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Heathcote makes his final stop in Ann Arbor

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By SCOTT BURTON
Daily Basketball Writer
Now that Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote is making his final rounds
in the Big Ten, the question must be asked: What is it exactly that makes this
man a legend?
Is it his koala-bear like face that only his mother and his players could
love, or his 665 career coaching victories?
Is it his sport jackets that shine greener than Sherwood Forest, or his
1979 Spartan team that won a national championship?
Is it his face-pounding, referee-badgering, quote-a-minute antics, or his
three Big Ten titles?
Michigan coach Steve Fisher will give you one reason, Indiana coach
Bobby Knight another. Indeed, the quirky stories surrounding the man are
numerous, the compliments many.
But what Heathcote's legendary status boils down to is a colorful pot of
personality and accomplishments.
"There are not many (like Heathcote) around anymore," Fisher said. "I
am not just talking about his one-liners, but the ability to sustain in this kind
of job and all the pressures that go
with it.
"He has done a magnificent job,
not only in wins and losses, but
k3,bringing in a professionalism and a
class to what we all do. I think all of
us tip our hat to him."
r Now Heathcote's pot is on the
low burner, and the gas is ready to
be turned off. After 23 years of
coaching, Jud Heathcote has seen
enough of the Chris Webber's, Larry
Bird's and Michael Finley's of the
collegiate world.
This is not a sad goodbye for
Heathcote, though. His pending re-
tirement is a chance for more off-
Heathcote colorjokes and self-depreciating rib-
bing; a chance to pay his final re-
spects to conference teams he has grown to respect, but still so badly wants
to defeat.
After all, there is no time for sentimentality when your team is the midst
of a Big Ten race. Just ask Michigan. After the Wolverines presented
Heathcote a grandiose T.V. in a pregame ceremony, his Spartans went on
to beat Michigan, 73-71.

Team doctors to look a

Ward's knee today

0

By Scott Burton
Daily Basketball Writer
There were three injuries of note
during yesterday's Michigan-Michigan
State contest with the most severe be-
longing to Michigan's Jerod Ward.
The freshman forward fell to the
floor in the first half after injuring his
knee. Ward did not play the rest of the
game. His knee will be examined to-
morrow by team physicians, who will
then determine the extent of the injury.
Wolverine freshman Maurice Tay-
lor was escorted to Michigan's
lockerrom late in the first half, after
injuring his head. Taylor attempted to
draw a foul on a Spartan player, and his
head was kneed as he fell backwards.
Taylor was on the ground for several
minutes but returned in the second half
to score 12 of his 17 points.
At the same time of Taylor's injury,
Spartans' star guard Shawn Respert
hobbled off to the Michigan State
lockerroom with an injured ankle. Al-
though the Spartan medical staff ini-
tially feared that Respert would not be
able to return to action, Respert scored
30 points in the second stanza.
THE RANK: Michigan's 77-75 loss to
Michigan State yesterday was its fifth
game against a ranked opponent. The
Wolverines beat Iowa and Illinois but
lost to Duke and Arizona.

In addition, Michigan played two
teams that currently sit in the top 25, but
were not when the Wolverines played
them. Michigan lost to Arizona State
and Pennsylvania.
FwE Doc: After a push from fresh-
man Travis Conlanjunior Dugan Fife
has reestablished himself at the point
guard position. Fife, who had hit oo
seven 3-pointers in his first 15 games,
has hit six in the Wolverines' last two.
Against Michigan State yesterday,
Fife hit 3 of 6 treys and played 31
minutes. However, he missed all three
of his shots in the second half and scored
all 11 ofhispointsinthefirst20minutes.
WHEN rr RAINS, rr SNOWS: Spartan
point guard Eric Snow has put his streaky
reputation behind him this season.
Michigan State's second-leading scot
(13.2 points per game) and has shot 60
percent from the field.
However, against Michigan, Snow
had some regressive moments. He com-
mitted four turnovers in 31 minutes,
scored six points and missed two free-
throws in the Spartans' final possession
to allow the Wolverines a chance to win
the game.
Ironically, during Snow's w*
chronicled struggles, Michigan was one
of few teams he played well against. He
totaled 24 points and 10 assists against
the Wolverines last season.

Michigan men's basketball coach Steve Fisher presents Michigan State
coach Jud Heathcoate with a television set prior to yesterday's game,
honoring the Spartan coach who will retire at the conclusion of this season.
"I was embarrassed and flabbergasted with the gift," Heathcote said
after the game. "Maybe a plaque and a handshake should be enough. To the
Michigan administration and coaching staff, I should say, 'You shouldn't
have done it, but good going, you did it."'
It was appropriate that Heathcote left Crisler for the last time in the way
he did. He grabbed a free television, saw his Spartans sneak into first-place
with a victory and cracked some of his best jokes afterwards.
But it was not a surprising conclusion. After all, if legends are charac-
terized by any one thing, it's that they go out in style.


LEADERS
Continued from page 1
better team in the distant future.
The immediate future is still greatly in doubt,
however.
Not everyone on the team can look a year or two
down the road. For seniors Ray Jackson and Jimmy
King, this is their last chance at a Big Ten
championship.
They both had very average performances in a game
where one of them had to step up. On the other hand,
Michigan State senior Shawn Respert put on a 30-point
clinic in the second half, effectively placing himself
above the memory of the Fab Five in the Michigan
basketball spotlight.
When Respert's team needed him, he responded in
impressive fashion. The Wolverines lacked that go-to
guy down the stretch, perhaps leading to Maurice
Taylor's questionable 3-point shot at the end of the
game.
As a team, the Spartans shot 73.7 percent from the
floor in the second half, compared to Michigan's 44.8
percent.
Michigan State went to the free throw line 19 times
in the second, while Michigan only went eight times.
Michigan State used patience and intelligent
decision-making to win the ball game. They displayed
maturity more than ability.
The Spartans are by no means a more talented team
than their counterparts in Ann Arbor, and they may not
have even deserved to win yesterday's game. But they
did, proving that experience is often the most important
element in basketball.

Michigan is
likely to be
disappointed with j
Sunday's loss, but
should keep in
m ind that there is F\ tl a o g y o
still along way to ~*
go in the Big Ten
season. .A
If the young
Wolverines can ''' '
mature under the ~
guidance of King,
Jackson and the
coaching staff, the
result of
yesterday's game
should be reversed
in East Lansing on
Feb. 21.
"We just have Jackson
to come back
strong Tuesday," Taylor said. "We'll get Michigan State
the next time."

UP NEXT:
Michigan
(4-2 Big Ten,
10-7 overall)

at Indiana
(3-2 Big Ten,
11-6 overall)

DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily

Michigan's Maceo Baston and Dugan Fife (11) battle with Michigan State's Quinton Brooks and Shawn Respert for a
loose ball during yesterday's 73-71 Spartan win at Crisler Arena.

7:30 p.m., Bloomington (ESPN)


SPARTANS
Continued from page 1
getting it back from King, dished to Maurice
Taylor on the right side wing. Taylor fired a
3-pointer that clanked off the back of the rim
and into the hands of Michigan State's Jon
Garavaglia.
Fife fouled Garavaglia who also missed
both of his freethrows, but with 0.4 seconds
left on the clock, there wasn't enough time
for Michigan to get a final shot off.
"It's real tough because you feel that you
should have won the game," said Taylor,
who finished with 17 points. "We feel that
we were probably the better team. It just
didn't go our way."
Michigan coach Steve Fisher didn't think
that Taylor's shot was a bad one.
"Mo had a great, a great look at the
basket," he said. "It just didn't go in."

The Spartans began to pull away from the
Wolverines in the second half after a Ray
Jackson layup cut the Spartans' lead to 53-52.
Respert hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and,
after a Michigan timeout, Garavaglia made a
layup that put Michigan State up by nine. The
Wolverines were never able to dig out of the
hole.
"(The Wolverines) played tough," Respert
said. "But when you talk basketball, you have
to talk 40 minutes of it. They played great
basketball, but only 35,36 minutes of it."
Michigan battled Michigan State shot for
shot through most of the first 20 minutes, and
took a 36-30 lead into the lockerroom at
halftime.
For the third straight game Jackson led the
Wolverines is scoring. He knocked down 18
points on 6 of 16 shooting.
Quinton Brooks, who scored 11, was the
only Spartan besides Respert in double fig-
ures.

'(The Wolverines) played
tough. But when you talk
basketball, you have to talk
40 minutes of it. They
played great basketball, but
only 35,36 minutes of it.'
- Michigan State guard
Shawn Respert
"We had chances and opportunities until
the very last possession of the game," Fisher
said. "But it wasn't quite enough."
MICHIGAN STATE (73)
FO FT REB
MIN MA WA O-T A F PTS
Garavaglia 33 3-5 0-2 2-6 0 0 7
Brooks 20 4-9 2-2 1-2 0 4 11
Feick 34 3-4 2-2 3-10 2 3 8
Respert 38 10-14 9-11 0-5 0 0 33
Snow 31 2-4 2-4 0-1 7 3 6
Weathers 11 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 3 3
Beathea 29 1-5 3-4 2-4 1 1 5
Penick 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Polonowski 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Totals 200 25-56 16.27 9-39 1021 68
FG%: .545. FT%: .720. Three-point goals: 7-12, .583
(Respert 4-6, Brooks 1-2, Garavaglia 1-1, Weathers 1-1,
Penick 0-1, Snow 0-1). Blocks: 0. Turnovers: 17 (Snow 4,
Brooks 3, Feick 3, Respert 3, Beathea 2, Garavaglia,
Weathers). Steals: 3 (Beathea, Feick, Respert). Technical
Fouls: none.
MICHIGAN (71)
FO FT REB

Records are through Jan. 22

TEAM
Michigan St.
Illinois
Minnesota

ONFERENCE
W L
4 1
4 2
4 2

OVERALL
W L
12 2
13 5
13 5

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