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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1997)
Shannon Heffelfinger Huskers will answer big question Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit sighed, sat down at the front of the room and faced the assembled media at South Stadium Tuesday. The room was unusually crowded, and Pettit knew why. Everyone wanted an answer to the question. “What happened to the team last week?” a reporter asked, refer ring to NU’s first back-to-back losses in four years. “I don’t know,” Pettit said with a smile. “El Nino?” Sometimes, it’s easier to talk about things when you’re winning than when you’re losing. Two losses last week destroyed NU’s 41-match home winning streak, its 22-year league victory string and marked the first time ever the Huskers had been swept by a conference opponent. NU fell to Colorado before tak ing a whipping at Oklahoma - a team the Huskers had swept eight straight years. Why? This is Neoraska. This is the team with a strong player-of-the year candidate and an even stronger preseason bid to repeat as Big 12 Champions. This is the team that returned nine players from last sea son’s team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four. This is the team that was expected to go further. Pettit points to an injury to starter Jaime Krondak when answering the question. His players, however, blame themselves. “Everyone was waiting for someone else to step up and take control, but nobody did,” sopho more Mandy Monson said. “It’s hard to be on the court when every one is just looking around.” Lisa Reitsma felt the frustration after OU. Our serving has gone down, our passing has broken down. After that goes, so does everything else,” Reitsma said. So the question remains. This weekend is huge for NU. Nebraska travels to No.l 1 Texas and No. 12 Texas A&M. Will the Huskers regain their dominance? Where will they find leadership? Can they refocus? “We have two losses in the Big 12, so what?” Monson said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t come back and win every single game we play. Its doesn’t mean we can’t win the Big 12 Championship or the national championship.” The question will surely be answered in Texas. Hefielfinger is a sophomore news-editorial major and a Daily Nebraskan assignment reporter. Let the games begin Lue: Attitude may be key factor for successful ’91-98 campaign By Darren Ivy Staff Reporter NU point guard Tyronn Lue hopes an improved team attitude will lead the NU men’s basketball team back to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. “Our self-discipline and work ethic are better than in the past,” Lue said. “We don’t have as much talent as my freshman and sophomore sea sons, but self-discipline also wins games. - Nebraska coach Danny Nee has seen the players’ new attitudes four days a week during the preseason for weights and running, but Saturday will be the first time on the court. A strong nucleus of returning players from last year’s 18-15 and NIT qualifying team has Nee excited about the 1997-98 season. “The players have a winning atti tude this year,” Nee said. “The play ers want more. They want to be com petitive in the last two weeks of the season and in the NCAAs.” Sophomore Cookie Belcher said the preseason was harder this year. “I think Coach Nee knows what kind of team we can have and that’s why he worked us so hard,” Belcher said. A successtul season won t just rely on the players, Nee said, but also the support of the home-court fans. On offense, the Huskers should be fast-paced team. He said team quick ness and shooting are two of NU’s strengths. Belcher said home-court fans may not realize how important they are to the team. “When they get involved, we get involved,” Belcher said. “They make us want to play harder.” The fans will see returning starters, Lue, Belcher, Venson Hamilton and Larry Florence on the court. In addition to these players, Andy Markowski will start as for ward, and Troy Piatkowski will like ly be the sixth man, Nee said. To win the tournament, Nee said the team will need to develop a sound man-to-man defense. “We know if we win either (the Big 12 Conference or Big 12 Tournament), we make it to the NCAAs,” Nee said. “There are a lot of good individual players in this league and to win we will have to be able to get stops on them at key times,” Nee said. To play consistent, Nee said it takes an attitude about coming out and playing hard and smart every I night. “The players from last year understand that,” Nee said. “They have had great attitudes thus far this year.” On offense, Nee said the team will be a fast-paced team. He said team quickness and shooting are two of the team’s strengths. Depth on the front line will be one of the team’s weaknesses. Nee said 6-foot-10 freshman Brant Harriman will see quite a bit of playing time backing up M Hamilton and Markowski. The team’s first chance to see how the defense and offense are progressing will be Nov. 5 against Pella Windows. The regu lar season starts at home on Nov. 16 ; against UNC Greensboro. Several pre season publica tions have pre dicted the Huskers to fin ish in second or third place in the Big \T North Division. _________ Street, Smith and Sporting News picked the Huskers to finish third behind Iowa State and Kansas, while Athlon and Preview Sports Publications picked the Huskers to finish second behind Kansas. Nee said some of the publica tions do a lot of research, but he doesn’t pay too much attention to them. “I think it’s great entertainment reading, but how right and how fac tual remains to be seen,” Nee said. “It doesn’t take too much to know Kansas is the best team in the confer ence.” Lue said the team can’t get caught up in all the preseason hype. “We were supposed to finish second my freshman year,” Lue said, “but we never did.” New coach, players hope to unite as Huskers begin Sanderford era By Shannon Heffelfinger Assignment Reporter The Southern style of up-tempo basketball merges with a strong Midwestern work ethic when new Coach Paul Sanderford begins prac tice with the Nebraska women’s bas ketball team Saturday. Both coach and players expect a successful union. “The most impressive thing about this team has been the work ethic,” Sanderford said. “Coaches usually spend half the time trying to get their players to play hard. We have that already, so we can spend that much more time trying get them to play well. Sanderford plans to use the four weeks before the Huskers open their regular season to implement his up tempo system. Years of coaching in an area of the country where North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Kentucky’s Rick Pitino dominated the college basketball landscape influenced Sanderford’s up-tempo coaching-style philosophy, he said. In the early stages of practices, Sanderford wants to concentrate on fundamental aspects of the gapiej such as rebounding and defense. But the new head coach hopes, to have a solid offensive attack by tne start of the Huskers’ exhibition sea son Nov. 7 when NU plays host to Zala Volan (Hungary). “It’s a different philosophy than the players have seen before,” Sanderford said. “Things are going , to be a little faster. We’re going to Ik press more and get more people ft involved that way.” ft Nebraska’s top returning ft scorers and three-point threats Wr are senior honorable-mention W All-American Anna DeForge and sophomore Nicole Kubik. I Also expected to contribute heavily in the paint are fresh I men Lisa Bryan, Amanda ;| Cleveland and Amanda |1 Sanderford believes good M communication between § himself and the returqip^ f players holds an important | key to success in his first ^a Jami Kubik said the players have been meeting individually ^ with Sanderford, giving him an §f opportunity to calm their appre § hensions. “It’s been a chance to get some ; questions answered,” Kubik said. \ “He’s trying to tell us where we’re | at, but he doesn’t really know. Its f hard for him to say what our roles m are going to be.” W NU proceeds in early January I to Big 12 Conference play. Kubik said the Huskers will be ready for the challenge. “We were always anxious for practice to start in past years, but it’s more so this year,” Kubik said. “It’s more excitement with the anxiety. For me, this is really special. It’s the last time the seniors will be doing this and coach knows that and he doesn’t let you forget it. I think we’ll work really hard for him.” -- Huskers hope to contain Lethridge By Antone Oseka Senior Reporter Already this season, Nebraska has seen some good quarterbacks. Washington’s Brock Huard, Central Florida’s Daunte Culpepper and Kansas State’s Michael Bishop have all tried their arms at beating Nebraska and have come up short. This week, when No. 2 Nebraska (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Big 12 Conference) faces off against Texas Tech (3-2, 2-0) Saturday, at Memorial Stadium, senior Zebbie Lethridge will be the next quarterback to try and leaid the Red Raiders to a victory. Alter facing good quarterbacks already this season, the Blackshirts are feeling prepared to play Lethridge. j “We’re going to treat him a lot like Bishop,” senior rush end Grant Wistrom said. “Hopefully, we can put pressure on him.” Wistrom said, as far as the talent NU has faced this season, he would rate Lethridge in between Culpepper and Bishop for quarter back ability. The most dangerous part of Lethridge is his ability to run with the football. Nebraska senior defensive tack le and All-American candidate Jason Peter said Lethridge could play running back for most schools. But, Peter added, if Lethridge hurts you on one play, the defense can’t hang its head and concentrate on it. “If we get hurt, we need to come back into the huddle and concen trate,” Peter said. “This defense knows how to handle it. Last season, Tech had two stars in the backfield. Lethridge was teamed with running back Byron Hanspard, a Heisman Trophy candi date, who now plays in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons. The loss of Hanspard, Peter said, has made a lot of the Tech offense one-dimensional around Lethridge. Wistrom had a little different view. “Zebbie’s a threat all to him self,” Wistrom said. Please see LETHRIDGE on 111 |
