Mike Kluck
Coach needs
new guidelines
for NU success
After the Nebraska basketball
teams’ quick exit in the Big 12 Tour
naments a couple of weeks ago, I
decided to listen to the Sports
Nightly Show — a local radio talk
show — to see what people had to
say about the Comhuskers’
pokseason possibilities.
Throughout the course of the
evening, people called in and com
plained about the likelihood of an
other trip to the National Invitation
Tournament as well as
complimented the Huskers on a suc
cessful season.
But then I was surprised by one
of the callers — Nebraska Coach
Danny Nee — who sounded sur
prised at some of the fans’ reactions.
At one point Nee said, “I don’t
know what the people want any
more.”
Because I m a basketball fan and
former high school coach I figured I
would give Nee my criteria for what
I would like to see in the Husker
basketball program:
1. A team that cares for each
other and its coach. Obviously,
there have been times in the last
couple of years this caring attitude
hasn’t been there. If it had, there
wouldn’t have been the over-publi
cized walk-out incident last year, and
three players wouldn’t have left last
year’s squad.
2. A team that hates losing but
is gracious in winning. Members of
a Nebraska team should get upset
when they lose. Yes, it’s a great ac
complishment to [day Kansas close
at Allen Fieldhouse, but it’s still a
loss and a disappointment.
3. A team that is ready to play
no matter what. No NU team
should ever need an excuse for los
ing to an inferior opponent. Once die
whistle has blown, Nebraska should
be ready to play whether the oppo
nent is Kansas or Coppin State.
4. A team with high goals and
expectations. Nebraska’s goal each
season should be winning the Big
12 Conference title and making the
NCAA Tbumament. I don’t believe
NU should be in the Final Four or
win the league every year, but there’s
no problem with having a realistic
goal.
5. A team that has no off-court
problems, graduates its athletes
and creates role models for the
community. Enough said.
This is where I want to see the
program go.
But again it’s what I want, and I
want to know what you want from
your basketball program.
Mail your ideas to the Daily Ne
braskan or send them to our e-mail
—DN@unlinfo.unl.edu. I will pub
lish your suggestions in the future
and I hope not after another NTT
title.
Kluck is a journalism gradu
ate student aad a Daily Nebras
ka! senior reporiec
I Russell highlights Huskers charge
By Jay Saunders
Staff Reporter
It is time for the Nebraska
women’s swimming and diving
team to quit talking about the
NCAA Championship meet and
get into the pool.
The Cornhuskers — fresh off
their upset win over Texas in the
Big 12 Conference Championships
— are in Indianapolis for the
NCAA Championships, which be
gin today, hoping to make a state
ment to the rest of the country.
“We have been focused on this
meet all season,” NU Coach Cal
Bentz said. “We have gone through
and put everything together so we
can have the fastest meet of the
year.”
Putting everything together for
four days did not leave the Husk
ers with a feeling Uiat there is no
improvement to be made. Bentz
said as soon as the team arrived
back in Lincoln, it went straight to
work.
“The yardage in practice was
increased for a couple of days,”
Bentz said. “Then we went through
and cut back on the yardage and
worked on race technique and re
lay starts — the things that prep
your team for fast competition.”
, After the Big 12 meet — in
which the Huskers entered ranked
16th in the nation and left ranked
ninth — Bentz said the conference
championship would be an eye
opener for the rest of the country.
“We felt we ought to have been
ranked higher most of the season,”
Please see SWIM on 11
Scott Bruhn/DN
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NU has won five
straight after taking
two from UNO.
Bt David Wilson
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska baseball team
continued its winning ways
Wednesday, sweeping a double
header from
Nebraska
Omaha at
Buck Beltzet
Field.
D e -
spite being
outhitbyUNO
in the first
game, the
Cornhuskers
pulled out a
13-6 victory before 225 fans. NU
won game two 11-2.
“We’re playing better base
ball,” NU Coach John Sanders
said. “We have to keep this going.
We’re starting to pull together.”
After losing 13 consecutive
games, the Huskers (10-14) have
won four straight—including two
conference games against Mis
souri last weekend.
Nebraska will lode to extend
its streak this afternoon when it
plays host to South Dakota State
in a doubleheader beginning at
1:30.
UNO Coach Bob Gates, whose
team fell to 5-6, said the Huskers
played better than their record in
dicated.
“I think they’re coining back,”
Gates said. “They’re swinging the
bats.”
But Nebraska won the second
game backed by a strong pitching
performance from right-handed
starter Brandon Banuelos (1-1).
“Brandon pitched well,” Sand
ers said. “We need him to step up.”
The junior threw six innings,
allowing two runs on three hits
while striking out six. Though the
two runs he allowed were officially
recorded as earned runs, they were
both scored because of errors.
NU jumped to a 5-0 lead in the
\
first inning backed by RBI singles
from Todd Sears, Kevin
Harrington, Andrew Sabers and
Bryan Schmidt.
Junior Giffton Durham, who
scored NU’s second run of the
game, extended his hitting streak
to 10 games with an infield single
in die first inning.
NU added another run in the
third when Harrington drove a 3
2 pitch over the left-field fence,
across Avery Avenue and into the
weeds. The 350-foot blast was his
fifth home run of the season.
“I’ve been feeling good at the
plate all year," Harrington said.
The junior second baseman,
who finished the nightcap going
3 for 4 with three RBIs, left the
game in the sixth inning after
twisting his left ankle sliding into
second. Harrington’s injury, Sand
ers said, is not serious.
Nebraska repeated its first in
ning feat in the fourth when it
manufactured another five runs on
four hits to take an 11-2 lead.
Five right-handed pitchers fol
lowed Banuelos allowing just one
hit in the final three innings.
Sanders said he hoped to give his
staff some experience before the
Rainbow Easter Tournament
March 24-30 in Honolulu.
“We would rather get an out on
Please see UNO on 11
_ Mike Warrrn/DN
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Thompson’s
last chance
is near home
By Antone Oseka
Staff Reporter
Nebraska heavyweight Tolly Th
ompson calls himself a wrestling
junkie. He’s addicted to the high he
gets after winning
something as big
as a national title.
Two years ago,
he had that high
as a sophomore
when he won the
national champi
onship, but two
years has been a
long wait for an
other title.
This weekend, only five miles from
his hometown, Thompson will try to
reach that high again. The senior from
Janesville, Iowa, has come a long way
for a final chance that comes at this
year’s NCAA Championships in Ce
dar Falls, Iowa.
“The first one’s easy,” Thompson
said. “The second one’s tough. You
have to do what you did before. I want
that feeling, knowing I’m a national
champion.”
Thompson’8 quest starts today at
the NCAA Championships at 11 a.m.
at the’UNI-Dome on the Northern
Iowa campus in Cedar Falls.
Nebraska qualified sox wrestlers for
the championships, with Thompson
the highest seed of the NU qualifiers.
The Huskers also qualified 118
pounder Todd Beckerman, 126
pounder Jeramie Welder, 134-pounder
Brad Canoyer, 138-pounder Jason
Kraft and 177-pounder Charles
McTbrry.
Thompson is NU’s best chance for
a national title. He’s seeded third and
owns a record of 36-3.
His only losses are to the two wres
tlers seeded ahead of him. Thompson's
last twice to Penn State's Kerry McCoy
and once to Stephen Neal of Cal State
Bakersfield. Thompson said, however,
that he will win the national title.
It's the only goal he's had all year.
“I’Ve been straight on this for a
year now,” Thompson said. “Every day
I've thought about a national title 10
Please see NCAA on 11
