SportsWednesday
i
I down for Cyclones
Stopping Frese, powerful ISU
offense will key NU’s chances
By Samuel McKewon
Senior editor
Paul Sanderford played hum
ble for about 20 seconds in
describing die Nebraska women’s
basketball team’s chances against
No. 8 Iowa State on Wednesday.
don’t know if we can even
stay on the floor with them,” die
coach said. “I’m just happy to
have them at home and another
opportunity to compete.”
In reality, Sanderford thinks a
whole lot more of his
Comhuskers coming into the 7:05
game tonight at Devaney Sports
Center. NU and ISU match up rea
sonably well in a game that could
be the Huskers’ most important
test to date.
While the Cyclones boast a
top-ten ranking and abetter record
at 15-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big
12 Conference, Nebraska isn’t far
behind after a four-game winning
streak. NU finds itself right in the
middle of the conference race at 5
2 and an 11-7 overall record.
And while ISU beat the
Huskers 89-66 in Ames earlier
this season, Nebraska led that
game with 10 minutes to go
before succumbing to die Hilton
Coliseum crowd and foul trouble.
The key this time, Sanderford
said, is staying out of that foul
trouble and not allowing the
Cyclones to get 36 free-throw
attempts, like they did in die first
matchup.
It’s easier said than done. ISU
has four starters who average dou
ble figures in points, along with
arguably the nation’s top 3-point
shooter in Stacy Frese.
“I think Frese lives at the free
throw line against us,” Sanderford
said of the senior guard who has
averaged 21.3 points in three
games against NU.
“She’s great at jumping into
you, drawing contact, throwing it
up and doing the flop on the
Please see ISU on 15
Mike Warren/DN
BROOKE SCHWARTZ and the Huskers take on Iowa State
tonight at the Devaney Center.
—SPORTS OPINION—
Sanderford out to prove a
point in Iowa State contest _
John Gaskins
It was plunked down right
before him, right before his
very eyes on the center of his
desk.
Somebody had sent
Nebraska women’s basketball
coach Paul Sanderford a maga
zine, and it was opened to a
double-paged, gloriously large
and colorful centerfold picture
of Iowa State’s Hilton
Coliseum. The place was jam
packed with red-and-yellow
clad Cyclone fans - during a
women s basketball game.
It was ISU’s alumni publi
cation, and the centerfold per
fectly captured the experience
and phenomenon that is Iowa
State basketball-a top 10 team
that has a love affair with its
fans, that averages 10,000 fans
per home game and has made
women’s basketball a social
event in Ames.
A note attached read, “Paul
-1 thought you might want to
take a look at this.”
Just imagine walking into
Tom Osborne’s office one day
in the mid-1970’s, when he was
Barry Switzer’s whipping boy
for the first five years of his
career, and seeing a spread-out
of Owen Field on his desk in all
its glory.
Osborne would tell you he’d
use it for inspiration -
Oklahoma was the program
that always got his number, no
Please see GASKINS on 14
Final day
arrives for
recruits
By Sean Callahan
Staff writer
As the long and grueling
recruiting process comes to an
end today, the Nebraska football
team will be waiting for two
highly anticipated decisions.
The big question will be
whether highly touted quarter
back Carlyle Holiday, out of
Roosevelt High School in San
Antonio, will sign with Nebraska
or with Notre Dame.
Both Husker and Irish fans
have been wondering about the
answer to this question. With
only two scholarship quarter
backs coming back next year,
NU is in need of a third signal
caller.
noiiaay s coacn, uien run,
said Holiday will sign the official
letter of intent at 8 a.m. today. As
of Tuesday, Hill said Holiday
knew where he was going but
didn’t want to release it until he
signs today.
The other anticipated signing
comes from safety Adrian Mayes,
out of Forest Brook High School
in Houston.
Mayes originally committed
to the Huskers in early January.,
but on Jan. 21, he visited
Louisiana State. He backed out of
his commitment and is now
wavering between the Tigers and
the Huskers.
Mayes, who is a 300-meter
hurdles state champion, plans to
run track next year wherever he
goes.
“Whichever school holds true
to their offer to let me run track is
who I will go to,” Mayes said.
“These next couple of days 1 will
ask God to help me make the
right decision.”
Mayes and Holiday are both
listed as top players for their posi
tions. If the Huskers get both of
them, it could give them one of
Please see RECRUITS on 14
“(His throws) are extraordinary, and every
one would have to agree,” Colligan said. “We
_ couldn’t have rehearsed it better.
UNL shot-putter throws
season record, disputes
UK steroid test results ^
By Brandon Schulte
Staff writer Jk
Few things rival Carl Myerscough’s size.
But the two things that come close to fl
matching his 6-foot-10,330-pound frame - ^B
his shot-put length and his goals - loom
larger.
It’s been 24 days since Myerscough arrived ]
in Lincoln from Hambleton, England. In that -
time he’s managed to throw a personal best of 64
4 Vi in the shot put, the best in the nation so far this
season.
And Myerscough’s been shrouded in controversy
after being suspended by the International Amateur
Athletics Federation for allegedly testing positive for
steroids.
At his size, it’s not hard to envision the freshman '
being successful at the shot put. Myerscough said his
height and weight are both above that of the average col
legiate shot-putter, but his success is about more than his
incredible size.
“It’s partly genetics,” he said. “But it’s also a tremen
dous amount of work. You can’t turn up and throw far;
even if you have the best genetics in the world. I’ve had1
to be dedicated at it.”
Just by putting in perspective the 64-4 Vt throw he
threw in Ids first collegiate meet, one can see there may
be few ceilings Myerscough doesn’t hit during his career
at Nebraska.
The throw would have been good enough for second
place at the NC^lA Indoor Track and Field champi
onships last year, a mere seven inches from first place.
It was the second-best throw in Comhusker history, .
behind Kevin Coleman’s marie of 65-9 % in 1992.
Myerscough’s coach, Mark Colligan, who
knows a thing or two about throwing a shot put ^
after winning the Big Eight championship in the|||
event in 1986, said he’s never seen such a good^4
thrower so early in an athlete’s career.
Heather Glenboski/DN
To throw 70 ieet is almost hard to imag
ine as far as a collegiate athlete is concerned,
but he makes it imaginable.”
So how good i&a 70-foot shot put?
Myerscough said that mark would put
■ him third in the world currently. He also said
^B he would be troubled if he didn’t throw that
^ far sometime during his career, and the 20
1 year-old even hinted that he might be able to
1 hit the mark this year.
“If I don’t throw 70 (feet), I’ll be very dis
I appointed,” Myerscough said “I set my goals
IL, , a bit higher. Certainly the 644 Vi that I threw
■T in the first meet was only the first meet of the
B year.
“I hope to improve on that toward 70 feet
B even - not necessarily throw 70 feet this sea
r son but certainly get a whole lot closer.”
With such long throws and even greater
expectations, it’s no wonder Myerscough would be
a target of drug teste.
He allegedly tested positive for methandienone
and oxymetholone, both steroids, last May during a
■ random test by UK Athletics. He was suspended by the
B IAAF last November. ^
The suspension won’t affect his NCAA eligibility
B because the NCAA is its own entity and doesn’t have to fol
t low the IAAF ruling. What the suspension does do is hurt his
■ Olympic standing.
Myerscough said the investigation has been ongoing for
I the past eight months, and he doesn’t expect it to be resolved
I soon.
“Because British athletics are who the situation is
■ involved with, and because IAAF governs British athletics,
(the IAAF) had to stick their nose into it,” Myerscough said.
“I’m sort of provisionally suspended, pending an investigation
into it.
“It doesn t mean they ve decided what the outcome is going
V to be by any means. I’d like to think that the right outcome
V should prevail - I’m innocent”
If he is found guilty in the investigation, the penalty could be
V a lifetime suspension.
“It’s pretty damn severe in the worst scenario,” he said. “(A
[ lifetime ban) is not likely, but possible.”
k Since he has no control over the investigation, he said he will
continue to progress slowly to his lofty goal of being the best shot
putter in the world.
“Over time, you know, eventually I’d like to be No. 1,”
Myerscough said. “I’m patient; the peak age for a shot-putter is 31
years old. So I’ve got time.”