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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1989)
NelSraskan Thursday, January 26,1989 Foreigners added to Husker tennis team By Mike Kluck Staff Repotter A long-distance friendship helped Nebraska men’s tennis coach Kerry McDermott land a top recruit McDermott said Matthias Mueller, a freshman from Hamm, West Germany, transferred to Ne braska largely because of the influ ence of teammate Robert Sjoholm. He said Sjoholm, who is from Fin land, told the Comhusker coaching staff all about Mueller. “We were really fortunate for him to come,” McDermott said. “We wrote to him and learned he was in German Army training but would be interested in coming here after he was done.” McDermott said Nebraska took a different path while recruiting Jo seph Rahme, a mid-year transfer from Johannesburg, South Africa. “For Rahme, we just did o.ur nor mal recruiting,” McDermott said. “We were just fortunate for him to come here.” McDermott said he expects Rahme and Mueller to have an im mediate impact on the Nebraska program. He said Mueller could play in the No. 3 or 4 singles spots, while Hamm could play No. 5 or 6 singles. McDermott said there are definite advantages to having foreign athletes on his team. “It seems easier to recruit for eigners,” McDermott said. “They seem to be more willing to come to a colder stale. It is hard to get Ameri can kids ranked in the lop 50. Most of them don’t want to come to a colder stale or don’t like playing inside for part of the season/’ Paul Riddle, • junior winger on the Nebraska rugby team, practices in preparation for his trip to New Orleans this weekend. UNL’s Riddle makes successful switch from boxing to rugby All-Star team . . . • . t .1 _ 1 A It Bj Darrnn Fowler Suff Rtpotter A tom rotator cuff and a small frame could not stop Nebraska junior Paul Riddle from making a rugby All-Star team that will com pete m New Orleans this weekend. Riddle, a 5-foot-10r 160-pound vvinra from Millard, said he made the western Rugby Football Union Mustangs by relying on speed and hustle. He said those two factors overcame the limitations he faced because of his rotator cuff injury, his lack of size and his lack of experience. Riddle said his rotator cuff in jury bothered him throughout the AU-Star team's tryout camp be cause it forced him to hesitate each time he faced a tackle. He said he was also hesitant because a major ity of the 200 participants at the tryout camp in Dallas, Texas, were bigger than him. “I was shy to tackle.” Riddle said, "so I missed a tot of them.” But Riddle's shaky tackling did not stop him from impressing the scouts who attended each of the three tryout games held over Thanksgtvtng. He earned a spot on the 40-man roster by scoring three iris for the Great Plains Union Rugby Team, a squad which was comprised of players from Ne braska and South Dakota. A tri is the equivalent of a touchdown. Riddle said he was surprised to make the AU-Star team because . | the requirements for eligibility were tnai eacn participant must uc under 25 years of age and also have rugby experience. He said he had no problem meeting the age re quirement, but ran into experience problems because he did not start playing rugby until last spring. Riddle said he has no regrets about his rugby career even though it meant the end of his career with the University of Nebraska-Lin coln’s boxing team. He said he elected to go out for rugby even though he never played football while he was attending Millard South High School. ti« * a .ei_* n niJJU 1 KUt UiCU Ul WAUI^, IWUU1V said. ‘YI talked to the past captain of the boxing team and he told me to come out and try rugby. I’ve been at home ever since.” Riddle said the lone disappoint ment he has is be will be the team * s lone Nebraska representative. “I’m happy with my accom plishments/’ he said, “but it dis pfteases me that the older players weren't m fortunate. They taught rne ail lknow and they just had bad weekends. Us disappointing that they couldn’t go.” Nebraska rugby coach Vince Powers said he was proud of Riddle’s accomplishment. Hr said Riddle’s feat is special because the Nebraska rugby tram is not funded by the university. “It’s difficult for him to com pete because he doesn’t get the training that other clubs have,” Powers said. * ’Club sports here at UK* university «rc urenumeu. -rut the other Big Eight schools have funding and are well pro gram med.” Powers said Riddle’s experi ence will benefit the Nebraska rugby program. “ItwillbeaboostforPaul,” he said. “He will see how serious rugby’s takeu across the country. Hopefully, he will bring that atti tude back to campus and we can attract more players.” Powers said Riddle is “one tough little kid.” “He has no business playing rugby,” Powers said. “Rugby is a very demanding, physical game. ’* Powers said Riddle benefited this season by not playing high school football He said thatchoice made Riddle’s transition to rugby much easier. “It always takes at least one season to get rid of that football mentality. Powers said. “In rugby all that counts is scaring and you advance it by either running, passing or kicking. In football, the importance is to get the extra ywd.” K dale said he dopes mere arc representatives from national teams in attendance when the Mustangs play then games. "I'm just going to play a few games and maybe learn something fromitfcr later,” he said. *Tm not i - t know bow tar 1 can go.” Rahme said he immediately no ticed the cold weather when he ar rived in Nebraska. He said cold weather has been the toughest aspect to get used to. “The cold winter was a very big change,’ ’ Rahme said. Mueller said the weather in Ne braska is warmer than it i$ in Hamm. He said Hamm is very similar to Lincoln. “Probably the biggest difference I’ve noticed is the food,” Mueller said. “I now cat at the training table and the hamburgers here are different than they are in Germany.” Rahme said he decided to leave his home country because of the strength of the Nebraska tennis pro gram. ‘‘Nebraska’s tennis program is very strong,” he said. ‘‘Nebraskahas a good reputation among tennis play ers I have spoken to.” Rahme said his goal is to make the No. 5 or 6 spot and contribute to Nebraska’s overall success. He said his strength lies in doubles matches. See MCDERMOTT on 14 Continuous losing streak concerns NU coach Nee By Mark Derowitsch Senior Reporter Home games aren’t supposed to be frustrating, but Nebraska men’s basketball coach Danny Nee thinks the Comhuskers have been puzzling at home. Nee said Wednesday that the Huskers need to break out of a Big Eight home losing streak. Nebraska has lost four straight conference games at home, dating back to last season. “Losing a home game really bothers me, but we feel there are teams that we have the same amount of (physical) talent that those teams do,” Nee said during his weekly Kress conference. “But at home, you ave to find a way to win those games. On the road, you have to play above yourselves to win.” The Huskers, who are now 12-7 overall anau-J in the Big bight, have dropped an 89-81 decision to Okla homa and an 80-68 loss to Kansas State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this season. Nee said the Huskers must start winning in Lincoln in order to com pete in the Big Eisht “You just canYt be successful if you lose at home,” Nee said. “There’s no way we’re going to get this turned around if we keep losing at home.” Nee said Nebraska can overcome two home losses in the conference. But to do that, he said, the Huskers have to start playing better. ‘‘But I don’t see any frustration at this point,” Nee said. “1 see disap pointment. Obviously, we’re not happy with the way we’re playing but I don’t see any dissension or unrest.” Last season, the Huskers com plied a 4-10 record in the Big Eight, including a 3-4 mark at home. In eluded in those victories was a 70-68 victory against Kansas, which went on to win the national championship. But after defeating Kansas, the Huskers finished their season with a 2-9 mark. Nee said he would rather have the Huskers improve steadily than to win one game against a lop team. ‘‘I don’t want to be rewarded with one of those and go into the tank again,” Nee said. ‘Til take the turtle and we’ll just go along nice andslow. .. Obviously, we’re not happy with the way we’re playing but I don’t see any dissension or unrest.' -Nee That’s what Flike about our team. 1 think we’re going to get better.” Nee said the Huskers can compete against teams they match up with - like Kansas State, Iowa State and Colorado. “Idon’tput them on a schedule,” Nee said. "I personally think one of the things our problem is is the com petition. We are successful against the people on our level. We aren’t successful against the teams that are physically belter than us.” Nee said Nebraska needs to learn how to defeat a top-10 team. “The teams that beat us, physi cally beat us," Nee said. "We have not beaten one of those teams yet, and I think in order to pull yourself to the next level, you have to beat that team and learn how to win in that situation.” Super Sunday becoming much too commercialized Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around sports. Playing catch with my dad in the front lawn, be it with a baseball or football, going to my first Com huskcr football game back in 1972, when Bob Devaney was still Ne braska’s coach, and attending my first St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. Those are a few things that still stick ir> my mind. But one of my most vivid memo ries is watching my first Super Bowl game from start to finish, at least the first one 1 remember watching. It was 1976 — I was 10 years old - and Pittsburgh beat Dallas 21-17. My dad was, and still is, an avid Stcclers fan, and I remember him jumping, cheering and generally acting like a mad-man throughout the game. And who can torget the great, awkward, falling catch made by Steclers wide receiver Lynn Swann? That single play has graced more NFL highlight films than Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception,’* which occurred three seasons earlier. But the thing I remember the most is the fact that back then, the game was just that - a game. Sure, it was the Super Bowl, “Super Sunday,” “the big one” ... but it all centered around football. The day, the game, halftime . .. everything was there because of the two teams involved. There was no “Bud Bowl,” there was no ridiculous, over-hyped 3-D halftime show (and if there was, it couldn’t have been any worse than the piece of tr ash football fans were treated to last Sunday), there were no five-minute blocks of commercials or post-game national news telecasts from the press box. Back then, there was no long publicized “minute of black space. * on the television screen immediately before the second-half kickoff, and _____