daily nebraskan
thursday, dccember 3, 1981
page 8
Creighton coach calls Bluejay loss useful lesson
By Bob Asmusscn
Comparing the scores of Nebraska's
game with Wisconsin-Steven Point, and
Creighton's game with the same team, one
would wonder if Creighton is even going to
show up for Saturday's Husker-Bluejay
contest in Lincoln.
The Huskers defeated the Division III
Pointers 74-45. Creighton lost to the same
team 57-51, but Creighton Coach Willis
Reed said overconfidence may have
accounted for the loss.
"We weren't geared to play," Reed said.
"The team thought Wisconsin Stevens
Point would be like a high school team.
The game goes to show you that any five
players can beat any other five players. St.
Joseph's proved that last season."
Reed said the loss, although a dis
appointment, may have taught his team a
valuable lesson.
"It taught the team they have to be
ready to play full throttle every game,"
Reed said.
Reed said the team wasn't down after
the loss. Nc said his players will be ready
for the Huskers on Saturday.
"We're going to go into every game with
the feeling we can win," Reed said. "We
haven't given up just because we lost one
game."
Tempo will be the key to Saturday's
game for the Blucjays, Reed said.
"Nebraska is very quick. Wc have to
play them all over the floor. If we allow
them to control the tempo, we're going to
be in for a long game," he said.
The Blucjays start only one senior, for
ward Daryl Stovall. Other starters are Alex
Stivrins at forward, Joe Brcsnahan at
center and Mark Jones and Tony Pruitt at
guard. Reed said two players arc doing well
coming off the bench.
"Michael Johnson and Richard Bates
have played well for us," Reed said. "Joe
(Brcsnahan) is doing a decent job at
center."
Jack Moore is the Huskcr who concerns
Reed the most. He said if Moore plays well
the whole Ilusker team tends to play well.
"He gets going and the rest of the team
follows," Reed said. "We have to be able to
contain him."
Reed described this year as a "develop
ing" year for his team. He said his team
needs time to gel together.
"We won't be a great team," Reed said.
"We have a young team and like any young
team, we'll make some mistakes. I think
we'll have an up-and-down year. We may
play great one game and not so great the
next."
Reed took over this season for Tom
Apkc, who left to become coach at Colo
rado. The former New York Knicks player
and coach said he is happy with his
decision to come to Creighton.
"I've received a lot of support," Reed
said. "I like the school and the community.
I checked things out before I came here
and I knew it was the place for me."
Husker swimmer Hayward striving for top times
By Ken Havlat
Some people have the natural ability to swim. Shcrri
Hayward had to work for it.
In her first two years on the UNL women's swimming
team, the junior recreation major made all-American
status based on her placing in the AIAW swimming
championships, the first Husker to receive the honor.
Hayward would prefer not to be put on a pedestal be
cause she has earned those honors.
"Inside me, I don't like going around telling others
that," Hayward said. "It is nice for me to know I was the
first all-American. I know my records will eventually be
broken. But, to be the first all-American, I can't say I
could have done it without my teammates."
When she was in the third grade in Illinois, Hayward
watched her older sister Terri swim. But it wasn't until her
family moved to Columbus, Ohio, when Hayward was 10,
that she began to feel the competitive spirit inside her.
Hayward said she often wondered whether swimming was
really worth the effort.
Parents provide support
"My parents are my strongest supporters," Hayward
said. "At times when I wanted to quit, they supported my
decision. And when I wanted to continue, they supported
me too."
Because her parents live in Ohio, they haven't had
much of a chance to see her swim at UNL. The only time
Hayward's parents saw her swim was in last year's AIAW
Rozier earns AP award
Nebraska I-back Mike Rozier was named Big
Eight Offensive Newcomer of the Year Wednesday
by The Associated Press.
Rozier alternated with Roger Craig as the top
Husker I-back this season. He picked up 943 yards
in 157 carries and scored six touchdowns.
Center Dave Rimington and defensive end Jimmy
Williams were named to All-American team Tues
day. Honorable mention honors went to Rozier,
tight end Jamie Williams, offensive tackle Dan Hur
ley, quarterback Turner Gill and safety Jeff Krejci.
-ma," C1:
UNL Sports Information Photo
Mike Rozier, Associated Press Big Eight Newcomer
of the Year.
championships. They made an 18-hour drive to sec her
compete in one event that lasted a little over two minutes.
"It's always neat to know they came that distance to
watch me swim," Hayward said.
Hayward's high school, St. Francis De Sales in
Columbus, didn't field a competitive swimming team, so
she swam for the Worthington Swim Club.
Last July, Hayward competed for the Midwest team in
the National Sports Festival held in Syracuse, N.Y. She
finished fourth in the 200-yard backstroke, where she was
nudged out for third by a member of the South team.
"All this taught me winning isn't everything," Hayward
said. "Swimming is supposed to be fun, sportsmanship
involved. When your teammates are behind you, it makes
you feel pretty confident," she said. "I'm exicted about
this year more than I ever have been."
Hayward has team spirit
Hayward considers herself just another member of the
Cornhusker team.
"I don't think I'm better than any other member of
the team," Hayward said. "I've worked at it, put in all the
effort I can at every workout. One girl back home missed
most of the workouts. Some are just naturally talented."
It was easy for the 20-year-old swimmer to set goals
this year, she said.
"As practices go on, goals seem more realistic for us,"
Hayward said. "For me, I hope to qualify NCAA in at
least three events, 400 IM (individual medley), 100- and
200-yard backstroke and go below 2:04.7 in the 200-yard
back, something I haven't achieved since I was a fresh
man." Hayward considers being elected a tri-captain of the
swim team a privilege, but takes it in stride.
"It is really nice the team thinks so much about you. It
makes me feel confident," Hayward said.
Hayward has had to let her social life take a back seat
to the desire to graduate in four years and maintain her
3.0 grade point average.
"At times it's tough," Hayward said. "I'm carrying H
hours this semester and 17 the next. A lot of it is up to
the individual. If you want something, you have logo out
and get it. It keeps me busy. I enjoy what I'm doing,
working with the mentally retarded. I would like to get
more involved with them."
Nebraska won its first two duals of the year, something
that has already made this season pleasing for Hayward.
"The win over Wyoming and UNO really helped some
girls," Hayward said. "It helps us set a good approach for
the season. Some individuals had their lifetime besi. After
all, half this team is new this year."
She said only Stacey Porter and herself have been on
the swimming team since their freshman years.
Musician leaves LA for gymnastics
By Patty Pryor
Even though he got off to a late start, UNL gymnast
Derek Blanks has established himself as one of the top
rings competitors in the country.
A transfer student from Long Beach City College,
Blanks is a two-time junior college national champion in
both the rings and vault. He was recruited by Nebraska
last year as a rings specialist.
Despite his ability, Blanks said he did not develop a ser
ious interest in gymnastics until the 10th grade, when a
knee injury forced him to abandon his plans for a football
career.
"Gymnastics seemed like the only tiling left to do," he
said.
"I wish I would've started earlier, though," he contin
ued, "because I'd rather do all-around.
"I think I'd make a pretty good all-arounder, if I had
just been coached right all along," he added. "I think
that's really important."
Blanks said he was not sure how he developed such a
strong ability in the rings.
Brother talked of gymnasts
"I just always liked it in high school," he said, "and my
brother was always talking about the Japanese gymnasts
and how they could do the iron cross."
The iron cross is a particularly difficult rings maneuver
in which the arms arc held straight out to the sides.
When he started out on the rings, his ability to handle
another difficult position, called the back lever, encour
aged him to continue in the event, he said.
"I guess I was just pretty aggressive, and the compli
ments I got really gave me the motivation."
Blanks' team at Long Beach competed against such
four-year schools as Berkeley and Stanford and took the
state meet nearly every year from 1969 to 1980.
His team was even successful in defeating Houston Bap
tist, who held the national rings and vault championships
in 1979, he said.
Long Beach also won nationals in New York during his
final year, he added.
Word of Blanks' reputation in the rings reached Ne
braska Coach Francis Allen, who went out to Long
Beach to recruit him.
"Francis came out and said I was the best rings man he
had ever seen," Blanks said.
Blanks, a Los Angeles native, said he knew very little
about Nebraska before Allen's visit.
"I'd seen Nebraska on TV a couple times, and I knew
they were two-time NCAA champs." he said, "But the
only person I'd heard of was Jim Hartung."
At the time of his recruitment. Blanks was a member
of a Los Angeles band which had been offered a chance
to record with Columbia Records. This made his decision
to come to Nebraska a tough one, he said.
Left band for gymnastics
"What I really wanted to do was stay there, finish my
major (industrial education) and record with my band,"
he said. "But my coach convinced me to do gymnastics.
Blanks was rcdshirted last year, because a delayed
transfer of some of his credits made him ineligible at the
start of the season.
He said he has no regrets at all about his decision, even
though he considers gymnastics just "more of a hobby."
"Gymnastics is not really the main thing for me, may
be because it comes so easy," he said.
"And right now, my music is getting better," he said.
Blanks plays flute and trumpet with the Lincoln Jazz
Society in Thursday night sessions at McGuffey's, and has
been teaching himself piano for the last eight months.
Other than improving his music. Blanks has set other
goals for himself, including scoring a 10 in the rings.
"I really feel that I can do it," he said. He is also work
ing on a floor exercise routine and on stronger performan
ces in vault. Blanks stressed motivation as the key to
achieving these goals.
"I need someone to actually push me sometimes," he
said. 1 1 m a pretty motivated person myself, but I like to
know that the team can motivate you, too.
"When you know that they have confidence in you, it
can really boost you up," he said .
Blanks said he appreciates the talent at Nebraska in
stead of feeling intimidated by it.
"If you're just a good gymnast, the score they give you
will show it and I think the audience can tell the differ
ence, he said.
nJP-? C0Petltl here is tough, but I'm just going t(
make n self-evident that Fm a national champion," he
said. You have to make the difference.
"I just want to be a champion and help those on the
team be champions, too."
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