Tennis
Continued from Page 11
McDermott said Cunningham re
turned to his home of Australia over
the summer.
McDermott said he s try ing to stress
team unity to avoid last year’s attitude
problems. .
“Sometimes you’ve got to put aside
individual honors for the sake of the
team,” he said.
McDermott will return five play
ers from last year’s team.
Anthony Kotarac returns after win
ning a Big Eight title with Matthias
Mueller at No. 1 doubles last season.
Kotarac, a senior from Sidney, Aus
tralia, went to nationals and was ranked
No. 22 in the country after last season,
McDermott said.
McDermott said the rest of the
retumingplayers include: Andy Davis,
a junior from Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jay
Segrist, a senior out of Alliance, Adrian
Maizey, a redshirt freshman from
Pretoria, South Africa; and Christo
pher Nielsen aredshirt sophomore
from Sioux Falls, S.D.
In addition, McDermott has
brought in five recruits.
Cooper
Continued from Page 11
Nee repeatedly said Ramos was
the missing link—more appropriate
ly, the key—to Nee’s program.
If Ramos’ ego were a hoop, he
would have been great. The basket
would have been so big, he wouldn’t
have missed a shot. But as it was, he
was just a ballhandler with a 1950s set
shot.
/\nu an amiuue.
In 1991 during the Big Eight bas
ketball tournament, Ramos and Nee
got into an argument at the team's
hotel in Kansas City, Mo. Ramos
apparently tried to order an extra steak.
Nee told him he couldn’t.
While the resentment was rooted
much deeper, Ramos and Nee got into
a shouting match over the steak.
And Ramos bordered the next plane
to Miami and never returned to play
for Nebraska.
But can you blame Nee for Ramos’s
ego? Can you blame him for Ramos’s
and Farmer’s off-the-court dealings
with Raymond Peery, who provided
the two players with the lavish gifts
that blatantly broke NCAA rules two
years ago?
Yes and no. Nee didn’t tell Ramos
and Farmer to seek out those gifts.
But he is responsible for who he
recruits. And Nee has admitted that
his recruits aren’t always top-of-the
line student-athletes.
When Sports Illustrated questioned
him about the grades and background
of some of his recruits. Nee made an
excuse for recruiting players with low
academic performances.
He told the magazine in 1991 that
he was no Father Flanagan. He was
simply trying to build a program with
quality basketball players.
In other words, some of his play
ers’ high school academic standing
didn’t matter, as long as they could
play basketball.
i nat excuse doesn t tly anymore.
Nee can build his program on the
student-athletes like the players re
maining on the team and the ones who
have preceded them—including Beau
Reid, Rich King and Clifford Scales.
He doesn’t need the players who —
for however good they are in basket
ball — have questionable back
grounds.
And after three-straight NCAA
appearances, he can put his program
above the players.
But until he does that, he’ll have to
deal with the egotistical players and
the players with questionable back
grounds who leave when they don’t
get their way.
Nee’s right. He’s no Father
Flanagan.
Right now, that’s too bad. He could
use alittle help from above.
Cooptr li i aeafer Mwa-adhartal aad
political icleace najor aadtha Dally Nabras
kaa i port* adltor.
Osborne
Continued from Page 11
“He could have probably practiced
(Wednesday) if he had to," Osborne
said.
Sophomore linebacker Doug
Colman hurt his back and left practice
early.
Omar Acevedo, a sopohomore
from Mexico City, has transferred
from Division II’s Norfolk (Va.) State
University, McDermott said. He is
the only recruit with intercollegiate
experience.
McDermott has signed two players
from Sweden, Fredrick Riesback and
Henrik Andersson.
He also signed Dino Tepara of
Toronto and Geoff Lance, a native of
Philadelphia.
McDermott said he will get a
glimpse of the team’s potential over
Labor Day weekend when his players
compete individually at the Nebraska
Open in Omaha.
The team’s attitude seems to be
one thing that has improved already
over last year, McDermott said.
“We’U need to see after a few
matches,” McDermott said. “Right
now, our number one concern is to
work on improvement and to get into
good shape by the time the season
rolls around.”
Although McDermott admits that
this will be a rebuilding year for the
Huskers, the team will not roll over
for opponents, he said.
“It should be an exciting year.”
i --
Rutz
Continued from Page 11
“There were times when the
whole thing seemed like it was
going so slow and those were the
times you just felt like hanging it
up,” Rutz said. “But I had to
overcome those feelings if I was
going to come back.” 1
After spending grueling hours in
rehab and doing leg exercises and
lifting weights, Rutz is on pace to
return earlier than expected.
He was not expected to return
until mid-October, but Rutz’s
progress on the field has given him
and the Husker coaches hope that
he may be able to play sooner.
“Right now, Ben is feeling like
he is two weeks ahead of schedule,”
Sullivan said. “He kind of slowed
down in his progress for a week or
two before practice began, but now
he is picking up again.”
Although he may return more
quickly than any other player from
a similar injury, Rutz said he was
not that amazed by his progress.
“I am not that surprised because
you just hear of people coming back
from these things faster and faster,”
Rutz said. “The technology they
have is making it go faster and
maybe a person’s mental approach
to it helps speed it along a little
bit.”
Although he is already able to
make cuts on his injured leg with
the help of a brace, Rutz said his
performance on the field was a long
wav from where he wanted it to be.
“I can’t take any contact, and I
can’t get the power behind the ball I
need when I throw,” Rutz said. “My
throwing is really what is most
affected because I need my back leg
to push off and throw.
Rutz said that on Monday he
tested at 65 percent of his normal
leg strength, so he still had a hard
road ahead of him.
Rutz and Sullivan both agree the
quarterback will not improve by
leaps and bounds but will improve
by slow, steady steps until he is
back to full speed.
“Ben is a very hard worker and
conscientious in his rehab work, so
he will come back,” Sullivan said.
“We just have to make sure he
doesn’t try to rush it too much and
risk a re-injury ”
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