Tuesday, November 19, 1985 Daily Nebraskan Pago 9
Huskers bounce Czechs; Day scores 22 points
By Mike Reilley
and Dob Asmussen
Senior Editors
What a difference a Day makes. . .
Forward Bernard Day scored 22
points to lead Nebraska to a 101-67
exhibition win over the Bratislava Club
Monday night at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center.
Day, a transfer from Moberly (Mo.)
Junior College, tallied 16 of his game
high total in the first half. He scored
three baskets in the first half on lob
passes from guards Brian Carr and
Darren Brown.
Baskets by Dave Hoppen, who fin
ished with 20 points and Harvey Mar
shall gave Nebraska an early 4-2 lead.
Day then scored six of the next 10
points to push the Comhuskers' lead to
eight, 12-4.
Nebraska coach Moe Iba said he was
pleased with Day's first performance in
a Husker uniform.
I
Hark DavisDaily Nebraskan
Nebraska's Joel Sealer, left, attempts to block a pass by Bratislava's Igor Kratochvil during first
half of the Comhuskers' 101-67 win Monday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
"He had a good night shooting," Iba
said. "He's a good defensive player,
too."
Defense, Day said, is Ms specialty.
"I don't look too much for shooting
the ball," he said. "I just love to play
defense."
The Huskers' first-half lead grew to
20 when Day made his second alley-oop
basket with 5:40 left in the first half.
A pair of Marshall free throws pro-
Bratislava 67
Player Points
Kubricky, Jiri 15
Koren, Jaroslav 14
Kratochvil, Igor 4
Jancura, Peter 8
Michalik, Tomas 6
Krejci, Leos 12
Pochaba, Lubomir 8
Nebraska 101
Player Points
Day, Bernard 22
Hoppen, Dave 20
Marshall, Harvey 6
Carr, Brian 8
Brown, Carren 6
Bailous, Anthony 6
Sealer, Joel 6
Neubert, Keith 4
Jackman, Bill 8
Martz, Mike 4
Vance, Deak 9
Matzke, John 2
pelled Nebraska to its biggest first half
lead, 49-21.
In the second half, the Huskers
traded baskets with the Czechs. Iba
cleared the bench and every Husker
scored except for starting forward
Chris Logan, who injured his ankle with
15:37 remaining in the first half.
Iba said Logan's rebounding ability
was missed.
"I wish Logan could have played
longer," Iba said. "He hurt it in prac
tice the other day. We need him."
A jump shot by Deak Vance with 1:54
left in the game gave the Huskers a
96-65 lead. With the crowd of 6,795
egging them on, the Huskers tried to
break the century mark.
A fullcourt layup and free throw by
Joel Sealer brought Nebraska's total to
99. After a free throw by Bratislava's
Jaroslav Koren, the Huskers had the
ball and a chance to go over 100 points
with 20 seconds left in the game.
Brown brought the ball down the
right side, dribbled between his legs,
passed inside and sunk a 20-footer
after getting the ball back for Nebras
ka's final score.
Iba said he was pleased with his
team's intensity, particularly in the
first half. He said the exhibition game
helped the Huskers.
Bratislava coach Dr. Miroslav Rehac
said Nebraska is the best team his club
has played in its nine-game U.S. tour.
Among the teams Bratislava has played
include defending Big Eight champion
Oklahoma. Bratislava has also played
Utah and Southern Illinois.
"According to my opinion, Nebraska
is the best team we've played," Rehac
said. "Nebraska is very good in defense
and the best shooters."
Rehac said his team has players that
are one level below that of the Czech
National team, which is also touring
the U.S.
Rehac said his team won the
national championship last season in
Czechoslovakia. He said three of the
players from that team have moved on
to the national team.
Suiter takes all-around at first meet
By Richard Cooper
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska men's gymnastics team
opened its season by finishing third
behind Iowa and Southern Illinois at
the Big Eight men's gymnastics Invita
tional Saturday night at the Bob Deva
ney Sports Center.
The Conuuskers, the runner-up to
Ohio State at last years NCAA cham
pionships, were in first place going into
the high bar competition when fresh
men gymnast Terry Gillespie fell two
times to score a 5.95. Neil Palmer fell
once, leaving the Huskers four points
behind Southern Illinois.
"The high bar just killed us tonight,"
Nebraska coach Francis Allen said.
"We really missed Kevin Davis a lot, if
we would have had him at full strength
tonight, we would have won by two
points."
Davis, a sophomore from Lithonia,
Ga., dislocated his ankle in September
and can compete only on the pommel
horse. Allen said Davis should be back
to full strength by the end of January.
There were bright spots at the meet,
Allen said. Wes Suter, last year's NCAA
individual all-around champion, took
the all-around title with a score of
55.25. Sophomore Mike Epperson fin
ished third in the all-around behind
Oklahoma's Mike Rice with a score of
5410. Epperson also won the parallel
bar title with a 9.55.
"I was really surprised on how well I
finished tonight," Epperson said. "Fin
ishing that high will give me the confi
dence that I can compete better at the
college level this year."
Allen said the meet didn't go as
expected for Gillespie. He said Gilles
pie was a little nervous since it was his
first collegiate meet and is going to
have to re-work some of his routines so
he can gain confidence.
Allen said he was glad Suter won the
all-around title.
"Winning the all-around was really
good for Wes," Allen said. "With his
performances tonight he proved to
himself he can still compete well."
Suter could not compete at the U.S.
team World Championship trials at the
beginning of October because of a neck
injury that has bothered him for more
than a month.
Allen said he wished he had recru
ited another gymnast last year so he
wouldn't have only five gymnasts com
peting in four events. But he would
have felt bad, he said, keeping seven
gymnasts around all year.
Allen said he doesn't like to lose the
first home meet, but he was satisfied
. with his team's performance.
Despite the overall third place fin
ish, he said he still thinks he has the
best team in the nation. Allen said
Gillespie will be scoring a 55 in the
all-around by the end of the season, and
that the rest of his team, Palmer, Davis,
Epperson, Tom Schlesinger and Suter
all should be scoring 57 or better.
The next home meet for the Huskers
will be Dec. 8 when they meet the Jap
anese collegiate all-stars.
Quarterbacks are just fine
sums
1777
Isn't it amazing how smart all these fans and
sportswriters are across the state of Nebraska?
"Tom Osborne should start Steve Taylor," they
say in unison. "They can't win without him start
ing," they shout. "Why won't he break tradition a
little bit?" they ask.
Well, to all those armchair quarterbacks and
sportswriters I have one thing to say: Get off
Osborne's back!
Bob
Asmussen
I can't remember a recent time when Osborne
has gone into the office of the Omaha World
Herald or Lincoln Journal and told the sports
guys how to write their stories. What gives them
the right to tell him how to do his job?
Like it or not, Osborne's funny quarterback
situation this season has done the one thing its
supposed to do, win games. Yes, the Huskers lost
to Florida State, but the Seminoles had a game
7D
1L
under their belts, and it's doubtful any quarter
back could have made that situation better.
Having two or three quarterbacks can be
advantageous. For one thing, a team like Okla
homa cannot prepare for the option only. If
Nebraska moves Travis Turner to quarterback,
the team will run less option and might throw
the ball more. If Osborne puts Steve Taylor into
the game he will present different problems than
the other quarterbacks. Taylor is a fine passer,
but he's also a good runner. His abilities, and the
fact that he might play a significant role in
Saturday's game, gives Oklahoma one more thing
to think about.
And isn't that going to be the key to Satur
day's game? The team that is able to move the
ball against the other team's defense will be the
winner. Oklahoma, with freshman, Jamelle Holie
way, is locked into an all-option, no-pass offense.
Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer's only option is
another freshman, Eric Mitchel, who does the
same things as Holieway.
Nebraska, on the other hand, has many cards
it can play. Osborne can pick a runner, (Clay
ton), or a thrower, (Turner), or can go to a guy
who might, or might now, be able to do both,
(Taylor).
But win or lose, the most important thing for
Osborne is to show that he will not be influenced
by the cries of the public or the cries of the
media. He is in his 13th year as coach and has
done a remarkable job. Now is not the time for
him to cave in to outside pressures.
I think Osborne, who has both played and
coached football, is in a little bit better position
to judge his team than a sportswriter who only
watches the team on Saturday. Obviously,
Osborne will make the decisions he thinks he
will have to make to give the team its best
chance for victory.
Some have accused Osborne of going with
players just because they're seniors. Is that such
a horrible thing? After five years in the program,
a senior is more likely to be better prepared to
play than a freshman or sophomore. Also, when
you play seniors, you show the younger players
that as they get older, there will be a pecking
order that will be followed so they won't get left
out in the cold. Every player at Nebraska knows
that if they have the ability, they will eventually
play.
You can't really argue with the success
Osborne has had at Nebraska. When Nebraska
goes to a bowl game it will be the 13th in 13 years
with Osborne as coach. Sure, they haven't won
the elusive national title, but they have con
tended several times, and it will come eventually.
Is Taylor ready to play? Probably, but does
that mean he has to? Nebraskans need to learn
to have a little more patience with their football
team.
Sure, Taylor might do well against Oklahoma,
but what might the pressure of the game do to
him later? Will he turn into the next Marcus
Dupree, a player who had a great freshman sea
son, but let it go to his head and screw up his
football career? There are some good examples
of freshmen who have been brilliant and gone on
to even more greatness. Herschel Walker and Bo
Jackson come to mind right away. But for every
Jackson, there are 10 Marcus Dupree's. Osborne
wants to make sure that a similar occurence
doesn't happen at Nebraskan.
So get off Osborne's back. If he wants to play
McCathorn Clayton the whole game, great. Lf he
chooses to go with Turner, why not? If he brings
in the freshman, nice move, coach. Given a cho
ice, I'd probably go with a coach with 1 27 wins in
13 seasons rather than an armchair quarterback
with none. Hey everybody, leave the real coach
alone. Go buy Stratomatic.