monday, december 1, 1975
page 10
dally nebrsskan
nebroskon
By Jim Hunt
UNL's basketbaU team faces its third
Big 10 opponent of the season when it
travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the
University of Iowa Tuesday night.
In the first two games of the season this
weekend, the Huskers split against Bit 10
foes' defeating Northwestern 99-68 Satur
day and losing to Illinois 60-58 Friday at
the Coliseum.
The Hawkeyes, who defeated Augustana
of South Dakota Saturday 111-81, return
10 lettermen including four starters from
last year's team which finished 10-16 and
seventh in the Big 10.
Returning starters include 6 ft. 7 in.
Dan Frost, 6 ft. 7 in. Bruce King, 6 ft. 6 in.
Larry Parker and 6 ft. 3 in. Scott Thomp
son. All four averaged over 10 points per
game last season, led by Frost's 14.7
average.
It will be the seventeenth meeting be
tween two schools with the series tied at
eight games each.
Seniors Jerry Fort and Larry Cox paced
UNL's basketball victory over North
western Saturday to even its record at 1-1.
Fort pumped in 25
Fort, a two-time All Big 8 selection,
pumped in 25 points while Cox added 19
points.
The two seniors together scored all 19
points in the first eight minutes of play, as
the Huskers jumped to a 19-10 lead over
the Wildcats.
The Huskers hit on 27 of 49 shots from
the field for 55 per cent compared to 7 per
cent for Northwestern.
Both teams came out in a man-to-man
defense, but Northwestern, coached by
former Kansas State coach Tex Winter,
switched to a zone defense early in the sec
ond half.
"I love to play against a man-to-man de
fense," said Fort. "I don't think anyone
can stop me one-on-one. I'll either score or
get fouled."
Out of position
The Wildcat's center was playing out of
position, Cox said, making it easier for him
to move underneath the basket. North
western wasn't throwing the ball into their
center very well on offense, he said.
Fort and Cox got scoring help from
junior forward Bob Siegal and freshman
center Carl McPipe. Siegel scored 16 points
and grabbed eight rebounds whild McPipe
scored 16 points and had seven rebounds.
Head coach Joe Cipriano praised
McPipe, Cox and Fort for their offensive
and defensive efforts and Steve Willis and
junior college transfer Allen Holder for
their defensive efforts against North
western. In Friday's 60-58 loss to Illinois, the
Huskers were paced by Cox with 14 points,
Fort with 12 points and Holder with 10
points.
Cipriano cited the team's inability to get
the ball inside against a stiff 2-1-2 Illinois
zone defense in the first half as a key
factor in the loss.
Took away offense
The zone took away a lot of our
offense, he said. The Huskers were forced
to shoot outside and. hit 42 per cent of
their shots for the game, compared to 52
per cent for Illinois.
The Huskers out-rebounded both their
opponents with 35-26 edge over North
western and 30-27 advantage over Illinois.
The team learned a lot from the Illinois
game, Cipriano said, and made a good
comeback Saturday. It's hard to play two
games back-to-back like that, he added.
"We still haven't put it all together as a
team," Cipriano said. He mentioned im
proving the semi-delay offense and finding
player leadership in ball handling as areas
still needing work.
Attendence for the two games held at
the coliseum was 6,235 for Illinois and
540 for Northwestern.
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Sun Devil's pitchforks
await Huskers in Fiesta
Undefeated Arizona State will be
the UNL football team's Fiesta Bowl
opponent Dec. 26 as the Sun Devils
downed Arizona University 24-21
Saturday night.
Arizona State was trailing 21-17
after the third quarter, but marched
80 yards in the fourth quarter to
score with 12 minutes remaining
The win gave the Sun Devils the
Western Athletic Conference cham
pionship and an 1 1-0 season record.
The Huskers, the co-Big 8 champs,
own a 10-1 record.
. Photo by Steve Boerr
Husker junior Alan Holder, (44) earned praise for his defensive play
during Nebraska's weekend basketball action.
Cagers to play at Kearney
By Susie Reitz
With three freshmen on the starting line
up, the UNL women's basketball team
opens its home season against Kearney
State College Tuesday at 7 pjn.
Freshmen Jan Crouch of Lincoln, Deb
Lee of Omaha and Darcy Williamson of
Arapahoe join veterans , Sherry Brydle
Brink and Kathy Hawkins on the UNL
starting squad.
Patriot scout spies for pro potential
By Scott Jones
Mike Mickey's job would make men
drool with envy and women pity Hickey's
wife.
As a scout for the professional New
England Patriots, Mickey spends his work
ing day talking, viewing and thinking foot
ball. He was in Lincoln two weeks ago check
ing Husker players for professional poten
tial which, he said, is a sizeable number at
UNL.
"With a school like Nebraska you have
so many prospects, it takes the majority of
one day or maybe two days, to complete
scouting," Mickey said.
Although UNL is a natural hunting
ground for pro scouts, Hickey said he also
visits smaller schools around Nebraska.
Pro prospects
"It just happens that coach (Tom)
Osborne has an awful lot of pro prospects,
like they do every year," he said. "If he'
(the prospect) has size, speed, intelligence,
athletic ability and hes productive, it
doesn't matter what the size of the school
is."
Whether a player is first team also may
not be important, Mickey said, especially at
Nebraska.
'That's the problem here because there
are some second team guys who could start
with other schools. You can't overlook a
kid here who is on the second team be
cause he may come back to hurt you with
another team," Mickey said.
As an example, Mickey cited Monte
Johnson, a 1972 second team Husker de
fensive tackle who is now the Okland
Raiders starting middle linebacker.
Hickey called his trip the "second look"
at nlavers, because another earlier for the
"fust look."
Different perspectives
None of the three scouts or head coach
Chuck Fairbanks will visit a school more
than once a year, Hickey said. Instead,
each scout may visit the school to get three
different perspectives.
With the spring and fall "looks" plus
bowl games, Hickey said, "many times we
end up with ten looks at an athlete."
"We pretty well know the kid by the
time he's out."
Hickey, 29, has scouted for New
England for five years, and said he finds
out about players by talking to sports in
formation director, trainers, student man
agers and the players themselves. Analyzing
film is mandatory and seeing a game in per
son is helpful, he added.
"In film you're getting some idea of
their athletic ability, but it's mostly their
productivity," he said. "You have to see
them in person to know what type of
athlete they are.
Productivity in the game
Productivity refers to a players per
formance in the game. A Johnny Rodgcrs,
for example, may not be amazing in
practice but verv oroductive in a onv h
said.
'The games are good if you have to
make a decision on a kid. If you've got
some question about him, his abilityor
competitiveness, games are very useful if
you just watch two or three guys," Hickey
said.
Hickey's father, Howard "Red" Hickey,
is head scout for the Dallas Cowboys and
was head coach for the San Francisco 49crs
when Osborne was a . rookie flanker.
Mike Hickey, was a tight end on San
Diego State's NCAA small college chamm
ionship team in 1967, but any professional
playing ambitions ended with a knee
injury.
Although he often returns home to his
wife and two children in Foxboro Mass.,
Hickey said his is a "complete year-round
job."
He scouts nationwide from the end of
August until the bowls and all-star games
are over in January. He then concentrates
on the pro draft and signing free agents un
til the middle of February, when spring
practice starts in son Southern schools.
After time off in June, Hickey helps
with training camp preparations in July
and early August before his scouting year
begins again the third week of August
All of the starters have been playing
well, coach George Nicodemus said. Brink
leads UNL scorers with 19 points against
Gi and view Nov. IS. Williamson scored 15
and Crouch and Hawkins each had 9.
Although UNL lost to Grandview 77-68,
Nicodemus said he was pleased with the
play against "one of the top teams in the
nation."
The team, which practiced during
Thanksgiving break, Nicodemus said, is
working on shooting, which he said was a
weak point In the Grandview game.
"We've been shooting a lot of layups
and set shots from 15 feet and in," he said.
"Those are the ones we need work on."
The team also practiced defense and fast
breaks in scrimmages, he said.
The team has a heavy schedule before
Christmas break, Nicodemus said, with
five games in the next 12 days.
"I think we have a pretty good chance
of having a good season," he said, "but it's
too early to say anything more definite."
After Christmas the team returns to ac
tion Jan. 7 and 8 in a tournament at North
west Missouri State University and another
four-team tourney Jan. 9 and 10 at Tarkio,
Mo.
Women's basketball schedule
Dec. 2 -Kearney; Doc. 5 at Crelghton; Dec. 6
Tarkio (before men'i gam); Dec. 10-at Mid
land; Dec. 13-Fort Hayi Stat;
Jan. 7 and 8 -at Northwnt Missouri State
University (4-team tourney); Jan. 9 and 10-at
Tarkio (fourteem tourney); Jan. 16 end 17
Kantai Clauic at Lawrence, Kentai; Jan. 23-at
Wayne State (V and JV); Jan. 28-at UNO;
Jan. 30-Midiend; Jan. 31 -University of Colo
rado at Cozed High School;
Feb. 3 -South Dakota State University at
Brooking, S.D.; Feb. 7-St. Mary'i of Omaha;
Feb. 10-Weyne State (V end JV); Feb. 12 to 14;
Big 8 tourney at Manhattan, Kanwt; Feb. 17-at
Keerney State; Feb. 2-Staie Tournament at Mid
land Coilese (Fremont); '
March 4 to 8-regionali at Fargo, North
Dakota.
