raucous fans in
the Gator Bowl booing the hometown
heroes, the NFL will know it's made
a wise choice.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -
A.C. Green scored 10of his 16 points
in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix
Suns held on for a 102-101 win over
Detroit, sending the Pistons to their
fifth straight loss Thursday night.
A basket by Green gave the Suns
a 102-99 lead with 12 seconds re-
maining. Isiah Thomas, back after
missing seven games with a broken
bone in his right hand, sank two free
throws with seven seconds left.
Following a timeout, Sean Elliott
stole the inbounds pass from Charles
Barkley. But Elliott was called for
charging into Frank Johnson as he
drove the lane. The Suns got the ball
back with just under two seconds re-
maining and ran out the clock.
Barkley's turnover was one of only
nine for the Suns, who went more than
37 minutes without one (from 3:34 of
the first quarter to 9:44 of the fourth).
Barkley had 21 points and 10 as-
sists and was one rebound shy of a
triple-double. Kevin Johnson, Dan
Majerle and Oliver Miller all joined
Green with 16 points for Phoenix.
Terry Mills had a season-high 33
points for Detroit, 14 in the first quar-
ter. Thomas equaled his season-high
with 26 points and added 13 assists.
The Pistons had a 13-point lead
midway through the second quarter.
But Barkley scored 11 points in a 21-
6 burst and the Suns took a 51-49 lead
after a three-point play by Danny
Ainge with 1:51 left in the half.
Baskets by Mills, Elliott and Tho-
mas helped Detroit go off with a 55-
52 halftime lead.
Bill Laimbeer, the 36-year-old Bad
Boy who retired Wednesday, was in a
seat at courtside for this game.
Barkley, his old nemesis, walked over
and shook hands with him just before
the opening tip.
During the first timeout, the Pis-
tons ran a tribute to Laimbeer on the
video screen of the scoreboard at The
Palace. The tribute was Laimbeer
highlight clips set to the music of
Stevie Wonder's "'For Once In Your
Life."
U.S. OPEN
Continued from page 14
* had a good race."
Michigan had two current and one
former men's swimmers in the finals
of the 400 freestyle.
"The 400 freestyle was an out-
standing race," Michigan coach Jon
Urbanchek said. "Tom Dolan, the
freshman, was ready to swim. He was
hungry, he wanted to win that race."
The men finished off the night on
* a sweet note, winning the 800-
freestyle relay. Senior Rodney
VanTassell,junior Marcel Wouda and
freshmen Chris Rumley and Dolan's
time of 7:23. 02 was enough to beat
the closest team by several body
lengths.
to see incoming recruit Talor Bendel.
She is seeded in the top ten in three
events including the 100 butterfly,
(second seed), 200 butterfly (sixth)
and 200 freestyle (ninth).
Bendel, however, has neither ta-
pered nor shaved for the meet and
does not expect to swim her best times.
"I just hope to swim as well as I
can," Bendel said. "I'm hoping to go
a little faster than my times at this
point last year. I warned (Coach
Richardson) that I wasn't going to be
shaved and tapered. I just hope I can
perform as well as I can."
In other consolation final races,
17-year-old high school senior Kim
Johnson from Richardson, Texas, fin-
ished first and second in the 200-
meter individual medley and the 50-
meter freestyle respectively. Johnson
is one of Michigan's recruits for next
season. She has already signed with
the team.
"I was nervous after prelims,"
Johnson said. "I felt at home and I'm
real excited. I don't want to wait until
September to start swimming here."
To find out who is victorious at the U.S Open this
weekend, read SPORTSMonday.
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