uaiiy iMeorasKan hnaay, March 30,2001 Page 9
And then, finally, there were four
Duke's chance on Duhon
\ paying off in postseason
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — Mike
Kizyzewski faced a tough decision
as the season wound down: Stick
with a slumping senior or start a
rookie with the postseason loom
ing.
Duke’s coach took a chance,
benching Nate James in favor of
Chris Duhon, the Atlantic Coast
Conference freshman of the year.
Good move. Duke is 8-0 ever
since and back in the Final Four:
“I’m still trying to fit my way
into a program with such great
players,” Duhon said.
He has, adding more speed
and better ball-handing to a team
that needed the help after losing
coiter Carlos Boozer to a broken
right foot
With Duhon as a starter, the
Blue Devils beat North Carolina at
the Smith Center to dose out the
regular season, then defeated N.G
State, Maryland and thelkr Heels
to win a third-straight ACC cham
pionship.
The 6-foot-1 guard had 17
assists and a team-leading 11
steals in Duke’s four NCAA tour
nament games, won by an average
of 20 points.
Duhon also hit a pair of key 3
pointers in the second half of the
team's East Regional victory over
Southern Cal to get the Blue Devils
(33-4) to Minneapolis.
Krzyzewsld and his assistants
have urged Duhon to shoot more,
but he’s been reluctant
He often defers to All
Americans Shane Battier and
Jason Williams, who provide most
of the offense.
“He understands where Jason
and Shane are at in their careers,”
KrzyzewskisakL
“They’re better, and he wants
to help make them better What he
is learning is by taking his shot or
being a little bit more aggressive,
he’s doing that also."
Duke arrived at its hotel
Thursday afternoon and were
ready to get down to business.
“It’s about time,” Battier said.
“This week seems to drag on.
We’ve had some great practices
this week, but we wanted to get on
the plane and get up here.”
On Saturday, Duhon will
probably go up against
Maryland’s top scorer, Juan Dixon.
“He plays hard,” Duhon said
of Dixon. “He’s a great defender,
and he gets a lot of baskets off
breaking out a rebound or getting
a steal and taking it home in tran
sition.
“If we can limit his touches in
their offense, we should be able to
contain him a litde bit”
Maybe more important than
his quickness, defense and out
side shot Duhon’s increased time
on the court has given Williams a
break at point guard.
By sharing some of the ball
handling duties, Williams has
been able to be more aggressive
on offense. He’s averaging 28.8
points, hitting 20 of46 3-pointers.
He averaged about21 points com
ing into die tournament
Williams is also helping
Duhon grow as a player and floor
leader.
“Jason has just started being
more vocal with me,” said Duhon,
one of seven former prep All
Americans on Duke’s roster. “He
says, Watch me, and you’ll learn.'
That’s all there is to it- watching a
magician at work.”
The move to start Duhon has
also helped James, a 6-6 wing
{flayer who was out of position as
the team’s second guard.
He is shooting better now; hit
ting 13 of 21 shots (62 percent)
while averaging 5 rebounds in the
NCAAs. Coming into the tourna
ment he was shooting about 48
percent James also hit the win
ning shot against Maryland in the
semifinals of the ACC tourna
ment
“Nate is a team guy,”
Krzyzewski said. “He knows what
we’re doing is best for this team.
“Now we’re just trying to make
sure he sees his openings.”
Unlike some players who get
benched, the veteran James took
his role change in stride and
remained positive. Players and
coaches said that helped the tran
sition and made the Blue Devils an
even better basketball team.
“Sulking is not part of what
you do here, and if you want to
sulk, you should do it someplace
else,” Krzyzewski said.
“Ifyou wantto be achampion,
you don’t do what other people do
or everyone would be a champi
on. Nate is a champion.”
Woods reluctant to receive praise
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUCSON, Ariz. — Loren
Woods doesn’t want to talk
about himself.
“I'm one of five guys on the
floor; I’m one of 15 guys on the
roster," he said. “So it’s just
about the Arizona team."
But his teammates and
coach know it will take a con
certed effort by the 7-foot-1
center for Arizona to hold off
defending champion
Michigan State on the boards
during Saturday’s NCAA semi
final.
The Spartans are the
nation’s best rebounding
team. During the season they
outrebounded teams by an
average of 15.7 a game. In the
tournament, the margin has
been 18.
Woods, a fifth-year senior,
has had an erratic season for
the Wildcats (27-7).
He missed the final eight
games last season, including
die tournament, after a respi
ratory infection and back sur
gery.
This year, Arizona was the
preseason No. 1 pick, and
Woods predicted his team
could become one of the all
time greats.
Disaster followed.
Woods was hit with a six
game NCAA suspension for
receiving improper benefits
from a family friend. Arizona
lost at Purdue, then again
three games later at
Connecticut in Woods’ first
game back. In that game, he
was hit with a goaltending call
with 1.8 seconds left.
Three weeks later, on New
Year’s Day, Coach Lute Olson’s
wife, Bobbi, died.
The Wildcats plummeted
to 8-5 before going on a tear,
winning 19 of their last 21
games, including the last 10.
Even so, for much of the
season Woods was a self
doubter, far from the shot
blocking force he was last year.
His frustrations were written
on his face.
He scowled over mistakes,
missed shots, errant passes,
bad block-outs, missed
rebounds.
Late in the Pac-10 cam
paign, he started coming
around, becoming more
aggressive defensively, alter
ing and blocking shots and
going after the boards.
Olson insisted Woods
needed to stop beating him
self up. And finally, in the last
10 to 15 minutes of Arizona’s
Midwest Regional victory
Sunday against Illinois, the
message seemed to get
through.
He scored his first basket of
the game with less than six
and-a-half minutes left, and
finished with 18 points, 12
from the free throw line, seven
blocks and five rebounds.
During the first half, he had
two points, no rebounds, one
block and three turnovers.
"My thinking is, it’s just a
matter of staying focused on
what’s the immediate thing
that needs to be taken care of,
instead of what happened the
last play or two," Olson said.
"It's very obvious what a dif
ference it made once that hap
pened.”
Olson said Woods’ suspen
sion set him back, as did not
playing at midseason form
immediately upon returning.
"But the last month and a
half now, he’s been practicing
really well, playing really well,
much more aggressive with
the ball, and critical to us just
as he was against Illinois, even
though he didn't play well the
first 25 minutes.”
Woods has averaged 15.8
points and 6.8 rebounds, with
17 blocks in the tournament.
He’s made 23 of 24 free throws.
"As far as his effect for us
on Saturday, he’s the guy that
makes it tough for people to
take the ball to the hole,”
Olson said. "Because if he
doesn’t block it, he’s going to
certainly affect the way the
guy looks at his shot.”
■DOUGLAS THEATRE CO.
www.douglastheatres.co
■■ Movie info: 441-0222
Call for Showtimes!
Coming Soon.
“One Night at McCooPs*
Along uunc a spider^
“Bridget Jones Diary”
_J
0 Planned Parenthood*
of Lincoln
2246 ’*0^' Street Clinic *441 -3300 • 3705 South Street Clinic *441-3333
Education & Administration • 441-3332
www.ptanncdparcnthood.arg • www.tccnwirc.oom
ALL WOMEN KEEP SCORE...
1 ONLY THE GREAT ONES PUT IT IN WRITING^ I
REN6E ZELLWEGER COLIN FIRTH «o HUGH GRANT
BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY
Uncensored. Uninhibited. Unmamed.
MWM!Wan-JBI-IKllH ■■•■■■BIIH Wtt .HIM §HI
Sate™" ™ « *ft -*-•* KSS
. 1
You are invited to a Special Screening of Bridget Jones's Diary
_ Date: Tuesday, April 3,2001
\a a^Z £\ Time: 7:00 p.m.
W a Location: Mary Riepma Ross Rim Theater
Students may pick up passes at the Mary Riepma Rosa Film Theater during regular box
office hours. (Call 472-9100 for more information). The Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater
is located inside Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. 12th and R Streets.
w. r... ... — Admission is free I Please arrive early!
its EVwywiMnnuWMW 10 M. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis with pass holders admitted first.
ON File Photo
Tlie Nebraska basebal team takes on the Oklahoma Sooners in a three-game series
ie Norman starting today.
Rodaway earns start job
BASEBALL from page 10
He credited he success to sim
ply throwing the ball over the
pilptp
“I’m throwing a lot more
strikes," he said. “That gives me a
lot more opportunities to pitch.
That's all I’m really asking for, an
opportunity."
Van Horn said Rodaway
deserved a chance to start and
had the potential to become part
of the main starting rotation.
“He's earned it," Van Horn
said “Vfe got to give him a chance.
He's played patiently, and it's time
to let him have die tolL"
Van Horn said Rodaway had
improved a great deal since he
came to Nebraska four years ago
from Lincoln High.
“He’s gotten a lot bigger and
stronger," he said “His velocity’s
picked up probably six or seven
mites per hour, maybe more. He's
done a good job developing men
tally and physically."
In today’s game, NU, as usual,
will send Komine to the mound
The junior has been the Huskers’
most consistent starter this sea
son, going 6-1 with 4.15 ERA.
Jamie Rodrigue, who suffered
a knee injury pitching against
Missouri is scheduled to start the
second game. Rodrigue (2-3,6.10
ERA) has struggled recently, pick
ing up losses in his last two starts.
If Rodrigue can't go, Van Horn
said he would likely use Waylon
Byers or Thom Ott, who both saw
action in relief against Missouri
While NU's starters struggled
against the Tigers last weekend,
the bats also were not as hot as
they had been in the past
The Huskers produced just
two runs in each of the last two
games and five hits in the third
game.
But the Husker offense came
back alive Wednesday, exploding
for 32 runs in a doubleheader
against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Van Horn said the NU bats
must remain hot against
Oklahoma and its starters needed
to be more consistent than they
were last weekend.
Hopefully, Rodaway will be
able to provide a solid outing, Van
Horn said.
“The key is being consistent,”
he said. “If (Rodaway) is, hell get a
chance again next week.
“This is a big game for him
personally. He knows that we
need him to do well to help the
team.”
More forego college for NBA
MBA from paqelO
you would tell them to practice
saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet
you, Commissioner Stan.*
Don't be so naive to think that
race isn’t an issue here, which
leads us back to the differences
between baseball and basketball
prospects. The same biases that
operate there underlie the sce
nario that has media outlets still
questioning whether Duke soph
i omore All-American Jason
Williams will stay a Blue Devil next
year, as he claims he will, while
Stanford sophomore All
American Casey Jacobsen makes
the same statement and isn't sec
ond guessed
Further, ask yourself If Curry,
Chandler, Diop or Cisse didn't
have phenomenal skills in the
post and a knack to block shots,
would you even care in the least
whether they went to college? If
they were faceless bodies in the
public school system, would you
concern any of your time with the
controversy that perplexes you
now?
I think we all know that
answer: Let the kids do what they
want
Komine finding his groove
KOMINE from page 10
counts and compounded mis
takes with more mistakes.
It was right before Nebraska’s
game against Northwestern (La.)
State that Childress and Komine
had a conversation that sent the
Husker ace on the road to recov
ery.
“He just told me to go bade to
how I was pitching last year and
forget trying to throw the slider,"
Komine said. “We were only
going to use the slider in situa
tions where we really needed it"
Komine responded with his
best performance of the season,
recording 13 strikeouts. The
turnaround, he said, had begun
right there. He’ll try to continue it
today in a start against
Oklahoma.
The junior is beginning to
reach the comfort level he
enjoyed in 2000, when most
games fell right into place.
College pitching is about rising to
the one-week occasion, and
Komine, relying on his talent and
growing tendency to study
scouting reports, has become a
more effective and subtle com
petitor.
There was a time when, like
many young pitchers, Komine
reared back and threw.
Teammate and relief pitcher
Brian Rodaway noticed the dif
ference.
He began to think more
about that stuff, and he was
already talented,” Rodaway said.
“It’s hard to hit Shane if he has it
all together”
Komine’s growth was aided
by catcher Justin Cowan, with
whom he had developed a
rhythm. This year, Komine had to
start over with two new receivers,
Tito Rivera and Jed Morris, who
alternate the job. It was hard and
remains an adjustment
But it will get comfortable,
Komine believes, and he’ll find
his stride like he did last season.
“I’m just into pitching well,”
Komine said. “For me, good is
just making the pitches.”
Under 3.00 ERA?
“Yes.”
':t& __ I*.
Under 2.00?
“Well..."
Komine laughs and turns
back to the baseball field. He's
already had a heck of a time try
ing to figure the number of
UWM’s new pitcher. It’s the hard
est filing for him to worry about
on an easy day.
[heDajlyNebraskanj
IthecJogslore.com
