The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, November 12, 1998, Page 7, Image 7

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    KSU cautious, confident about game with Huskers
By David Wilson
Senior staff writer
MANHATTAN, Kan. - To Darnell
McDonald, it still doesn’t make complete
sense.
Nine wins, no losses, and now Nebraska - a
team Kansas State hasn’t defeated since 1968 -
is the next road-block between the Wildcats
and a national championship.
KSU hasn’t been two wins away from an
undefeated regular season since 1918.
Still, McDonald, pinned against a wall by
reporters from across the country Tuesday,
confidently fielded questions regarding what
could be the biggest game of his career.
“I never envisioned that we would have a
shot at a national title,” said McDonald, a
senior receiver.
But thoughts of a championship aren’t lurk
ing heavily in the minds of
the Wildcats this week,
McDonald said.
First, they have to prove
they can beat the
Cornhuskers (8-2 overall
and 4-2 in the Big 12
Conference) at 2:35 p.m.
on Wagner Field in
Manhattan. The game will
an u be televised by ABC.
McDonald «We want t0 show
everyone that K-State is for real,” said senior
defensive tackle Andrae Rowe. “I think this
could be the biggest win ever in this program.
We just have to stay focused.”
A loss to Nebraska last season in Lincoln
proved to be the only blemish on the Wildcat
schedule. KSU finished 11-1 after defeating
14th-ranked Syracuse in the Fiesta Bowl.
This season, Rowe said, things are a little
different - on both sides.
“I think they’ve struggled a little bit this
year,” Rowe said. “They still have talent, just
not as much as they have in the past.
“I think we have a lot more confidence than
we did last year. I think this is the most talent
K-State has ever had.”
And it’s their talent, along with their togeth
erness and emotional preparation, that has
helped the Wildcats this season, senior offen
sive lineman Jeremy Martin said.
“There are teams in this country that have
more talent than us that have only won one or
two games,” Martin said.
With the exception of a 52-20 win over
Oklahoma State, the Wildcats have not allowed
an opponent to score more than nine points all
season. And, other than a 16-9 win against
Colorado, KSU has always won by at least 32
points.
But even another loss to Nebraska won’t
send the Wildcat program into a tailspin,
Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder said.
Senior offensive lineman Jeremy Martin
agreed.
“I’m going to wake up Sunday if we lose,”
Martin said. “I may be hurting a little bit, but
I’ll be alive.
“When I’m done here, I will never say 1 had
a bad time at Kansas State.”
in
New guard
hopes to fill
Lue’s shoes
By Darren Ivy
Staff writer
Basketball recruiting can be called
anything but an exact science. Nebraska
point guard Joe Holmes might be the
best example of that.
When Tyronn Lue made his deci
sion to forego his senior season April 1,
he left NU coaches searching for some
one to fill his void at the point guard
position.
At the top of Coach Danny Nee’s list
was Lamont Perry, a 6-foot-3, 175
pound guard from Southwestern
College in Chula Vista, Calif.
Nebraska supposedly was at the top
of Perry’s list too. He officially commit
ted April 14.
But you’ve never heard of him.
Perry never came here. His letter of
intent was sent via the wrong mail sys
tem so the coaches never received it.
Good-bye Lamont Perry.
Hello Joe Holmes.
Holmes, a 5-foot-11 guard, was
seriously considering Norfolk State,
South Carolina State or South Alabama.
That’s before his teammate at Tyler
(Texas) Community College helped
him to play for Nebraska.
Koaney rieias, a o-root-3 guard,
had already committed to Nebraska.
When Lue left, Fields knew NU was
looking for a true point guard.
“I put in the word to Coach (Jimmy)
Williams,” Fields said. “He evaluated
Joe’s game through me. Lue was a great
player. I told him, ‘Joe would fill his
shoes in terms of being solid. He would
play hard defense and make good pass
es.’”
Williams liked what he heard from
Fields and what he saw on tapes.
Holmes, who averaged 10.4 points and
8.1 assists per game his sophomore
year, was now at the top of NU’s list.
Williams contacted Tyler Coach
Kyle Keller and told him this.
Keller, who was a psychology
major, always played mind games with
his guys, Fields said, so Holmes never
knew when to take him seriously.
When Keller asked Holmes if he
would like to continue playing basket
ball with Fields, he said he’d love to. But
maybe it was another of Keller’s games.
Holmes didn’t believe Keller when he
said Williams was on the line.
“I said, ‘Who is Coach Williams?”’
Holmes said.
Holmes expected it to be a prank.
When Nebraska Assistant Coach
Jimmy Williams introduced himself.
Holmes knew it wasn’t a joke.
Holmes called Derrick Chandler, a
former NU center, to ask him about the
program. Chandler gave NU a positive
endorsement. Holmes sent his letter.
This time, the coaches got it.
“1 was trying to find a situation just
like this where I could step m and play,”
Holmes said.
Holmes was tired ofbad experiences
with college coaches. Out of Duval High
School in Baltimore, Holmes had col
lege coaches talking to him, but nothing
worked out. Holmes didn’t enroll in col
lege and took a semester off.
During that time, he just played bas
ketball. His AAU Coach, Harold Gates,
landed him the tryout at Tyler.
“That’s all I needed was that one
chance,” Holmes said. “Things happen
for a reason. I kept the faith and knew
that things would happen sooner or
later.”
When Holmes arrived at Tyler,
Fields said he never foresaw Holmes
playing for a Division I school. But
Holmes improved quickly.
Joe has come a long way irom the
time 1 first played with him,” Fields
said. “He was hesitant in the things he
did. He’s matured in every aspect of his
game. His decision making has
improved and his whole level of play
has risen.”
Now, wearing a Husker uniform,
Holmes is taking charge.
“I’m not here to be Tyronn Lue,”
Holmes said. “I’m here to be Joe
Holmes. He did a lot of good things
here. I’m here to run the show.”
Holmes, who once was the coaches’
second choice, is now the starter.
In his first two games at the helm,
Holmes has averaged 2.5 points, three
assists and no turnovers per game.
While the numbers may not be stagger
ing, Holmes brings stability and consis
tency to the point.
“Once we went with the starting
rotation two days ago, we’ve been exe
cuting the best since I’ve been here at
Nebraska,” said senior forward Andy
Markowski. “People know their roles
and shots they will take.”
When people don’t fulfill their
roles, Holmes is not afraid to get on
them. That attitude is what Nee likes
and expects from Holmes.
“I want him to be the quarterback,
the leader, the floor general,” Nee said.
“We want him to be an assist man. We
don’t need him to be a scorer.”
;
^--rnTT-iiar-- -■MBTiii-rtfMW.'vi II l————ifc-n-n*n,. ■-1
Mike Warren (left) and Scott McClurg (above)/DN
JUNIORS NICOLE KUBIK (top) and Joe Holmes (right) take over the point guard spot for both the Nebraska women's
and men's basketball teams. Kubik is in her third season with the Huskers, Holmes his first.
Guard leads women's team by actions
By Christopher Heine
Staff writer
Nicole Kubik, with her feathery
voice, will never be mistaken for
General Patton.
Kubik could only use a growling
baritone and a beet-red face in mock to
keep her teammates loose. One of her
teammates called her a prankster.
But make no mistake about it: The
junior point guard is a serious leader. She
just prefers to lead by her actions. Just
ask die rest of Nebraska’s women’s bas
ketball team.
Guard Amanda Went said that while
Kubik is not extremely vocal, she is a
perfect floor general.
“I think she’s a great leader,” she
said. “She loves to pass. She has an
amazing sense of the floor. If you set a
screen for her you better be ready for the
ball when you roll.”
Junior guard Brooke Schwartz had
her own big praise for Kubik.
“Her talent is unbelievable,”
Schwartz said. “I look up to her even
though we’re both juniors.”
Kubik has a lot to live up to. NU lost
Anna DeForge to graduation.
Went said those two players were the
leaders of last year’s record-setting
squad. On route to a berth in the NCAA
tournament, that team generated more
excitement in women’s basketball than
any other in recent Nebraska memory.
Coach Paul Sanderford, whose
enthusiasm has invigorated the program,
isn’t about to understate what he expects
his point guard to get done this season.
“I need Nicole Kubik to consistently
be the best player on the court every
day,” Sanderford said.
That means doing a little of every
thing.
“She has to score some. She has to
take care of the ball and get it to the right
people. That’s her job.”
Kubik averaged a solid 13 points per
game last season. She lead the Big 12
with 104 steals while setting an NU sin
gle-season record. The point guard was
voted third-team all-conference.
Kubik played big when her team
needed her most. Kubik scored more
than 20 points in five games last year -
all on the road.
Kubik said her past performances
are confidence-builders. However, she
knows the new responsibilities that lie
Please see KUBIK on 8