NelSaskan
Thursday, June 30,1988
Doug tarroii/uany Neorasnan
Former Nebraska gymnast Kevin Davis competes on pommel horse. Davis finished third in
the NCAA All-Around competition in April.
Olympics draw former Huskers
By Lori Griffin
Staff Reporter
A summer of sweat and cross
country travel awaits four former
members of Nebraska’s men’s
gymnastics team.
Gymnasts Kevin Davis, Scott
Johnson, Tom Schlesinger and
Wes Suter are all preparing to
participate in the Summer Olym
pics. The Olympic games will be
held in Seoul, South Korea in
September.
But the Olympics are still in the
back of their minds. Before receiv
ing the Olympic invitation, the
athletes must meet the require
ments.
The first step towards the
Olympic games is the US A Cham
pionships to be held July 7-10 at
the Summit in Houston. The top 18
finishers out of the field of 46 will
be invited to the Olympic Trials,
Aug. 4-7 in Salt Lake City.
Seven Olympians will be cho
sen to represent the United States
by counting 40 percent of their
scores from the USA Champion
ships and 60 percent from the
Olympic Trials. The top six indi
vidual qualifiers will make the
team and the seventh will be con
sidered an alternate.
Nebraska men’s gymnastics
coach Francis Allen said the four
Nebraska athletes have a good
chance at making the Olympic
team. If this prediction holds true,
Allen said, this will make 10
Nebraska gymnasts who have
made the Olympic team. This in
' eludes Johnson, who was a mem
bear of the 1984 gold-medal-win
nine learn al Los Angeles.
Johnson will not be able to
participate in the USA Champion
ships because of a broken hand
suffered in practice. He has peti
tioned to compete in the Olympic
Trials and the petition was
granted.
Allen said he also has three
current Nebraska gymnasts pre
paring for the 1992 Olympics. The
gymnasts include juniors Patrick
Kirksey and Bob Slelterand senior
Mike Epperson.
Allen said the athletes prepar
ing for the 1988 games are looking
“pretty dam good at this point.”
“Sometimes they may be a little
too intense,” Allen said. “But this
is their Olympic games. They only
have one shot.”
Allen said he expects the
United Stales Olympic team to be
one of the top six teams at the
Olympics, but the athletes are
thinking about going even higher.
Schlesinger, Suter and Davis
all agree that the United States
team has a good chance of receiv
ing a bronze medal in Seoul.
“We have a fair shot at the
bronze,” Schlesinger said. “We
have a shot at the gold or bronze
but that is not likely because of the
politics in the sport.”
According to the athletes, the
Soviets will provide the biggest
challenge. Second place will
probably go to the Chinese. The
Bulgarians, Romanians and East
Germans are also expected to
challenge the United States.
But Suter, who competed in a
recent meet in East Germany, said
he thinks the East German team
may be overrated.
“They are definitely beatable,”
he said.
Besides the former Nebras
kans, former Arizona State gym
nasts Dan and Dennis Hayden and
1984 Olympian Tim Daggett were
also mentioned as possible Olym
pians. Daggett is attempting a
comeback after breaking a leg at
the World Championships in Feb
ruary.
It was also agreed that former
Southern Illinois standout Charles
Lakes and UCLA gymnast Curtis
Holdsworth may also make the
team. Oklahoman Mike Rice and
former Husker gymnast Neil
Palmer arc also vying for a spot on
the Olympic team.
“Right now there are ten guys
running neck and neck to qualify
for the Olympic team,” Davis said.
“It is hard to say who will make it
at this point."
Suter said he feels the team will
be strong because of its possible
strong Nebraska contingency.
“There is going to be a strong
Nebraska team there and I think
that will help a lot," Suter said.
“We all get along well outside of
the gym and I think that will help
to make a strong team (at the
Olympics)."
Illinois athlete accepts
NU track scholarship
Tim Hartmann
Senior Editor
High school track and football
athlete Kevin Coleman signed a letter
of intent with Nebraska because
things were clearer in Lincoln.
When Coleman, who attended
Elgin, 111., Larkin High School, says
things arc clearer he is not referring to
the weather. He is talking about hon
esty.
“I felt that some of the other
schools that were recruiting me were
giving me a bunch of harky malar
key,” Coleman said. “They weren’t
telling me everything.”
Coleman accepted a Nebraska
track scholarship and will be a fresh
man this fall. He said he chose Ne
braska over schools such as Tennes
see, Arkansas, North Carolina and
Texas because the Cornhusker
coaches, especially assistant coach
Mark Kostek, were up front and hon
est with him.
“Mark Kostek didn’t give me a
bunch of baloney .’’Coleman said. “A
lot of schools tried to sweeten me up.
They would tell me the good points of
the school, but they wouldn’t tell me
the bad points. Every school has both
good and bad points. Mark gave me
the whole story, and he gave me a
chance to meet the other athletes.”
Coleman registered the longest
high school shot put throw in the
country Inis season with an effort of
66 feel, 1 3/4 inches. The throw was
over a foot longer than the previous
best throw in Illinois state history.
Once recruiters learned of
Coleman’s ability, he said, the schol
arship offers came pouring in. Many
of the schools wanted Coleman to
play football in addition to being on
the track team.
Coleman, who is 6-foot-3, 229
pounds and runs the 40 yard dash in
4.7 seconds, played fullback and de
fensive tackle on Larkin’s 3-6 foot
ball team.
As a freshman at Nebraska, Cole
man said he will be on the track team
and concentrate on his school work.
In his sophomore year he will again
compete in track, and will also walk
on the football team, where he will be
a freshman in eligibility.
Coleman said he know s that two
sport athletes arc rare in college ath
letics, but he thinks he has the ability
to play both sports.
“If there is a problem I guess I
would just have to drop one of the
sports,” he said.
Kostck said that it is possible that
Coleman could get injured playing
football, but the track coaches will let
him play if he wants to.
“We hope that he is so successful at
track that football is not a high priority
See COLEMAN on 8
• ■ ■
big tignt dominates picks
in 1988 basketball draft
The Big Eight conference contin
ued its basketball dominance this
year, but this time it wasn’t on the
court
Tuesday, five former Big Eight
players were among the First 16 picks
in the 1988 NBA draft held at Madi
son Square Garden in New York City.
□
Of course, ihc first pick of the draft
was no surprise to anyone. Kansas’
Danny Manning was selected by the
lowly Los Angeles Clippers as this
year’s top choice. He’s billed as the
franchise’s savior, but he should have
a decent supporting cast (via the past
two drafts) to make his task a little
easier.
Manning led the Jayhawks to the
NCAA championship and became
only the second player in history to
win the Player of the Year Award and
Most Valuable Player of the NCAA
tournament in the same year.
The Clippers also drafted guard
Hersey Hawkins, but traded the for
mer Bradley star to Philadelphia few
Charles Smith of Pittsburgh.
But the Clippers weren’t finished
yet. They traded forward Michael
Cage to Seattle for first round draft
choice (the No. 15 pick) Gary Grant of
Michigan.
With the three first round choices
along with Reggie Williams and Ken
Norman (first round picks last year)
the Clippers could sneak into the
play-offs. All that's missing is a
dominant big man, and former
Creighton star Benoit Benjamin isn’t
the answer.
The next Big Eight pick was Kan
sas State guard Mitch Richmond to
the Golden State Warriors with the
fifth pick of the draft
Richmond averaged 22.6 points
while leading the Wildcats to the
NCAA Midwest finals before losing
to Kansas. Richmond is expected to
play off guard for the Warriors.
Harvey Grant of Oklahoma, Iowa
State’s Jeff Grayer, and Derrick
Chievous of Missouri were the other
Big Eight selections in the initial
round.
Grant was taken by Washington,
but won’t help the team catch the
Boston Celtics, the Atlantic Division
champs. The Bullets basically need a
whole new team if they lose center
Moses Malone, who is a free agent.
Grayer was picked up by Milwau
kee and should help the Bucks get
back into the race of the Central
Division. Teamed with former
See DRAFT on 7
