Neil Smith primed for second pro season
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By Nick Hodge
Senior Reporter
With the pressures of his rookie season
behind him, former Comhusker All-American
Neil Smith said he’s anxiously awaiting his
second season in the Na
tional Football League.
Smith, who led the
Husker defense in tackles
for losses as a senior in
1987, said the media along
with Kansas City Chief
fans and coaching staff
placed unrealistic expecta
tions on him last season by
demanding immediatesue- Smith
cess.
“I feel a lot better because I don’t have as
much pressure on me,” Smith said Saturday
night after playing in a charity basketball game
at Lincoln Southeast High School. “This year,
I should go in their feeling a little bit more
comfortable and hope to have a better year.”
Smith and nine other members of the Chiels
played a team of Lincoln Downtown Optimist
Club celebrity all-stars to promote the “Just
Say No To Drugs” campaign. The Chiefs
defeated the Celebrity All-Star team 84-83. 1
Smith scored 18 points, slammed two dunks
and blocked two shots.
Five members of the Celebrity All-Star 1
team have played or coached at the university:
Tony Samuel, assistant football coach; Angela
Beck, women’s basketball coach; and former
Nebraska basketball players Amy Stephens, 1
Amy Bullock and Henry T. Buchanan.
Smith said he was relieved to finish his 1
rookie season because neither he nor the Chiefs
had the type of season that the fans expected.
He said occasional boos from the fans make
him glad to get on with his second season.
“I’m just so glad that I got my rookie year
behind me, because I was a high draft choice
and the pressure was on me being the second
guy chosen in the draft, Smith said. I guess
the fans and coaches and everybody were
expecting too much out of me as being too
much of a superman guy.” * .
Smith, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound defensive
end, used his 4.5 speed and his 7-fool arm span
to become the No. 2 pick in the 1988 NFL drait.
The first player selected was Aundrey Bruce,
an outside linebacker from Auburn who was
drafted by the Atlanta Falcons.
Smith said he will improve this season be
cause Kansas City will be a better team.
“I feel that whatever I did last season wasn’t
really aulhentic because the team was strut?
gling all year,” Smith said. “With a new
coach, I hope to come back and have a better
year.”
Smith said he was disappointed by his per
formance last season. ^ '
‘ ‘I was expecting more out of this year ” he
said. “But some goals I did reach and some I
didn’t. The ones I didn’t reach - I’ll try and
come back and get them this year.”
Smith said the talent of NFL players affects
his performance.
“The biggest change from Nebraska to the
NFL is probably the difference in the guys in
height, speed and weight,” Smith said. “There
arc bigger and faster guys in the NFL. When
you go against the 10-ycar guys with more
experience, you just have to learn from all your
mistakes through the year.”
Comhusker diving coach
continues career at Indiana
By Jeff Apel
Senior Editor
An emotional Jeff Huber ended
his 11-year reign as the Nebraska
diving coach when he was named to
the same position r~
at Indiana.
Huber said his
decision to leave
Nebraska in favor
of Bloomington,
Ind., was a tough
one because he
has enjoyed his
coaching career u .. „
wilh ihe Com- Hubcr
huskers. He said his career climaxed
when he broke into tears while telling
the Nebraska men’s and women’s
swimming and diving teams about
his decision.
There were some tears shed,
Huber said
“It was a very tough decision
because I had a lot of fun here and I
feel this is my program,” he said.
Huber said he surprised himself
when he accepted the Indiana job
because he didn’t think he would be
leaving. He said Indiana approached
him when Hobie Billingsley, who
coached the Hoosiers’ divers for 30
years, retired.
Huber said he was offered the
Indiana job four weeks ago, but
waited to announce his intentions
because he wanted to inform his team
members and Nebraska Athletic Di
rector Bob Devaney.
“I tried to do everything fairly,”
Huber said. “That’s how I’ve been
treated here - fair.”
Huber said he will have several
advantages at Indiana because the
Hoosier athletic department is con
structing a $16 million swimming
and diving facility. He said the facil
ity will include a diving tower, which
the Bob Devaney Sports Center
lacks.
Huber said tower diving is an
important event because it was
scored at the NCAA championships
for the first time this year. He said it
is also an important event interna
tionally.
Huber said he doesn’t know if he
can accomplish the same type of
success at Indiana that he had at
Nebraska. During his Husker career,
Huber coached 14 All-Americans, 23
Big Eight champions and has been
named the Big Eight diving coach of
the year four times.
The Nebraska men’s swimming
team, behind a 5th-plaec finish by
senior Lewis Meyers in the platform
diving competition, finished 10th at
this year’s NCAA championships.
The Husker women, behind a 5th
placc finish by Julie May in the 1
meter diving competition, were 29th.
Nebraska women’s swimming
coach Ray Huppert said Huber will
be missed.
,4The writing is on the wall,”
Huppert said. 4‘Jeff Huber is the
premiere diving coach in the coun
try.”
Huppert said he doesn’t anticipate
Huber’s departure to cause any prob
lems even though the spring signing
dale for swimming begins Wednes
day. He said the athletes that Huber
was recruiting will continue to be
courted by Nebraska.
4‘Jeff is loyal to the program,”
Huppert said. 44He’s not trying to
recruit anyone away.”
Meyers said Huber’s departure
will cause him definite problems. He
said he was planning on slaying at
Nebraska and training, but doesn’t
know what he will do now.
“I’m extremely upset,” Meyers
said. “It throws a big loop in my
plans.”
Huppert said he and Nebraska
men’s swimming coach Cal Bent/,
will join Dcvancy and form a search
committee for a new coach. He said
he docs not know when a successor
will be named.
“We need to sit down and talk
because we arc not going to rush in so
fast that we make a hasty decision
that we regret down the line,” Hup
pert said.
“ Shaun Sartin/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska’s Frankie Jernigan slides safely into second base, despite the efforts of Sooner
second baseman Mark Cole.
Huskers split double headers with Sooners
By Jerry Guenther
Suff Reporter
It was a case of double header
deja vu for the Nebraska baseball
team Sunday afternoon as they
dropped the second half of a twin
bill to Oklahoma.
On both Saturday and Sunday,
the Comhuskers won the first
game and led or tied Oklahoma
late in the second game before
losing to the nauonally-rated
Sooners.
Saturday, the Huskers won 10-4
in the first game and lost 3-1 in the
second. Sunday, Nebraska won the
opener 3-2 and dropped the night
cap 2-1.
“It was a fickle four-game se
ries,” Nebraska baseball coach
John Sanders said. “Both teams
were very opportunistic during the
four games.”
Oklahoma coach Enos Semore
said he was pleased by his team’s
ability to come back throughout
the series.
“We had our backs to the wall
to the end,” he said. “All the
games were tough.”
Nebraska is now 15-13, and
Oklahoma is 22-9.
In the second game on Sunday,
neither team scored until Bruce
Wobken’s single 40 right field
scored JefT Allen, giving Nebraska
a 1-0 lead. Wobken’s nit was the
only one for the Hunkers during the
contest
The Sooncrs came right back,
scoring both their runs in the sixth
inning on two walks, a hit, a wild
pitch and a ground out to take a 2
1 lead.
“Give them credit” Sanders
said. ‘ ‘They bounced back. It was a
game where one or two runs could
win.”
Dale Kistaitis, 2-3, was the los
ing pitcher for Nebraska. He
pitched five innings and faced two
Sooncrs in the sixth inning before
being relieved by Joe Purvine.
Kistaitis gave up five hits, two
runs, six walks and struck out four.
Purvine pitched two innings, giv
ing up two walks without allowing
any hits or runs.
In the opener Sunday, Ne
braska picked up single runs in the
thilrd, fourth and seventh innings
and managed to hold off a two-run
Sooner rally in the ninth inning to
win 3-2.
Offensively, the Huskcrs were
led by Ken Ramos and Frankie
Jernigan who each collected two
hits. _ .,
Mike Zajeski, 3-2, pitched 8 1/
3 innings, allowing two hits and
two runs. He walked and struck out
seven to pick up his third win.
See SOONERS on 7
Nee’s basketball team continues to ‘grow’
By Mark Derowitsch
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska basketball program
reached the infant stage this season,
Coach Danny Nee said
Nee said the Comhuskers, who
finished with a 17-16 record, are
making progress.
‘ ‘ Last year, we were in the embryo
stage,” Nee said. “But we’re not
there any more. We moved into the
infant stage. We’re starting to walk. ’ ’
Nee said keeping the program
consistent is the key to success. He
said having upperclassmen playing a
big role is important to a team.
“In the Final Pour, there weren’t
too many (young playerS) out on the
floor,” Nee said, '‘tike Seton Hall.
They had no ical superstars but they
were all juniors and seniors who
knew how to play as a team.
“You have to establish a team
with good development. The good
teams arc consistent -- they do ihc
same things year in and year out.”
The Final Four had four consistent
teams that made it one of the best in
history, Nee said. Michigan, Illinois,
Duke and Scion Hall played in the
Final Four in Seattle. Michigan de
feated Scion Hall 80-79 in the cham
pionship game.
“It was one of the best I’d ever
seen,” Nee said. “I really felt that
there were no losers at the Final Four
this year. But there were four differ
ent type programs. Duke and Scion
Hall went through some lean years
but they stuck with their coaches and
ultimately became successful. And
Michigan and Illinois arc two great,
consistent programs. When they
played (in the semifinals), it was like
an NBA game.”
Nee said Michigan’s win was a
‘‘Cinderella story,” because interim
Coach Steve Fisher took over for
Coach Bill Frieder before the tourna
ment began. Frieder accepted the
coaching job at Arizona State, and
was subsequently told by Michigan
football coach and athletic director
Bo Schcmbcchlcr that he would not
be coaching the Wolverines.
“They’ll talk about that for 20
years," Nee said.
Nee said the Huskers “have to get
a break” to make it into the Final
Four.
“We nccdone player now or in the
future to really stand out,” he said.
“But to get in a position where you
have a chanceof going every year, we
have to develop consistently. I think
we’re on the right track.”
To develop even further, the
Huskers are trying to recruit a point
guard. Allen County (Kan.) Commu
nity College guard Carl Weldon vis
ited Nebraska last month.
Allen County coach Neil Crane
said Weldon was impressed with
Nebraska’s program.
“He liked Nebraska,’’ Crane said.
“He likes the tael that he would have
an opportunity to play right away.”
Weldon, a 6-loot-3, 185-pound
sophomore, averaged 15.1 points and
6.2 assists lor the Red Devils. Crane
said Weldon also plans on visiting
Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas,
Boston College and Scion Hall.
“His quickness is just super,”
Crane said. ‘‘I’ve never seen anyone
go Irom first to fourth gear as fast as
he docs.”
ThcHuskcrs have two scholar
ships lo give, since Jed Bargen an
Eric Dole/al decided to leave Ne
braska. j . Knlh
“I talked with Jed, and we bom
decided that it would be in his be*
interests to play elsewhere,
said. “And Eric and I discussed ne
situation, and he decided to try to
somewhere else to play. We ret > £
to help him anyway we can.
Nee also said that assistant coat
Arden Reid resigned last week. <
said Reid is trying to lind a jo
another college. •.
“It was a very complex
ation,’’ Nee said. “We both ^ ^
change was needed. After(h*
the matter, Reid resigned j thin
a really goocf coach and a I meIK• .
I’m sure he’ll be a good coat
ever he goes.’’
