L _ -
Nee: Johnson to be NU’s key leader
JOHNSONS from Page 7
third look.
“Without me, he might not get
that.”
Eric said he appreciates his
brother’s help, and doesn’t consider
his brother’s presence to be any type
of disadvantage, even though people
are constantly making comparisons.
Eric said Vinnie has been a great
influence on his basketball career. He
said Vinnie helped him as a youngster
by steering him away from football
and baseball and onto the basketball
court.
“My first true love was football,”
Eric said, “but Vinnie kept telling me
I should be playing basketball. So I
did.”
I
Eric said Vinnie also helped him
following his senior season at Fran
klin Roosevelt High School in
Brooklyn, N.Y., by aiding him in his
college choice. He said he knew he
had to follow in his brother’s foot
steps and attend Baylor even though
he was being recruited by then-Ohio
University basketball coach Danny
Nee.
Eric left Baylor following his
sophomore season because “things
didn’t go to well.” He said he trans
ferred to Nebraska because the Com
huskers had just hired Nee to replace
former Coach Moc Iba.
“I knew what type of person Coach
Nee was, so I knew this was the best
place for me,” Eric said. “I liked
Coach Nee because he recruited me
-1
out of high school and because he
stresses academics and athletics.”
Eric said his first year at Nebraska
two seasons ago wasn’t difficult even
though he was forced to spend it as a
redshirt. He said he took part of the
credit for the Huskcrs’ 21-22 season
and subsequent 3rd-placc finish in the
National Invitation Tournament be
cause he was on the scout team.
7 think having a
brother in the
NBA will help him
get a second or
Third look. Without
me, he might not
get that.'
—Vinnie Johnson
Eric said the hardest part about
sitting out fora year was redeveloping
his game liming. He said the quick
liming in practice docs not compare
to the fast tempo and the crowds
encountered in games.
Eric said last season was frustrat
ing because Nebraska finished with a
13-18 record. The Huskcrs arc confi
dent that they can improve on that
mark this season, he said.
‘‘Let’s pul it that way,” Eric said.
“We definitely have more talent —
it’s just younger.”
Eric said ne is aiso connaeni mat
he can improve this season. He fin
ished the 1987-88 campaign as
Nebraska’s fifth-leading scorer with
an 8.8 points-per-game average while
leading the team with 112 assists and
60 steals. He also averaged 3.5 re
bounds per game.
Eric said he would like to score
more points this season. He said he
needs to increase his points-per-game
average because Nebraska lost guard
Henry T. Buchanan and forwards
Derrick Vick and Jeff Rekeweg. All
three used up their eligibility last
season.
Eric said he does not want his
scoring to come at the expense of the
team.
“As long as we get a ‘W’ (a win),
that’s all I care about,” he said. “If we
win and I score five points, I’ll be
happy. If I score 20 and we lose, I
won’t be happy.”
Vinnie and Nee said they are ex
pecting good things from Eric this
season.
Vinnie said he knows Eric will
have a good year because of the con
fidence he displayed this summer.
“He’s a lot more confident now
than he was in the past,” Vinnie said.
“He knows he can be consistent and
successful.”
Nee agreed.
“I really feel Eric is going to be the
key leader on this year’s team,” Nee
said. “I think he is going to be the key
at the point-guard spot.”
Rule upsets Coach Nee
WINDOWS from Page 7__
ers.’ That’s a real positive thing that
we have to hang our hats on.”
Although Nebraska fans probably
won’t shift their focus off football.
Nee said, he at least wants the average
fan to be aware of the Huskcrs’ bas
ketball program.
But he said he wants Nebraska to
join the elite schools that have good
football and basketball teams.
“There used to be this theory that
you can’t have both a good football
and basketball team at the same
school,” Nee said. “But that’s gone
with the buffalo. Look at Oklahoma
and Notre Dame. There arc so many
schools that have great football and
basketball teams.”
Last game stirs memories
THOMAS from Page 7
ulcs later he fumbled, and Nebraska
stumbled 17-7.
Ordinary happenings deserve
mention, too.
College football in Lincoln was
more than a final score. It was drink
ing watered-down Seven-lip and
clapping to Hail Varsity.
It was inhaling mustard-laced sta
dium steaks, religiously wearing
school colors and listening to the P. A.
man’s every word when he gave the
day’s scores.
Nope. There was nothing like it.
Can’t say I’m ashamed that
Saturday’s swan song means a good
ileal to me.
Sometime around 4:45 p.m. Satur
day, the hitting will have subsided
and the sun will have ducked beneath
the West stands, hinting the darkness.
And the air will have turned chilly,
officially signaling the begiMuittpf
Oklahoma week.
Rather than darling fc
exit, it'll be a time
clock’s last tick; a tir
pockets for the final ticket siub; time
to remember games and plays that
have gone before.
And then, after soaking it up like a
thirsty sponge, there’ll be no choice
but to take that walk down the con
crete ramps, out of the stadium.
Chances arc that walk will seem
empty and long. Thai's unfitting.
Because football Saturdays in Lin
coln were anything but empty.
And never were they too long.
Thomas Isa news-editorial major and is a
Daily Nebraskan sports column 1st.
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