By Jamie Suhr
Staff writer
Nebraska’s top shot-putter will be
held out of this weekend’s Big 12
Conference Indoor Track and Field
Championships and could be held out
indefinitely, NU Coach Gary Pepin said
Wednesday.
Carl Myerscough, a freshman from
Hambleton, England, may be out for
some time, pending a decision from the
International Amatuer Athletic
Federation, the international governing
board of track and field that suspended
him after it said he tested positive for
steroids in November 1999.
' Myerscough, who is appealing the
test results, cannot compete in IAAF
sponsored events unless the results are
overturned. No appeal date has beenset
While the IAAF ban did not effect
Myerscough’s eligibility with the
NCAA, continued concerns from the
Big 12 Conference prompted NU
Athletic Director Bill Byrne to call
Pepin at 1130 am. Wednesday, when
he instructed Pepin to hold Myerscough
out of the meet, Pepin said.
Final rosters for the conference
meet were due at noon on Wednesday.
“I’ve decided that Carl will not
pariticipate in the Big 12s,” Byrne said.
“There’s a situation developing back in
England, and there’s going to be a hear
ing. And once those issues are resolved,
I hope we can have Carl back represent
ing us.
“It’s best for Carl, and it’s best for
us.”
Pepin said he knew of
Myerscough’s situation when NU
recruited him. NU worked with the
NCAA to doublecheck that
Myerscough met all standards for eligi
bility.
The eligibility rule states that an ath
lete who has been found guilty of a pos
itive banned substance test can compete
if the school he is enrolled at files a
report to the NCAA Clearing House in
Indianapolis.
Then the NCAA is allowed to ran
domly test the athlete. Thus far, the ath
letic department has tested
Myerscough, and the NCAA tested him
Wednesday. Pepin did not disclose the
findings of the test, but he was happy
with the results.
“The sad thing is that Carl hasn’t
broken any NCAA or Nebraska rules,”
Pepin said. “Under NCAA rules, Carl is
as eligible as can be.”
Pepin said he thought certain
schools within the Big 12 called the
conference office with concerns about
Myerscough’s eligibility, which caused
the office to turn around and call Byrne.
Byrne declined comment when
asked if he received pressure from any
one.
Myerscough also declined com
ment Wednesday about how long he
could be out or when he might compete
again.
It might be a while. Pepin said the
university does not wait Myerscough to
compete until he “clears everything up
at home” - meaning die freshman must
have his formal hearing first
“My feelings are the reason that this
occurred is the university didn’t want
bad publicity,” Pepin said.
Myerscough’s position coach, Mark
Codigan, said many Huskers were “dis
appointed for Carl” because he violated
no NCAA rules.
“Those are the rules,” Colligan said.
“And some people don’t like it.”
-SPORTS OPINION—
Nebraska
no longer
reliable
Samuel McKewon
In subtle ways, you can see where
the Nebraska women’s basketball sea
son went sour.
Not south, mind you. Not like the
train wreck-Danny Nee suicide cam
paign that has become the men’s reg
ular season.
But sour, that feeling of medioc
rity that leaves the Cornhusker
women with a 14-11 overall record, a
good four or five wins, at least, under
their capability.
Understand that the team has not
stopped fighting. It (foes not get beat
en by 30 points on the road. Coach
Paul Sanderford calls no boosters
“sons of bitches” while they feast on
chicken-hied steak topped with coun
try-style gravy.
But NU still loses, albeit barely.
When the Huskers win, it’s a tooth
and-nail ordeal. It never comes as
easily as it should. And beneath the
excuses, beneath the false urgency of
a team that once expected a spot in
the Sweet 16a month from now, lies
subtle reasons and answers for the
blinking light that should have shined.
It was there after Nebraska’s 75
71 overtime victory over Oklahoma
State, a win in which Sanderford con
ceded his team was outplayed, again.
His team was not ready, again.
And even though a loss most likely
would have secured a stay at home for
this year’s NCAA Tournament, NU
loped around the court for 25 minutes
of the game, making lazy passes and
getting thundered on the boards.
Sanderford blames himself, but
another statement after the game sug
gested other frustrations.
“This team never makes it easy on
me,” Sanderford said.
You sense the third-year coach, :
who has been to two Final Fours with
Western Kentucky, is getting tired of
this team, this season.
He’s tired of watching 6-foot-5
center Casey Leonhardt miss chip
shot two-footers and foul away from
the ball as if it were going out of style.
And especially he’s tired of
Please see HUSKERS on 14
Mike Warren/DN
NU’S DANNY Walker recovers a loose ball before Kirk Hinrich gets his hands on it, after a Nebraska turnover in the second half. Kansas pulled away
from a half-time tie to beat the Huskers 83-68.
Jay hawks throttle Huskers after halftime
By Joshua Camenzind
Staff ivriter
Nebraska broke down both physi
cally and mentally in its 83-58 loss to.
Kansas.
Turnovers, combined with mental
lapses, turned a promising first-half
performance into a loss that mostplay
ers would like to forget.
The Jayhawks punished the
Comhuskers after the halftime inter
mission and cruised for the last 10
minutes of the second half at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center.
“Kansas came in and beat the hell
4 out of us,” NU Coach Danny Nee said.
A season-high crowd of 10,969
saw NU enter the locker room after the
first 20 minutes tied at 34 with KU, but
the second 20 was a differentanimaL
The Jayhawks turned up the defen
sive intensity and more than doubled
up the Huskers in the second half.
“I was pleased with how we com
peted in the first half,” Nee said. “I
thought we got to halftime and dodged
some bullets with the turnovers and
everything.
“In the second half, every weak
ness we have, Kansas’ pressure
exposed.”
NU finished the game with 28.
turnovers, evenly divided at 14 per
half The Jayhawks used the half-court
trap to disrupt NU^s guards die same
way they did in their earlier win in
Lawrence, Kan.
But Cary Cochran, who led
Nebraska with 14 points and seven
assists, said Kansas played the same in
both halves.
“I realty didn’t think they did any
thing different,” Cochran said. “They
probably went on a 9-0 run to start the
second half. I mean that is pretty
tough. If we have a 30-point lead and
they have a 9-0 run, you still have a lit
tle breathing room.
“But so far I don’t think we have
had a 30-point lead all year.”
Kansas was led by Nick Bradford,
who scored 19 points, along with four
other players who reached double fig
ures.
Cochran said Kansas is tough fro®
top to bottom.
“Kansas is realty good,” Cochran
said. “Their last player off the bench is
a McDonald’s All-American.”
The second-half performance led
to a breakdown by. NU senior Larry
Florence. Florence was called for a
technical foul with 12:15 remaining
after a Danny Walker foul was called
Kansas had a 49-43 lead at the time,
and three free throws gave KU a nine
point lead.
NU would be outscored 31-15
from that point, and fans started leav
ing their seats with seven and a half
minutes remaining.
Nee said he and his lone senior had
about a five-minute talk after the
game.
“He is not going to conduct him
self in that way,” Nee said. “He is a
senior, and I expect more of him than
that”
Nee said Florence is frustrated by
the losing streak, which has reached
six games.
Florence said, “I have nothing to be
positive about.”