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Sports
Kansas State guard tandem concerns Nee
By Jeff Apel
Senior Editor
Oklahoma Stale men’s basketball
coach Leonard Hamilton considered
using kryptonitc Wednesday to stop
Kansas State guard Jean Derouillere.
This Saturday, that piece of fluo
rescent-green rock could be the best
asset for the Nebraska men’s basket
ball team when it faces Kansas State.
Nebraska will find out just how
good Derouillere and his teammates
are when it faces Kansas State at 3:07
p.m. in the Bob Devancy Sports Center.
The game, which will be preceeded
by a Comhusker-Wildcat women’s
matchup at 12:30 p.m., will be tele
vised by Raycom (channels 10-11).
Before his team’s win against
Kansas State, Hamilton said he al
most resorted to kryptonitd - Super
man’s lone nemesis - to stop Dcr
ouillcre. Hamilton compared the
Kansas State guard to former Wildcat
forward Mitch Richmond, who now
plays for the National Basketball
Associaiion'sGoIdcn Slate Warriors.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said
he is concerned because the Wildcats
possess a strong guard tandem in
Dcrouillere and Steve Henson.
The Huskcrs tuned up for their
game against Kansas State by drop
ping a 105-64 decision to the Sooncrs
on Wednesday. Nee said Nebraska
will have a tough time preparing for
the game, because the Wildcats arc a
sharp contrast to Oklahoma.
“Their strength lies in their
guards,” Nee said. “They’ve got a
one-two punch.”
The first half of that punch con
sists of Derouillcre, a 6-foot-5 junior
from Miami whoaverages 14.7 ooints
and 3.4 rebounds per game. The sec
ond punch is Henson, Derouillere’s
backcourt teammate. Henson is a 6-1
senior who ranks first on Kansas State’s
career steals and assists lists, and ranks
fourth on the Wildcats’ all-time scor
ing list.
Henson has connected on 93 per
cent of his free throws this season, a
feat which causes problems for oppo
nents.
“You can’t foul him,” Kansas
coach Roy Williams said. “Every
lime you foul him, it’s like, ‘Here,
Sieve, here’s a layup.’”
Henson said he lakes pride in his
free-lhrow shooting.
“There are a lot of things in bas
ketball where you can’t really say
how well you’re playing,” Henson
said. “But with free throws, it’s in the
numbers, and you can sec it.”
Henson has been a thorn in Ne
braska’s side throughout his career,
averaging 14.1 points and 2.1 rebounds
against the Huskcrs.
Nee said he is impressed with
Henson.
“Steve Henson is one of the pre
mier players in the country,” Nee
said.
Kansas State coach Lon Kruger
agreed. He said Henson plays a big
role for the Wildcats, who arc now
12-9 overall and 2-3 in the Big Eight.
“He has certainly meant a lot to
this program,” Kruger said.4 4 In three
years, he has been asked to do a lot ol
different things, and he has always
adjusted his game for the benefit of
the team. As 1 said last year, I don’t
know one player that has done more
for this team than Steve Henson.”
Kruger said Henson is a natural
leader.
“Leadership is an intangible thing,
and it’s really not something that s
easy to teach,” he said. “Steve is an
excellent leader, both by example
and by urging guys on. He knows
when to get afterguys, and he knows
when to pump them up. He just has a
good feel for people and for basket
ball.”
Nee said Kansas State also is bol
stered by Tony Massop, a 6-8 center
who averages 9.7 points and 6.5 re
bounds per contest. He said the 230
pound Massop is a rugged perfdrmcr.
“Tony Massop is having a great
year inside,” Nee said. “The guy is
just a steady player.”
Kruger said Massop’s pcrfonnance
is critical because Kansas Stale lacks
height. The Wildcats tallest player is
6-10 forward John Rcltigcr, which
could cause problems because Ne
braska is the tallest team in the Big
Eight.
The Huskcrs will counter Rcltigcr’s
and Massop’s height with 7-foot centers
Rich King and Kelly Lively, 6-9 for
ward Richard van Poelgccst, 6-7 for
ward/guard Ray Richardson and 6-8
forwards Carl Hayes and Dapreis
Owens.
Kruger said Kansas State will battle
Nebraska’s height with fundamen
tals.
“We’ll continue to stress the fun
damentals inside to make up for any
deficiencies we may have,” he said.
Kansas State docs not have any
deficiencies in terms of athletic abil
ity, as Kruger said this year’s group of
Wildcats is more athletic than the
team he possessed last year.
The 1988-H Wildcats finished with
a 19-11 record and lost to Minnesota
in the first round of the NCAA tour
nament.
“One of the things we look for
ward to is the opportunity to do more
things on the court,’’ Kruger said.
“We would like to get into a position
where we could create some things
with our defense, then takcadvantage
on the offensive end.’’
M U win brightens outlook,
raises fans’ expectations
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
Cornhuskcr watchers already arc
expecting more from the Nebraska
women’s basketball team after two
Big Bight victories, according to Coach
Angela Beck.
“You gel a couple of wins, and
you wonder wjty you can’t win by
more lhan seven,” she said.
Well, expectations of a big win arc
understandable after the Huskcrs took
a 19-point halftime lead on their way
to a 88-81 victory over Oklahoma
on Wednesday.
After the magnificent first period,
Nebraska relaxed and let the Sooncrs
make two runs. At the end, free throws
helped the Huskcrs, 10-10 and 2-5 in
the conference, win their second
straight game, after a six-game losing
streak.
That inconsistency and flash of
greatness sounds a lot like Nebraska’s
opponent this Saturday, Colorado. The
Huskcrs and Lady Buffs start at 12:30
p.m. (moved up a half hour from the
original schedule) at the Bob Dcva
ncy Sports Center.
“We’ve been struggling,” Colo
rado coach Ccal Barry said. “Some
limes we look good; sometimes we
look pretty awful.”
Barry said the Lady Buffs, 11-9
and 4-3, looked good in the second
half of their 78-61 win over Kansas
on Wednesday. Colorado took over
fourth place in the conference with
the victory.
“We’re young, so we can’t put 40
minutes together,” Barry said.
Last season Colorado went unde
feated in the league and reached a No.
9 ranking, enough togive high expec
tations to any team.
But the Lady Buffs lost their four
top scorers -- one has even made the
Harlem Globetrotters -- so Barry has
had to rely on lone reluming starter
Annan “Spud” Wilson and junior
college transfer Debbie Johnson.
Wilson, a 5-foot-4 point guard,
keys the Colorado offense and full
court press. Johnson, a 6-5 center, is
the team’s leading scorer and pul in
28 points against Kansas.
Beck said Wilson caused the Husk
ers the most trouble in Colorado’s 81 -
57 win over Nebraska on January 17,
so the Huskers worked on breaking
the press Thursday.
See BECK on 8
NU track team set to face
Arkansas, Drake Saturday
By Sara Bauder
Staff Reporter
Nebraska track coach Gary Pepin
isn’t shying away from the lough
competition that awaits his teams on
Saturday.
In fact, he welcomes it.
Pepin said he is looking forward to
Nebraska’s triangular meet against
Arkansas and Drake-because both
teams will provide the Cornhuskers
with tough competition. He will find
out just how tough when the meet
begins at 11 a.m. in the Bob Devaney
Sports Center.
All University of Ncbraska-Lin
coln students who show their studen t
I.D. cards will be admitted free.
Pep;n said he is pleased to have
Arkansas coming to Lincoln because
the Razorbacks are a high-powered
team. The Arkansas men have won
six consecutive NCAA indoor track
titles, and also have claimed the last
nine Southwest Conference champi
onships.
“It’s not often that you can get a
team like that to come all the way up
here for a meet,” Pepin said.
“Their men’s team will give us all
the competition we’ll want. They arc
traditionally strong in distance events.
At the Arkansas Invitational two
weeks ago, Razorback Reuben Reina
ran the mile in 3:59.35 minutes, with
teammate Eric Henry finishing sec
ond in 4:00.03.
Pepin said Arkansas is weaker in
the sprints, but has a good athlete in
every field event except the shot put.
Pepin said the Drake men are led
by Kevin Little, who earned All
America honors last season. He said
Little, who is the three-time defend
ing champion in the Husker Invita
tional 200-meter dash, is one of the
best sprinters in the nation.
On the women’s side, Pepin said
Arkansas has some good individual
athletes, but doesn’t have as much
depth as it needs.
Drake will provide a good chal
lenge for die Nebraska women, Pepin
said. He said the Huskers expect a
stronger challenge from Drake than
they received last weekend against
Wichita Slate and Colorado Slate.
See TOUGH on 8
Senior gymnasts
to play key role
in competition
By Mike O’Malley
Staff Reporter
Nebraska women’s gymnas
tics coach Rick Walton admits
he is having nightmares.
Walton said he often wakes
up in the middle of the night
scared about losing the four
seniors on this year’s team to
graduation. He said he calms
down by reminding himself that
the four upperclassmen still have
their final year of eligibility
remaining.
That senior experience will
play a key role on Sunday, when
the Comhuskers compete in the
Masters Classic. The meet, which
Walton described as a prelimi
nary competition for the NCAA
championships, begins at 2 p.m.
in the Bob Dcvaney Sports
Center.
All University of Ncbraska
Lincoln students who present
their student I.D. cards will be
admitted free to the second
annual meet, which will pit No.
4 Nebraska against second
ranked UCLA, sixth-ranked Cal
v Slate Fullerton and I3th-rankcd
Washington.
wauon saio ixeDrasKa win
need strong performances from
its seniors in order to win die
Masters Classic. The Huskcrs
senior connection includes All
America selections Tami Bair
and Michele Bryant, Jane
Clemons, the defending Big
Eight champion in the uneven
ban, and Lisa McCrddy.
“We are a veteran team with
four outstanding seniors,” he
said. “We look to be in good
□for the meet.”
said he expects a strong
challenge from UCLA, which
Nebraska defeated once in three
attempts last season. The Bruins’
top gymnasts are Jill Andrews,
Kim Hamelton, Renac Kelly,
Cara Alrich, and freshman
Rhonda Thane.
“UCLA always has talented
teams,” he said. “They always
have the biggest wealth of tal
ent If they’re physically healthy
they should do well.”
Walton said he also expects
Cal State Fullerton to do well.
He said the Titans are similar to
Nebraska because they have a
veteran squad which performs a
See GYMNASTS on 8
Nebraska's Karts Cash flies high
competing in the floor exercise.