SportsThursday
Stress over
keeping up
Commercialism kills college
sports. That’s cynical. That’s
cliche. That's stereotypical. And
yet it proves itself true over and
over again.
Take a walk uuiuc uc*qhly
Sport
Center, and
it wafts
through the
rafters
There are
giant, use
less televi
s i o n
screens that
function to
display the i
action easily seen uu me
Banners and advertisement
abound.
Subtly, these visual accom
modations that surround fans,
soften the backbone to yell,
stomp and scream, or even pay
immediate attention to the
game. The talented student pro
duction staff of HuskerVision
has bridged the gap over time
outs - lest we ever converse with
a human beside us - with
snazzy sports highlight pack
ages that make fans feel good
about their support.
But a slow erosion of brain
waves is an abstract gauge of
inflicted damage. For most
schools, though not yet
* Nebraska, keeping up with the
Joneses has become a painful
pursuit, where success in the
now masks a future financial
collapse.
Exploring its effects was a
centerpiece of the recent NCAA
meetings in Lake Buena Vista,
Fla., as president Cedric
Dempsey on Sunday warned
delegates about the ever-rising
budgets of athletic departments
around the country. Simply put,
too much money, and too much
time, is being put into sustain
ing an annually competitive
program.
“Too many athletics admin
istrators are walking a financial
high-wire with no net as they try
to balance the books,” Dempsey
said in his speech. "We very well
may be setting ourselves up for
a huge financial fall unless we
find a way to control costs.”
Cost control is only an issue
because there are so many
expenditures to cover. The 970
NCAA member schools are
bringing in about $3 billion
annually in revenue. Problem is,
they’re spending $4.1 billion.
And where is the money
going? To use Nebraska as an
example, into new high-tech
practice and performance facil
ities that entice recruits, even
ones for smaller sports, to
attend.
Nevada Las-vegas, a school
that just fired its head basket
ball coach for yet more viola
tions, is in the process of build
ing a $13 million practice facili
ty. Kansas recently revamped its
football stadium to play host to
empty seats. Texas A&M, a
supremely average basketball
program, built a 12,500-seat
arena in 1998. Last season, the
Aggies averaged 4,906 fans per
game.
NU is taking a similar
plunge with the Huskers’ soon
to-be-finished baseball stadi
um, built in co-op with the city.
Nebraska is banking on contin
ued success of a team going
nowhere just two years ago.
The logic behind the stadi
um is circular: the field brings in
the type of recruits that ensure
the Huskers will continue to
win, while the winning itself
justifies the stadium’s existence.
One hand washes the other.
The athletic department,
led by Athletic Director Bill
Byrne, has played this game
before, and is in the process of
losing with Devaney, where
spifiy fan amenities haven’t kept
the place from being as dead as
ever nor have they made either
team win any more.
Throwing money at prob
lems works for a while, and then
you either have a sound system
in place, or you don’t. Some
schools don’t continue to build.
And the gap widens between
the schools that have the
money, and those who have not.
Many of the have-nots can’t
make money where Nebraska
does, in football, because of the
scholarship drain. Nebraska's
success, while a big boost to the
rest of the budget, is now
1
Please see MONEY on 9
NU pull away from KSU with defense
BY LINCOLN ARNEAL
After its 67-58 loss to
Nebraska, the normally hot
shooting Kansas State Wildcats
were left wondering if there was
a lid on their basket for much of
the second half.
KSU (10-4, 0-3 Big 12) only
made five field goals and shot 16
percent from the floor in the
second half. The Huskers’ reli
able defense once again carried
them in their 10th straight win at
home before a crowd of 5,333 at
the Devaney Center.
Nebraska
Kansas State
67
58
“It was a credit to our
defense,” senior Amanda Went
said. "They’re flat out shooters
and I think we took that away
from them and they struggled.”
Nebraska (9-6,1-1 Big 12) set
the tone early as it began the
game with an 8-0 run. Paige
Sutton, who started her first
game of the season, played a key
role early on as she scored six
points during that run.
“I had a lot of confidence
and was prepared and focused
for the game,” Sutton said.
“Once that first shot goes in, you
are set for the game.”
It was a rough start for K
State as the NU defense
harassed them into four straight
turnovers to open the game. The
Wildcats were held the game’s
first three minutes without
attempting a shot.
That was the game plan, NU
Coach Paul Sanderford said.
“We made a conscious effort
(to come out and play hard) in
the first five minutes of the
game/’ Sanderford said.
The Wildcats refused to lie
down though. They were down
by eight point three times in the
first half, yet every time they
closed the game to within two
points.
In the second half, NU con
tinued to play stingy defense not
allowing a K-State field goal for
the first seven-and-a-half min
utes. Later in the half, the
Please see KSU on 9
David dasen/DN
Jason Powell, redshirt freshman wrestler, is ranked 6th nationally and has gotten nine of his 13 wins by pin or major decision. Powell is hoping to be Nebraska's first four-time
All American.
NU's Powell quickly, quietly
wrestles way to top of sport
BY VINCE KUPPIG
After redshirting his first year with the
Nebraska wrestling program, Jason Powell vf
moving back into familiar ground this sea
son, at the top of the wrestling world.
Originally expected to compete for mat
time with fellow redshirt freshman iy Malia,
Powell quickly showed the NU coaching
staff he was the guy to go with at 125-pounds
this season.
Coach Mark Manning said both were
tough competitors, but Powell was a few
steps ahead of Malia. Powell proved that true
by defeating Maila in each of the eight wres
de-offs the pair has had this year.
Finally emerging on the national
wrestling scene, Powell has been on fire.
After starting the season unranked, Powell
now stands sixth in the nation at 125
pounds with a 13-3 record and nine of those
wins coming by pin or major decision..
"I always knew I should have been
ranked up there with those guys,” Powell
said. “I just had to show them.”
Powell didn’t have the opportunity to
show what he was fully capable of last sea
son as he redshirted behind All-American
Paul Gomez. Touted as the top recruit in the
nation by InterMat, Powell compiled a
decent 16-7 record in open tournaments.
But that was nowhere near where he was
used to being.
The Midwest City, Okla. native compiled
a 105-3 career record at Choctaw High
School, including three individual state
championships and undefeated seasons
during his junior and senior years. Powell
was a two-time winner of the Junior
National Freestyle Championships and a
three-time Junior National Greco-Roman
Champion.
So a 16-7 record wasn’t exactly what
Powell was familiar with.
But Powell wasn’t too concerned about
his record.
“Redshirting did a lot of good for me,” he
said. “I was getting better, but I really wasn't
ready to go last year.”
After his redshirt season, Powell put
together a second-place finish at the FILA
Junior World Championships this summer.
Since starting with an early season one
point loss to then ^“-ranked Jerold
Limongelli of Rider, Powell has picked up
five victories over top 20 opponents, includ
ing three upset victories against top 10
ranked wrestlers.
Powell picked up several of those victo
ries at the Las Vegas Invitational in early
December, featuring many of the nation's
top wrestlers.
At the tournament, Powell started
unseeded but went 5-2 en route to a fifth
place finish, including two major decisions
against top 10 opponents and three pins. His
only losses were to the No. 1 and No. 4
wrestlers in the nation.
Powell is currently riding a seven-match
winning streak into tonight’s match against
third-ranked Leroy Vega of Minnesota. He is
the highest ranked freshman, as well as the
Please see POWELL on 9
Derek Lippincott/DN
NU freshman guard Shannon Howell han
dles the baR around a Kansas State player
Wednesday night in a 67-58 win.
Wrestler:
Gambling
debts paid
■ Former Husker J.R. Plienis
claims Tim Neumann loaned
$500 to finance the bills.
BY DAVID DIEHL
A former Nebraska wrestler
who competed for the
Cornhuskers from 1996-1998
told an internet magazine he
had $500 in gambling debts and
was loaned that amount by for
mer Nebraska Coach Tim
Neumann.
J.R. Plienis, a former NU
heavyweight, told InterMat, an
amateur wrestling internet mag
azine, he accumulated the debt
gambling on college and pro
football games over a six-week
period while wrestling at NU.
Neumann loaned Plienis $500 to
pay the debt in December 1998,
and Plienis paid Neumann back,
Plienis stated in the article.
in tne internal article
Plienis said Neumann “was just
being a friend” and “doing a
friend a favor” because his par
ents couldn’t afford to pay the
$500.
Neither Neumann or Plienis
returned phone calls requesting
insight into the matter and
Athletic Director Bill Byrne said
he couldn't comment on mat
ters that were under NCAA
investigation. Nebraska has
been under NCAA investigation
after Neumann resigned in April
2000 after former wrestlers said
the coach provided extra bene
fits for athletes.
Several wrestlers from
Plienis’ 1998 team said wide
spread gambling was not a prob
lem on the team and if cases
other than Plienis’ occurred,
they have no knowledge of it
Plienis transferred to Lock
Haven (Pa.) University after
Mark Manning was hired to
replace Neumann. On Dec. 7,
2000, according to a statement
released by the Plienis family,
J.R. learned he was permanently
ineligible from NCAA competi
tion, otherwise known as the
NCAA "death penalty.” The
penalty most likely stems from
the gambling and loan payment,
severe violations of NCAA
bylaws.
“Not in his wildest dreams
could J.R. have imagined he was
jeopardizing his career,” said the
statement, released by J.R.’s
father.
Pleinis competed for NU as a
redshirt in 1996-97, and went
31-13 in 1997-98 as a NCAA
qualifier.
Outland denied, but plenty ofHuskers still rewarded
BY JOSHUA CAMENZIND
OMAHA - While it was truly a
Volunteer kind of night in Omaha on
Wednesday with Tennessee’s John
Henderson accepting the 2000 Outland
Trophy, three Nebraska seniors made
sure the night wasn’t entirely Rocky Top.
Dan Alexander accepted the Guy
Chamberlin Trophy, given to a Husker
senior who best exemplifies the attitude
and qualities of the former Nebraska All
American.
“It’s important for me to be known off
the field as well as on the field,” said
Alexander, who finished his final season
at NU with 1,394 yards. “I want to be
known as a community champion.”
Alexander was presented the award
by running back coach Dave Gillespie,
who drew the biggest laughter of the
night when he mentioned that
Alexander’s 240 yards rushing against
Northwestern broke former Husker
Ahman Green’s single-game total of 206
in the 1998 Orange Bowl - against
Tennessee.
“Welcome to Nebraska,” Gillespie told
Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer.
Senior free safety Troy Watchorn
received the Tom Novak Award in honor
of the former Husker center who showed
courage and determination against all
odds.
Watchorn intercepted five passes on
the season and said he was unaware the
award he was presented with even exist
ed.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” said
Watchorn, whose father died in 1997 and
broke into tears when thanking his moth
er for her support. “It definitely says that
hard work will pay off.”
Nebraska secondary coach George
Darlington presented Watchorn with the
award and the Outland Trophy banquet
master of ceremonies, Adrian Fiala,
called Watchorn’s story one of the best
ever in college football.
Guard Russ Hochstein was awarded
the Cletus Fischer Native Son Award.
Hochstein was unable to attend because
he was preparing for the East-West Shrine
Game, but his father, Gyle, accepted the
l
S
award on his behalf.
Husker offensive line coach Milt
Tenopir presented the award to
Hochstein along with Cletus Fischer’s
grandson, Ryan Fischer. Cletus Fischer
passed away this past December after a
battle with cancer. Tenopir got choked up
for a moment or two, but quickly got past
his emotions by poking fun at the line
man’s father.
“He hasn’t used up any eligibility and
he is a big old dude,” Tenopir said.
Hochstein accepted the award on behalf
of his son and said having a son like Russ
has been a dream come true.
"When Russ started in junior high, I
knew he was something special,” said
Hochstein, who recalled when he and
Russ attended the Nebraska-Oklahoma
matchup when Russ was 13. “He prom
ised he wanted to make a difference and I
think he has received all these accolades
because he has kept his head on straight.”
Other events taking place during the
banquet included the presentation of the
Outland to Henderson, a junior, who won
the award over finalists Leonard Davis of
“He hasn’t used up any
eligibility and he is a big o,a
dude."
Milt Tenopir
offensive line coach
Texas and Dominic Raiola of Nebraska.
Rich Glover, former Nebraska lineman
and Outland winner in 1972, was also
honored by the Downtown Rotary Club
with the presentation of an authentic tro
phy which he never received 19 years ago.
The Omaha World-Herald also hon
ored its All-Nebraska football team,
which included four Husker fdotball
recruits. Seppo Evwaraye of Laurel, Mike
McLaughlin of Millard North, Barrett
Ruud of Lincoln Southeast and Titus
Adams of Omaha Creighton Prep were all
recognized as the best of the best in the
prep ranks.