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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1997)
Nebraska Track Coach Gary Pepin was named the Big 12 Conference’s men’s and women’s indoor track and field coach of the year. Pepin’s Comhuskers each won the first-ever indoor confer ence crown last month. Also, NU’s Dahila Ingram was named the Big 12 women’s out standing freshman. Ingram fin ished as the runner-up in the triple jump at the conference meet. ■ The World League of American Football held its annual draft last week and 28 former players from Big 12 teams were selected. Former Husker Barron Miles was selected by the Frankfurt Gal axy. Miles was previously drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL in 1995. Other Big 12 players selected were former Kansas State quarter back Chad May, who also went to Frankfurt, and Colorado linebacker Ronnie Woolfolk who went to Amsterdam. ■ All standing-room-only tickets for this week’s men’s Big 12 tour nament in Kansas City, Mo., have been sold. Tickets for the women’s tournament, which starts today, still remain and can be purchased at the Municipal Auditorium ticket office. ■ If Oklahoma State (15-13 over all and 7-9 in the Big 12) does not win die conference tournament to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, Coach Eddie Sutton will leave the decision of accepting a National Invitation Tournament bid up to his three se niors — Maurice Robinson, Chi anti Roberts and Marlon Dorsey. Last season the Cowboys fin ished the year with a 17-10 overall record and 7-7 conference mark, but after losing to Kansas State in the Big Eight Tournament they were not an at-large selection and declined a bid to the tournament. “We play to get into the NCAA’s,” Sutton said of turning down last year’s offer. Baylor, OSU and Nebraska may represent the league in the NIT if neither wins the tournament title this weekend. ■ Colorado Men’s Coach Ricardo Patton is apparently asking for a $50,000 contract to remain as the Buffaloes’ leader for next season. Patton, who has most likely led CU to its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1969, is the leading candi date to replace Larry Finch at Memphis. Patton’s name has also been linked to moving just south to coach the Denver Nuggets. Another hang-up in his re-sign ing with Colorado is a state law that says all state employees cannot be given a contract for more than a year. Patton wants a long-term deal to stay in Boulder. Big 12 Notebook was com piled by staff reporter Pete Marhoefer. nu hopes resoory repeats Huskers bring 15 game win streak over Tigers into tournament. By Mike Kluck Senior Reporter KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Ne braska women’s basketball team is not using its first-round game against Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament as a history lesson. Instead, the Comhuskers (18-8 overall and 8-8 in the Big 12 Confer ence) are looking to make a little his tory of their own when the two teams square off tonight at 6 at the Munici pal Auditorium. “We don’t look in the history bodes when we play Missouri,” NU Coach Angela Beck said. “We really look at the present and I would say Missouri is probably playing better than we are right now. So they scare me.” The history books show that the Huskers have won 15 consecutive games over the Tigers (10-19 and 3 13), including two wins this season — an 84-46 victory on Jan. 22 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and an 82 66 win in Columbia, Mo., four days earlier. The Huskers also ended the Tigers’ season last year with a 70-64 victory in the first round of the Big Eight Tournament at Salina, Kan. However, the books also show a Missouri team that entered the league tournament in 1994 as a seventh seed and won three games to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Tigers enter the tour nament as the No. 10 seed while NU is the seventh. The winner of tonight’s game will face second-seeded Texas (20-6, 12-4) at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Beck’s fears stem from the way NU has played down the stretch. Nebraska finished the season with a 2-7 mark in its last nine games, losing three straight. Those three final games were played without senior point guard LaToya Doage who is still nursing a sore right knee. Doage practiced Sunday and Mon day, but Beck said Doage will not start against MU. “She’s questionable to play,” Beck said. “I would like to see what she has but it will depend on the flow of the Please see TIGERS on 10 Nelson’s hard work pays off By Gregg Madsen Staff Reporter If cloning human life became a reality in the near future, Ne braska Men’s Gymnastics Coach Francis Allen would probably be one of the first users. Allen wouid be turning out copies of the prototype men’s gym nast with sophomore Marshall Nelson as the model. “I tell you what,” Allen said, “if I had 12 more like him, I’d just go get my national championship trophy right now. I wouldn’t even go to the meet.” In his second year as a Comhusker, Nelson has emerged as one of the top gymnasts in the nation. Allen said Nelson’s success has been a direct result of his competi tive nature, which comes as a sur prise to most people. “He’s so easy going and laid back. But boy, when you turn the lights on he’s a tough sucker,” Allen said. Nelson, a native of Greeley, Colo., has sprained both ankles in practice this season. But he hasn’t allowed the injuries to hinder his performance. Against lourth-ranked Iowa on Saturday, Nelson led the Huskers to a season high 231.7-229.7 vic tory. He walked away with the high bar title (9.875) and also won the floor exercise (9.825). With athletic tape wrapped up to his shins to provide extra sup port for his weakened ankles, he still managed his best performance of the year against the Hawkeyes. * “I started oiTon floor and was concentrating on all my landings , and just doing what I could do and ■ letting the judges decide where I stood,” Nelson said. “I just had an 'on’ day. It was great.” Against Iowa, Nelson was fifth on the vault (9.5) and the parallel bars (9.75) and second on the pom mel horse (9.85). The meet was more of a team triumph than an individual one, * u. he said. “I knew we had the potential since the beginning of the season to score well,” he said. “We finally came out here and relaxed and did our jobs.” Nelson said just being able to compete this season was a change fronfijast year. As a freshman, his performances were hampered by a knee injury for the first half of the season. He still managed to finish third on the pommel horse at the NCAA Please see NELSON on 10 Daniel Luedert/DN MARSHALL NELSON competes on the vaelt Satarday. Nelson has eaier«ed as see of HU* best fyimasts this season. •i ' : V ^ "■ . ' Women's Baskettall Starters Big 12 Tournament ^^^B Today, 6 p.m. |W| Municipal Auditorium Nebraska 18-8 (8-8) Pos Name HL Yr. G 32 Nicole Kubik 5-10 Fr. F 22 Tina McClain 5-10 Sr. Misuari 10-19(3-13) Pos Name Hi Yr. G 21 Debra Williams 5-8 Jr. Lue named second-team Afl-Big 12 From Staff Reports Nebraska point guard Tyronn Lue earned second-team All-Big VI2 hon ors from The Associated PresS and the league’s basketball coaches Monday. Lue, a 6-foot sophomore from Mexico, Mo., who pleads the Comhuskers and ranks seventh in the conference with an 18.9 points-per game average, is one of only two sophomores on the first or second team. Lue ranks sixth in the league in shooting percentage (46.2 percent), fourth in assists (4.4 per game), 15th in steals (1.3 per game) and fifth in free-throw percentage (82.3 percent). Entering the Big 12 Tournament Thursday, Lue ranks eighth on NU’s single-season scoring charts with 529 points this year. Junior Raef LaFrentz of Kansas earned the league’s player-of-the-year award from the coaches, and KU Coach Roy Williams was named the Big 12 coach of the year. LaFrentz, a 6-11 forward, averages 19 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and led Kan sas to the Big 12 championship with a 15-1 league record. Colorado guard Chauncey Billups, Iowa State guard Dedric Willoughby, Texas guard Reggie Freeman and Texas Tech center Tony Battie also earned first-team recognition from the coaches and the news media. Joining Lue on the second team are: Baylor center Brian Skinner and guards Jacque Vaughn of Kansas, Nate Erdmann of Oklahoma and Cory Carr of Texas Tech. The AP’s third team consists of Iowa State center Kelvin Cato and for ward Kenny Pratt, Kansas forward Paul Pierce and guard Jerod Haase and Oklahoma guard Corey Brewer. Missouri forward Kelly Thames and Oklahoma State swingman Chi anti Roberts also earned third-team recognition from the coaches, along with Cato, Pratt and Pierce. Nebraska center Mikki Moore was one of 14 players named honorable mention by the coaches. The Big 12 also announced its spe cialty .teams Monday, selected by a panel of sportswriters. Lue was named to the all-improved team; Nebraska forward Bernard Gar ner was named to the all-bench team and Husker guard Cookie Belcher earned all-freshman honors.
