Experience anchors KSU
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter
When the Kansas State men’s bas
ketball team travels to Lincoln toplay
the Comhuskers Saturday, Wildcat
coach Dana Altman will be hoping to
see small improvements in his team.
Ball handling, defense and consis
tency arc all aspects of the game
Altman hopes to improve before his
team gets to the heart of its Big Eight
schedule.
“Every phase of our game needs a
little work, every phase,” he said.
“Hopefully we’ll continue to work
hard and improve.”
Altman, whose team is off to a 2
1 start in Big Eight Conference play
and & 10-3 overall, said Nebraska’s
height is his biggest concern entering
the 7:05 p.m. contest at the Bob
Devancy Sports Center.
“Their size has always created
problems for us, and depth is andffier
concern of mine,” he said.
Altman, who is originally from
Wilbur, said he also was concerned
with his team’s ball handling.
“We haven’t been handling the
ball really very well at all,” he said.
“We’ve definitely had some lapses
that have caused us some trouble.”
Experience, Altman said, is a ma
jor asset his team possesses.
The Wildcats return two starters
from last year’s 16-14 squad—guard
Askia Jones, their leading scorer from
a year ago, and senior forward Vincent
Jackson.
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In addition, three part-time starters
— forwards Aaron Collier and Deryl
Cunningham and guard Brian Henson
— return to anchor the Wildcats this
year.
But Allman said Jones, who aver
aged 11 .o points a game anu was uic
Big Eight three-point champion last
year, had been inconsistent so far this
season.
“(Jones) has been kind of up and
down all year,” he said. “Right now
he’s struggling a little bit.”
Altman said both Jones and Jack
son needed to improve if the Wildcats
were to be successful.
“Jones is going to have to play
better than he has been latcl y,’ ’ A liman
said. “And Jackson is going to have to
step up his play.”
Allman, who is 39-32 and in his
third season at Kansas State, said he
believed his team’s success hinged on
its defensive intensity.
“When we’ve done well covering
people defensively, we’ve won; if
not, we’ve lost,” he said. “We’ve
been able to stop some people, but
when we don ’ t stop them, we ’ ve been
in some trouble.”
Allman said he had not yet had the
opportunity to study Nebraska’s game
films, but he was certain his team
would need to prepare for a difficult
challenge.
Altman said he was unable tocom
pare Nebraska to Oklahoma State,
Colorado or Kansas, the three Big
Eight opponents the Wildcats have
faced this season.
But Allman said he was unable to
find any obvious weaknesses in the
11-5 Husker team. >
“We’re going to have to play aw
fully well to beat Nebraska,” he said.
“They arc a very talented team.”
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Hornets coacn is pleased
despite team’s \1 losses
j
By Jeff Griesch
Staff Reporter
Whal is il like to be 1-17?
The Sacramento State Hornets
found out after its 86-70 loss to Ne
braska at the Bob Dcvancy Sports
Center on Wednesday night.
Hornet coach Don Newman is
struggling in his first season as coach
of the Hornets. The team is in its
second season as a Division I school.
“I know the fans see our record and
say that we arc alembic team, but that
isn’t the case,” Newman said. “I know
that this doesn’t sound like much, but
we have got to be the best 1-17 team
in the country.”
Newman said that despite Sacra
mento State’s record, he was happy
with his team’s aggrcssivcncs and the
progress il had made this season.
“My players go out and play hard
every single night and give great ef
fort,” Newman said. “My seniors arc
providing good leadership and are
sacrificing some pride todo the things
that we need to do to be successful at
the Division I level.”
Sacramento State has been forced
into playing big name opponcnels to
maintain its Division I status. Along
with the Huskcrs, the Hornets’ sched
ule includes gamcsagainslCalifomia,
Loyola-Marymount and Brigham
Young.
Newman likes his team’s altitude
about playing marquee teams, know
ing that they probably don’t have a
chance to win.
“I think the guys arc excited about
playing team’s like Nebraska because
it gives them an opportunity to play
against a higher level of competi
tion,” Newman said. “It’s great for
them to play in an atmosphere like
Nebraska has here and experience
major college basketball.”
Newman is secure about his future
as the Hornets’ coach and is more
concerned with gaining the rcspeclof
his players and the progress of the
basketball program at Sacramento
State than keeping his job.
“When the season is over, we will
evaluate our job beyond just W’s and
L’s,” Newman said. “It is more im
portant for me to get the young kids to
believe in my system and understand
the discipline and work ethic we need
to be successful.”
Although it seems like Sacramento
State and Nebraska arc at opposite
ends of the basketball spectrum,
Newman drew a comparison between
the Hornets and the Huskers.
“We arc really in similar positions
as basketball teams,” Newman said.
“We arc both in transition. We arc
struggling to make the transition to
Division I and they arc trying to make
the move from a team on the bubble to
a top team in the country. I hope we
are both successful.”
Talented recruits give CU
three verbal commitments
BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado,
placing a high priority on recruiting
in state lootball talent, has received
verbal commitments from three play
ers in the state and is pursuing five
others.
Overland’ s Scott Bentley is the top
in-state recruit, and in fact is the lop
place-kicking prospect in the nation.
Bentley says his options still involve
three teams—Colorado, Florida State
and Notre Dame. Bentley visited
with CU coach Bill McCartney on
Saturday and is expecting a home
visit from Notre Dame coach Lou
Holtz this week.
The Buffs also are targeting Sierra
quarterback-defensive back Mike
Forney, Brighton quarterback John
Hessler, Boulder defensive end
Tennyson McCarty and Fort Collins
linebacker Pete Monte.
Forney, who admits he isn’t a clas
. sic drop-back quarterback, is being
recruited by CU as a quarterback but
could project to another position be
cause of his athletic ability. He visited
Oklahoma last weekend and will visit
Arizona this weekend.
Hcssler has narrowed his choices
between Arizona and CU. Like
Bentley, Hcssler wants to play base
ball, a sport CU doesn’t offer. And
like Bentley, CU has promised to
place Hcssler in a summer baseball
program.
McCarty visited Northwestern and
Penn State and visits CU this week
end. He knew Northwestern head
coach Gary Barnett when he was of
fensive coordinator at CU, and Penn
State assistant Bobby Kennedy was
once an assistant at Boulder.
Western Athletic Conference
schools arc recruiting Monte, and
Notre Dame has shown interest.
