THE MICHIGAN DAILY Show Vst Improvet r By JOHN HILLYER , Basketball used to be almost a dirty word at Michigan.' "The forgotten sport" was what they used to call it, and recent' performances of the cagers usu- -ally bore out such description. But last season was a different story, for the Michigan basketball squad finished in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten with an 8-6 won-lost record. They were 13-9 for all games. Had Better Potential? It was the first above-.500 cam- paign for coach Bill Perigo's men in Conference competition in eight years, and the general consensus is that they actually had the po- tential to do better. And some of KRAMER VS. ILLINOIS ... two more the things that happened last sea- son bear this out, too. The Wolverines took five of their eight pre-Conference games, which is about par for the course, but sophomores George Lee and M. C. Burton gave Perigo much cause for smiling with their aggressive play and sharp shooting. Lee, never be- fore a guard, took over in the back court and performed as though a veteran at the spot. Significantly, the five victories were the five games played at home. This was to be the case throughout the winter, for in the Big Ten the Wolverines were 6-1 at home and 2-5 away. Opening at Indiana, Michigan dropped a tough one to the even- tual co-champion Hoosiers, 73-68. Travelling to Michigan State, they knocked off the other co-cham- pions, the Spartans, by one point in a thriller. Things were looking up. Back home, the Maize and Blue took care of Northwestern and Wisconsin, then went to Minnesota during the between-semesters break to absorb the first of two thrashings from the Gophers. Whip Purdue Returning to Yost Field House, the on-again-off-again cagers took care of Purdue, 66-54, to stay in the running for the title. But talk of a championship was quieted by disappointments against Minne- sota and Wisconsin, dropping the Wolverines to sixth place. All was not lost, however. For Michigan basketball fans, the real thrills were yet to come. On the Saturday following the Wisconsin nightmare, title-con- scious Illinois stormed into Ann Arbor. And Ron Kramer, the Wol- verines' captain and pivot man, was to reach his peak that night, as was the entire team. New Scoring Record Michigan not only defeated the Illini, but set a new Field House scoring record for one team by running wild in the late minutes to triumph, 102-89. Kramer led the assault with 25 points, Burton chipping in with 23 and Lee with 21. Always an enigma, the Wol- verines followed this with losing performances against Minnesota and Purdue. But the season was to end on a happy note, to say the least. Kramer, now at his peak, and se- nior guard Jim Shearon, always a tricky, speedy little playmaker who had recently developed a deadly overhead two-hand jump shot, were to give the Wolverines a real lift - one which would car- ry them to victories in their final three games. First.,was Indiana, in first place in the Conference and desperate to keep pace with onrushing Mich- igan State. Down the Hoosiers fell, as Michigan built up a nine- pt. advantage at half-time and held off. Archie Dees and Co. for an 87-86 victory. The cagers were the talk of the campus. Defeat Iowa on Road Next they travelled to Iowa, scoring an 83-79 win over the al- ways-dangerous Hawkeyes. It was a road victory, and, therefore. quite impressive. Then the big one came - the grand finale. Michigan State, whq could have clinched the Big Ten title with a victory and who was foaming at the mouth to avenge the earlier defeat, came booming into Ann Arbor, bringing with them what seemed like half of the East Lansing campus, Yost Field House was choked to capacity for the big one, but only the Michigan fans were to be glad they came. ,They zhrieked their approval as the Wolverines steam- rollered to an 18-pt. half-time ad- vantage and held off the helpless Spartans in the second half for an 81-72 triumph. Kramer went out in a blaze of glory, leading the Blue with 21 counters. Hoosiers Share Title Indiana won over Illinois, and was thus able to share the crown with State. Such performances led many to say that the Wol (trines might have finished higher in the stand- ings. And with such as Tillotson, Tar- rier, Lee, Burton, Lewis, Wright and a promising sophomore named Terry Miller - they might do just that in 157-58. 0* BOARD ACTION-Pete Tillotson, Michigan basketball captain- elect for the coming seasoi, goes high and hard to beat a Purdue man to a rebound. Coming up at the right is George Lee, who though only a sophomore last season led the Wolverines in scoring. I - __ ________ __________________ To the Class of' WE EX1END A HEARTY WELCOME For a quarter-century it has been our privilege to serve the students, faculty, and alumni of the University of Michigan. During this period we have steadfastly fol- lowed the principle-"There is no substitute for Quality and Service." Today we are justly proud of our fine repu- tation, featuring the finest qualities of footwear in their respective fields SHOES FOR MEN J k c1 11 0 French-Shriner & Urner Johnston & Murphy G. H. Bass British Imports II SHOES FOR WOMEN " . 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