Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Sports Monday - March 25, 1991
Roses are
Blue; prep
to play for
Michigan
by Theodore Cox
Daily Basketball Writer
AUBURN HILLS - The an-
nouncement that Detroit South-
western forward and top 10 recruit
Jalen Rose will play for Michigan
next year was a perfect example of
why reporters sometimes ask
questions when they don't expect an
answer.
In the middle of the press con-
ference after the Michigan High
School Class A Finals at the Palace,
Jalen Rose was asked by a reporter,
"A good friend of yours, Chris
Webber, announced today that he
was going to be a Wolverine. Have
you set a timetable -yet for when
you're going to give your decision?"
"Yes, I'm going to follow what
Chris did," Rose said with little
expression.
There was a pause as everyone
tried to figure out what he meant.
Finally his coach, Perry Watson,
said, "He's going to be a
Wolverine."
What was strange about the
whole scene was that Rose had said
earlier in the week that he wasn't
going to make his decision for a
week or two.
"I decided I was going to go to
Michigan in the last seven days,"
Rose said.'
He also added
that he hadn'
talked with ei,
ther Michigan
coach Steve Fish-
er or Webber a-"
}hbout the decision'
' Rose is 6-
foot-8 and can
play either the
j . % forward or guard
position. During
his senior year he
averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds
per game on what many consider the
No. 1 high school basketball team in
the country.
"I couldn't find anything out-
side the state that wasn't inside the
state," Rose said of Michigan. "It
would have been hard for me to
leave."
As Rose began to think about
what he was saying, his enthusiasm
on the subject grew, until at the end
he had a big smile on his face con-
cerning his decision.
Rose's teammate and highly re-
cruited guard Voshon Lenard was
also questioned about where he
would spend his college days.
However, he still hasn't made up his
mind. His top two choices are
Minnesota and Michigan, in order of
preference. He does not know if he
will reach his decision before the
April 10th signing date.
Theodore Cox
Webber, Rose put 'M'0
program on upswing
AUBURN HILLS - For all of you who said Michigan coach Steve
Fisher couldn't recruit - hop down from your bandwagon, and join the one
going the opposite way.
With the high school championships taking place this weekend, local'
fans were able to catch a glimpse of the latest two prep stars to commit to
the Wolverines.
On Friday, Detroit Country Day's Chris Webber got a chance to test out
the playing surface at Crisler Arena a little early. In case you've been
locked up in the UGLI all semester, Webber is considered the best high
school basketball player in the country. Against Bridgeport in the'
Michigan High School Class B semifinals, the 6-foot-10 center scored 25
points (including six dunks and three triples), grabbed nine rebounds, and
blocked seven shots in the 78-44 victory.
And none of his efforts seemed to strain him in the least - it truly was
a man playing among boys. It is no wonder college coaches have drooled
over him since the ninth grade. He can dribble with the ease of a guard. HeI
can pass with the precision of a quarterback. And he only shot 85 percent.
But most of all, he can jump. His hang time rivals NBA players. This
enables him to glide to the basket, pump-fake the ball, and end up with a
dunk or easy lay-in. And he makes it look so easy. Many times Friday he
was making silly faces and giving sarcastic smiles to his teammates on the
court. It appeared as if he wasn't working at all, but rather trying to keep
himself amused.
In the Class B finals at the Palace the next day, Webber had 27 points,'
22 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Much of this came after he
had to be carried off the court in the first quarter because of a mild sprain
to his ankle.
There is little question Webber will make a big impact next year.
Michigan is lacking at the forward position and he is quick enough to work
the ball inside. The only thing he needs to work on is his post-up game.
Saturday night, Detroit Southwestern's less celebrated Jalen Rose
produced similar statistics. He finished the game with 25 points, 18
rebounds, and a state championship title. Although the 6-foot-8 forward is
not as strong or as quick as Webber, he is still considered one of the top ten
high school players in the nation.
More of a shooter, Rose would probably end up playing the second
guard at Michigan; he can dribble and pass even better than Webber. The
best thing about his game, however, is that he is a team player. During the
press conference after the Prospectors won the Michigan Class A
Championship, he took time to point out that the team was not only No. 1
in the state, but in the country - and few are disputing his claim. Rarely
did anyone on Southwestern score without getting a teammate's pass first.
Rose should make an impact next season, but how much is hard to say.
He is thin and needs to put on some weight in order to battle in the Big Ten.
The signing of these two players, along with forward Juwan Howard
(No. 3 in the country), guard Jimmy King (top 15) and Ray Jackson (top
100), gives Fisher undeniably the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. And
although this group has a strong chance to give Fisher another national
championship down the road, don't expect things to turn around overnight..
Two years ago, Indiana had the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten, and
the Hoosiers finished only seventh in the conference a year ago. Keep in
mind, these are just high school players with a wealth of potential and no
college experience.
Expect Fisher to blend with this group very well. Both Webber and
Rose said they chose Michigan largely because Fisher isn't a coach who,
rants and raves. Instead he encourages the players.
That is the type of coach a team with several superstars needs. Players of
Webber's caliber don't need to be drilled on the fundamentals of
basketball - they must be able to experiment with their superior skills.
And just a side note to all the reports that went out all year long
claiming to know where Webber was going:
"For all those people who lucked out and guessed what school I was
going to, they didn't know jack," Webber said.
Up until Saturday afternoon, only Webber and his immediate family
knew what his choice was. This was evidenced by the fact both Michigan:
State coach Jud Heathcote and Detroit Mercy coach Ricky Birdsong
attended some of Webber's games this week. On Friday, Fisher didn't even
know about the press conference Webber had called. Webber pointed out
that he didn't really make up his mind until about a week ago.
Rose didn't let anybody know about his decision until Saturday either
He had told Fisher he would probably announce his decision this week.
Rose didn't even give any indication that he was going to make his decision
public at the Palace.
"It would have been a big thing where it would have overshadowed
what we had going (Southwestern's title)," Rose said, "and I didn't want
that to happen."
Future Michigan Wolverine Chris Webber logs some serious airtime in the Class B semifinals last weekend. To
Webber, who makes the game of basketball look like the game of nerf ball, the move is old hat. But
Bridgeport's Jimmy Young (#13), is wishing for a hard hat. The young guard will tell his grandchildren that
Webber dunked over him, but he's not alone. Webber threw down 11 slams during the high school Final Four.
Watson undecided about 'M' job
by Theodore Cox
Daily Basketball Writer
AUBURN HILLS - With the
key Michigan recruits finally decid-
ing to attend Michigan, the biggest
question in the Wolverine basket-
ball camp is whether Detroit
Southwestern coach Perry Watson
will join the staff next season as an
assistant coach.
Michigan coach Steve Fisher has
told Watson that the job is his if he
wants it. He has also given Watson
the freedom of taking his time to
make up his mind - and the
Prospectors coach will take full ad-
vantage of the privilege.
"I've wanted to focus my atten-
tion on this team (Southwestern),"
Watson said. "I'm not a 17, 18-year-
old single guy. I have a family and I
can't just pick up and move. I'm go-
ing to sit down and consider it now
that the season's over. Coach Fisher
has been kind enough not to put any
pressure on me.... I probably won't
know by the end of the college bas-
ketball season."
Watson has been with South-
western for 13 years, compiling a
302-34 record. He has lead the
Prospectors to two straight Class
A state basketball titles, and his
team has been in the finals nine of
the last 10 years.
"I've put a lot of sacrifice and
hard work into this program,"
Watson said.
Michigan Wolverine basketball recruits
This is a scouting report on Michigan's five basketball recruits. All information is from Bob Gibbons' All Star Sports recruiting magazine.
Juwan Howard, 6-10, power forward; Vocational High School, Chicago, Ill. Howard was the third rated preseason prospect by All Star Sports. His
230-pound frame should allow him to play in the paint. His playing style resembles former Duke star Alaa Abdelnaby. Howard is a partial quali-
fier under Proposition 48 thus far; he has a 17 on the ACT, and awaits scores from a recent test. He has two attempts remaining after the incoming
scores to achieve the required 18.
Ray Jackson, 6-5, swingman; L.B. Johnson High School, Austin Texas. Jackson is rated in the top 100 preps by All Star Sports.
Jimmy King, 6-4, off-guard; East High School, Plano Texas. All Star Sports rates King as one of the nation's 20 best preps and the No. 1 player in
Texas. King's strengths include three-point shooting, rebounding, passing, and especially slam dunks. He has unlimited hang time, and some of his
dunks remind people of Michael Jordan.
Jalen Rose, 6-7, swingman; Detroit Southwestern, Detroit. Rose was the 10th rated preseason prospect by All Star Sports. The lefthander is regarded
as the nation's premier swingman and three-point shooter. Rose has the ball-handling and passing skills to play two-guard, and the size to play
small forward.
Chris Webber, 6-10, power forward; Detroit Country Day, Birmingham. All Star Sports rated Webber the No. 2 preseason prospect behind Glenn
Robinson, who is headed to Purdue. While they say Webber has more potential than anyone else, they say he sometimes tries to do too much.
However, Webber did win Parade's high school player of the year award, and Michigan's Mr. Basketball trophy.
Duke, UNC, UNLV, and Kansas all in Final Four
Associated Press
North Carolina and Duke, whose
campuses are just a long jog apart,
will be sharing a new neighborhood
next weekend in Indianapolis.
The Atlantic Coast Conference
rivals advanced to the Final Four on
Sunday, giving the league half of the
NCAA semifinal field for the sec-
oand straight year.
North Carolina held off tena-
cious Temple 75-72 for the East
Regional championship, ending Dean
Smith's longest absence from the
Final Four and making him the first
coach to get there in four different
decades.
Duke defeated St. John's 78-61
for the Midwest title, joining
UCLA and Cincinnati as the only
wrh nk to make frf ennmentiv
Williams.
The Final Four also had two
ACC teams last year, Duke and
Georgia Tech.
King Rice hit four free throws in
the last 22 seconds and Temple's
Mark Macon missed a potential,
game-tying 3-pointer with four sec-
onds left, putting North Carolina in
the Final Four for the first time
since winning the national title in
1982.
"Maybe now I won't get any
letters asking why I hadn't been to
the Final Four," said Smith, who
lost four consecutive regional finals
after winning his first seven. "I can
hardly remember the last time we
made it. I'm pleased for the seniors
who haven't been there before."
Althmnah hic tt-.m lct Maonn
attempt.
Smith moved into a tie with
UCLA's John Wooden for most ca-
reer victories in the NCAA tour-
nament. Smith's tourney record is
47-21; Wooden was 47-18.
Rick Fox and Hubert Davis led
North Carolina with 19 points each.
Mik Gilgore had 18 for Temple (24-
10).
A 12-3 run by Temple pulled the
Owls within two points with 11:47
remaining, but the Tar Heels coun-
tered with a 9-3 spurt to extend the
lead to 61-53.
Temple, trying to join 11th-
seeded LSU in 1986 as the only dou-
ble-digit seeds to reach the Final
Four, stayed close down the stretch
but could never overtake North
rnar1 nn
all the way. That's a record for
Final Four futility.
UCLA made 10 straight Final
Four appearances from .1967-76,
winning eight times, and Cincinnati
was there five straight years from
1959-63, winning twice.
Duke raced to a 40-27 halftime
lead Sunday and was never threat-
ened. The Blue Devils are 28-0 this
season when leading at halftime.
Hurley made 6 of 10 shots from
the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-
point range. The 6-foot sophomore
also had four assists and four steals
with only one turnover and even led
his team in rebounding with seven.
Christian Laettner scored 19
ruNinte n r P Thnr mhleslik 411,Can
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