monday, april 7, 1980
daily nebraskan
page 5
UNL's Iba did big-name coaching job last season
mm
During the past basketball season the UNL men's bas
ketball team was place4 in a delicate situation.
The team was picked for a sixth place finish in a poll
by the Big Eight Coaches. The Huskers' youth and inex
perience was the logic behind this prediction. TTien, in
November their coach was forced to the sidelines with a
serious illness. At this time, many basketball experts had
written Nebraska off. With 10 sophomores and freshmen
on the roster and an assistant coach as the leader, the pro
gram must have been in chaos. It was not!
Hie 197980 NU men's basketball team was coached
by Moe Iba. And what a job of coaching he did. Everyone
knows the accomplishments: an NIT bid, second place in
the Big Eight, etc.
But, it was how Iba had Nebraska playing that rein
forces my opinion of him as a coach. The team knew the
roles they had to play. Iba had the Huskers' working hard
on defense, taking special care of the ball, and shooting
only high percentage shots. While some fans screamed for
a "run and gun" style, Iba knew he lacked rebounding
dpeth to play that type of basketball.
In a recent Daily Nebraskan editorial, Shelley Smith
stated that renewing Coach Iba's contract would continue
the (second-rate" basketball at UNL. She feels the univer
sity needs a "name" coach to become a national caliber
team. Iowa State University'Tias taken this approach. They
have just hired Johnny Orr away from Michigan. ISU is
paying Orr $45,000 a year, plus some high paying fringe
benefits which could raise Orr's yearly income above
$100,000. The total makes Orr believe that he is the high
est paid college basketball coach in the nation. I may be
mistaken, but I don't believe that this university is ready
to pay that kind of money.
Hie NU Board of Regents decision to renew Coach
Iba's contract is a positive move. There are many ways to
build up a program, and one is with a young, hard work
ing coach. Many people forget that UCLA hired an un
proven coach a few years back. All this coach did was pro
duce 10 national championships and build a dynasty that
probably will never be equaled. When UCLA gave the job
to John Wooden, he had no proven record. However, it
was known that Wooden knew the game of basketball. If
this basketball season at UNL proves nothing else, the
record should show that Moe Iba has proven his basketball
knowledge.
Smith also attacked the strength of UNL basketball
schedule. If she will inspect any Big Eight team's pre -conference
schedule, she will find it is common to schedule
weaker competition in the early part of the season. This
builds confidence among the players, especially the
younger ones. But, let's not forget that the Huskers lined
up against the likes of Louisville, Purdue and Minnesota
before Utey started conference competition.
It appears to me that UNL basketball program is not
in the condition in which Smith perceives it to be. The
team played some very good basketball near the end of
the season. The program was directed by an assistant
coach who was finally given the authority to make his
own decisions. Coach Iba's performance has been recog
nized in the form of various coaching honors. His most
recent award, the NCAA District Five Coach of the Year,
comes from his peers.
Failure to renew Coach Moe Iba's contract would have
been a huge mistake. To discuss this possibility is not only
ridiculous, but also truly unfair to a very fine coach.
Gregg Calvin
Senior
Recreation
Complaint-free week doesn't count
By Liz Austin
At last a complaint-free week.
Unfortunately since it was spring break, it doesn't
count.
o
Actually, the Daily Nebraskan can't complain about
complaints. They are an essential means of letting the
newspaper know which areas need improvement.
Opinions on finals and dead week
to be determined in student survey
By Bill Graf
UNL students will have a chance to voice their opin
ions about dead week and finals week policy.
A survey questionnaire prepared by the Student Alumni
Board will appear in Wednesday's Daily Nebraskan. The
survey will ask students if they are satisfied with the cur
rent dead week and finals week policy and if they believe
the policy is followed by the faculty at UNL.
The current policy states that all students must be in
formed of a course's requirements including test dates,
project and paper due dates. Any deviation from the pub
lished syllabus must be approved by unanimous vote of
the students, the dean of the college and the other faculty
members teaching that course.
Sharon Comisar, chairman of SAB's committee investi
gating the reconstruction of dead week policy, said the
survey is in response to complaints that the policy hasn't
been strictly followed in the past.
"The survey's results may show that the students are
happy with the current policy," Comisar said.
Although no action will be taken as a direct result of
the survey the findings will be presented to ASUN, the
faculty senate and the UNL academic affairs office.
"If the survey shows the students want a better way or
new way of handling dead week hopefully ASUN will take
it upon itself to draw up absolution (asking for a change)
and present it to the faculty senate," she said.
SAB will have a booth in the Nebraska Union and East
Union from 8 am. to 5 p jn. to collect surveys. Also there
will be a SAB representative collecting surveys from 4:30
to 6 p jn. in the residence halls' cafeterias, she explained.
Comisar, a junior in Teachers College, said SAB first
considered the need to revamp dead week and finals week
policy a year ago during a "brainstorming" session at their
spring retreat.
The survey is the result of the work done by the SAB
committee to investigate the reconstruction of dead week
policy which was formed last fall, she said.
Comisar said she has contacted the other universities in
the Big Eight about their finals week policy.
All of the schools except the University of Kansas re
sponded to her inquiry, she said.
The majority of the schools wrote that they have had
problems similar to UNL's, she said. JHowever, she added
that some, of the schools have stayed with their old
policies after considering other policies.
History professor elected to
national historian spot
Frederick C. Luebke, UNL professor of history, has
been elected to the Nominations Board of the Organi
zation of American Historians, which is the national
association of professors of American history. He will
serve a two-year term, starting April 9, at the annual meet
ing of the organization to be held in San Francisco.
Luebke is the author or editor of five books, three of
which treat Nebraska or Great Plains history. In May the
University of Nebraska Press will publish his most recent
book, Ethnicity on the Great Plains. He has been a UNL
faculty member since 1968.
The 1900 Cclicas arc ready
for immediate delivery!
Come in and check 'cm out
Isea
by Toyota
Most reader complaints have been legitimate, and it
seems like the newspaper has made a lot of mistakes this
semester.
Though the reputation of the newspaper would have
been better had the mistakes never been made, they have
been valuable learning experiences for the staff.
Suffering from the results of a mistake leaves a much
greater impact than a mere warning of what might
happen.
The staff has lost pride but gained knowledge as a
result of these errors.
But the staff consists of students whose maior reason
for working at the Daily Nebraskan is to learn a goal that
is definitely being accomplished this semester.
Though it seems like there have been a lot of mistakes
made, there is still a lot that everyone on the staff could
learn.
With only four weeks in the semester left, the Daily
Nebraskan hopefully can draw on the knowledge acquired
from the past weeks and publish a fairly mistake-free
paper.
FREE
UNIVERSITY
is looking for teachers.
If you have a skill you'd
like to share with others,
we need you!
Help others
while you help yourself.
You will find it to be a
rewarding experience.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
COME TO ROOM 200
NEBRASKA UNION OR CALL
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