Tuesdav. Mav 29, 2001 - The Michigan Dailv - 1
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Vichigan recruit breaks 36-year- Bailey is '4igible for
ld hih school record in mile Mhig basketball
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Alan
lebb was such a hot commodity, the
trong of fans who surrounded him
>r more than an hour didn't even
otice superstar Marion Jones walk-
ig by.
fter his incredible race at the Pre-
taine Classic track meet, Webb,
ho is coming to Michigan in the
ill, had better get used to the atten-
on, because some prominent people
ntennt-Tnn- -nAA
were absolutely floored by what the
18-year-old did Sunday.
Webb smashed Jim Ryun's 36-
year-old high school record for the
mile, finishing in 3:53.43 to take
fifth place and nearly overshadow the
winner, Hicham El Guerrouj. The
Moroccan world record-holder ran
3:49.92, the fastest mile ever run in
North America.
While El Guerrouj shattered the
U.S. all-comers' record of 3:50.86 by
Algerian Noureddine Morceli in
Atlanta in 1996, all anyone could talk
about Sunday was Webb's perform-
ance - and the potential he has to
resurrect American distance running.
"I think Alan Webb can become
my No. 1 rival if he really works at
it," El Guerrouj said. "He's obviously
got a great future."
Even the sport's true superstars
were in awe of Webb's fierce run-
ning, which included an amazing 58-
second final lap. Maurice Greene,
the world record-holder and defend-
ing Olympic champion in the 100,
congratulated Webb after the young-
ster's race, then hugged him after
Webb completed his second victory
lap - one with El Guerrouj and the
second by himself.
"I wouldn't race him a mile,"
Greene said of Webb. "He don't look
like no high school dude."
"It's exciting to come out on the
track and watch a phenom like Alan
Webb run," Jones said.
Webb, from South Lakes High
School in Reston, Va., eclipsed
Ryun's scholastic record of 3:55.3,
set in 1965 at San Diego. Only four
prep students have broke the four-
minute barrier outdoors. The last was
Marty Liquori in 1967.
"I played it conservative for the
first 2 1/2 laps, but at the end of the
third lap I pulled up with the pack,"
said the senior. "I got excited then. I
was like, 'I'm five meters from El
Guerrouj with a lap to go."'
Although El Guerrouj's time was
the fastest in the world this year, he
wasn't completely satisfied with his
first race of the season. He wanted to
make a strong impression following
his disappointing silver medal per-
formance at the Sydney Games.
"I would have preferred to run
3:46 or 3:47, but unfortunately the
pacemakers went out a little too
quickly," he said. "I was greatly dis-
appointed after the Olympic Games,
because my own national press criti-
cized me and it made me even more
determined to come out and become
a great champion again, because I
think I deserve it."
Chuck Bailey learned earlier this
month that he became academically eli-
gible to play basketball at Michigan for
next year.
Bailey, a 6-foot-7 forward from
Detroit Martin Luther King High
School, joins Dommanic Ingerson as
the two Wolverine recruits ready for the
fall. Michigan is still waiting for
JaQuan Hart and Kelly Whitney to
acquire the necessary test scores for eli-
gibility.
Bailey averaged 22.2 points, 8.7
rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per
game as a senior.
BAD REP: HBO's hit series "The
Sopranos" took a shot at the Michigan
basketball program. In an episode air-
ing May 13, Tony Soprano briefly read
a newspaper article about a 19-year-old
Michigan player who was expected to
be a high pick in the NBA draft, but
died of a cocaine overdose.
Gotfredson to play
exhibitions in Africa
Michigan fifth-year senior and walk-
on Mike Gotfredson will compete in
the Ivory Coast in Africa with the Ath-
letes in Action.
Gotfredson is among several other
Division I players making the team,
including Michigan State's Aloysius
Anagonye.
The point guard played in 13 games
for the Wolverir last year, averaging
4.3 minutes.
The touram against the top five
e- in Africav1i1be from June 16-25.
Women's hoops hires
new assistant coach
Angela Jackson will likely be hired
as associate head coach to Sue Gue-
vara for Michigan. Jackson resigned
as coach of Saginaw Valley State,
Guevara's alma mater, last week.
Jackson and Guevara also both
served as assistant coaches together
at Michigan State earlier in their
careers.
Hrovat takes silver in
Pan American games
Michigan's Andy Hrovat won a sil-
ver medal at the Pan American Cham-
pionships last week in Santa
Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The games pit the best wrestlers of
North, Central and South America.
The United States team was put
together based on the winners from
the University National Freestyle
Championships from early April.
The second-place finish allows
Hrovat to compete in the 2001 World
Team Trials (June 21-24) in Cincin-
nati, Ohio. With a top-three finish
there, Hrovat will be on the U.S.
National team. A first-place finish will
enable him to compete in the World
Championships (Sept. 26-29) in New
York, N.Y.
Ilchlgan recruit Alan Webb showcased
s talent at the Prefontalne Classic.
0 --- - -mll--m
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