Coach optimistic about returning starters
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Never mind that it’s only April.
George Darlington is already think
ing about next January’s Orange Bowl.
Now all he needs is some help
from his players in the defensive
backfield.
Darlington, the Nebraska football
team’s secondary coach, said that with
four starters back from last year’s
team, the Comhusker coaches arc
expecting great things on pass cover
age.
“We’re expecting to be the best
defensive hackfield in the Big Eight,”
he said. “ I anticipate that if we do our
jobs, we’ll be playing Florida State or
Miami or Notre Dame in the Orange
Bowl.”
Darlington’s optimism is based on
the tact that two of the four first-team
All-Big Eight defensive backs were
Huskcrs — strong safety Reggie Coo
per and cornerback Bruce Pickens -
and they’re back this season.
“Overall, we’re in pretty good
shape,” Darlington said. “We have a
lot of tirsi- and second-team players
back, so we’ll be very experienced.”
One player who won’t be back is
free safety John Reece, who tore an
anterior cruciate ligament in his knee
during a non-contact punt return at a
recent scrimmage. Darlington said
Reece probably will be lost for the
season, and won’t return until winter
conditioning.
‘‘That will hurt us on the dime
defense (a scheme which employs
five defensive backs on obvious pass
ing situations), because he was our
starter for the dime position,” Dar
lington said. “It will also hurt us in
competition at safety.”
Othdr than Reece, Darlington said,
the Huskers secondary' is “pretty much
intact,” with the only exception being
comerback Tyrone Legette, who still
is recovering from a hip injury he
suffered against Oklahoma. Darling
ton said the injury is one that can't be
fixed by surgery.
“There’s just nothing to operate
on,” Darlington said. “It’s the tvpc
of injury that you just have to wait for
it to heal.”
This week’s depth chart has Jon
Crippcn listed ahead of Pickens at left
comerback. Darlington said Crippen’s
effort in last Saturday’s scrimmage is
what made the difference,
“I’m really impressed with the
improvement Jon has made in all
aspects of his game,” Darlington said.
“He has improved in all physical
strength test scores over last season,
and he is playing very well right now.”
Other players Darlington said have
made noticeable improvement over
last fall are strong safety Curtis Cot
ton, who was named Nebraska’s
See SECONDARY on 8
Pospects force
pause in Nee’s
recruiting chase
By Jeff Ape!
Senior Editor_
Nebraska men’s basketball coach
Danny Nee will have to play a
waiting game if he wants to sign
three prospects he is chasing on the
recruiting trail.
Martin Keane, a forward from
Northeast Community College of
Norfolk, point guards Jose Ramos
of Central Florida College of Ocala,
Fla., and Eric Moore of Pratt(Kan.)
Community College all intend to
delay their signings until at least
the early part of next week, their
respective coaches said. Wednes
day was the first day prospective
recruits could sign letters of intent.
The three coaches said the wait
would be well worth it, as their
prospects are being highly recruited.
Keane is being sought by Nebraska,
Oklahoma, St. Johns and Wash
ington, while Ramos is being pur
sued by Nebraska, Florida State,
Miami, Clem son, Texas A&M and
Colorado State. Moore was being
recruited by a multitude of schools,
but has narrowed his choice down
to Nebraska and Clemson.
Fred Johnson, the coach at
Northeast Community CoWece, said
Keane is being sought highly be
cause of the combination of his 6
foot-8, 222-pound frame and his
ability to run the floor. He said
Keane is a big, physical player who
has the ability to step into any
Division I lineup and make an
immediate contribution.
Johnson said Keane displayed
his abilities last season by averag
ing 24.5 points and 14 rebounds
per contest. He said Keane posted
those numbers despite being double
and triple teamed every time he
touched the ball.
“That’s a chunk,’ ’ Johnson said.
“He was obviously a vital cog in
what we were doing.’’
Johnson said he isn’t trying to
steer Keane towards Nebraska even
though the Comhuskers originally
tried to recruit the post player when
he was a high school senior in
Toronto. He said Keane ended up
attending Norfolk because he suf
fered a severe injury to his left
knee during his senior year and
because he did not meet the aca
demic requirements set by Propo
sition 48,
Johnson said be isn't trying to
persuade Keane to go one place or
another.
“That’s not my job,’’ he said,
borrowing a phrase that Nee usu
ally uses when referring to his play
ers academics. “My job is to ts&e a
look at Uie schools and see what is
best for him.
“I’ll sit back and see what deci
sion he makes, then hope it works
out.”
Central Florida coach James
Smithson said he also is not be
coming heavily involved in Ra
mos’ decision. He said Ramos, who
was the 1987 Parade Magazine co
player of the year, is being re
cruited by Nebraska, Florida State,
Minnesota, Clemson, Texas A&M
and Colorado State, among others.
“There’s a bunch of them,”
Smithson said. “It’s just on and on
and on.’’
Smithson said Ramos began his
collet iate career at Florida, but
transferred toCcntral Florida when
turmoil struck the Gators’ program.
Florida, which is in the midst of
serving a NCAA probation sen
tence, recently hired former Kan
sas State coach Lon Kruger as its
new coach.
Smithson said Ramos is inter
ested in becoming a Huskcr, as the
the guard was visiting Nebraska on
Thursday. The Huskers definitely
arc interested in obtaining Ramos,
as he averaged 16.2 points per game
for a team that had six players
average in double figures,dealtout
210 assists and had 101 steals.
“He’s a complete player,”
Smithson said.
Pratt Community College coach
Jim Sampson said Moore also is a
complete player. He said Moore
would be a nice addition to the
Nebraska program, which rolled to
a 10-18 record this season largely
because it lacked a true point guard.
Sampson said Moore is impres
sive.
“He’s a very strong and very
steady point guard,” Sampson said.
“He’s a floor leader, and he's very
dangerous as far as speed and quick
ness.”
Daffy Ntbraakan KH photo
Nebraska men’s basketball coact) Danny Nee
By Darran Fowler
Staff Reporter
For the second time this season,
Nebraska softball coach Ron Wolforth
is confident his team can be a tourna
ment champion.
Nebraska opens play today in the
four-team Iowa Hawkcye invitational
at Iowa City, Iowa. In round-robin
play, the Comhuskers play Miami of
Ohio at 11 a.m.. Adclphi University
of Garden City, N.Y., at 1 p.m. and
Iowa at 5 p.m.
At noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, the
four teams play semifinal games
according to how they finish today,
with the two winners meeting in the
championship game at 4 p.m Satur
day.
The last time Wolforth felt the
Huskers had a legitimate shot to win
a tournament was at the 20-tcam Florida
State invitational on March 16-18.
However, rain forced that tournament
to be canceled after the first round of
play was completed.
Wolforth projected Iowa will chal
lenge the Huskers to win its own
tournament.
“I expect us to win this tourna
ment,” he said. ‘‘Iowa is a good team,
but we’re better than they arc.”
Besides feeling the Huskers are
the best team entered in the tourna
ment, Wolforth also based his opti
mism on the fact that he is content
with the Huskers.
“I’m starting to feel more com
fortable with this team,” he said.
“We’re getting a lot tougher. We’re
not near as distracted as we used to
be.”
In the past, Wolforth said, players
had the tendency to get rattled when
things went bad or they made a mis
take. They used to worry about what
the coaches or other players thought
in those situations, he said.
Wolforth attributed those concerns
See INVITE on 8
NU faces 6-game homestand
with injured starting pitcher
By Jeff Apel
Senior Editor
—
Nebraska baseball coach John
Sanders will unveil his team’s altered
pitching rotation when the Comhuskcrs
face Northern Colorado.
Sanders said he will start Doug
Tegtmeier tonight in place of junior
Mike Zajeski. He said Zajeski, the
son of the former major leaguer by
the same name, is suffering from a
tender right (pitching) shoulder that
could end his season prematurely.
“Idon’tknow if he will be back or
not,” Sanders said.
Sanders said losing Zajeski for the
year would be a big blow, as the
Orland Park, 111., native has a perfect
4-0 record and a 3.60 earned run
average. He also recorded 44 strike
outs in 40 innings of work and had a
team-high two complete games.
Sanders said Tegtmeier could case
some of the sting implemented by
Zajeski’s loss by turning in a strong
performance tonight. Tegtmeier will
try to do just that when the Corn
huskers open a six-game homestand
by squaring off against Northern
Colorado in a single, ninc-inmng game
at 7 p.m. at Buck Bcltzcr Field.
Nebraska, 24-13, also will face the
Bears in a pair of seven-inning con
tests that begin at 4 p.m. Saturday,
and will face them in another single,
nine-inning contest at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Huskcrs then will close out
their homestand by squaring off agaiast
Northern Iowa and Northwest Mis
souri Stale in a pair of nine-inning
games at 7 p.m. Monday and Tues
day. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
students who present their student ID
cards will be admitted free to all six
games.
Sanders said he is expecting good
things from Tcgtmcier because the
junior from Beatrice spent last year as
a starter. Tcgtmcier completed his
1989 campaign by posting a 3-6 rec
ord and a 6.81 ERA in 78 innings of
work.
This season, Tcgtmcier was shar
ing time with fellow junior Dave
Matranga as Nebraska’s top relief
pitcher. Tcgtmcier compiled a 3-1
record with one save in that capacity.
Sanders said Tcgtmcier should have
no problems adjusting back to his role
as a starter. He will be joined in the
starting rotation by freshman Josh
See HOMESTAND on 8
NU confronts Iowa State, Colorado in weekend matches
By Paul Domeier
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska women’s tennis team
will look at seeds and standings when
it faces Iowa State and Colorado in
dual matches today and Saturday.
Both matches will start at 1 p.m.or
after the men’s matches at the Cather
Pound courts, weather permitting.
The Comhuskers will go to the
Lincoln Racquet Club in case of bad
weather to face the Cyclones, Ne
braska coach Gregg Calvin said.
Calvin said he is wary of the Cy
clones even though Nebraska crushed
them in the fall.
4 4 We beat them in the fall, 8-1, and
the one loss was with a substitute,”
he said, ‘‘but they can play.”
Colorado and Nebraska will play
at the Woods Park tennis bubbles if
necessary.
4‘Colorado is really a good singles
team,” Calvin said. The Lady Buffs
were 3-3 after singles with Oklahoma,
he said, before being swept in the
doubles.
The Huskers are second in the Big
Eight after posting 7-2 and 9-0 wins
over Kansas State and Missouri, and
dropping a 6-3 decision to league
leading Kansas last weekend.
Calvin said the Huskers could gain
points on the Sooncrs this weekend.
While the Huskers will try to beat
Colorado by a 7-2 score or better,
Kansas will play at Ok lahoma and at
conference-favorite Oklahoma State,
which has played one Big Eight match.
But he said Nebraska must do well
both days to take advantage of last
weekend’s strong road trip.
“If we lost two or three matches,
or even lose the match outright, all
the good things we did at K-State we
would lose,” Calvin said.
The Huskers also may lose some
of the top seeds they have, as all nine
of their lineup spots arc in contention
for lop four seeds in the Big Eight
season. Tina Coutretsis is 3-0 at No. 6
singles, Ildiko Guba and Ann Flan
nery arc 3-0 at No. 2 doubles and
Flannery is 1-2 at No. 2 singles. The
other siK Husker entries are 2-1.
Indiv iduals need a 5-2 record to
ensure a seed, Calvin said. A 4-3
player could lose out in a three-way
tic for the third and fourth seeds, he
said. Nancy Tyggum and Rachel
Collins, Nebraska’s No. 1 doubles
team, is risking that, he said.
Getting a seed means avoiding one
of the nationally ranked Cowgirls in
the first round of the conference tour
ney.
“You’re drawing one of the top
players in the country if you draw
Oklahoma State,” Calvin said.
In other tennis news, Heidi Junius,
who had to sit out this season because
of Proposition 48, will take the Husk
ers’ last scholarship next year, Calvin
said. Nebraska could gel one or two
walkoris, he said.
Contented Wolforth feels
NU will win championship