The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, February 24, 2000, Page 16, Image 16
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.”