Frieder Will Go to Seattle to Watch ‘His’ Wolverines Play in Final Four

Bill Frieder, whose Michigan team has made its way to the Final Four since he left for Arizona State two days before the Wolverines’ first tournament game, said Monday he will go to Seattle to watch them try to win the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. championship.

“The team is doing extremely well,” Frieder said. “No matter what you say, I brought them all to Ann Arbor--the players, the coaches, the managers. Everybody on the bench. I hired the entire staff, including the secretary.”

After a press conference introducing him as Arizona State’s coach March 15, Frieder flew to Atlanta, where he attended Michigan’s first-round game the next day. But after being besieged in the stands by reporters and autograph-seekers, Frieder left the arena. He chose not to go to the Southeast Regional at Lexington, Ky.

He plans to leave Wednesday for Seattle, site of the Final Four and the annual basketball coaches’ convention.

“I’m concerned about the press,” Frieder said. “I don’t want to meet with them. If it becomes a problem, I may just go lock myself in a hotel room.”