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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 1987)
Coaches predict close struggle for Big 8 chamnionshii) By Mark Derowitsch Senior Reporter The women Comhuskers could be one of the teams to beat in this season’s Big Eight Conference, Nebraska women’s basketball coach Angela Beck said. “I feel confident that we can finish in the top half of the conference for sure,” Beck said. “Where we lie in the standings will be determined by a lot of things. But I think it will be a good year for UN-L .women’s basketball.” Beck said a number of teams will chal lenge the Huskers for the top spot. “1 really feel that Colorado has the most talent,” Beck said. “Colorado is a nice place and they recruit a lot from California. Girls choose Colorado so they can ski the slopes. “Then I think Kansas will be up there. But they lost their top two players. So w iether they can replace them or not will determine their season.” The Huskers, led by Maurtic' Jvy, fin ished fourth in die conference last season. Beck said Ivy could help the Huskers im prove their record this year. “We probably have the number one player in the Big Eight in Ivy,” Beck said. “We’re excited to have her just like Kansas is excited to have Danny Manning. She plays like an All-American and she has a lot of ability.” Ivy averaged 24 points a game last year, leading the Huskers toa 16-13 season. Beck said the success of the team will determine ■_■ whether Ivy is an All-American. "It’s very difficult to be named a Kodak All-American,” Beck said. “And the only way she can get it is if the team succeeds. I know that she’s an outstanding athlete but Nebraska basketball has never been held in the national limelight. “I think she has the ability and desire to get it but she needs to have the smarts to get her team behind her.” Beck said she has been satisifed with her recruiting class. She said Ann Halsne has been a surprise. Women's Big Eight Previi Halsne a\ r_game in Spencer, Iowa, last year but was not very heavily recruited. Lynn Lorenzen averaged 62 points a game and is attending Iowa State this year. “I really feel Ann Halsne is going to be just as good or better than Lorenzen, Beck said. “She has adjusted real well to college basketball.” Iowa State coach Pam Wettig said she’s been surprised with her blue-chip recruit “About three weeks ago I didn’t think Lynn would start,” Wettig said. “Now I’m not so sure. Wc knew we got a good player, but we got more than we bargained for.” The Cyclones finished last in the Big Eight last year but Wetlig said she expects Iowa State to improve on last season’s 12 lb record. “To tell the truth, we can’t do any worse then wc did last year,” Wettig said. “So it’s probably pretty safe to say we’ll improve this season.” Colorado coach Ceal Barry said she also expects a year of improvement from the Buffaloes. “Based on the fact that ail five starters return, there’s high optimism here,” Barry said. Tracey Trepps led Colorado in scoring last year, averaging 16.3 points a game. But Barry said the conference race is wide open. • "Everybody looks good this year,” Barry said. “It’s tough to pick where any team will finish.” Kansas State coach Matilda Mossman agreed. “I think anybody looks good on paper,” Mossman said. “A lot of teams could have success and there’s no way to tell who will.” Last season, the Wildcats tied for first in the conference with a 9-5 record. Now all five starters are gone, but Mossman said her team could be strong. “Bascially, we’re rebuilding our team,” Moss i an said. “But we have a lot to build it on.” * A Wildcat recruit Stacey Boyle averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds for Dodge City Community College last year. Boyle, a 6-1 junior, was a Kodak Junior College All American for her efforts. Missouri, which also tied for first in the Big Eight, returns three starters. Coach JoAnn Rutherford said the Tigers could repeat as champions. * “We re looking to be one of the top teams in the conference but everybody in the Big Eight is getting better,” Rutherford said. Oklahoma coach Valerie Col vert, in her first season as Sooner coach, said the Big Eight will be tough to win. “The conference has a lot of talent and they’re similar to last year,” Colvert said. “It should be a close race.” The Sooners return three starters from last year’s 18-10 team. Guard Tami Rogers averaged 11.7 points a game for the Soon ers. Kansas finished last year with a 20-13 record overall and 9-5 in the Big Eight. The Jayhawks won their opening round game of the NCAA ToumamneL The Jayhawks return three starters from a year ago including Jackie Martin, who averaged 10.4 points a game last year. Rounding out the conference, Oklahoma State retumsall five starters from last year’s 16-12 team. Clennetta Jordan led the Cow girls with a 20.1 scoring average. U1NL basketball gets new look; entertainment By Linda Hartmann Senior Editor Extra cheering and chants will surround the Comhuskers’ colorful court this basketball season; some of ihe yell squad members and the floor design arc new. Before the school year, the former sponsor of the Huskcrettes pom pom and dance team left the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln. No replacement was found to coach the group of stu dents who perform half-time and break routines. So men’s basketball coach Danny Ncc and several administration offi c mis decided that instead of continu ing the program, they would seek an expanded group of cheer leaders, many of whom would cheer for the basketball season exclusively. The expanded group will insure that the basketball team has yell squad members at all their home games, including the games during the over lap of the end of the football season and the first part of the basketball season, he said. i c-i i xquaa sponsor is.ris baack naa extra tryout sessions this fall and added six women and four men to the basketball yell squad. Fall tryouts allowed freshmen to try out for the squad and several were selected. In all, 12 members from the foot ball squad will continue with the basketball squads, making a full group of 22, Baack said. She will divide them into three different squads of six to eight members each, and two squads will perform at each game. I o make up for the loss of some of the dancing and themed entertain ment that the Huskcrcttcs formerly provided, Baack said, the yell squads may have some “theme nights’' and request that the fans participate in dressing up or doing special cheers. The yell squad members will have a newly refinished floor on which to cheer this year. (Jerald Lott, superintendent of the Hob Dcvaney Sports Center, said the diror, which normally is surface stripped and rescaled every year, had a complete face lift in May. It was sanded to the bare wood, repainted with a new red floor design and refinished. This was the first sanding done smcc the center was finished nearly 12 years ago. Considering the number of differ ent events, concerts and games that take place every year in the center’s arena, Lott said, the floor’s old finish lasted remarkably well. Most Boors can be expected to last about five years. The project co.»i about $9,(XX). | 4 days only! Save *30 to *35 on men’s branded basketball shoes AV I Entire stock on sale! Today through Saturday! Use this coupon for an extra *5 off our already 1/2 price on any pair of men’s basketball shoes in stock! 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