168 heVitdhigan' Dailfy tF1 sday ovember 14,~f996 NON -CONFERENCE Tigers won't be growling anytime soon 0 The Iiciian Da -Tipoff '161 NON -CONFERENCE Blue danCes wiU By Alan Goldenbach Last year was the 10th anniversary of Louisiana State's improbable run to the Final Four. And if coach Dale Brown had his way, the Tigers were going cel- ebrate with history repeating itself. Brown had what was going to be the nation's top backcourt with Ronnie Henderson and Randy Livingston. Henderson led the Southeastern Conference in scoring last year, and Livingston was one of the top players ever to come out of Chicago. Then something natural brought that promise to a screeching halt. Knees. Livingston's career at LSU included a series of anterior-cruciate-ligament injuries. Henderson was on his way to an all-conference season until he ran into knee problems. After the season, both opted for the NBA Draft, avoiding the risk of suffering another injury before picking up a paycheck. Then Brown was ready to turn to guard Deuce Ford to lead his team. But he then suspended Ford for the season for violating team rules. At least the Tigers have the size up front to bang with their opponents. Forward Duane Spencer put on 30 pounds in the off-season and should improve on his 7.9 points-per-game average. But the rest of the frontcourt - center Bob Hall, a junior college transfer, and freshmen forwards Lester Earl and Leroy Womack - is all new to the team. Earl was a McDonald's All-American and Louisiana's Mr. Basketball, who turned down offers from the nation's top programs to stay in his home state. Youth key for 'Cats Lopez, Hamilton lead Bring Home A Box Full Of Safety! Attention U of M Employees Special Pricing Just for you $15 Monthly Access $.25 per minute peak-time $.14 per minute off peak-time Free Motorola Contour Phone Free Activation Free Calling Features *Voice mail *Call waiting *Detailed billing .3-way calling 3 year contract required By WilMcCahill It's certainly not an understatement to say that Arizona has been a thorn in the Michigan basketball team's side for the past decade or so. Since the Wolverines bested the Wildcats in 1957, they have lost six straight games to Tucson's finest, including an 86-79 loss in last year's Preseason NIT. "I'm going to play Arizona 'til we beat them, then I'm never going to schedule them anymore," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. Fisher had better not make any plans to leave the Wildcats out of next sea- son's schedule, because they have one of the best backcourts the Wolverines will see this season, in or out of conference. Six-foot-five junior Miles Simon will bring his 13 points-per-game aver- age to the shooting spot, from which he will be asked to lead a team that is devoid of seniors. Simon, however, won't have much of the pressure of being in the backcourt spotlight. Super-frosh Mike Bibby will step right in at the point after a high school career that saw him grab just about every Arizona schoolboy record imaginable. Bibby is the star of what Fisher calls "arguably the No. 1 recruit- ing class in the country." A pair of 6-foot-8 forwards - Eugene Edgerson and Justin Wessel - is also among Arizona coach Lute Olson's flock of newcomers, but the two will have to wait their turns while Olson uses some older players in the frontcourt. In addition to the highly touted fresh- men, Olson signed California's top junior college player, 6-foot-8 junior Bennett Davison, who should grab one forward spot. The other likely goes to 6- 5 junior Michael Dickerson, who aver- aged 11.9 points and 3.5 rebounds last season. The gaping hole where the center should be will bc filled by a mix of unproven players. There is certainly size available, in the personages of 6- foot-11 sophomores A.J. Bramlett and Donnell Harris. Last season, nobody expected the Wildcats to be any better than middle- of-the-pack, and yet they came out of the Preseason NIT with a top-five rank- ing. Then again, there were four seniors on that squad, so maybe Arizona's suc- cess shouldn't have been much of a sur- prise. Simon and Bibby will have to keep the Wildcats in games when the frontline is getting manhandled by burlier opponents; how they deal with Michigan should be a good indication of where this team is headed. driving Red Storm SEE OUR ANN ARBOR LOCATION AND WE'LL GET YOU TALKING TODAY! > Pick-up & go pricing plans as low as $15.95 per mo. > Paging as low as $6.96 per mo. 600 S. Main Ann Arbor, MI (313) 669-8079 Taxes, tolls, fees and other restrictions apply. Price subject to change without notice. * By Alan Goldenbach In 1994, Michigan and St. John's arguably had the nation's top two recruit- ing classes. The Wolverines' class was advertised as the second coming of the Fab Five, and the Red Storm had one of the most heralded high schoolers of the last decade in Felipe Lopez. Two years later, both of those classes can easily be called major disappoint- ments. Of the four players remaining from Michigan's quintet, only two have contributed significantly. As for the Red Storm, Lopez has turned out to be as much of a dud in New York on the court as Waterworld was at the box office. Lopez needs to regain the shooting touch that made him a New York high school legend. He barely hit 40 percent of his field goals last year. If he regains his touch, then the rest of his all-around game should fall into place. He was one of the nation's top rebounding guards (6.1 per game last season) and his speed and quickness make him a devastating player in the open court. However, lost in the shuffle has been the pleasant surprise of the 1994 recruit- ing class - 6-foot-11 center Zendon Hamilton, who has emerged as one of the nation's top big men. Hamilton will be the most formidable inside force that Michigan faces this sea- son. He has both a build and style of play similar to that of former Massachusetts All-American Marcus Camby. He could also leave school early like Camby did and head for the NBA after this season. Hamilton was one of the few players in the nation last season to average a double-double (20.8 points, 10.3 rebounds), but most of that came at the. expense of his defense, or lack thereof. New coach Fran Fraschilla won't stand for any more lax defensive efforts from Hamilton, Lopez or anyone for that matter. In his four years at Manhattan College, Fraschilla took the Jaspers to the NCAA Tournament twice, two more times than St. John's saw over that span. He promises a more disciplined and hard-working team than those of former coach Brian Mahoney, who was merci- fully fired after last season. The Red Storm should also be revital- ized by the return of power forward Charles Minlend, who was redshirted last season with a torn hamstring. He will give St. John's another strong body inside and allow Hamilton to step out- side occasionally. Minlend is just the guy Fraschilla wants for this team - an unselfish, defense-oriented player who doesn't demand the ball 20 times a game. Point guard Tarik Turner is another member of the 1994 recruiting class, but whose arrival was overshadowed by that of Lopez and Hamilton. Turner play thus far has mirrored that of Lopez's in that it's been a disappointment. With the graduation of Derek Brown, Fraschilla has handed the offensive reins to Turner. If he falters, freshman Colin Charles will be given a shot at running the show. One way or another, Fraschilla needs a consistent man at the point to get Lopez and Hamilton the ball. If not, the Red Storm will be in for another sub-.500 season, and Fraschilla will wish he stayed at the more up-and-coming program at Manhattan. By John Leroi November doesn't mean much to Michigan. Sure, the Wolverines will be mas- sively disappointed if they don't emerge undefeated after the first month of the season. But what everyone is looking for- ward to is an early December matchup with Duke. The Wolverines and the Blue Devils don't have a long-standing series against each other, they are located hundreds of miles apart, and there is no bad blood between the two pro- grams. Yet the Duke-Michigan rivalry is arguably the most passionate the Wolverines have. After the Blue Devils spanked Michigan, 71-51, in the 1992 NCAA championship game, the Wolverines have been out for revenge. After six consecutive setbacks, Michigan finally solved Duke, win- ning an 88-84 battle last season. In that game, Duke senior Chris Collins let fly with 27 points. The Wolverines won't have to worry about Collins this year. Instead, Michigan might want to check senior guard Jeff Capel. At 6- foot-4, he has the touch - and the experience - to bomb away from behind the arc. Last year, Capel took 100 more shots than any other Blue Devil, including Collins, and averaged almost 17 points a game. And while the bulk of the scoring load still rests on Capel's shoulders, he won't be counted on to deliver all of Duke's offense. "This year I don't have to take as many shots as last year," Capel said. "We have so many guys who can play and are talented scorers. I'd be stupid to think I'm going to take as many shots as I did last year." Capel seemed comfortable in the role of the go-to-guy, but he enjoyed it more when he didn't have to handle the ball as much. Here's where 5-foot- 11 Steve Wojciechowski enters the picture. The junior shot just 31 percent from the field but was a capable floor leader, pacing the Atlantic Coast Conference in turnover-to-assist ratio, which is the best measure of a true point guard. Capel ought to receive plenty of help in the scoring department from 6- foot-5 junior Ricky Price, who put up over 14 points per game last season. Six-foot-three guard Trajan Langdon returns after sitting out last lI'd be stupid to think I'm going to take as many shots as I did last year. " - Jeff Capel Duke guard year with an injury that sidelined him for most of the season. Langdon showed flashes of brilliance on the court before going down with a badly sprained knee that still bothers him. "Some days my knee may be hurting, and I'm not going to push it;' Langdon said. 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