By Darken Ivy
Staff Reporter
As the 1997 basketball season
opens, Nebraska and the University of
North Carolina-Greensboro share a
common goal - the NCCA
Tournament.
NU has hungered for a return trip
since its 1994 loss to Pennsylvania.
UNC-Greensboro hopes to return for
the third time in the last four years
after having missed out last season.
The quest for both of the veteran
squads starts Sunday at 1:05 p.m. in
the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
“We are on a mission this season,”
said Cookie Belcher, NU’s starting
guard. “The first game is the first
stone. We have to step over it first and
then move on.”
To get over the first stone, NU will
need big games from Andy
Markowski and Venson Hamilton,
said Husker Coach Danny Nee. He is
confident they will perform well
because they have been averaging 11
and 13 rebounds respectively in the
two preseason victories.
“They’ve really done a nice job of
establishing themselves,” Nee said.
While these two Huskers have
established themselves this year, the
UNC-Greensboro men’s basketball
program has been establishing itself as
B— |
' m
a solid Division I program the past
four years.
In the 1995 NCCA Tournament
the Spartans nearly upset Cincinnati
in the first round. Since then,
Greensboro has played with some of
the top teams in die country.
UNC-Greensboro Coach Randy
Peele said playing NU is great oppor
tunity for his team. He said they are
expecting a lot of defensive pressure
and a physical game from the
Huskers.
On the defensive side, the
Spartans hope to contain Tyronn Lue
and win the rebound battle, Peele said.
“Whether or not we can do those
things is another question,” Peele said.
Nee said Ntl doesn’t know much
about the Spartans, except that they
won their first exhibition game 105
67 against a team from Lithuania.
Peele said his team likes to run and
shoot the three-pointer off the break.
The Spartans return three starters
from last year’s 10-20 team that fin
ished in sixth place in the Big South
Conference.
Peele said senior guard Derrick
Nix and senior center Larry Gilbert
are going to be the keys for the
Spartan’s success this season. Nix will
be matched up with Lue.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to
play against one of the premiere play
ers ih the country,” Peele said. “I think
he is mentally and emotionally ready.”
UNC-Greensboro will use the
game with NU as a measuring stick,
Peele said. ' ■
Nee has also evaluated NU’s per
formances after each of the exhibition
wins against Pella Windows and
Marathon Oil.
After NU’s first exhibition game
against Pella, Nee said the coaches
were concerned with defensive pres
sure and turnovers. But, after practic
ing these things, he was pleased with
their improvement in the game against
Marathon Oil.
This season, NU’s first regular
season game is a week earlier than last
season. Even though NU’s practice
time has been limited, Nee said the
Huskers are right on schedule for :
introduction of offensive plays and
defenses.
Nee said the players are anxious
for their first-ever meeting with UNC
Greensboro, even though he would
rather have a few more weeks to pre
pare.
“The guys are looking forward to
it,” Nee said. “They’d rather play
games than practice.”
Huskers set for first meets
By Antone Oseka
Senior Reporter
A trip to Laramie, Wyo., thii
weekend will allow the Nebraskt
wrestling team to open up both it:
dual and tournament seasons.
The Cornhuskers will hav§ i
dual with Wyoming tbnjgfat^aiM
and then participate in the Cowboj
Open Saturday at 10 a.m.
Nebraska will not be at its bes
when the Huskers face th<
Cowboys. NU will wrestle withou
158-pounder Temoer Terry, i
national title contender.
Terry, a senior, re-injured hi;
shoulder Wednesday at morninj
practice. Freshman Brad Coope
will take his place.
The Husker lineup is composet
of Paul Gomez at 118, Jeramit
Welder at 126, Brad Canoyer a
134, Dusty Morris at 142, Ryai
Bauer at 150, Cooper, Montt
Christensen at 167, Brad Vering a
177, Scott Munson at 190 ant
Ryan Tobin at heavyweight.
“That’s as good of a lineup as
we’re going to have until Tobin
goes-down,” Nebraska Coach Tim
| N^na^nsfi^^ Hvkj il |
r Tobin, From Brandon, S7D.,'is
the top-ranked 190-pounder in the
t country and a member of NU’s
. Mortar Board. He is expected to
t cut down to 190 from heavyweight
t for the spring portion of the sched
ule.
5 Neumann said his team is
r ready to see some different faces,
r “They are about ready to wres
tle somebody who’s not from the
I same team,” Neumann said.
; Wyoming finished last season
t 8-7 in duals, but lost four key let
1 ter-winners. One of their best
j wrestlers will face one of NU’s top
t grapplers. Senior Bryce Bochy
1 will square off against Canoyer at
134.
“Brad will have to wrestle pret
ty hard,” Neumann said. “They’re
a somewhat younger team than
what we faced last year.”
Neumann said all of his
wrestlers, minus Terry, would be
in action somewhere this weekend.
He is taking 18 of his top wrestlers
Laramie. No team scoring is kept
in open meets and they don’t count
against a redshirt season.
The redshirt wrestlers then will
travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa
State Open. Neumann said he
expects each of them to get good
experience from that trip. And
lastly, for experience, Nebraska
Assistant Coach Mark Cody is tak
ing heavyweights Abe Boomer and
J.R, Plienis to the North Dakota
Open Tournament.
Neumann said he hopes both
wrestle against the No. 2-ranked
heavyweight in the country,
Shelton Benjamin from
Minnesota.
Teams eye NCAA qualification
NCAA from page 9
about losing,” she said. “We’re focused
on running well.”
The itien’s team will do more
scrambling in order to qualify as a team
for the NCAAs. NU is among the
favorites in a field that includes
Minnesota, Iowa State and Missouri.
“I don’t know what kind of chances
the men are going to have to qualify as
a team,” Dirksen said. “It’s going to
have to be a great all-around effort to be
in the top two.”
Nebraska does have two individu
als who should be making the trip to
South Carolina regardless of the
Huskers’ team finish. Senior Cleophas
Boor and freshman Jereon Broekzitter
have consistently been in the top 1 O this
season, including the Big 12
Championships, where Boor was sec
ondand Broekzitter came in sixth.
Dirksen said Boor, who had been
battling injuries earlier in the season, is
running as well as anybody in the coun
try now.
“Cleophas is probably the favorite
going into this race, really,” Dirksen
said. “He’s all the way back and he’s
running as well as ever”
The Husker men’s lineup is round
ed out by senior Aaron Johnson, junior
Lou Petricca and freshman Marcus
Witter.
Tor both teams, Dirksen said a
major key will be managing the course
well.
“Our people have to know Mien to
make their move,” he said. “They can’t
start out too fast and they have to finish
well.”
Cross country runner exceeds expectations
RUNNER from page 9
Centerwall even surprised her
self.
“I didn’t really expect to be in the
top seven,” Centerwall said. “Jay
told me it would be hard. I kind of
expected to be on the lower half of
the team.
“I’ve run the same as I always
have. I don’t know why I’m getting
better.”
Dirksen said he was not sure how
to attribute her success either.
“You watch her in practice, she’s
not very high in workouts,” Dirksen
said. “In meets, she’s just fabulous.”
Dirksen first heard about
Centerwall from Eric Mickelson, a
former NU runner who has since
transferred back to Washington.
After speaking with her on the phone,
Dirksen traveled and paid a visit to
her while he was in Washington.
As a senior last fall, Centerwall
placed 18th in the Class 3A
Washington cross country champi
onships. But the difference between
running in high school and running
at the Division I level is huge, she
said.
“In high school you have a lot of
dinky meets and you just run them
for fun,” Centerwall said. “You didn’t
have to try your hardest to run well.
Here I have to work my hardest in
every race.”
Dirksen said Centerwall has
shown a good work ethic at Nebraska
and has continued to improve.
Centerwall said she was just glad
to be fitting in.
“I’m loving it now,” Centerwall
said. “I love the team and I feel like
I’m doing a lot better.”
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