Nefean SPORTS
Monday, December 13, 1993 1 VyX X KJ
Alberts wants title to go with his Butkus
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
After winning the Butkus Award on Satur
day in Orlando, Fla., Nebraska outside line
backer Trcv Alberts wanted to get out of Flor
ida. ....
But don’t expect that feeling to last.
____, The Cornhusker All
American will be looking
forward to his return to the
state for the Orange Bowl in
Miami on Jan. 1. By that
time, Alberts said he hoped
to be close to fully recovered
I from his elbow injury.
If he is, he said, he will be
I going into his final game re
Alberts freshed.
“It felt like a whole year’s
worth of load was lifted off my back,” he said
shortly after he stepped off his plane from
Orlando.
“It’s good to be in Lincoln. I got tired of
hearing the Florida State people down there.
It’s been a long road trip.
“Now 4 know how those basketball and
baseball players feel. I don’t know how they do
it.”
But Alberts said he was more than happy to
endure the fatigue in order to accept the award,
which he said represented Nebraska.
“I’m really excited for the state of Nebraska
and all of the great linebackers we’ve had here
before who didn’t win it,” he said. “This repre
sents our team and our defense.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity but
we finished as the Big Eight’s No. 1 defense.”
Alberts was one of three finalists for the
award, which was voted on by a national panel
of 24 sportswriters. Alberts received 100 points.
Derrick Brooks of Florida State was second
with 72 points and Jamir Miller of UCLA was
third with 44 points.
Winning the award was Alberts’ goal. He
wasn’t going to settle for second or third, he
said.
“Obviously, 1 would have been somewhat
disappointed ifldidn’twin,” Albertssaid.“But
I was honored to be there. This is like icing on
the cake.”
And it capped off an exceptional season for
Alberts.
He had a team-leading 96 tackles and tied a
school record with 15 quarterback sacks this
season. He was named All-American, the Foot
ball News defensive player of the year and the
Big Eight defensive player of the year.
But that’s not enough tor Alberts. He wants
a national title with an Orange Bowl victory
over Florida State.
Alberts, who is scheduled to have his cast
-a
Obviously, / would have
been somewhat disappoint
ed if I didn’t win. This is like
icing on the cake.
—Alberts
Nebraska outside linebacker
->t
removed Monday, said he would try his best to
play.
“It feels good,” he said. “It’s hard to tell how
much I’ll play right now, but I’m going to do
everything I can to repay Coach (Tom) Osborne
for what he’s done forme in my five years here.
“It’s going lobe a lot of fun. (Florida State’s)
a great team.”
Huskers overcome inj uries,
explode past Wichita State
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
No pain, no gain.
Thai seems to be the guiding motto of the
Nebraska basketball team after it picked up a
94-72 victory over Wichita State Saturday be
fore a Bob Devancy Sports Center crowd of
12,134.
The Huskers have had to overcome injuries
to key players to pick up four-straight wins al ter
a 1-2 start.
Senior forward Bruce Chubick, w ho grabbed
a season-high 12 rebounds, said the bumps and
bruises were worth it if the Huskers won.
"As long as we win, it feels good,” he said.
“(The injuries) hurt a little bit. but it would’ve
hurt a lot worse if we lost.”
Playing without senior point guard Jamar
Johnson for the second game in a row, the
Huskers picked up their defensive intensity a
notch.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said the defen
sive pressure took the Shockers out of the game.
“I think we can play that level of defense for
longer periods of time.” he said. "1 don’t think
we can play40 minutes of defense like that,but
I certainly think we can play longer periods ol
time.”
Eric Piatkowski, one of live Huskers in
double figures with a team-leading 18 points,
said the Huskers were starting to pick up their
intensity.
“It’s not easy to go out and play 40 minutes
really hard on defense,” he said. “1 think a lot of
guys on the team are starting to understand and
realize that every minute we play tough de
fense, the other team is getting frustrated. It’s
making us that much better.”
Wichita State hung tough with the Huskers
throughout the first half. But with the Shockers
ahead 37-36, Wichita State went on more than
a three-minute scoring drought as the Huskers
went on a 12-1 scoring run heading into half
time.
Piatkowski said the Huskers played “real
average” against Wichita State, especially in
the first half.
“For the first 12 or 13 minutes of the first
half, we played even with them,” he said. “For
us to play even with a team like Wichita State,
that’s not very good. We need to stick to them
like we did at the end of the first half.”
Nebraska’s surge at the end of the first hall
didn’t carry over to the start of the second half.
The Shockers came within four at 54-50 on
a Jamie Arnold basket with 15:48 to go in the
game.
But the Huskers slowly increased their lead
before blowing it open towards the end.
“It wasjust a matter of time,” Nee said. “We
kept coming after them. It was a game ol spurts.
From the first half on, we made the spurts.”
-4
Johnson hoping to return early
By Mitch Sherman
Staff Reporter
The broken little finger on Jainar Johnson’s
right hand, which was scheduled to hold the
senior point guard out of action for at least tour
weeks, may not hold him out as long as expect
ed.
Johnson said Sunday the finger will be re
examined today. Depending on the results ot
the X-rays, Johnson said he could possibly
return to action as soon as Saturday against
Michigan State.
“We are going to see if there’s any stabiliza
tion,” he said. “If there is, hopefully I can play
Saturday.
“There’s still a little pain. But sometimes
you have to play with pain. I’m hoping to play,
but I still have to get clearance.”
Before missing the two games last week
against Creighton and Wichita State, Johnson
had not missed a start in 64 games.
While awaiting the return of their senior
captain, other members of the team have come
down with injuries as well.
The Huskers improved their record to 5-2
with a 94-72 win over Wichita State Saturday
afternoon at the Bob Devancy Sports Center,
but in the process banged up more than hall of
the team.
As of Saturday afternoon, the casualty list
had reached seven.
In addition to Johnson, the list of injured
Huskers includes guards Jaron Boone (hip flex
or), Eric Piatkowski (thigh bruise), Erick
Strickland (numerous bumps and bruises), for
wards Tom Best (flu) and Bruce Chubick (sore
elbow).
“If we get any more people hurt,” coach
Danny Nee said, “we are going to be in trou
ble.”
Nee said the Huskers would be in trouble
now, if not for the placement of finals week. He
said the team will not practice for two days
before resuming preparation for Saturday’s^
game at Michigan State.
Despite the medical status ot the Huskers,
Piatkowski said, Nebraska considers the Mich
igan State game crucial.
“Everybody is going to be working hard on
finals,” Piatkowski said. “But on the other
hand, we can’t just go and forget about basket
ball. I think both us and Michigan State arc
looking at this as a game we have to win.”
Staci McKee/DN
Surrounded
Nebraska’s Erick Strickland, left, and Terrance Badgett leave little room for
Wichita State’s K.C. Hunt during the Cornhuskers’ win over the Shockers
at the Devaney Sports Center Saturday.
^ 1 %
People rate above honors thi
'oughout IStricker s career
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
Nikki Strieker is a people person when it
comes to her volleyball experience at Nebras
ka. V
When Strieker reflects on her four years at
Nebraska, she tends to think of the people she s
gotten the chance to play with, not her own
accomplishments.
And Strieker’s accomplishments were nu
mcrous this season:
• The Cornhusker setter was named the Big
Eight’s Player of the Year.
• She set the Nebraska career record for set
assists with 3,786.
• She was a two-time All-Big Eight pick.
But the honors don’t matter to Strieker now
that her career is over.
“I thinkof the people I’ve gotten toplay with
that I’ve looked up to,” she said. “In my fresh
man year it was Vt>l Novak. Then it was Janet
Kruse and Cris Hall. Last year it was Stephanie
(Thatcr) and Eileen (Shannon).
“There’s been so many great players and it
was an honor to play with them.”
Add Strieker to that list of great players,
Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit said.
“Nikki had a great season,” he said. “She
was the reason we were a Top 20 team. She had
her best year in her senior season.”
But her senior season ended on a sour note
when the Huskers were swept in three gamps by
Notre Dame in the second round of the N( A A
Championships.
“It’s disappointing that we didn’t pi ay well,”
Strieker said. “It surprised me that we weren’t
playing at our best.
“But only one team ends on a win, so 1 don’t
look at it as a big black memory. I don’t look at
it as ‘Poor me, we didn’t win the Big Eight.’ I
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