Daily Nebraskan . Tuesday- November 5, 1985
Page 8
Newj
lets Pool concemtFate om one spoilt
By Jeff Apel
Staff Reporter
1 1 J
Sports
oh
The Nebraska baseball program
played a key role in helping Chuck Pool
to get a new job as assistant director of
public relations for the Houston Astros.
John Sanders, Nebraska baseball
coach, regularly schedules a four-game
baseball series with the Wichita State"
Wheatshockers each baseball season.
That's how Pool, Nebraska sports
information assistant, first met Rob
Matwick.
"Rob (Matwick) had worked in the
sports information department at
Wichita State for two years, but I didn't
meet him until we went down there last
year," Pool said. "I don't think either
one of us ever thought in our wildest
dreams, though, that we would both
end up in Houston."
As things turned out, Matwick was
hired by new Astro General Manager
Dick Wagner as director of public rela
tions for the Astros.
Wagner, with some influence from
Matwick, then hired Pool as the assis
tant director.
"Having Rob (Matwick) get the job
at Houston definitely gave me the
inside track," Pool said. "We were
already used to depending on each
other professionally, so we had passed
each others audits."
Pool's new position not only requires
him to handle both the media and pub
lic relations as he did at Nebraska, but
also to handle some of the advertising
done by the Astros.
With the sports market in Texas,
Pool said, advertising is a very critical
part of the Astro's organization.
"The people of Texas have several
different teams in several different
sports so it's important that Houston
maintains good relations with their
fans," he said. "The market isn't as
easily receptive because there is a lot
of divided loyalties."
Jit I "siif'n
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'Chuck has develop
ed into a very fine
sports information
person so we are
definitely going to
miss him. '
NU Sports Information
Director Don Bryant
Mark Davis
Daily Nebraskan
Pool's new position also will allow
him to travel about 40 percent of the
time with the Astros while Matwick
will handle the remaining 60 percent.
He also will have the benefit of work
ing a 40-hour work week for three
months of the year during the off
season.
"Mr. (Dick) Wagner didn't want
either Rob (Matwick) or I handling all
of the public relations on the road
because there is always a great danger
of burnout." Pool said. "As far as my
hours go, I won't be working any 100
hour work weeks like I was working
here, but I'll still be working quite a bit
during the baseball seasorfbecause I
have to be at the Astrodome in the
morning and can't leave until after the
game at night on nightgame days."
Pool said one of the main factors
that persuaded him to accept the job
with the Astros was that he would only
have to deal with baseball.
At Nebraska, Pool was in charge of
handling all media relations for the
men's basketball, baseball and gym
nastics teams and also served as an
assistant public relations director for
all other men's sports.
Although he said he would miss
dealing with some of the programs,
Pool said he is looking forward to con
centrating on one sport at Houston.
"I'll miss all of the athletes at
Nebraska, sure, because I have gotten
to become really good friends with
quite a few of them," he said. "In the
past, though, I have always had good
ideas, which I thought about doing but
just didn't have time. Hopefully, since I
will only be dealing with baseball, I'll
now have time to develop and actually
carry out those ideas."
Another factor that influenced his
decision, he said, was that several of
his relatives live in Louisiana and he
has several close friends who live in
Houston.
"It's going to be kind of hard to leave
since I have been here since 1979,"
Pool said. "I'll be moving closer to my
relatives, though, and my friends in
Houston are going to make the adjust
ment easier."
Sports Information Director Don
Bryant, who has served as Pool's super
visor for the last six years, said losing an
individual with Pool's experience will
be difficult.
"Chuck has developed into a very
fine sports information person so we
are definitely going to miss him," Bry
ant said. "We think he has got a great
opportunity for advancement, though,
and wish him nothing except the best
of luck."
'Impact 1 players rare
Several rookies making presence felt in NBA
At this time next year it's very likely that
Nebraska basketball player Dave Hoppen will be
in the lineup of a professional team in the
National Basketball Association. He'll be one of
about 30 new players in the league and might
make a significant impact on his team.
Impact seems to be a major word in sports
vocabulary these days. Coaches and general
managers in all the professional sports talk
about the "Impact Players" in the game. Dan
Mario is an "Impact Player." So are Eric
Dickerson and Walter Payton. William Perry has
become a recent addition to the Impact Club.
Bob
tc K S Asmussen
In pro basketball the impact players, are
many: Magic Johnson, K are em Abdul Jabbar,
Larry Bird and Moses Malone are just a few of
the impact players. Not just start, but pl?yers that
actually can make or break a season or many
seasons for a team.
At the opening of this the 40th NBA season,
Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks joins the
club. The Knicks, who have injury problems with
Bernard King and Bill Cartwright, have gone
winless in five games despite the presence of
Ewing. Not that the 6-11 former Georgetown
player hasn't made an impact on the Knicks. He
is without a doubt the one bright spot for the
Knicks in the early part of the season.
Of this year's rookie crop, only Ewing was
projected as an immediate impact player. Other
rookies were projected as starters or even stars,
but none were given the initial acclaim that
Ewing got.
But after only a few games in the NBA, a few
possible rookie impact players have surfaced.
Maybe the most surprising and thrilling of the
potentials is the Manute Bol of the Washington
Bullets. Bol, a Dinka tribesman from Sudan, has
added much-needed weight to his 7-7 frame and '
looks to have the potential for greatness.
In the Bullets 88-73 loss to Boston Saturday
night, Bol played 20 minutes. He didn't score a
single point in those 20 minutes, yet his impact
was significant. He blocked five shots during the
game and pulled down eight rebounds. Figuring
that he would block a shot every four minutes, he
would have blocked 12 had he played the whole
48 minutes. In the words of one NBA coach, Bol's
potential is "frightening."
Bol is a rail, no one questions that. If he stood
behind a football goalpost, he'd be tough to see.
But, on a diet of pizza, pizza and more pizza, Bol
has added weight He no longer needs suspenders
to hold up his jockstrap, and that means he's
making progress. Stay tuned to the sports page,
Bol could end up being the greatest defensive
player ever.
One team that looked to have a shot at ending
up with a rookie impact player was the Dallas
Mavericks. The Mavs had three first-round picks
in last June's draft and looked like they had a
shot at obtaining the dominating center they so
desperately need to become a title contender.
But instead of getting Ewir.3 or Benoit Ben
- jamin or even Bol, the Mavs got three stiffs. With
their first pick in the first round, Dallas took
Washington's Detlef Schrempf, a player who only
adds to the myth that European players are too
mechanical to play in the NBA. The folks at
Washington liked to call Schrempf "Herr Dr. J."
The Dallas Maverick fans have a better name for
him "Herr Wasted Draft Choice."
But if the Mav fans thought they got a raw deal
with Schrempf, what must they think about the
selection of Indiana's Uwe Blab and St. John's
Bill Wennington. In a game Saturday night with
the Sacramento Kings, Blab and Wennington sat
on the bench and watched as Wallace Bryant and
Kurt Nimphius took turns pretending to be
Dallas' center. While having Blab, Wennington
and Schrempf gives the Mavs a nice international
flavor (Blab and Schrempf are from Germany and
Wennington is from Canada) it doesn't give them
the one thing the fickle Mavs' fans will demand
pretty quickly an NBA title.
Several other rookies have the potential to be
solid NBA performers, if not impact players.
Sacramento's first pick, Joe Kleine of Arkansas,
seems to be a player capable of helping the
Kings to the playoffs.
In Saturday's game with Dallas, Kleine got off
to a horrible start and had only two points at
half. But in the third quarter, Kleine started
playing the way he did at Arkansas. In one two
minute stretch, Kleine scored 10 points to help
the Kings build a 15-point lead. Kleine brings to
the Kings something they desperately need,
enthusiasm.
Kleine still thinks he's in college and that's a
good thing. After the Dallas game, Kleine was
talking about how his team should be 3-1 instead
of 1-3. His griping sounded like that of a player
who thought he had only 30 games and the 1-3
start might hurt his team's chances of getting
into the NCAA tournament. Kleine brings to the
Kings the same sort of infectious enthusiasm
that Magic Johnson brought to the Los Angeles
Lakers a few years back in leading them to the
NBA title.
Can Kleine keep up the spirit for an 82-game
schedule? With most players that would be a.
good question, but for Kleine it is a ridiculous
one. Anyone that saw Kleine play in college
knows he has the extra-competitive nature that
could lead him to NBA stardom. Kleine looks like
a good bet to be the next Jeff Ruland, a player
with soft touch who doesn't mind muscling his
opponents or throwing a few elbows and body
blocks.
Some players to watch are Terry Porter of
Portland and Alfredrick Hughes of San Antonio.
Nebraska basketball fans might remember
Porter. He played for Wisconsin-Stevens Point
last season, a team that gave Nebraska fits
before losing. Porter doesn't have the polish of a
major-college player, but he is a great defensive
player and has an NBA type-shot. He is in a
system at Portland that will allow him to
gradually work into his type of game, rather than
being thrust into a starting position right away.
Porter could be an all-star in a couple of seasons.
When San Antonio selected Hughes in the
first round, many NBA "experts" couldn't believe
it. Peter Gammons of the Boston Globe said it
was the "worst pick in the history of the NBA
draft." But Hughes played well in summer leagues
and the experts started eating their words.
Hughes is an outstanding offensive player who
must have learned to play defense since he left
Loyola of Chicago last spring.
Porbably the most curious newcomer to the
league this season besides Bol is Atlanta's Spud
Webb. Webb is listed at 5-7 but is closer to 5-5.
But Webb makes up for his lack of size with
unbelievable quickness and jumping ability. He
can dunk a basketball easily and his slams can
really get a crowd going. While his questionable
jump shot makes him a liability sometimes, he is
well worth a spot on the roster if for no other
reason than the excitement he brings to the
game. Here's betting that Webb will be with the
Hawks much longer than first round pick Jon
(I-can't-believe-I-got-picked-this-high) Konack
of Southern Methodist.
Here's a look at what the all-rookie team
might be at the end of the season.
Center Patrick Ewing. Are you kidding?
Forward Wayman Tisdale The Pacers
wanted Ewing but Tisdale isn't a bad second
pick.
Forward Xavier McDaniel Seattle
McDaniel will take the heat off of Jack Sikma
and give the falling Sonics scoring and rebound
ing punch.
Guard Porter Portland If Portland can
give him the time to develop.
Guard Chris Mullen Golden State if he
signs.
Guard Webb - Atlanta if Mullen doesn't
sign.
Now, how about the all-rookie stiff team.
Center Blab and Wennington They go as a
pair.
Forward Charles Oakley Chicago
former Virginia Union player doesn't have the
refined game he needs to play in the NBA. .
Forward Schrempf Herr Dr. J is Herr Dr.
Bad.
Guard Sam Vincent Boston This won't
be his fault, it will be Coach K.C. Jones'. Any
coach that would play Danny Ainge and Jerry
Sichtmg in front of the talented Vincent has
some severe mental problems.
Guard Joe Dumars Detroit Another in
the long line of Detroit gunners who couldn't
play defense if his life hung in the balance.