The Daily Nebraskan
Friday, Jan. 7, 1966
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Page 8
GOAL
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By Jim Sw artz
While preparing "the copy for the final
edition of this semester's Daily Nebraskan
I allowed myself a little hindsight or more
simply nostalgia and decided to write a
summary of the past months on the Ne
braska sports scene.
Initially I will heap praise on head foot
ball coach Bob Devaney, his fine staff and
the outstanding athletes who played with
out letup in their undefeated season.
Usually the preseason number one
favorite has "the kiss of death" put on and
can be figured to loose their head of steam
during the season. The experts picked Ne
braska number one and gave them a 9-1
season record.
Playing under the continual weekly
pressure of not only the national ranking
but also the possibility of an undefeated
season the nation's rushing champs pro
vided thrilling Saturday afternoons for
Husker fans.
Bringing the first undefeated season in
50 years wasn't an easy thing for the grid
ders to do, and harder yet was bringing
the humiliating, but honorable, 39-28 loss
to Alabama in the Orange Bowl.
Traveling with the team I found that
the greatness of this year's Cornhuskers
was not the winning, but the honor with
which they accepted defeat. After the loss
to Alabama there were no excuses or
attempts to blame anyone else, rather the
players were going through a night of self
blame, which I feel is the hardest way out.
There is no easy way out for Nebraska
football players. They work hard, play hard
and are truly representitive of Nebraska
and iron tradition that winning football has
brought to the team.
So, to coach Devaney, Carl Selmer, of
fensive line; Mike Corgan, offensive backs:
Tom Osborne, offensive end; Jim Ross, de
fensive ends and backs; George Kelly, de
fensive line; the freshman coaching team of
John Melton and Cletus Fisher; graduate
assistants Ruday Gaddini, Dick Beechner
and Larry Kramer-the campus thanks and
gives tribute for the fine and outstanding
1965 season that you brought the state.
A future football forecast could only be
sunny and bright! Next year's version
promises to be stronger and faster and will
be going strong again for national recogni
tion. Another Tradition . . .
The brightest spot in the Huskers sport
ing scene is the basketball team. With a
veteran nucleous and strong help from
sophomores Stuart Lantz and Tom Baack
the cagers are only four victories from the
first .500 season in 15 years.
Currently the cagers are 9-2, one loss
coming on the road against California and
the other against conference favorite Kan-
sas. Evidently, the key to the cagers suc
cess has been their ability to win the close
ones, quickness, balanced scoring, a strong
bench and the floor leadership of senior
Grant Simmons.
Coach Joe Cipriano tabbed the Huskers
as "the dark horse in the Conference" in
his'pre-season forecast and the squad is
living up to his prediction. With the return
of veteran Willie Campbell to the lineup,
he has been slowed by an ankle injury,
the Huskers should make their wins even
more convincing.
I'll give the team a strong chance for
at least a third place finish and possibly
even higher if they can last through the
season scramble.
With a strong finish this year and with
the return of an experiences team next
year, I look for the basketball team to find
a strong foothold in national rankings next
year and possibly even this year.
Don't Overlook . . .
The minor sports at the University have
a funny way of being overlooked when
they are loosing and sometimes even when
they are winning.
The strength of a University's sport
program does not lie only in the major
sports but in the entire program. Although
the minor sports may not appear impres
sive, they will soon be bidding for their
deserved position in the public eye.
All the programs have been bolstered
by the financial return of football and what
is helping even more is the competition
experience that the freshmen are gaining.
All of the freshmen teams have added
and expanded schedules to give them the
invaluable experience that they need when
they jump to varsity competition.
Don't overlook intramurals. Intramural
director Joel Meier has provided students
with a balanced and well-rounded program
that has received strong and growing stu
dent support.
The real need of intramurals is not
nore support or programs. The critical need
of intramurals is for the University to ex
pand on the already overused and inad
equate facilities, that are shrinking as the
University population is growing.
I'll have to tab this as one of the most
critical and deserving need that is going
unmet in University expansion.
My Thanks . . .
My personal thanks go to sports in
formation director Don Bryant for his
great understanding and aid, the athletic
department for their cooperation, the
coaches, my assistant, the two columnists,
former sports editors Bob Samuelsop and
Mick Rood and intramural director Joel
Meier.
By Jim Swartz
Nebraska Sports Editor
Husker cagers, blazing the
courts for the best roundball
season in Nebraska's recent
basketball history, will be out
for victory number ten to
morrow night in a 7:35 meet
ing with Missouri at the Cole
sium. Coach Joe Cipriano w 11
field two possible tearms for
the Huskers second Big
Eight encounter, as the serv
ices of junior center Willie
Campbell remains in doubt.
Campbell reinjured the
same ankle that he sprained
f
I - -1
i j 1 .,
tfi USD
Fred Hare . . . may start
Dec. 11 in the California
game in the Big Eight Tour
nament, with the Huskers
taking borne runner-up hon
ors. Coach Cipriano noted that
Campbell might see limited
action and the lineup possi
bilities are Stuart Lantz at
center and Fred Hare at
guard or two year veteran
Coley Webb at center and
Lantz at guard.
The Husker coach plans to
use the same starting court
combination in the other
floor positions, Nate Branch
and Tom Baack at forwards
while senior floor leader
Grant Simmons will start at
guard.
Hare drew praise from Cip
riano for his game effort en
route to the Huskers come-from-behind
76-74 vitory over
iowa State, the opening Big
Eight game.
"Fred played the best de
fensive game against Iowa
State that he has since I have
been here," Cipriano said.
He lauded the former start
er who has provided needed
bench strength with his speed
and scoring punch on offense
and on defense. "If he con
tinues to show improvement,"
Cipriano said, "he will be a
real asset to the team."
Part of Nebraska's winning
success can be attributed to
the team's ability for the win
ning the close ones. Cipriano
explained the wins saying
"The team has more poise
and the quickness seemed to
make the difference in the
close ones when the loose
ball was there."
He continued that other
contributing factors are "the
leadership from Grant Sim
mons and the team has the
added confidence in knowing
they can get the job done."
"Probably the biggest fact
or," he added, "is that win
ning has brought it on. It puts
momentum behind the team
that's hard to describe," and
with a quick smile Cipriano
said. "It hasn't been easy."
With the team off go a good
start the possibility of a win
ning season seems close,
Cipriano cautioned, 'as hard
as it's (the nine wins) been
to get, we'll wait till we get
it. but I can say we won't fall
apart."
Switching back to home ap
pearances, Cipriano said "we
haven't played our best bas
ketball game.at home, as
yet." He continued, "We've
had a good half but the team
is trying too hard to do well
for the home crowd and as a
result become over eager and
cautious."
"We're improving every
game. The confidence gained
from coming out of the tour
n '" been a help."
Cipriano noted that the low-
I erbracket pairings aided the
Huskers in their second
place finish but, "everyone
needs a break somewhere and
it's about time we got one."
The head coach praised his
team, saying "team effort
has brought us this far, we
are playing one game at a
time and we can't afford to
look ahead."
"We are working for every
thing we get. We have got to
use speed and quickness, the
fast break and the press as
an equalizer to the height dis
advantage that we face. Any
let-down will be serious trou
ble." This will be the second
match for the Huskers and
the Tigers. The two teams
clashed in the first round of
the Big Eight tournament and
went into overtime with the
Huskers winning 69-67, after
they had led during most of
the game.
The Tiger threat this sea-
son is lessened, as scholastic
deficiencies removed most of
their material and potential
from the lineup. However,
Missouri has the leagues'
leading scorer in Ron Cole
man who placed seventh in
scoring last year.
The lineups:
Nebraska Missouri
N ile Branch F 6-4 Charlie R'-ud F S4
Tom Baack F 6-5 Tom Officer F 6-5
Coley Webb C 6-5 Rich Milling I. ti n
or Ron Coleman G 6 I
Stuart Lantz C 6-3 Rob Vanatta G 6-3
Llrant Simmons G 6-3
Fred Hare G 6-1
or
Land G 6-3
Sophomores Baack, Lantz Lead
Cagers In Scoring, Rebounding
Four Husker stars are
bunched in the race for scor
ing honors after 11 games.
Ace sophomore Tom Baack,
a rugged contender for Big 8
rookie of the year honors,
heads the list with 168 points
and a 15.2 average. But fol
lowing close behind are sopho
more Stuart Lantz with 154
and 14.0; junior Nate Branch
with 150 and 13.6 and senior
captain Grant Simmons with
146 and 13.2. Junior Fred
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Hare also has crashed the
100-point barrier with 104 and
a 9.4 average.
Baack continues to hit a hot
free throw pace, converting
42 of 45 for .933, good for
high national ranking. He also
is tied with Lantz as the field
goal leaders, both with 61, but
Lantz holds a percentage lead
of .449 compared to .415. Sim
mons is the field goal percen
tage leader with .480 via 47 of
98 and the Omaha senior has
been a tremendous team lead
er for the Huskers.
Lantz, by the way. is dou
bling as a valuable contribu
tor to the Cornhusker cause.
He leads the rebounders with
89. with Branch following at
75.
Eleven game statistics:
Stuart Lantz ... top reboundcr
Varsity Individual Statistics
FG-FGA
lil-147
61-136
54-140
47-98
38-94
2-M
6- 22
7- 12
4-21
.1-10
0-0
rcr.
.449
.480
.4fH
.5X3
.191
TOO
.000
FT -FT
42-13
30-47
40-55
52-71
;s-:8
5-12
9-19
4-10
rrT.
.9.13
.638
.732
.737
.473
.400
.333
1 nnn
1.000
PF
22
34
24
35
23
15
10
3
RR
50
89
75
29
60
33
40
H
22
2
2
51
TP AVF.
168 15 2
154
150
146
I'M
57
34
18
in
8
2
14.0
13.6
13 2
94
9 3
S.4
1 6
10
Tom Baack
top scorer
Player c.
Baack
Lantz n
Branch n
G. Simmons 11
Hare n
Campbell 6
Webb 10
Damm 11
Enipky 10
R. Simmons 4
Stone 1
Team
NEBRASKA 11 397 741
Opp Totals 11 311-731
individual leaders
Most Points 29 Tie between Grant Simmons vs. Wisconsin and Nate Branch
Oklahoma
Most Fie!d Goals 11 G. Simmons vs. Wisconsin
Most Rebounds 17 Stuart Lantz vs. Teyas
Most Free Throws 11 Branch vs. Oklahoma' 1 11-13)
Team Bests
Most Pouits 101 vs. Wisconsin
Most Field Goals 39 s Wisconsin
Most Rebounds 60 vs. Texas
Most Free Throws 30 vs. Oklahoma"
Bie 8 Tourney same.
School record.
.414 216-307 703
.425 146-233 .6L7
185
308
475
418
841
788
764
71.8
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