NebrUskan SPORTS
Wednesday, November 17, 1993 ^ ^9 1 V^AJL X. JL K-r
—-*■- Staci McKee/DN
Nebraska’s Jaron Boone puts pressure on the Spartak Club’s Vlaclmir
Chursin during the first half of Nebraska’s 122-59 victory over the Kiev,
Ukraine, national basketball team Tuesday night at the Bob Devaney
Qnnrtc Pontor
NU’s ‘unselfishness’
leads to big victory
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter_
A new offense and an increased emphasis on
unselfish play helped the Nebraska men’s bas
ketball team start off its season with a 122-59
exhibition win over the Spartak Club Tuesday
night at the Bob Dcvancy Sports Center.
The new no-post offense helped the Huskers
spread the floor against the club team from
Kiev, Ukraine, and get open jumper after open
jumper and layup after layup.
Despite the score, Nebraska coach Danny
Nee said the game was a building block for the
Huskers.
“I wish it was more competitive but that is
something we don’t have any control over,”
Nee said. “But I think it was a good, solid,
unselfish performance. Obviously, we have to
improve in a lot of areas, especially our turn
overs, rebounding and all the fundamentals.
But it is something we can build on.”
Six Huskers scored in double figures, led by
Jaron Boone, who scored 23 points, and Eric
Piatkowski, who added 21 points.
Nine of Boone’s 23 points came on a team
high three three-pointers. Boone said it was the
willingness of his teammates to make the extra
pass that helped him have a big game on
offense.
“It’s 'we’ this year,” Boone said. “It's not
- t(
The teams will get better as
we play, and we ll get
better, too. I think, right
now, we might even be
ahead of where we should
be.
—Strickland
Nebraska guard
- 99 -
individually, it’s all about ‘us.’”
The unselfish play of the Huskcrs — cou
pled with poor defense by Spartak Club
helped Nebraska shoot 68.1 percent from the
floor, including 64.3 percent from three-point
range.
Nee said the unselfish play of all the Huskers
led to the balanced scoring.
“We had a lot of unselfish play, which was
obvious from theplayofPiatkowski,”Nee said.
‘‘He turned down shots and made some plays.”
Nee also said he was impressed with the
leadership that Piatkowski and point guard
Jamar Johnson provided.
See WIN on 8
Freshman steals spotlight,
gains confidence in debut
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter_
The players that Nebraska basketball fans
have become accustomed to over the past three
seasons were still up to their old tricks in
Nebraska’s 122-59 victory over the Spartak
Club Tuesday night.
Jamar Johnson was still running the show at
point guard. Eric Piatkowski was still nailing
down three-point bombs. And as usual, Bruce
Chubick was scrapping on the floor for a loose
ball.
But someone else stole the show in front of
the 9,747 Cornhuskcr fans in attendance.
Freshman Mikki Moore put on the Nebraska
uniform for the first time and came away with
much more than he expected.
The 6-foot-11, 195-pound center from
Gaffney, S.C., finished the game with 14 points
and a great deal of new fans. Moore shot 100
percent Tuesday night, hitting 5-of-5 field goals
and 4-of-4 free throws, and added six rebounds.
“It was surprising to me because I didn’t
think 1 was at this level,” Moore said. “I know
I still have to improve on a lot of things, but
(Tuesday night) was a good feeling.”
Moore had just found out he would not be
redshirting this season. Nebraska coach Danny
Nee asked Moore if he wanted to redshirt before
Tuesday night’s game, Moore said.
“Coach Nee left it up to me, but he said if it
was up to him that I wouldn’t redshirt,” Moore
said.
Nee said he would have liked to see Moore
redshirt and develop more physically, but said
Nebraska needed him because of its lack of big
men.
“It was strictly a numbers thing,” Nee said.
“We think we need another body, and the way
See MOORE on 8
NU rolls to preseason
win over St. Louis Hoopsters
By Derek Samson
Staff Raportar_____
Nebraska women’s basketball coach Ange
la Beck said she could feel somewhat relieved
after seeing her team in its first action Tuesday
night.
The Cornhuskers did not show any signs ol
letting down coming ofTlast year’s 23-8 season
as they rolled to a 80-61 prcscason victory over
the St. Louis Hoopsters.
Beck said the game was beneficial to her anu
her coaching staff.
“It was a good test for us,” she said. “1 real ize
this (opponent) isn’t close to the talent we 11 see
- 44
We have a little more speed this year, and we’ll try to utilize
that.
—Beck
Nebraska women s basketball coach
— -- 99 -
during the year, but 1 think it was a good opener.
1 was able to sec a lot of different combinations
out there.”
The Huskers jumped out early, going on a
15-3 run that helped move them to a 23-9 lead
with 12:21 remaining in the first half.
“Wc have a little more speed this year, and
we’ll try to utilize that,” Beck said. “Wc want
to score a lot of points, but wc want our defense
to be strong. Wc arc expecting our defense to
create the opportunity for our offense.”
The H (Hipsters did put on a run of their own.
Back-to-back baskets by Angie Rougcau helped
St. Louis cut the Nebraska lead to only 30-18
with 8:15 remaining in the first half.
Beck said she wasn’t concerned about her
team’s dry spells.
“It’s still going to take a little time for us,”
she said. “1 was a little disappointed in our
rebounding, and our defense let up now and
then. Generally, I was pleased with it.”
Nebraska held a 41 -23 advantage at halftime
and came out on fire in the second half, going
on an 11-2 run.
Nafecsah Brown, who finished with a game
See BECK on 8
By ignoring NU, sportswnter
ranks jirst in stupidity
After a week of worrying about
Miami stealing a shot at the national
championship away from the
Cornhuskcrs, Nebraska fans can now
get their Big Red feathers all ruffled
up about a rematch between Notre
Dame and Florida State in the Fiesta
Bowl.
While every Husker fan has a right
to be upset that Nebraska still isn’t
considered oneof the top two teams in
the country by the “bowl poll,” they
should try to maintain hope.
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne has
said that people shouldn’t let them
selves get all riled up about the polls
because they can’t do anything about
them anyway.
Osborne has been able to keep
things in perspective a little better
than most otncr nusxer ian*. oui i
think even the genteel Doctor Tom
would be upset if he knew of some of
the specific injustices being done to
Nebraska by the Associated Press
voters.
In the AP poll, the Huskers re
ceived no first-place votes, 13 sec
ond-place votes, 17 third-place votes
and 15 fourth-place votes.
OK, a few rebels think there arc
three teams that deserve a higher rank
ing than the Huskers. I can live with
that as long as they aren’t shunned
from the top four.
But along with those 45 votes,
Nebraska also received eight fifth
place votes and five sixth-place votes.
Voting Nebraska fifth or sixth is
ridiculous, but one voter among the
Jeff
Griesch
i
AP writers managed to set himself
apart on the stupidity scale.
He was somehow able to justify to
himself that Nebraska is no better
than the eighth best football team in
the country.
Oxford Eagle sportswriter Don
Whitten voted Notre Dame, Florida
State, Miami, Auburn, Florida, Ohio
State and Tennessee ahead of the
Huskers in this week’s poll.
Whitten, who’s from Mississippi,
mysteriously justified including live
teams from the south in his top eight.
I won’t argue that any of the squads
Whitten ranked in his top eight don’t
deserve to be mentioned among the
most talented teams in the country.
But Tennessee has a loss and a tie,
which should put them out of sight.
Whitten and the other AP voters
should vote for the teams that have
proven to be better on the field, not
who appears to be tough on paper.
To get a better perspective of
Whitten’s almost criminal vote of
Nebraska at No. 8, let’s take a look at
a completely objective college foot
ball poll.
The New York Times Computer
Rankings are based on comparative
scores, quality ol the opposition and
record.
In the Times’ poll, Nebraska is
ranked No. 2, with a power ranking of
.969, just ahead of Notre Dame’s .968.
Florida State managed to maintain
the top spot despite the loss to the Irish
on Saturday.
I said the computer rankings were
objective, I didn’t say they were com
pletely fair.
And at least they’re better than a
poll that relies on a good ‘ol boy from
the south.
Griesch is a junior news-editorial major
and a Dally Nebraskan senior reporter and
columnist.