The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - October 13, 1997 - 38 success marked eight-year run l 3ST6T! F By Mark Snyder Daily Sports Writer The new Michigan men's basketball coach stood before the press like a shy child on March 15, 1989. "for the benefit of those of you who don't know me," the former assistant n, "I'm Steve Fisher, and I am the h4d coach at the University of Michtgan." As. difficult as it may be to imagine novttwo days after his dismissal, Fisher wasn't always a target of NCAA investi- getions and law firm probes. ?His tenure as coach began abruptly that day, and immediately, the pressure of the postseason was upon him. Bill Frieder, Fisher's predecessor as coach, saw his ties to the program red when he accepted the same posi- tion at Arizona State days before the 1989 NCAA tournament. Frieder, a Michigan graduate who coached the basketball team for nine sea- sons, was dismissed by Athletic Director Bo Schembechler under the now-famous edict, "a Michigan man, will coach Michigan." And so Fisher was promoted. 'sher, toting a degree from Illinois a e, took the reigns of the team and six victories later, was the coach of the national champions. His carefree attitude, as opposed to Frieder's disciplinarian style, appealed to the players, who raised their level of play during the tournament. "Fisher's undefeated and has a lot of Mlass, said forward Terry Mills at the time. "He helped us win the title and sh4'ld be here to help defend it." e support from players that Fisher enjoyed following the championship drew recruits from around the nation. In 1991, Fisher's first season without the class that won the title, Michigan fell below .500 for the first time since 1982 Fisher's first season at Michigan. While the 14-15 overall record was hardly the mark of a winner, the oppor- tunity to play immediately for a players' coach drew the "Fab Five" recruiting r'ans have n ing its first three seasons, and the divi- sion of playing time incited minor tur- moil within the program's personnel. Following the 1993 championship game appearance, the floodgates opened. Since then, six players left Michigan earlier than anticipated. Four players (Makhtar Ndaiye, Bobby Crawford, Willie Mitchell and Olivier St. John) fled the team in search of larger minutes and a new environment, while Brandun Hughes was shown the door after failing to maintain adequate acade- mic standards. Maurice Taylor, a member of the 1994 class, followed in the footsteps of his Fab Five predecessors, jumping to the NBA ranks after last season, his junior year. Despite the glut of talented players at Michigan, Fisher recorded another coup in 1995, garnering another top-flight group, headed by 6-foot-8 center Robert Traylor. Talented prospects, based on three NCAA championship game appearances in his first five seasons, set the bar impossibly high. While his own high standards tailed Fisher throughout his Michigan career, his mark compares favorably with any coach in the nation over a similar span. His tenure, which ended in a flurry of scandal and suspicion for off-the-court incidents, began and finished with simi- lar successes. He began with six straight wins and an NCAA title in 1989 and ended eight sea- sons later atop the NIT after Michigan swept its way to the five-game champi- onship last spring. When Fisher began that March morn- ing eight years ago, he promised "a new program, (one) of which Bo Schembechler and Michigan president James Duderstadt can be proud." Fisher's .692 winning percentage, the highest among Michigan coaches with 50 games to their credit, places his tenure as one of the most successful the pro- gram has experienced. Unfortunately for him, his dismissal will most likely overshadow his arrival. SARA STILLMAN/Daily Steve Fisher's tenure as coach will always be marred by the controversies that helped end it, but players like Robert Traylor stood by him until the end. class to Michigan. Headed by the nation's top recruit - Chris Webber - the fivesome sparked national media attention as Michigan and Fisher returned to the national cham- pionship game in 1992 - the group's first season. Fisher's troops, spurred by the previ- ous season's success, returned to the title game the following season only to lose to North Carolina, 77-71. While the game solidified Michigan as a major player in the national scene, it also marked the high point of Michigan's national climb in prominence. The past four seasons were plagued by departure as Michigan's on-court suc- cess began to waver. Soon after the loss to the Tar Heels, Webber departed for the NBA. The next season, the exodus continued as Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard followed Webber's lead to the professional ranks. Just as Michigan appeared headed for a fall without its backbone, Fisher's recruiting talents reloaded the squad, scoring the nation's top-ranked class - for the second time in three years. The new class once again featured the nation's top prep player- Jerod Ward in this instance - and Fisher was hailed as a recruiting genius. But expectations set by the original Fab Five were not met by this group dur- JIM ROSE Rose Beef Goss makes nkht dedai on by taki'zgsw49 action M ost everyone has heard how Bo Schembechler appointed Steve Fisher Michigan men's basketball coach. Schembechler wanted "a Michigan man" in 1989, and Fisher was his choice. Eight years later, in 1997, Athletic Director Tom Goss stood up on national tele- vision and fired Fisher, saying he wanted to move his department in a direction tht complied with the "values of Michigan athletics.. So what happened in between? What dragged the basketball program to a halt?: Whether he is to blame or not, Fisher is taking the heat. All accounts indicate he is a genuinely nice guy. Most of those accounts also indicate he would never chea. intentionally. I don't know whether he cheated or not. Maybe he had nothing to do with the violations. Maybe Ed Martin was buying his way into the lives of basketball players way to early for Steve Fisher to do anything about it. Perhaps Fisher was simply too naive, and the same players that now cry foul at his firing (most are safely in the NBA) were taking advantage of his trusting nature- all along. It doesn't really matter. To pretend to have the answer would be preten- tious and absurd. Whether Fisher is a gentleman or not, it is clear that too many things were wrong with the basketball program. And he was the man in charge. You can give Fisher the benefit of the doubt in every possible instance - which, by the way, I'm inclined to do - but still, it can't be overlooked that illegal, immoral things were happening on his watch. It can be argued that Fisher is "one of the good guys," and that the real culprits are guys like Martin, who use their money to corrupt impressionable students. This makes sense. And though you'd like to think the young men lucky enough to play basketball for this University would have sense enough not to jeopardize the reputation of their coaches and the entire school by accepting gifts from a booster, it keeps coming back to one thing: Who was in charge, Martin or Fisher? The bottom line is that too many things seem to have been going on for all to be innocent. This is why Fisher's removal was the right thing to do from Goss's point, of view - and from Michigan's point of view as well. Unfair as it may seem to some, the firing sends a jolt through the Athletic Department and to the rest of the country: Goss will not make the same mistake Fisher made. Goss will not turn his back and ignore problems; he will not allow them to stew until they boil out of control. Instead, he will step in and snuff them out immediately. Some have said that Fisher is being used by Goss. People have said Goss is look- ing to make a name for himself, and making Fisher a scapegoat goes miles in establishing Goss's credibility as the new guy on the job. That may be true. But consider the alternative: Goss could have said that he was sticking with Fisher for awhile. It would have been easy to do. It also would have done nothing to dissuade dishonesty within the program. Those who had acted dishonestly would have no reason to think they couldn't do it again. Michigan basketball would remain stuck in the same mud it has been spat- tered with for the past seven months. Goss made a statement with this decision. In a program that has been full of"maybes" for the past half-year or more, Goss wasted no time turning his first maybe into a definite No. And suddenly, the Michigan basketball program looks a bit less like the program that had its name dragged through the mud for months, and a bit more like a program headed in the right direction. How much of the blame can be attributed to Fisher? It's tough to say. He proba: bly still believes he did nothing wrong. He may very well have broken no rules. But Goss's decision was the right one. It lets the Ed Martins of the world know that someone is in charge of Michigan athletics. And finally, Michigan can start moving in the direction that everyone - Schembechler, Goss, probably even Fisher - wants: forward. - Jim Rose can be reached via email atjwrose@umich.edt mixed reactions to Fisher's firing By Heather Kamins Daily Staff Reporter For months, rumors that Michigan men's basketball' coach Steve Fisher would be fired have spread across campus. But students and staff still appeared shocked when official word came through Saturday. Oe news traveled through the University quickly, and strong opinions grew fast on both sides of the issue. Operations employee Mustafaa Muhamed said he was outraged by Athletic Director Tom Goss's decision to fire Fisher. "I think it was unjust for him to get fired," Muhamed said. "He didn't really do anything. It was all the public- ity. Mdre or less, I think the public wanted something done, so he was the scapegoat." While some University staff and students were upset by thedecision, others said they are ready for a change. A sophomore Scott Schneider said "it's about time" for a new coach. "I'm excited, because while Steve Fisher was an excellent recruiter, I feel most of this has to do with the fact that he wasn't a good discipline coach," Schneider said. "Kids came here because they know they are going to get it easy. We have the talent, but we don't have the coaches. In conclusion, hire Dean Smith" Oi LSA first-year student, who asked to not be iden- them, it's ESH ER right deci Continued from Page 1B bad that o Bahr, who considers Fisher a actions. friend, spoke of the times that Fisher "We ca -would ask about the results of his can't livet team's wrestling meets. Los Ang The accusations against Fisher Vaught,v investigated by a Kansas City law NCAA c firm"tended to be what the coach conveyed didn't do to stop his players, rather made thes n..what he had done. But Bahr Vaught, said that coaches can't be baby-sit- fully shov ters all the time. coach. "As much as we try to influence "My fe tified, said she has be close to the Fisher family for many years and is sad to see him go. "I feel bad about it because I know him and his son," the student said."I've known their family for a long time. I feel sorry for him, but I think he might have done things he wasn't supposed to." She described Fisher as a "very, very nice man and a great father." "Things always get blamed on the coach," she said. "It's just because Michigan has such fair-weathered fans." LSA senior Ian Lucas said that it is important to remember that Fisher showed strength and heart. "I was disappointed," Lucas said. "I think that he came in when the University of Michigan needed him and he brought them the only national championship. I know the team has not been up to everybody's standards, but you can't expect to win the championship every year." Fisher has been continuously criticized for a lack of institutional control. Seven months of investigation by a private law firm uncovered no major NCAA violation, but three minor violations were detected and University officials have said that they are concerned with the way the program has been run. Lucas said that all of the problems the team has had have not be Fisher's fault. "I think Fisher maybe needed to have tighter reigns on the kids," Lucas said. "But that was just the way Fisher was. He's a good guy and expects other people to be good guys. Maybe he was a little naive." Many students and staff complemented Fisher's recruitment abilities and wondered if Fisher could have stayed at the University, in some capacity. Operations employee Jason Kayfesh said the University should keep Fisher employeed as a full-time recruiter. "I think they should have fired him. Well, maybe they should have moved him to a different position," Kayfesh said. "They should have kept him as a recruiter. He's recruited some of the best teams in college history. He just wasn't a good coach." Other students said in the end all that matters is win- ning games, and Fisher's stats just are mot up to par. "I think it was time for a change," said LSA junior Bill Briggs. "Fisher was a great recruiter, but he wasn't a great coach in that he couldn't win games, big games. People just have a shady image of him with all the recruiting. Hopefully, now, the program will get back on track. Briggs said that he expects that the next coach will be one of the current assistant coaches. "I think the whole thing is bad timing," Briggs said. Home of the U.S. National & Jr. Olympic Champions PROFESSIONAL MASTER INSTRUCTOR R Improve JaeYoung Kim Your: " Respect, Self-Defense, Leadership, Self- Esteem, Coordination; Confidence, Flexibility, Weight-loss, Health Tae Kwon Do * Judo Hapkido" Kick Boxing * Cardio Tae Kwondo - Women's Seif -Defense (313) 994-0400 up to them to make the sions," Bahr said. "It's too iur careers depend on their an only guide thekh, and with them 24 hours a day." geles Clippers forward Loy who played for Fisher's hampionship team, also that Fisher was being scapegoat. a Grand Rapids native, wed support for his ex- eling is that he might be taking some heat for things that were kind of out of his control," Vaught said in an Associated Press report. "It's very unfortunate, because I know Steve Fisher and I can say that he doesn't cheat." The father of a former Fab-Fiver also spoke only high praise for Fisher. Jimmy King, Sr., who is the father of Jimmy King - now on the Minnesota Timberwolves - was shocked at hearing the news of Fisher's firing. He didn't know anything about it until he turned the TV on yesterday morning. King, Sr., who spoke from his Texas home of meeting Martin early in his son's freshman year, thought that the real loss lies with the recruits whom Fisher sought. "The guy you have looked up to and put in all your respect isn't there," King said."You come there and expect to stay four years under the coach that recruited you. "I bet that some (recruits) may not want to come depending on who they are going to hire now"' RESPONSIBILITY . CHALLENGE AND THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ZS ASSOCIATES IS AN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM DEDICATED TO HELPING COMPANIES ACHIEVE LONG LASTING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN MARKETING AND SALES. ZS WILL BE ON CAMPUS RECRUITING Hours of live, scheduled class- room instruction 45 21 Hours of diagnostic testing ~aximum 1 5 Class Size 15 25 Classes grouped by initial test Yes No scores Operations Research Analysts Business Information Specialists Software Developers . } STOP BY TIlE ZS BOOTH AND VISIT WITH OUR REPRESENTATIVES.