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). |
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