SportsWednesday
Bradford
steps up
for Huskers
Nebraska's
seniors have
caught a
glimpse of the
light at the
end of the
tunnel.
A 13-IZ .
record and an JOShua
RPI rating of Camenzind
61 with'four mmtmmmmmmmm
games left in
the regular season have given
the Huskers reassurance that
their aspirations of postseason
play are not so far-fetched.
And the glare is no more
apparent than the gleam that
shines from the eye of Steffon
Bradford.
But that gleam could have
disappeared two games ago.
Coming off an 11-point, six
rebound performance in his
team’s loss at Baylor-a game in
which he hit all five of his shots -
Bradford was told he was being
taken out of the starting lineup.
% It wasn’t that Bradford, one
of NU’s most consistent per
formers this year, was stinking it
up on the court
But NU Coach Barry Collier
just couldn't resist the fact that
redshirt freshman Brian
Conklin had risen his game to a
level few Huskers have touched
this season.
Conklin, who has just begun
to live up to his preseason
billing as the sleeper of the
team, did have 17 rebounds
against Kansas State and hit five
three-pointers against the
Bears.
The switch, as justified as it
was, caught Bradford by sur
prise. But he took it with pride.
“I’ve always been mentally
strong," he said. “When coach
came at me, like any player, I
was upset But I couldn’t take it
lying down. I’d be less of a player
if I would have done that”
Bradford said such a move
during last season’s 11-19 deba
cle might have put a dent in his
workmanlike attitude.
“There was too much of a T
don’t care attitude,’* he said.
Bradford does care this sea
son. It’s not like Bradford to lose
his focus on the task at hand.
He hasn't had very many bad
games and doesn’t get near the
accolades he should for going
out there and busting his hump
against the best bruisers of the
Big 12.
inai spun was snown in mu
last Saturday in Colorado when
he came off the bench to score
18 points and grab nine
rebounds - one rebound shy of
his fourth double-double of the
season and 12th of his career.
It was a performance that
should earn him his starting
position back tonight at Texas
Tech.
Collier alluded to a lineup
change both after the game on
Saturday and again on Monday
but was mum on the final deci
sion to stay consistent with his
policy on player-personnel
decisions.
But bet on this: Bradford
won't be sitting during NU’s first
possession of the game tonight.
He has worked too hard and
shown the kind of mental
toughness Collier loves.
If the dog’s hungry, you gotta
feed him.
Bradford's newfound deter
mination, which came from
knowing urgency combined
with the memory of last year's
agony, could drive one’s will so
far.
“Last year, it was night every
day,” he said. “Now, it is more
like a little rain here and there.
We just have to get ourselves dry
and wait for the sun to come
out. We are forcing the sun to
come out now - last year we did
n't have a say-so.”
The sun hasn’t been out all
the time this season, but it is
shining bright right now on the
former junior college All
American.
“Last year around this time
there was no hope,” Bradford
said. “I was surprised we even
made it to the Big 12 tourna
ment.”
If Nebraska is still playing
beyond the Big 12 tourney this
season, it won't take long to fig
ure out why.
Just take a glance at Bradford
under the boards, holding down
the arm of his defender, grab
bing the ball and laying it up for
two points - something he
couldn’t do lying down.
Former NU run
ning back Correll
Buckhalterb
expected to be
among the first
five running *
backs picked in
thb spring's NFL
draft despite
backing up Dan
Alexander and
gaining only
1,312 yards in
hb last two sea
sons.
DN File Photo
Buckhalter favorite of NFL scouts
BY JEFF SHELDON
What does it take to turn
your dream into a reality?
Correll Buckhalter knows.
It takes traveling the 976
miles from Collins, Miss., to
Lincoln. It takes the patience of
being relegated to second
string for your final two seasons
after leading your team in rush
ing as a sophomore. It takes
never giving up.
With all that, Buckhalter is
now on the verge of realizing his
dream of becoming an NFL
running back.
“It's something I.thought
about going back to my days
growing up and playing in the
backyard with some of my
friends,” he said.
That dream seemed unlikely
after Buckhalter’s last two sea
sons at Nebraska. The running
back was solid but never spec
tacular at NU. As a junior, he
rushed for 662 yards as a back
up to Dan Alexander. Last fall,
unable to unseat Alexander
from his starting spot,
Buckhalter ran for 750 yards.
Despite being NU's 9th all-time
leading rusher, he had fallen
into relative obscurity.
However, if anyone had for
gotten his name, Buckhalter
gave them reason to remember
during his eye-opening per
formance in the Jan. 13 Shrine
Bowl All-Star Game. Buckhalter
Tm just gonna give
110 percent and go
with my dream.”
Correll Buckhalter
former NU running back
led his West team in rushing,
gaining 59 yards on 10 carries.
Perhaps more important,
though, were his three recep
tions for 61 yards.
“It was real important for
me to go out there and show the
scouts and everybody in the
NFL that I had hands and could
catch out of the backfield,”
Buckhalter said.
The prototypical NFL run
ning back has changed in the
past decade. Feature backs are
now required to showcase their
abilities as a receiver, as well as
a runner and blocker, a fact not
lost on Buckhalter.
“Now, the NFL is looking for
backs like Marshall Faulk,
Edgerrin James and Fred Taylor,
who can run the ball as well as
catch the ball out of the back
field. It's a big plus now for the
running backs in the NFL.
That’s something that I think I
have now.”
Following his impressive
Shrine Bowl performance,
Buckhalter is gaining the atten
tion of NFL scouts and draft
experts alike.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper
Jr. has Buckhalter listed as the
fifth-best running back avail
able in the draft. NFL com lists
him as “a high pick that you may
have never heard of,” and The
Sporting News gives a similarly
positive review.
“Buckhalter is a straight-line
runner, but he showed us some
decent agility in the East-West
Shrine Game,” The Sporting
News said. "He is a powerful
back who could take a lot of
short-yardage and goal-line
carries away from a team’s pre
mier back. Buckhalter has great
speed for his size and could be a
surprise in this draft.”
Buckhalter is admittedly
thankful for the chance to
showcase his ability after play
ing his final two years in the
shadow of starter Dan
Alexander.
“It’s gratifying,” he said.
’God has just put me in this
position and enabled me to go
out and showcase my talents in
the East-West game, and every
thing else is falling into place.
(NFL scouts) saw the skills that I
had and that I had been fortu
nate to play my career kind of
injury free.”
Buckhalter will have anoth
er chance to impress scouts
when he and 300 other
prospects travel to Indianapolis
this weekend for the NFL
Scouting Combine. This event
will be attended by representa
tives for all 32 NFL teams.
This is an opportunity
Please see BUCKHALTER on 9
Combine lets players shine
■ NFL coaches will be turning their eyes toward
seven former Huskers who hope their talent shows.
BY BRIAN CHfflSTOPHEBSON
Bryan Bailey is the glue, or the driving force, if
you will, of the Nebraska combine football pro
gram.
What? You’ve never heard of the man or the pro
gram?
Both have existed together for five years.
Granted, Bailey is easy to miss. He’s a short guy, but
he’s packed to the gills with passion for what he
does.
What the Nebraska coordinator of strength
research does is train last year's Nebraska football
seniors from January to March, priming them for
the National Football League Scouting Combine.
On Saturday, the combine arrives, and Bailey
will see how well his training methods paid off
when seven former Cornhuskers make either a
good or bad impression on NFL scouts.
Players are put under the microscope at the
combine in Indianapolis and tested on everything 1
from the 40-yard dash to a written intelligence test
On Hiesday evening, Bailey was the reassuring
voice before he sent his boys out to be analyzed.
Offensive lineman Russ Hochstein seemed to
need some encouragement, dog tired after taking
50 long snaps.
“I'm nervous,” Hochstein said. “It’s one of the
most important things you’ll go through in football.
Please see NFL on 9
Men can't afford to overlook Texas Tech
DNRIe Photo
NU center Kimani Ffriend, along with power forward Steffon Bradford, will try to
dominate Texas Tech down low tonight like they did to Colorado on Saturday. The
duo combined for 42 points in that game.
BY JOSHUA CAMENZIND
Perspective is something
Kimani Ffriend says Nebraska
can’t afford to lose tonight when
it'takes on Texas Tech in
Lubbock, Texas.
“We can’t overlook Texas
Tech,” said Ffriend, whose team
has Kansas on the horizon for
Sunday. “They haven't been
playing well, but they have beat
en teams that we haven’t beaten
yet - Baylor and Oklahoma.
“Once again, we have a ten
dency to get relaxed when we
are winning games.”
So, the Jayhawks are not on
the mind of one person in NU’s
locker room?
“We can’t look that far
ahead, but we have to be realis
tic,” Ffriend said. “We do think
about it.”
If the Huskers were to over
look an opponent, the Red
Raiders would be as good a can
didate as any. Tech (8-14, 2-8)
has struggled especially of late,
losing seven straight.
Life is rosier in Lincoln than
in Lubbock. NU has won two
straight for the first time since
December and stands at 13-12
on the season and 6-6 in the
conference.
Things will still look up
going into Sunday’s game
against No. 11 Kansas if the
Huskers can take care of lowly
Tech.
That’s a big if, Steffon
Please see TECH on 9
Roberts emerges as
second option for NU
BY LINCOLN ARNEAL
Jordan had Pippen. Kareem
had Magic. Shaq has Kobe.
The parallels are clear - to be
successful, players, even the
best ones, need another scoring
threat.
For most of the season,
Nebraska center Casey
leonhardt has not had that con
stant second option to help her
on the offensive end.
Recently, though, Shahidrah
Roberts has emerged to com
plement her bigger Husker
teammate. The 5-foot-9 sopho
more has averaged over 11
points in the last five games and
said she was working to be a
consistent second option.
“I have been pushing toward
that point,” Roberts said. “In the
past few games that I have start
ed, I have been trying to do the
little things, try some scoring
power and trying to produce
some points.”
Roberts will team up with
Leonhardt again tonight as the
Cornhuskers (11-15,3-10) take
on Kansas (10-14, 4-9) at the
Bob Devaney Sports Center.
In NU’s win over Kansas
State, Roberts made several key
baskets down the stretch,
including a three-pointer that
broke a tie at 61 and gave the
Huskers the lead for good.
“She made big shots for us
and big plays ...” Coach Paul
Sanderford said. “She made
crunch-time plays.”
The Overland Park, Kan.,
native said she was comfortable
with taking the big shot when
the Huskers needed it.
"I know I am a pretty good
shooter,” she said. “Anytime a
play is drawn up for me, I am
sure I can produce.”
Roberts didn't seem like a
candidate for the go-to role
early as she struggled to over
come an ankle injury.
She averaged only 14 min
utes per game during NU's non
conference schedule. In Big 12
play, she’s playing 18 minutes
per contest.
Sanderford said the increase
in playing time had helped
Roberts establish her role.
“She needed those minutes,
and she still needs minutes and
needs that experience," he said.
“She’s playing a lot more
relaxed, a lot more confident
and that is a result of playing.”
Sanderford said if Roberts
took quality shots, she,
Leonhardt and the rest of the
Huskers would benefit.
“I think if we get (Roberts)
good shots, she can definitely
score, and I think the fact that
she is scoring has made us a bet
ter basketball team.”