Daily
Nebraskan p?f
Thursday, November 10,1988
r—‘ 1 _________
Huskers to sign six basketball players
By Jeff Apel
Senior Reporter
Six athletes that drew recruiting
attention from basketball coaches
across the country are set to sign
letters of intent with Nebraska
today.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said
the week-long, early-signing pe
riod that begins today is an exciting
time because the benefits of a
multitude of recruiting visits and
calls arc felt. He said it is also a
critical time because the Corn
huskers like to get as much recruit
ing done as they can so they don’t
have to worry about it during the
season.
The athletes who arc expected
to sign with Nebraska arc Jamie
Cole, a 6-foot-4 guard from Grand
Rapids, Mich., Eric Pialkowski, a
uiiarH/fnriu'irH frum Dnr.i/4
City, S.D.,and BruccChubick,a6
7 forward from Atkinson-West
Holt.
The players who are expected to
sign with Nebraska women’s bas
ketball coach Angela Beck include
Kristi Kincaid, a 6-1 forward from
Central Arizona Junior College in
Coolidgc, Ariz., Sara Offringa, a 5
lOguardfromSl. Joseph, Mo., and
Karen Jennings,a6-2 forward from
n i.i i
Ncola, Iowa.
Tom Clinkscalcs, the basketball
coach at Crcslon High School in
Grand Rapids, said Cole is an out
standing jumper who uses his 180
pound frame to his advantage.
Cole, who earned All-State, All
Area and All-City honors last sea
son while averaging 25 points, 12
rebounds, 3.5 assists and two steals
and two blocks a game, chose
Nebraska over Southern Califor
nia, Michigan State, Dayton, Kent
State, Bowling Green and Univer
sity of Texas-EI Faso.
Clinkscalcs said Cole chose
Nebraska because he was im
pressed by Nee and his staff. He
said Nee made a strong impression
when he traveled to Grand Rapids
on a recruiting trip.
“Jamie was impressed with
_r. ,
a |/iwii.vmunui manner,
Clinkscaics said. “He was very
impressed as an individual.”
Clinkscaics said he wasn’t sur
prised when Cole chose Nebraska.
He said he knows Cole made a
smart decision because he used to
take his teams to Nee’s basketball
camps when the Husker coach was
coaching in Ohio.
“It wasn’t anything by sur
prise,” Clinkscaics said. “I know
coach Nee very well so I fell Nc
1 . r*
braska would have a very good
chance of signing him.”
Piatkowski, a two-time All
State selection who averaged 21
points and seven rebounds a game
last season, chose Nebraska over
Minnesota and Southern Method
ist. Chubick, who earned All-State
honors last year, chose Nebraska
over Creighton and Wisconsin.
Mary Kay Hyde, the girl’s bas
ketball coach at St. Joseph (Mo.)
Central High School, said Offringa
chose Nebraska over UCLA, USC,
Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri.
Hyde said Offringa, a two-time
All-City, All-District and All
State selection who received hon
orable-mention All-America hon
ors from Street and Smith maga
zine, is an excellent player who
possesses excellent floor knowl
“She’s kind of like having a
coach on the floor,” Hyde said.
“She knows whai ii takes to get
things done. She’s got a lot going
for her.”
Hyde said Oflringa did not feel
an abundance of pressure to slay
home and play for Missouri. She
said Offringa chose Nebraska be
cause she wanted to stay in the
Midwest.
“She wanted to look around.
/i* rt
She’s just like any other high
school senior because she wanted
to spread her wings and get away
from home a little bit,” Hyde said.
“But when it got right down to it,
she wanted to stay in the Midwest
so her parents could see her play.
She wanted to slay fairly close to
home.”
Gary White, the girl’s basket
ball coach at Tri-Center High
School in Ncola, Iowa, said Jen
nings chose Nebraska over Iowa
and Indiana because of the positive
recruiting trip she had in Lincoln.
He said Jennings, who earned All
State and All Wcstem-Iowa Con
ference honors while averaging
55.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per
game, was impressed by Beck.
“A lol of her decision had to do
with her recruiting visit,” White
said. “She just liked everything she
saw in Nebraska.”
While said Jennings’ strong
suits are her sirength and mobility.
He said Jennings is a steady player
who scored 1,388 points last sea
son — including 82 in one game—
in Iowa’s six-on-six style of bas
ketball.
“She’s an excellent scorer,”
White said. “She scores quite a
bit.”
Lin Laursen, the women’s bas
ketball coach at Central Arizona
Junior College, said scoring is also
one of Kincaid’s strengths. She
said Kincaid, who earned honor
able-mention all-tournament hon
ors at last year’s National Junior
College Tournament, led Central
Arizona to a 31 -4 record by averag
ing 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and
2.6 steals per game last season.
“Angela signed a good one,”
Laursen said. “Kristi is very strong.
She’s hard to stop.”
Laursen said Beck had an inside
uaiK. 1711 icciuiuiig rviiKdiu uc
cause the Husker coach recruited
her while she was coaching at
Bradley University in Peoria, III.
She said Kincaid originally singed
a letter of intent with Utah, but
attended Central Arizona because
her ACT score did not meet the
school’s admissions requirement.
Laursen said Kincaid will have
an immediate impact on the
Husker program. She said Kincaid
plans on using her junior college
experience to her advantage.
“The trend today, for whatever
reason, is to attend a junior col lege
so you can enhance your chances of
being recruited,” Laursen said.
“That’s what Kristi did and now
she’s feeling the benefits.”
DasKewau team faces first joe
By Jeff A pel
Senior Reporter
A contingent of young players
will get their first taste of collegiate
competition when the Nebraska
men’s basketball team faces Ath
letes in Action tonight in an exhibi
tion game.
The game begins at 7:35 p.m. at
the Bob Dcvancy Sports Center.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee
said the game is important because
it will give the Comhusker coach
ing staff an opportunity to evaluate
its first-year players. Those players
include freshman guards Alex
Brickner, Eric Dolczal and J.F.
Hoffman, forwards Carl Hayes,
Dapreis Owens and Ray
Richardson and center Kelly
Lively.
Nee said the game is also impor
tant because it will allow the
Husker coaches to evaluate several
veterans who arc battling for starl
ing positions. The players locked
in pre-season bailies are Rich King
anil Richard van Poclgccst for ihc
starling center position; Pete Man
ning, Owens and Hayes for the
starling power forward position;
and Beau Reid and Richardson for
the remaining forward spot.
Nee said he likes the intrasquad
competition surrounding the
game.
“We’ve got some real good
battles,” Nee said. “We’re very
pleased to sec that.”
Nee and Nebraska guard Clif
ford Scales said the Huskcrs arc
anxious to face an opponent be
cause they have spent the last three
weeks scrimmaging and practicing
among themselves.
“We’re tired of beating up on
each other,” Scales said.
Scales said Nebraska doesn’t
know what to expect from Athletes
in Action. The Aihlctcs in Action
rosier includes Rod Foster, a for
mer UCLA guard who earned 2nd
team AII-America honors as a
sophomore; Anihony Walson, who
was named ihc Western Athletic
Conference’s player of the year
following his senior season at San
Diego State two years ago; and
Alex Williams, a former Sacra
mento State guard who led the
nation in three-point shots last
season with an average of 5.6 per
game.
Athletes in Action compiled a
25-12 record last season, including
wins against California, Clcmson,
Florida, Marquette and Houston.
Athletes in Action also dropped a
126-91 decision to Oklahoma last
season in Norman, Ok la.
Seales said the game will serve
as a confidence builder for the rest
of the season.
“We have good chemistry and
that should help us,” he said. “I
think the new players arc adjusting
to the team tremendously and the
reluming players have all matured.
We know what to expect now.”
.— m ■ H — BUiWTt
Tonight 7:30 p.m.
Bob Dovaney Sports Center
(14,478 capacity)
F 35 Pete Manning, 6-8, 200, Sr.
F 40 Beau Reid, 6-7, 215, So.
C 12 Richard van Poelgeest, 6-9, 225, Jr.
OR 25 Rich King, 7-2, 235, So
G 23 Clifford Scales, 7-2, 170, So.
G 15 Eric Johnson, 6-2, 205, Sr.
F 40 Zack Jones, 6-5, 215
F 42 Darryl Martin, 6-7, 200
C 44 Gib Hinz, 7-0, 250
G 22 Rod Foster, 6-2, 180
G 12 Anthony Watson, 6-2,195
John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan
John Bruc*/D»ily h#brasfcan
NU’s Thomas Butkus finalist
By Nick Hodge
Siaff Reporter
Nebraska outside linebacker
Broderick Thomas has been named as
one of five finalists for the 1988
Butkus Award, and a conference
leading 10 other Cornhuskers
Wednesday were named to the 1988
I ce Jeans Academic Football Honor
Roll.
Thomas joins Keith DeLong of
Tennessee, Percy Snow of Michigan
State, Mike Stoncbreaker of Notre
Dame and Derrick Thomas of Ala
bama as finalists for the award that
honors the nation's top collegiate
linebacker.
The Butkus Award is presented by
the Downtown Athletic Club of
Orlando, Fla. The 12-man selection
committee will elect the winner Nov.
29 and will be formally presented at a
Thomas said he wants to play well
in the Huskers’ games against Colo
rado and Oklahoma in hopes of win
ning the Big Eight championship and
Bulk us Award. Nebraska will face the
Buffaloes Saturday in Lincoln before
playing Oklahoma Nov. 19
Five Huskers were named to the
First-Team Academic All-Big Eight
Team, including safely Mark Blazek.
Blazek was a repeat selection from
last year’s academic team. Nebraska
center Jake Young, offensive guard
John Nelson, quarterback Gerry
Gdowski and linebacker Randall
Jobman joined Blazck on the first
team.
Husker offensive guard Bill
Bobbora, defensive tackle Paul Brun
gardt, punter John Kroeker and line
backers Jon Marco and Pat Tyrance
received honorable mention.
' ' ! . . ' " I I
NU record-setter attributes success
to mixture of luck, skill and coaching
By Mike Kluck
Staff Reporter
Virginia Siahr doesn’t know
whether to attribute her success at
Nebraska to luck or skill.
Stahr, a 6-foot junior middle
blocker on this season’s 21-4 Com
husker volleyball team, said some of
her success has to be attributed to
luck.
“I’m very lucky,” Stahr said. “I’m
lucky for getting the opportunity to
come here. I’m lucky that coach
(Terry) Pettit and Jay (Potter, a for
mer Husker assistant coach) had faith
in me and believed in me more than I
did myself.”
“When I first came here, I didn’t
think 1 could do it,” she said. “I was
real apprehensive. But coach Potter
helped to build my self-esteem. I
would have to attribute some of my
success to him.”
Stahr has used her luck — mixed
with a lot of skill — to build some
impressive numbers this season. Last
season, Stahr’s .397 hitting percent
age ranked third nationwide. This
season, she is 4th in the nation with a
.417 hitting percentage. Anything
above .300 is considered good.
Stahr’s average of 4.04 kills per
game is 2nd in the Big Eight to team
mate Linda Barsness, who has 4.05
kills per game. Stahr’s average of
1.24 blocks per game ranks No. 3 in
the conference.
Stahr will gel a chance to improve
her totals tonight when Nebraska
plays Colorado in an 8:30 p.m. game
in Boulder, Colo.,
Stahr’s past performances have
put her in a position to break many
Nebraska career records before her
career is over.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit used a
different word to describe Slahr’s
success.
“She’s a Husker,” Pettit said. “I
think Virginia has the potential to be
one of the best players we ever had
here. She has ail the physical tools.
Sometimes she has a tendency to get
a little down on herself, but not very
often. She usually rights herself.
“1 would guess that she probably
has more blocks and kills than any
junior has had to this point. She’s real
competitive.”
Against Texas last Saturday, Stahr
had 31 ace spikes to become the third
Huskcr ever to record more than 30
spikes in a match. Enid Schonewise
recorded 38 spikes and Kathi DeBoer
32 during single games in 1986.
Stahr has also become the first
player to convert more than 1,000
kills before her senior season.
Stahr said she is concentrating on
setting team and personal goals rather
than breaking records.
“I’ve wanted to work on my back
row play,” Stahr said. “I ’ m also work
ing on my serving because I feel I had
a better serve last year. In the front
row, I’m doing my job but with a lot
of help from the rest of the team.”
Senior setter Lori Endicott said she
has seen Stahr’s play improve.
“She’s always dominated the front
row; she’s always been a great front
row player,” Endicott said. “Where
I’ve noticed (improvement) is in her
passing and backcourt play. Her de
fense has improved tremendously and
that’s where I’ve noticed the biggest
improvement this year.”
Stahr said her role as a team leader
has evolvpd naturally.
