page 14
daily nebraskan
Wednesday, january 18, 1978
Women's basketball coach Walker quits Tuesday
By Kevin Schnepf
Sports Editor
UNL's women's basketball coach,
Marcia Walker, has announced her resigna
tion effective Tuesday morning. Women's
Athletic Director June Davis accepted her
resignation.
At a Tuesday afternoon press confer
ence, Walker said she is resigning for "per
sonal reasons" adding that she wasn't "cut
out to coach at the level" of UNL.
George Stryker, former girl's basketball
coach at Omaha Marian High School, has
been named temporary coach.
Walker began coaching at UNL in
August 1977 and coached the women to a
7-10 record this year. The Huskers have 13
games and two tournaments remaining to
play this year.
Walker said the resignation was her de
cision. 'The decision was solely my responsi
bility and decision," Walker said. "I plan
to get out of coaching and start a private
business in the south."
Walker was athletic director and basket
ball coach at Dakota Wesleyan University
in Mitchell, SD. prior to coming to UNL.
Walker said the competitive level at
Dakota Wesleyan was not as great as it was
at UNL.
"The kids here (UNL) are mostly Ne
braskans who were superstars in high
school," Walker said. "Before, (at Dakota
Wesleyan) I was working with kids who
were not superstars."
Walker, who said she had been con
sidering resigning for a "long time", re
placed George Nicodemus who was relieved
by Davis last summer. Nicodemus has ar
gued that he was not treated fairly when he
was relieved.
Walker said that her decision had no
connection with Nicodemus or the three
players who quit while Walker was coach.
"Those three girls would have quit
irregardless of who the coach would have
been," Walker said. Sophomore Anita
Bahe, junior Marta Prichard and senior
Sherry Brink quit the team while Walker
was coach.
Davis said the university will follow the
affirmative action requirements and search
nationally for a full-time coach for the
1978-79 year. Davis said she hopes to name
a new coach on or before March 15.
Stryker, who compiled a 66-7 record at
Marian, will receive a part time salary, the
amount not known until the official con
tract is drawn up, Davis said.
Stryker has been assisting Walker for
two weeks on a voluntary basis, according
to Davis.
"Stryker has been in contact with us all
season. He said he would be available any
time we needed him," Davis said. "As soft-
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Photo by Bob Pearson
George Stryker becomes temporary
women's basketball coach.
ball came about, Marcia needed some
help."
Davis said that the women's athletic
department needs one individual for full
time basketball coach and an individual for
part-time Softball coach. She added that
the basketball coach needs to be paid a
higher salary than $6,000.
Davis said she had one discussion with
Walker about getting assistance from Stry
ker. She said Walker's resignation was a
complete surprise.
Stryker is now preparing the team for
Wednesday night's game in Kansas City's
Kemper Arena against Northwest Missouri
State University. He said most of the
players were shocked but had a spirited
practice Tuesday afternoon.
"The best word to describe this is
wow," Stryker said. "I hope I'm ready for
this level of competition. It's certainly a
step up from high school."
Stryker, who will help recruit this
spring, said he plans no major team changes
this year.
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Photo by Bob Ptarson
Marcia Walker says good-bye to UNL
Iba: men's basketball down in a valley
By Rob Barney
Moe Iba, assistant coach for UNL men's
basketball, said he is tired of answering
questions about the difference between the
UNL team that started with a 10-0 record
and the team that now stands at 12-3.
Iba said college basketball is a series of
peaks and valleys.
The Huskers now are in a valley, he said.
"WeVe lost some intensity on defense,"
Iba explained. "Some of that has to do
with the practice time we've had lately.
"I th tught against Iowa State, (a 65
59 loss last Saturday) they came out and
played harder and better defense than they
had the past few games before that," Iba
said.
However, the improved defense was off
set by poor shooting by the Huskers, he
added.
"The defense must be a team's most
consistent part of its game because all it
takes is effort and execution," he said.
4,On the other hand, if the ball is not
going in the basket for you there is nothing
you can do."
UNL will try to break a two-game losing
streak tonight at Norman, Okla. against the
Oklahoma Sooners, coached by Dave Bliss.
OU has a 9-6 record and is in third place
in the Big 8 with a 2-1 conference record.
UNL is 1-2 in league play and tied for
fourth place with Kansas State, Missouri,
and Colorado.
UNL downed Oklahoma at the Big 8
Conference Holiday Tournament 75-68,
but, Iba said, it will be difficult to win in
Norman.
"Playing in Norman the past two years
we've had poor first halves and good
second halves," Iba said. "If we put a total
game together we should give them a good
ball game."
The Sooners (coming off a 91-61 loss to
Kansas last Saturday) have an extra
weapon for the Huskers tonight.
Junior forward John McCullough will
play for OU. He was injured and missed the
Big 8 Holiday Tournament game against
UNL.
McCullough was the Sooners leading
scorer last season, averaging 15.2 points a
game. He averaged 19 points a game against
the Huskers, and scored 26 points in OU's
72-62 win in Norman.
McCullough is not scoring as much this
season but he scares me to death," Iba said.
"He always does well against us. He has the
size of a guard (6-foot-3), but plays
forward and is very strong."
UNL Senior Terry Novak will defend
against McCullough, Iba said.
The Comhuskers are expected to start
with the usual lineup; Novak and junior
Curt Hedberg at the forwards, junior Carl
McPipe at center, and sophomore Brian
Banks and freshman Mike Naderer as
guards.
"You think about making changes,"
Iba said. "You review the films to find out
what you're not doing now that you were
doing then," he said.
"WeVe had bad nights shooting. And
it's been our leading shooters that haven't
been hitting. But you can't give up on a
Brian Banks and a Carl McPipe" he
continued.
"The players are disappointed ... they let
those two games get away from them.
They realize the season's not over and I
think, we'll finish very high in the stand
tags," Iba said.
In other Big 8 action tonight, Oklahoma
State University (0-3 in conference play)
plays at Kansas State University (1-2).
Colorado University (1-2) plays at Missouri
University (1-2). Iowa State University
(3-0) will host Kansas University who is
also 3-0.
Dual loss to Buffs ends wrestling winning streak
ByRickHuls
Defeating an all-American wrestler twice in two weeks
is not an easy feat as UNL freshman Al Patton found out
Monday night.
Patton was pinned by Colorado all-American Chuck
Davis in six minutes and four seconds as the Buffalos won
a dual over the Huskers 25-15.
The loss broke UNL's dual winning streak of four
meets as well as making Pattern's record against Davis to 1
11 . UNL now is 4-3 in dual meets.
Two weeks ago in the Colorado Invitational, Patton
beat Davis in an 11-8 decision to win the championship.
But Monday night, Patton dislocated his shoulder three
times during the dual's opening match and couldn't re
cover. "After I fell on it five or six times I could barely go
on," Patton said after the match. "It's an old high school
injury that bothers me once in a while."
UNL wrestling coach Orval Borgialli said the shoulder
was definitely a factor but added that he thought Patton
may have been slightly overconfident about the rematch.
"It's probably better that Al was overconfident this
time rather than to be overconfident and lose in the Big 8
after winning twice," Borgialli admitted.
"There's no doubt about it, Al can beat him next time
around because he controlled the match at Colorado so
well," Borgialli said. "And he wrestles better in tourna
ments than in duals."
Patton, a walk-on from Omaha Tech high school, said
he hopes to' get another crack at Davis in the Big 8
tournament early in March.
Ironically, Patton had planned to attend Colorado Uni
versity and obtain a scholarship. But CU already had re
cruited all-American Davis and could not supply Patton
with a scholarship.
Patton returned to UNL and says he is glad he did.
"We have good coaches here and I'm happy at
Nebraska," said Patton, whose record is 11-5.
The team, wrestling with four freshmen, four sopho
mores and two juniors, had to substitute junior Jim
Phillips in the 158 pound class for co-captain Court
Vining. Vining did not wrestle due to a viral infection.
Colorado's Ed Rusher decisioned Phillips, $-5.
Two Lincoln natives, Bob Houscr and Marty McCurdy,
won matches for the Huskers. Houser, a 150 pound fresh
man, decisioned Colorado's Roy Palmer, 12-5, McCurdy,
a 177 pound junior, decisioned Mike Bertram, 7-3.
UNL sophomore George Mink, a 190 pounder from
Greenwood, decisioned John Wix, 9-6 while heavyweight
George Rambour, a sophomore from Columbus, pinned
Colorado's John Hurlock,
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of four Huskcr winners but Colorado won Monday Nighfi meet, 25-15. X ' WM
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