NU recruit hailed as savior
ROBINETTE from page 12
dominates, and she makes it look easy.
Sitting next to Sanderford, former South Sioux
standout and teammate Candice Blackbird feels
the same eagerness for Robinette to be in a Husker
uniform. Blackbird, like everyone else in town, saw
something special in Robinette when she met her
on die court for the first time in elementary school
“She’s aggressive, so, so aggressive,” Blackbird
said. “I mean, just to watch her rebound... she just
naturally can play.”
Blackbird's eyes, like Sanderford's, lit up when
asked how relieved she was when Robinette
announced her decision. She said most of South
Sioux - a basketball breeding ground on the
Nebraska-Iowa border that also sent the Huskers’
No. 2 shot-blocker Charlie Rogers to NU-breathed
a sigh of relief.
“Everybody’s a Nebraska fan there,” Blackbird
said. “We have a pipeline there.”
Robinette was as relieved as anyone to have
finally made a decision, after four years of hound
ing from recruiters, media and people on the
streets she didn't even know, about where she
would and should go to college.
But her reasoning was simple.
“It's just home,” Robinette said. “It’s close to
everything. My brother goes here. My dad went
here. I didn’t want to go far away.
“I thought it’d be awesome to play for someone
like Connecticut that has a real good shot at win
ning the national championship. But I think we
can do it here, and I see it coming up. The program
is developing quickly.”
The blissful Saturday night oozed with hope. It
oozed with optimism. It oozed with expectation
which, of course, comes with pressure.
Robinette can handle it, Sanderford said.
“The expectations of her here are not nearly
the expectations she's had in high school,” he said.
“They’re expected to win every game by 40 points
and win a state championship every year. It doesn’t
get any harder than that”
Said Cardinals Coach Kelly Flynn: “I don’t think
any expectations are too high for Katie. She’s been
through everything you can be put through ...
national all-star games, Nike camps, Reebok
camps. She’s been tested as much as you can test a
high school player. She's passed those tests with
flying colors.”
Robinette acts and plays like she’s ready. She
knows the kind of excitement surrounding her ,
dream night Saturday won’t end. Critics will peer at
her when she’s playing a big role on Sanderford’s
team.
The bliss of high school domination may have
ended, but NU expects Robinette to carry it into
the Devaney Center, where NU lost six of its last
seven games this year.
“Just with the youth of our team, she could see
how athletic we were and could see she’ll fit right in
with our style of play,” Blackbird said.
“She'll make an immediate impact I’ll be exdt-,
ed to play with her again.”
Let the Robinette hype continue: Watching
Sanderford Saturday, you could tell he doesn’t
mind it a bit
He, as well as the rest of the state, is just happy
the hype will stay in the Devaney Center.
Big 12 First round tourna
ment pairings for Thursday:
No. 9 Colorado plays No. 8
Baylor at noon.
No. 12 Ttexas Tech plays No. 5
Oklahoma State at 220 pm
No. 10 Kansas State plays No.
7 Nebraska at 6 pun.
No 11 Ttexas A&M plays Na 6
Missouri at 820 pm.
Friday second round pairings:
No 1 Iowa State plays winner
of Colorado/Bayior at noon.
No. 4 Texas plays winner of
Texas Tech/Oklahoma State at
220 pun.
No. 2 Kansas plays winner of
Kansas State/Nebraska at 6 pm
No. 3 Oklahoma plays winner
of Texas A&M/Missouri at 8:20
pun.
Nebraska Coach Barry
Collier's emphasis on defense has
paid off for two Huskers as Cookie
Belcher and Kimani Ffriend were
named to the Big 12’s All
Defensive team.
“It just shows that they have
recognized our talents and ability
to get stops," Ffriend said.
Belcher was also named to the
NABC District 12 Second Tfeam.
The Big 12 Player of the Week
is Oklahoma’s Hollis Price. The
sophomore guard averaged 18.5
points in Sooner wins over
Colorado and Oklahoma State.
Texas’ Maurice Evans was
named die Big 12 Rookie of the
Week after averaging 19.5 points
in wins over Missouri and Texas
Ifech.
Three Nebraska non-confer
ence opponents have already
punched their tickets to the NCAA
Tournament Winthrop won the
Big South title this past weekend,
Eastern Illinois conquered the
Ohio Valley and Iona won the
MAAC to gain three of the first
NCAA automatic bids available.
***
Tfexas center Chris Owens has
blocked 82 shots so far this season
and is nine blocked shots away
from breaking the Longhorn sin
gle-season record of 90, set by
Chris Mihm during the 1997-98
and 1999-2000 seasons.
•**
Iowa State Coach Larry
Eustachy said he received a call
from Texas Coach Rick Barnes fol
lowing a Sports Illustrated article
claiming the two were at each
other’s throats during the
Longhorns' 94-78 win on Feb. 24
in Austin, Texas.
Said Eustachy: “He said,
'You’re not going to come down
here and kick my ass, are you?' I
said,‘What are you talking about?’
Eustachy said the confronta
tion at half court between the two
coaches was overblown and total
ly misrepresented.
"It was a rough and tumble
game and both teams were foul
ing,” Eustachy said. "We just kind
of got a jolly out of it That was the
furthest thing from what hap
pened.”
Compiled by Joshua
Camenzind
Less qualifiers, but
still high quality
TRACKfrompage12
hurdles and Leann Boerema in
the shot put
The NU men will be head
lined by senior Chris Chandler
in the 60 meters and 200 meters.
The sprinter is the only Husker
that will compete in two events
at the meet. He holds the
nation’s fifth-fastest time in the
60 this season.
Shaun Kologinczak will
compete in the high jump and
Eric Eshbach qualified in the
pole vault. Both have the
nation’s fifth-best marks in their
respective events.
Senior leaper Sheldon
Hutchinson also qualified in the
triple jump.
Smith said that while only a
few Nebraska athletes had a
legitimate chance at medaling,
the experience was invaluable
for NU’s younger, athletes.
“(The meet) is intimidat
ing,” Smith said. “They get to see
all die big name schools that we
never see, we only read about
“They will see faces of peo
ple that we see in Track and
Field Magazine.”
The 2001 NCAA Indoors
begin at noon on Friday and
conclude on Sunday night
Recruit picks NU over
other Div. 1 schools
BY JOSHUA CAMEHZIND
Strong Nebraska ties resulted
in Barry Collier's final commit
ment of this year's recruiting class.
John Hirek, a 6-foot-9,215
pound center from Council Bluffs’
Abraham Lincoln High School,
gave his word to play for NU after
turning down an offer from for
mer Husker Coach Danny Nee at
Robert Morris and heeding the
advice of his coach, Bruce
Chubick, whose son, Bruce,
played for NU from 1991-94.
Turek said Nee had first
recruited him to come to
Nebraska and, after a trip to the
Five-Star camp held at Robert
Morris, Nee offered again. But
Hirek said NU just felt right and
Chubick helped sway him along
the way.
"He always put in a good
word,” said Hirek, who has started
since his sophomore year
Abraham Lincoln is 21-0 on
the season and owns a win over
Lincoln Southeast and Turek’s
friend and fellow NU recruit Jake
Muhleisen.
Hirek rounds out the Husker
recruiting dass, which already con
sisted of Muhleisen, Corey Simms
of Normandy (St Louis), Brennon
Clemons of Olney Junior College
(Illinois) and Dan Heimos of
Gibault High School (\toterioo, 111).
TonyWilbrand of Alliance and
Garth Glissman ofWaverly (New
Hampton Prep) also have both
accepted offers to walk on.
Tlirek said he had about 13 to
14 Division I scholarship offers
from schools such as Marquette,
Wisconsin and Central Florida.
Creighton showed strong interest
as did Iowa, but neither had
offered yet. Kansas also showed
interest
Tlirek was scheduled to visit
the Hawkeyes on Saturday, but
after attending the Texas A&M
game lastWfednesday, followed by
Collier’s offer the next day at
Abraham Lincoln’s practice, lUrek
knew NU was the place he wanted
to be.
Tlirek's father, John, said his
son accepted the offer when he
called Collier later Thursday
evening - something he didn't do
immediately.
“I wanted to talk it over with
my parents,” Tlirek said.
Chubick’s son, Bruce, has
advised Tlirek, who has a 7-foot
wingspan, of the advantages of
redshirting, but Tlirek said he was
unsure of what his immediate
impact might be.
“It depends on where the
coaches feel I can play,” hesaid. “I
know that I need to bulk up a bit to
play the power forward position in
the Big 12.”
March 26,27 and 28,
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Schulte Field House
or
June 2
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
^jCall the Band Office at 472.2505 for more information.
A
In need of more
than just Title IX
WOMEN from page 12
in the long run.
Winning works.
■ Quit spreading false myths
about the benefits of sports, which
woman's organizations seem to do
a lot of in promoting women’s
sports. Your daughter does not
stay away from drugs because she
is in sports. Nor is she more likely
not to get in trouble. Nor is she less
likely to get pregnant
No, girls who play sports are
those things because of who they
are, which funnels into what they
do. Sports are no cure all. Trust
this: If 16-year-oki Becky wants to
get high and have sex more than
anything, she just won’t play
sports. It’d get in the way.
■ Ask the serious questions
soon. Which is, simply, what will
women’s sports give us? What are
its benefits?
I’m inclined to wonder how
The Daily Nebraskan
Our stories: factual
s: up hii
ways
many there are, whether exposing
an entire half of our population to
the joys of sport is worth anything
more than saying it was done.
That's not a knock on women ath
letes. That’s a knock on modem
athletics.
There used to be a Nike com
mercial that offered a sensational
statistic regarding the number of
women CEOs in America. A high
number of them, nearly all, had
played organized high school or
college sports. Discipline, obedi
ence, teamwork, leadership -
that’s what sports taught them.
But how will that commercial
look in 15 years when 40 percent
of college women athletes funnel
back into the game itself to
become coaches or athletic train
os?
There's room for females but
not as male clones. For a lot of
sakes, women need to become
our better half in sports.
Extent of
injury not
yet known
PA¥IE$frompaqe12
squatting. The injury may have
already been there and become
aggravated by the lifting, or the
lifting may have caused it and
intensified it
“I lifted too much in high
school. There was no reason to
be squatting so much,* said
Davies, who would squat in die
upper 500's.
In 2000, as a redshirt fresh
man, Davies lived up to his
billing as one of NU's top
recruits as he shined when he
got in the spotlight. Playing in
all 11 games primarily as a
blocker, Davies averaged 10.2
yards on 18 carries while scor
ing one touchdown and never
losing a yard from the line ol
scrimmage.
it you are attending classes aunng tne spring ^uu i
semester at UNL you are eligible to use UNO
Campus Recreation Facilities for a minimal charge of
only $15.00 for the week of March 12-16 (Spring
Break). Stop by the Health, Physical, Education and
Recreation Building, Room 100 and show us your
current student I.D. to purchase a pass to exercise,
play sports or swim. _. ..
For More
Information Call
554-2539
iii
CONGRATULATIONS
Erin Fujan
Erin Fujan is a graduating senior in Ag Business an has been chosen.
A career at Archer Daniels Midland Company in commodities trading. px>
ADM is one of the largest grain and food processing companies in the world. Based in
Decatur, Illinois, ADM is continually expanding throughout the United States as well as
in China, Europe, Mexico and South America.
Erin found out about ADM’b career opportunities from career services on campus and
scheduled an interview with ADM. After completing a two-stage interview process, Erin
was offered a position as a commodities trader. In May 2001, she will begin a 4-6 month
hands-on training program that will expose her to all aspects of ADM and commodities
trading.
\
ADM is looking forward to having Erin join our team.
NOW HIRING!
SUMMER MANUFACTURING
POSITIONS!
Starting Pay Begins at $11.03 for 2nd Shift
Overtime is $16.55 per hour
3rd Shift pay begins at $11.13
/Overtime is $16.70 per hour
You Must:
• be at least 18 years of age;
• pass a measurement test, a drug screen, and back physical; and
• provide the names and phone #’s of former supervisors for
references
Please Apply in Personl
6336 Pershing Drive • Omaha, NE 68110
Equal Opportunity Employer
Stop by and see us at the Career Fair on Tuesday. March 6th.