Page 12 THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1980
sports
Chilean basketball coach
here to learn the system
By STEVE SISNEY
Sports Staff
Aggies open in track
By KATHLEEN McELROY
Sports Reporter
The Texas A&M track team — as of
last Friday, the Southwest Confer
ence Indoor Track champions — will
compete against Rice University
Saturday in a dual meet in Houston
without some key men, including
Hockey team
going for gold
United Press International
LAKE PLACID, N Y. —The first
round is over. The young United
States Olympic hockey team is unde
feated. Next, it’s the heavily favored
Soviets and ... well, who knows?
So now, the U.S. meets the heavi
ly favored Soviets in the 5 p.m. EST
semifinal doubleheader opener Fri
day night.
“We definitely have to go into the
game thinking there’s a possibility to
beat them, which there is,” said
Dave Christian, who set up three
goals Wednesday night to key a 4-2
U.S. victory over West Germany in
the Blue Division finale. “Maybe
we’ll catch them on an of-night and
maybe we’ll have a great night.
“In the second game Friday night,
at 8:30, Sweden meets Finland,
which earned its way into the medals
round with a victory over Holland
Wednesday night.
If the Americans lose to the
Soviets but beat Finland, they are
assured of no less than a bronze
medal.
top sprinter Curtis Dickey and pole
vaulter Randy Hall.
Dickey has a sore hamstring mus
cle, but coach Charlie Thomas said
Thursday all the injury needs is some
rest.
“It’s not serious,” hie said. “But it
could be if we took a chance running
him.”
Dickey will also miss the Border
Olympics in March, but will com
pete in the National AAU Cham
pionships Feb. 29 in New York City.
Hall, who cleared 16 feet, 6 inches
in winning the pole vault at the SWC
championships, is just getting some
rest. Thomas is also resting four of his
long jumpers — Johnny Hector,
Reggie Jamerson, James Redus and
Sam Wilson — after theyhad to jump
on a hard surface in the meet which
was held in Fort Worth.
The idea of competing against Rice
without these men doesn’t bother
Thomas because he said this meet
isn’t vital.
“It’s important because it’s a sche
duled Texas A&M event,” he aid,
“However we’re not putting that
much emphasis on the meet.”
His emphasis has been on the
SWC championships, a meet he says
he didn’t expect to win even though
he has the best athletes he’s ever
had.
“Indoor (meets) are geared for
middle distance running like the
mile and three-mile,” Chandler
said, “and we’re not real strong in
middle distances.”
The Aggies won the championship
by being strong in the sprint and
field events, while Arkansas — fa
vored to win because of its outstand
ing middle runners — finished
second.
The next major event for the team
is the Border Olympics, held in
Laredo March 1.
“Border Olympics is always a big
meet,” Thomas said. “There’re lots
of Aggies in Laredo — they always
play the Aggie War Hymn before the
meet events start.”
While most people use their sum
mer vacations to rest and relax, Chi
lean basketball coach Carlos Alvarez
is using his summer studying. Study
ing the Texas A&M basketball team,
that is.
Alvarez, one of the most highly
touted young coaches in Chile, is
spending his summer — which in
South America runs from December
through February — with Texas
A&M graduate assistant coach Ran
dy Knowles learning the intricacies
involved with the organization and
operation of a major college basket
ball team.
As the head basketball coach of the
National Institute in Santiago,
Alvares’ main responsibility is to
mold the raw talent tht is funneled
into the school into possible Olym-
pic-caliber players.
The institute, or “talent school,”
sponsored by the National Olympic
Committee of Chile, attracts the top
high school players in the country.
Alvarez has had success at the ta
lent school, gaining national recogni
tion when his team won the national
championship for two straight years.
Knowles, himself a former head
coach at the national talent school,
worked with Alvarez while there,
and recognized his potential talent as
a coach.
So when Knowles returned to the
United States to assume coaching
duties with the Aggies, he invited
Alvarez to come and study.
“Because there is no team in Chile
as good as Texas A&M, I’m glad I
have the opportunity to see how a
team at this level of skill works, ” ack
nowledges Alvarez.
With his eyes set on a possible
coaching position on the 1980 Chi
lean national team, watching major
college teams play each other could
become an invaluable asset when it
comes to preparing for the major
South American powers of Brazil and
Argentina.
While Alvarez spends each morn
ing studying English, the rest of his
day is spent reviewing old game
films, reading coaching journals,
watching practices and games, and
traveling with Knowles on scouting
and recruiting trips.
His friendship with Knowles has
given him a far deeper look into the
workings of a basketball powerhouse
than is normally accessible to a visit
ing coach.
“When I first came, I was afraid
the coaches would be cold and I
would spend my time here as a spec
tator,” he remembers.
He adds, “I was surprised by the
openness I received from a team of
this caliber, and I am grateful to the
coaches and players for the kindness
they have shown.”
Normally, the only international
training Chilean coaches receive is a
five-month stay in the United States
at Springfield College in Mas
sachusetts, where they participate in
an international program.
Though it is a great honor in Chile
to be selected to attend the program
in Springfield, Alvarez feels his two-
month stay at Texas AW|S
ends March 7, has been “jt;|
more so, than a five-monllj
Springfield, duetothedleiL
tween the quality of both tin |P
and programs. J IT* r
Alvarez hopes to adaptwt? .
learned to the Chilean plaji |
their talents, and help raisetl I •
ity of the basketball in Chit lis
Aggies can wrap up SW
with win in Houston
Unii
WASHING
;rned thi
tiou in othe
Texas A&M can wrap up the
Southwest Conference champion
ship with a win over the Houston
Cougars tonight at Hofheinz Pavilion
in Houston.
The Aggies have already clinched
a tie for the title with the Arkansas
Razorbacks, and a victory tonight
would give them the championship
outright.
Ever since the Feb. 12 loss to
Arkansas, the A&M club has played
like the class of the SWC, thrashing
UT at home 84-61 in a televised
game, and breezing by the hapless
Med reviev
TCU Horned Frogs 574ljjiq>’, officia
night in G. Rollie White. In an uni
The hottest Aggie badjnounced i
right now is senior guard! ghj met for
ton, who scored 20 poin Ian G. Wi
Texas and 18 against TCI Iviser Alfre
also likes to put on a sb jiarles Dun<
crowd. Britton will start in'ifejpstat and
court alongside anothi “There is c<
David Goff. f inflations
The starting front line former into othe
will be junior forwards Verri tent that it
and Rynn Wright. Sophoii int ’ said oi
Woods will be at center, ipded the
The game will be telei inlified.
KAMU-TV and will start He called I
sston “a foil
ild with ec
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