Johnson readies for first Husker season
Basketball coach ‘reloads’ men’s team
Andrea Hoy/Daily Nebraskan
Matt Van Horn gets his basketball signed by Clifford Scales of the Nebraska men’s basketball team
during photo day at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Wednesday.
i* _~ i; i
By Kent Endacott
Staff Reporter
The face, the sparkplug build,
they’re just the same.
Nebraska’s Eric Johnson, a 6-foot
2, 190-pound guard, looks almost
identical to his older brother, Vinnie,
“The Microwave” of the Detroit Pis
tons.
Nebraska Coach Danny Nee said
Johnson has the same kind of talent
that made Vinnie one of the NBA’s
best sixth man.
“He’s just a real talented kid, he
can do a little bit of everything,” Nee
said.
Johnson, a highly recruited guard
at Franklin Roosevelt High School in
Brooklyn in 1984, followed in his
brother’s footsteps by signing with
Baylor. At Baylor, Johnson started his
freshman year, averaging 9.3 points a
game and then 8.7 as a sophomore.
But after his sophomore year, Gene
Iba was hired to take over the Bears’
basketball program.
Rather than play Iba’s controllcd
tempo style, Johnson decided to trans
fer.
He called Nee, who had recruited
him while he was coaching at Ohio
University and had known him since
he was a high school sophomore. Nee
told him he was going to accept the
coaching job at Nebraska, and offered
Johnson a chance to come along.
Johnson transferred and sat out the
1986-87 season. He said he’s looking
forward to helping the team this sea
son. At times this season, he said,
Nebraska fans might think they’re
watching the Microwave himself.
“I can score, but 1 can also play
defense,” he said. “A lot of people say
we have a similar type of game. I feel
like 1 can pretty much score when I
have to."
Nec said Johnson, who will play
both guard positions, and Peter Man
ning, a 6-8 transfer from Seminole
(Okla.) Junior College, should have
an immediate impact.
“We’re counting on Pete to come
in and contribute right away," Nee
said. “He could help us drastically on
the boards. His forte is rebounding,
and that’s probably our biggest weak
ness.”
Last year, Manning averaged 10.3
rebounds a game at Seminole.
Nee said the recruits need to de
velop and contribute this season to
offset the losses of Bernard Day and
Brian Carr.
One of the key recruits is Clifford
Scales. Scales, an All-Slate guard at
St. Joseph High School in Westch
ester, 111., said he chose Nebraska over
DePaul because he wants to play right
away.
“I’m really going to enjoy it," he
said. “Playing time is my practice
time, and Coach Nee has the confi
dence in me that I can do the job for
him.”
Nee also signed Richard Smith, a
6-7 freshman from Chicago who
played on the same high school team
with Marcus Liberty, the nation’s top
high school player last year.
“I’m really high on my Chicago
kids,” Nee said of Scales and Smith.
Nee said he has not decided
whether to redshirt Richard King, a 7
2 freshman from Omaha Burke High
School, and Kelly Lively, a 6-11
freshman from Torrington, Wyo. j
Beau Ried, a 6-7 redshirt freshman, is
also expected to play right away.
“Kelly Lively and Richard King
give us size which we haven’t had in
the past, but I don’t know if they’re
going to be ready this year. We’re
going to have to build them up.”
Nee said guard Henry T. Buchanan
and forward Derrick Vick need to
provide leadership. As a junior, j
Buchanan, a 6-1 point guard, aver
aged 8.2 points a game and dished out
83 assists. Vick, a 6-6 forward, aver
aged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a
game last year. He was also named to
die NIT All Tournament Team.
“We’re going to have to build
around them,” Nee said. “No two
players contributed more than
Buchanan and Vick going down the
stretch and in the NIT. They were both
big-game players for us.”
Buchanan, 27, said he is looking
forward to his role of team leader.
“I’ll be more or less a role model,”
he said. “I’ll be showing die young
people how to work hard, and try to
instill confidence in them. The fresh
men have a lot of talent, but there’s a
difference between having talent and
being able to convert it over to the
college level.”
The only other two returning letter
men are Jeff Rckewcg, a 6-6 senior,
and Richard Van Poclgeest, a 6-9
sophomore from Ryswijk, Nether
lands. Van Poclgeest played in 24
games as a freshman, averaging 2.7
points and 1.9 rebounds a game. He
scored 10 points against Oklahoma in
Norman.
“Van Poclgeest is one of the keys,”
Nee said. “He has a chance to step
right in and play. I think his year of
adjustment to the American style of
play, the culture and the academics is
over.”
Nec said the Nebraska basketball
program is in the “legitimate rebuild
ing” phase.
“I hate using the word'rebuilding,’
I’d rather say 'reloading,’" he said,
“because I don’t want the fans to
think, 'Oh, here he comes. They’re
rebuilding again for the 52nd year in a
row.’”
But, he said, no matter what phase
his program is in, he thinks his team
will always have achance to win in the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
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101 USES FOR YOUR VALENTINO S CUPS
1. T wo way communication system
(string not included I
I. Jumbo tad end pepper shekel eel
S. Pencil hoWer
4. Mini rota bush piffled or
t. Giant ice cube mater
I. Party hat (one ana flit ad)
7. Miniature bongo drum eel
4. Short-range binoculars
(just remove bottoms!
I. Privacy flah bote
14. Decorate* plantar
11. Pins lor term botelng
(coded 10)
1t. Ok changing M
II. Styflshaarmufl*
14. Megaphone (just remove bottom)
14. Foot massager
14. Boat baler
(boat not included)
17. Rock sad spreader
14. Wwm term container
14 Post-d* Mole waste basket
74. Non-etedmrkc hearingerd
Oust remoM bottom)
H > MMemdem peadbed
i sound of ocean included)
22 String dispenser
I string not included)
23 Indoor/ouidoor pdtmg cup
24 Bank
(holds up to 5 matron In)
24. Jtdo mold (why not?)
21 Cupcake mold (weaker)
27. Foul bad baseball catcher
NO* - -»1— ■ -»
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24. Maabuterchum
(eome assembly required)
M. One guart measuring system
H. State lane capsule
a. Hh and bars Mtet'iah holders
a. Bed feeder
N Sugar cookie cu«w
and nteag pm aal
a. Faabw dMame markers
X Mart* sack
(drawstring not mdudad)
17. Bobber
(tor optimistic fishermen)
X. Sand cad* mold
ech not included)
Bunyan shot glass
X. Needle point thlmt*
(Rosy GNer model)
41. Barr*
(tor small polka parties)
X. Repkce of leaning Tower
of Pisa {lean not included)
X Maracas (pebbles not included)
44 Dumbbells (tor kghhMtghls)
X Donation cup
(tor best resuts remove ltd)
X Solti oon
(tor best results remove ltd)
47. Ram gauge
(tor best results, remove M)
X. Trombone mult
X. Daytime fteshfcght
(batteries not included — or needed)
50 Quiver (toi short arrows)
51 Two-evone cade templet*
52 Powdered sugar doughnd caddy
U Emergency tootbak
M Ice bucket (tor small paftws)
M Windsock
(tor ak-puoc an ports)
44 Ounce bat (tor people
who don't eelat Vtoanhno't)
•7. Emergency
spm-the-botBe substitute
44 Backgammon dice cups
M Baa (dapper not included)
SO Nighttime denture holder
•1. Oaytene denture holder
(tor people who work nights)
•I. Maybeskei
4) Easter basket
14 Portable sand pee
(sand not included)
». Kle string winder
M Ouch all (cut out
bottom ca« "here duck')
•7 Portable finger bond
(water not mckidad)
44 firee*tingutr*lM*1
(water not included)
44. Taldty wink goal
(professional modal)
74. Rain guard (tor outdoor ash trays)
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71. Big top lor a Sea ctrcut
71. IHgb nee ent term
71 ComDmabonrmazlanaed
bag tot your Doberman
74. UtowtoM Inly residence
(nrlwtos required)
71. Bert* end Mm hot tub
(rederood deck not included)
11. Emergency backup tor (e rear
IBesaver on parade day)
77. Btohtub buoy (to mark place
where soap ewnt down)
71 Jedybeandispeneef
71. Paperclip depot
BB. Thumbtack warehouse
B1. Tack and brad caddy
(tacks and brads not included)
Bt. Hypochondriac spdtoo»
Bl. Saving stamp depository
B4. Monkey barrel
BB. Pasta canister
81 Leftover pasta container
B7. Dual purpose raSVenow
catching and storing dewoe
BB Paml bucket
BB WMer balloon satoty
transporter
BB. MicrowaM cookware
81 Lunch bos tor kids
82 Christmas tree ornament
81 Inkwell
14. Oreseer caddy
BB Pudding siwker
BB. Salt-contained
Hsiang gear organizer
87. Bookands
(tor Igia reading malarial)
BB Blrdbath
(tor reclusive turds)
BB. Portable shower
(punch hotos In bottom)
IBB Reusable drinking cup
(now we re getting sWy
in. m_
D»k»» Gundy Thomaa
Gundy better, not bigger
TRIPLETS from Page 13
Dolphins’ quarterback Dan Marino,
stands 5*11 and weighs 1K0 pounds.
When Gundy replaced Ronnie
Williams as Oklahoma State’s start
ing quarterback last season, Jones
called Boston College coach Jack
Bickncll to sec what type of plays he
used to help former liable quarter
Doug Flutic, who stands 5-9.
‘Basically, they thought I had
some ability in the same areas as
Doug Flutie,” Gundy said.
“It’s very challenging — I don’t
have a 6-4 frame or a strong arm. I try
to use other things, and each year I try
to get better.”
Gundy is ranked 13th nationally in
total offense with an average of 225.8
yards per game, and is eighth in pass
efficiency with a pass efficiency rat
ing of 140.8.
Gill finished v ith a rating of 152.7
in 1983.
“I think Mike is probably more
talented than people think,” Jones
said. “He’s been highly successful in
every sport he’s competed in since
he’s been a little boy.
