page 10
daily nebraskan
friday, march 6, 1981
Sp)?fiS
Coaches: Big Eight a one-game-at-a-time tourney
By Bob Asmussen
The Big Eight postseason basketball tournament begins
tonight in Kansas City with none of the four coaches pre
dicting a winner.
"Nothing would surprise me," Kansas State Coach
Jack Hartman said. "I'd tell you that I'm surprised we're
not playing Nebraska but that would be a lie. No team
in this conference can play anything but its best and ex
pect to win."
The matchups will be Colorado versus Kansas State and
Missouri against Kansas. Kansas State and Missouri are
considered slight favorites.
"All we want to do is get to t lie finals," Missouri Coach
Norm Stewart said. "We've been playing well and we have
to keep playing well if we expect to beat Kansas."
Close to the basket
"We've got to crash the boards and get the ball out,"
said Kansas Coach Ted Owens. "Since both teams are so
tall, the real game will be played near the basket."
Stewart agreed, saying, "We've got to control their
big men. Mousey, Mitchell, and Crawford are all big and
they're all effective. Crawford is extremely effective
National participation
real boon to program
Coach Bob Fehrs said he thinks sending six wrestlers
to the NCAA championships March 12 through 14 at
Princeton, N.J., will be a real boon to the Musker wrest
ling program, both in expcreince and recruiting.
The Nebraska qualifiers are all underclassmen, and in
future years, the team will benefit from the leadership
this group gains, Fehrs said. The six are Scott Morgan, a
118-pound freshman; Johnnie Selmon, 134, junior; Al
Freeman, 142, junior; Ray Oliver, 150. sophomore;
Jeff Dillman, 167, junior; and Daryl Meyer, heavyweight,
junior. By comparison. Big Fight champion Oklahoma is
sending eight wrestlers to Princeton, and Oklahoma State
is sending nine.
stryker
Recruits. Fehrs said, will now "see that they can go to
nationals here."
With sheer results on a definite upswing (Nebraska
scored almost as many points in the Big Fight tournament
this year as the previous five years combined), plus a new
winning attitude that Fehrs is installing, the Nebraska
package is surely getting to be more attractive in recruits'
eyes.
Johnnie Selmon's individual championship at 134
pounds, and especially his choice as the Big Fight tourna
ment's outstanding wrestler, surprised many people.
Fehrs, on the other hand, seemed to halfway expect it.
"Johnnie was wrestling very well the whole second
semester," Fehrs said. The only concern was that Selmon
would have to beat two wrestlers he had lost to earlier in
the year, Oklahoma State's Thomas Landrum and Iowa
State's Jim Gibbons. Me did both, beating Gibbons in
spectacular style, 2 1 4.
"I was maybe a bit surprised that he beat him
(Gibbons) as far as he did," Fehrs said.
In the latest issue of Inside Sports, NBC announcer
and former Marquette Coach Al McGuire has an article
Filled with hints on making it to the NCAA final four.
Suggestions range from extra free throw practice
(officials call it closer this time of year), to ensuring
the locker room is not too warm before a game ("it
drains the players"), to making sure nobody associated
with the team has to handle the tickets allotted to each
school in the tournament ("You've got 8,000 season
ticket holders and 1 ,000 tickets. Mandrake the Magician
couldn't handle the thing").
McGuire makes one important exception to his tickets
rule, and he emphasizes it right at the start of the story.
Make sure the band has all the tickets it needs, and make
sure they're good seats, he said, because "a band can neu
tralize 10,000 people. And tell them to keep blowing
those horns until they turn blue."
Random Shots: Why do all -conference and All-America
football teams have more than 1 1 players? I know it's a
tough choice, but it is the All-America team. A team
doesn't start four running backs, three wide receivers,
five linebackers and maybe a defensive end if it can fit
him in.
The pivotal moment of the Colorado-Nebraska basket
ball game was the desperation 25-foot turnaround jump
shot Doug Worthington made as he was about to be called
for a five -second violation. It made the score 62-57 and
seemed to end the Huskers' run of momentum. Jack
Moore finished the season missing only 10 free throws.
Me was 118 for 128
on the offensive boards. We've got to screen him out,"
he said.
Stewart said it appears his team has a lock on an
NCAA tournament bid.
"I can't see them not taking us. But that doesn't mean
we're going to ease up. We won the regular season title,
now we're aiming at the tournament championship."
Owens and Stewart both expressed no preference to
whom they would like to face in the finals.
"Both teams present a different problem," Stewart
said. "Colorado has JoJo (Hunter) and that's enough to
worry any coach."
Owens said, "Both teams are very good. Kansas State
is extremely balanced wliile Colorado seems to be a one-or
two-man show. Fither team will be tough to beat in the
finals."
The other semifinal game will be a confrontation
between Hunter and Rolando Blackman. The Wildcats
have defeated Colorado in the two regular season games.
In both games Kansas State used a zone to limit Hunter's
penetration.
Hunter-Blackman meeting
"We'll do what we usually do agaisnt Colorado,"
Hartman said. "We'll go zone and try and shut down Jo
Jo. If we shut him off, we will shut Colorado off."
Colorado Coach Bill Blair said Hunter's production
could be minimized by a defense.
"Against a zone JoJo doesn't know what to do, he
looks up for someone to drive on and nobody's there.
He's not as accurate from the outside against a zone
either."
Coach Hartman expects a control game.
"Colorado's not going to run on us and we're not going
to run on Colorado."
Neither coach expressed concern about the finals.
"We've got to take this one game at a time," Blair said.
"I don't care who we play in the finals, I just want to get
there."
"Tliis late in the year you don't worry about who you
play. The key right now is beating Colorado. That's my
only goal," Hartman said.
All four coaches expressed concern about the officiat
ing. "I hope they bring in the right officials," Stewart said.
"I'd hate to look up and see that both of them were from
Lawrence. We just got to play. I can't worry about some
thing like how bad the officiating is," Blair said.
4 - 1
1 V!'V,' " - I
: ;;
mat
Photo by D. Eric Kircher
Nancy Kindig competing in high jump
Life hectic for track athlete Kindig
By Joni Kramer
Fven though being a student athlete can be a hectic
life, Nancy Kindig, a pentathalon entry for the UNL
women's track team, says it's easy to adjust.
"With meets, practice, and studies, you don't have
much extra time. As a whole, being a student and an
athlete helps you to learn a set routine of your obli
gations. It's not so hard, because you get used to the
schedule. When there's no more track, I'll have to pick up
a new routine," Kindig said.
The five events in the pentathalon are the shot put,
the long jump, high jump, the 60-yard hurdles and the
880-yard run.
Kindig, who started track at nine running sprints,
says track is both an individual and team sport.
"Fven though you're doing your own events, it's a
team effort. When I'm out there alone, I don't really
think about the pressure of knowing it's just me. I just
get nervous for certain important meets." Kindig said.
Since there was no pentathalon event in high school
competition. Kindig only competed in the event in
summer meets.
"In eight grade. I did all the events in the pentathalon
except the shot, which I worked on myself and then
competed in the pentathalon." Kindig said.
Kindig finds the pentathalon appealing for numerous
reasons.
"I like the pentathalon because it's not so traditional.
It's for people with varied interests. It's also not as stren
uous as some people think. You just pace yourself, and
don't have to work as hard in each area as a sp " ;alist
would," Kindig said.
Two new events
Starting the outdoor season, Kindig will be competing
in a new event. The 200-meter dash and the javelin are
being added to the five standing pentathalon events, mak
ing it a hepathalon.
"I hone this new event will help me a lot. Our assistant
coach knows a lot about the javelin, so I can get some
good technique. I think it's a good change." Kindig said.
Kindig said she likes to stay away from personal goals.
"I sort of shy away from telling my goals. I hate
having to admit what I want to do. I may have some in
my head, but nobodv knows them but me. I guess it's
just the way I am." Kindig said.
Kindig said this year looks hopeful lor her team.
"Special group'
"We have a special group this year. A lot of things
are different. We have a new coach. Gary Pepin, and he's
really good." Kindig said.
Kindig. who is a double major in physical education
and psychology with one year left in school, says she's
not sure exactly what her future will bring but she is
definitely looking to staying in athletics.
"I think I'd like to teach and coach a couple of years,
and then come back for my master's When I'm done with
track at NU I'd like to still work out and compete in
summer meets. I guess I'm just looking for whatever
opportunity opens up. Being a sports director at a small
school would be great for me. I'll look at any thing if
sports are involved." Kindig said.
