Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 32

FRIDAY, MAY 8. 1998DETROIT FREE PRESS 5C j.v Old Kent race banks on its prestige to draw interest I I It' ill 11 ADULT BASEBALL River run The National Adult Baseball Association with over 100 leagues nationwide is opening a Chapter in the greater DETROIT area 2 agt groups 1 8 Over 30 Over 2 levels of play, adv. recreational 20 Came Season Trophies Awards All Slar Games Slate Regional Tourn. National Championship Tournament in Phoenix Early October. i Mi pi CD Players, Manager, Teams are cordially invited to our INFORMATIONAL MEETING Thur May 14th 7:00 PM at Hampton Inn (I-94 at Merriman Road in Romulusl TEAM TRYOUTSTEAM FORMATIONS Sun May 31st 1:00 PM CALL FOR LOCATION WHAT: 21st Old Kent River Bank Run, the national 25-kilometer championship.

WHEN: 8 a.m. Saturday. WHERE: Starts and finishes in downtown Grand Rapids. FIELD: About 7,000 in all races, including 4,000 in the 25K. PURSE: $55,800, split between men and women.

ELITE ATHLETES: Kenyans Joseph Kariuki and Stephen Nyamu and defending U.S. champion John Sence in the open division. Cindy Barber-Keeler and MaryLynn Currier in the women's division. OTHER EVENTS: 5K run, 8:10 a.m.; 5Kwalk, 9:15 a.m. LATE REGISTRATION: Today noon-8 p.m., Grand Center.

Saturday a.m. for 25K a.m. for 5K walk Call 1-616-771-1590 anytime. BY MATT FlORITO Free Press Sports Writer Call it the El Nino effect. When the starting pistol sounds at 8 a.m.

Saturday for the 21st Old Kent River Bank Run, a thundering herd of runners will take off from the corner of Monroe and Lyon in downtown Grand Rapids. It will take several minutes for those in the back of the pack to cross the start line. "We're up about 19 percent over last year," race director Kristen Aidif said. There are more than 7,000 entries in all of the events combined. "I think that with the mild winter, more people were able to get in shape," Aidif said.

"Plus, I think that running itself is enjoying a resurgence. People are realizing that it's a low-cost sport to get into." But tradition and status, more than cost, attract the runners and an estimated 23,000 spectators. The 25K run, the largest in the country, is two races in one in both the men's and women's divisions. The event has an open field that draws many elite international runners, but it's also recognized as the national championship for the top American male and female finishers. There also is a men's and women's masters division for runners 40 Nyamu.

Kariuki, 28, is probably the overall favorite. He was second last year in 1:15:47. Nyamu, 26, is running his first Old Kent but has solid credentials. He won eight of his 13 distance races in 1997 and has a best of 1:00:24 for a half-marathon. Other top contenders include Paul Aufdemberge of Novi, fourth last year in 1:17:03., and Michael Dudley of Morgantown, W.

the 1996 Free Press marathon winner. The women's 25K was thrown wide open Thursday when masters runner Kim Jones of Spokane, who won the women's overall and U.S. championship last year, withdrew because of injury. Among the top contenders will be Cindy Barber-Keeler, who grew up in Lincoln Park and now lives in Lake Worth, and Mary-Lynn Currier of Plymouth, Mass. Barber-Keeler was the 1996 Free Press Marathon champ and the masters' winner this year at Boston.

Currier was the top American female this year at Boston. But there's more to the festive weekend than running. There is a Sports and Fitness Expo from noon to 8 p.m. today at the Grand Center and a pasta dinner from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the Old Kent Bank Building.

It's open to the public. MOTORCYCLE SHOW GUN KNIFE SHOW BJfci MICHIGAN'S HNtSTjZTZZZ 1 1 mm i Special to the Free Press John Sence of Cincinnati will defend his U.S. 25-kilometer championship Saturday. and over. For those who like shorter events, there is a 5K run at 8:10 a.m.

Saturday and the 5K community walk at 9:10. The wheelchair division starts at 7:50. Last year, John Kagwe of Kenya was the overall winner in 1:15:21, and John Sence of Cincinnati won the U.S. 25K championship in 1:15:56. 100'S OF BIKES CUSTOM ORIGINAL HARLEYS.

HONDAS, SUZUKIS, YAMAHAS MORE SWAP MEET VENDORS SELLING RELATED MDSE SUPER DEALS Kagwe won't be back this year, but Sence will, and he has a shot at winning the overall and U.S. titles. His main competition will be from Kenyans Joseph Kariuki and Stephen nanoguns miles Ammo Sates Shotguns Knives Military Hems Hunting Fishing Supplies and .11 1 SHOW SPONSORS J) fj EASY RIDERS tk II DETROIT fSMrStf BMW tJ-SS? 3 Detroit Warren jfe "Jt Produced 1 Judged 3Hskv 5 Much Morel Friday Is Sel Up Dm Not All Dealers Parttapae 1 If I Gentry values family, home however humble ft Sense of humor, too. about his childhood. He said when he was growing up, they squeezed six kids and two adults into that three-bedroom house in Shelby, about 40 miles west of Charlotte.

"They're still there living in that same house for 37 years," Gentry said. "My father worked in a factory, in the fiber industry. My dad is an unbelievable guy. He's so unemotional about anything, but I admire him. Once he went 11 straight years without missing a day of work.

"I'm not one of those kids who say, 'Oh, we had it so tough. It was so hard for My father and mother didn't make a lot of money. But we always had Christmas. We always had birthdays. I don't have one of those kind of heartache stories to tell.

There was always all kinds of lovin' in my house. "I can't wait to go back home, because you know what? No one cares that I'm an NBA coach." To leave a message for Jo-Ann Barnas, call 1-313-222-2037. Pistons, from Page 1C And, as he expects, how he and the Pistons perform will go a long way in shaping public opinion of him heading into next season. But before all of that begins, how about stepping away and learning a little more about the coach? Not about Gentry's basketball philosophy that will come soon enough but about the man behind the basketball philosophy. Compiling the basic information on Gentry is easy enough: Forty-three and married seven years to Suzanne.

Nine-month-old baby's name is Ryan Marcus. Has a 13-year-old daughter, Alexis, from a previous marriage. Signed a two-year deal with the Pistons with an option for a third. Contract worth more than $1 million in base salary per season, with incentives. Endorsed by Grant Hill and Joe Dumars.

Spent 10 years as an NBA assistant. Never been a head coach for a full season at any level. Previously an interim coach at Miami in 1994-95, which lasted 36 games before his dismissal. That's some background. Now comes a little more.

After Gentry was handed the job last week, he received congratulatory calls from all around the NBA. Chuck Daly was one of the first coaches he spoke to. Collins, too. "He's a real good friend of mine, and that will always be the case," Gentry said of Collins. "He had confidence to keep me in the league when I had gotten fired from a job.

He's the most generous man, and the most giving person I had ever been around in my life. When he was let go, his No. 1 concern was that we would finish out the year." Many would say that Gentry's generosity is just as giving. A year ago, when the Pistons made a' late-season trip to Denver, Gentry went, to Boulder to see his daughter and visit a friend's mother. "Let me tell you, he is the kind of guy the NBA needs," said Patterson, who worked with Gentry at Colorado.

"When my mom was in the hospital in intensive care after cancer surgery he drove over to Boulder. But the nurse told him only family could see her. "When my mom heard who it was, with tubes and everything sticking out of her, she looked up at the nurse and said, 'He is "Alvin Gentry is one of the best people on the planet" (313) 223-3247: To Advertise In this Directory, Tlzzz Cz'A On the day he was named Pistons coach, the first person he called was his older sister, Loretta Milburn, a senior analyst for the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D.C. She wasn't there.

Then he called his father in Shelby. "Guess what, Dad," Alvin said. He told him the news. "I don't believe it," his father said. "No, really, Dad, I'm telling you the truth." "I don't believe it" It took some time, but Alvin finally convinced his father that, yes, it was true.

When they were growing up, Loretta always thought her brother would be on Wall Street The fourth of six children, Alvin was always good with numbers and had a great memory. He attended Appalachian State and earned a degree in management. He had a tryout with the Denver Nuggets in 1977 thanks to his cousin, David Thompson but he was cut by Larry Brown. "I used to say, when I have a son I'm going to tell him that I was the last player cut," Gentry said, laughing. "I have a poster in my basement.

It says, The older I get, the better I After his tryout with the Nuggets, he worked as a graduate assistant at Colorado. Then he worked as an assistant at Baylor for one season (1980-81) before going to Colorado for four, years. He joined Brown at Kansas in 1985. In 1988, the Jay-hawks won the national championship. From there, he moved with Brown to the NBA, where Gentry was an assistant in San Antonio (1988-90) before joining the LA Clippers (1990-91).

He then went on to the Miami Heat (1991-95). He was hired by Collins after Gentry was replaced in Miami by Pat Riley. 0 7fi Ladies Taylor Made Titanium Bubble Driver When Gentry finally reached Loretta the day he was hired April 28 the two talked for a long time. "I was completely struck by how he seemed to be more excited about what this could do for his parents than for him," Loretta Milburn said. "He said he feels he's been blessed already." This weekend, Gentry hopes to surprise his father with a gift: a brand-new truck to replace the one he has been driving "for 200 years," Alvin said.

As special as the reunion will be, it also will be tough. His mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Gentry talked a little this week While 80 last. Orig. '299M Ladies FootJoy Dry Joys or Etonic Dri-Lites 4 phf, Ki' SC099 MFG Closeouts! 2-year 1 waterproof 1 warranty Be There.

And score this FREE Brian Hunter poster! i Give Mom The Best! Cobra Ladies Cobra II Irons Woods Stop by Gentry's office at the Pistons' practice facility on a Tuesday afternoon, say around 5:15 p.m., and the first thing you notice is that he hasn't moved. Next week, he will probably carry his stuff around the corner and down the hall into Collins' old office. But there's no hurry. The room that had been his home the past couple of seasons is no bigger than a walk-in closet. But it has everything else a window and a courtside view.

"I love my little place because I know what's happening out there," Gentry said, glancing out the window. "Look Shock practice." Other quick observations about the new head coach: His eyes are bloodshot (he hasn't removed his disposable contact lenses in three weeks). He can't type. He pops Hot Tamales candy into his mouth like popcorn. He has family pictures all over the place.

He listens to Motown and jazz. He follows the basketball teams of his two good friends Ralph Patterson, coach at Erskine College in Due West, S.C., and Bill Pope, coach of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. Patterson's 5-year-old son plays on a Little League team named in Gentry's honor: the Due West Pistons. And here's a poignant tidbit, compliments of Suzanne Gentry: On the day Alvin took over the job, their son crawled across the floor and into Alvin's arms for the first time. "I'm a pretty simple guy," Gentry said.

"I grew up that way, my wife is kind of that way, and we'll remain that way." Asked to sum up the last week, Gentry smiled and said: "I'll be honest, it still seems like I'm in a dream. I still find it hard to believe. My ultimate goal had always been to be a coach of an NBA team. But it is different now. "It seems kind of strange when we go out and everybody recognizes you.

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