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THE BATTALION Page 19
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1981
>0
ggie basketball team shoots ^
r top-rate conference finish
TANK MCNAMARA
by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds
wn to|k
iavid I
y FRANK L. CHRISTLIEB
> have tjj Battalion Staff
hree goals are within reach of’
egamet asA&M University head bas-
alotheti' >all coach Shelby Metcalf.
chieving any of the three will
uire a great deal of teamwork,
ng(oT fl | iy, spirit and a few lucky
lost six* ^ s ’ w hich are trade-
1 ni m , j ks of top-rate athletic teams.
®7ever, if Metcalf and his 1981-
, th a t aE -P® e squad can find the right
ibination of talent and team
’thjvejL Jtherness, it may be easy for
kI we ,■ l^fh-year coach to forget the
andj x P ectc( l U P S an( l downs of last
loss kli ® n ' , r
vinning a Southwest Conter-
allyandi
loss!
mitrL J e championship is the top
i iritv in Metcalfs threefold
8 % When Texas A&M's SWC
5 at Texas
a be 8 ins J an -
8 Tistian University, Metcalf
n that won a league title with
overall and 14-2 SWC re-
;e
.. two years ago.
■ ., l 1 . !oal number two begins Nov.
dVs* wllcn the AKKics be 8 in tbe ir
Tilar-season competition by
ing St. Edwards University.
becoming the Texas A&M
h in 1964, Metcalf has com-
arecord of288-191, meaning
his 300th career win may
ethis season if the team finds
|bmi early.
uring last season, Metcalf won
66th SWC game, making him
second winningest coach in
. —erence history. If the Aggies
ard to I jj g ames this season,
tcalfwill surpass former Arkan-
Razorback coach Glen Rose,
\ Onished his 19-year career
1176 wins.
letcalf and the Aggies must re-
ethe leadership and talent of
•a mis Vernon Smith and Rynn
l-l/i risllt ’ who ed the Aggies in
Ifl ing and rebounding the last
L1V seasons. In his four years at
jsA&M, Smith scored 1,778
s in Ones its and 978 rebounds to finish
before, li le all-time leading Aggie scor-
1 Goodl ind rebounder. Wright fol-
ce tom :das the third leading scorer
* i 1,495 oints and finished
Ind in rebounding with 861
ing 1977-81.
th Smith and Wright were
ied by the Philadelphia 76ers
ing the National Basketball
dation draft, but neither
le the squad. W'right was cut
the team four weeks ago,
le Smith was placed on waivers
day. Smith, who had signed a
e-year contract, performed
during Philadelphia’s exhibi-
season, but was unable to
i the 76ers talented team.
xasA&M begins competition
oweeks, when the team hosts
adas Windsor Basketball
in an exhibition game. The
■week period between the ex-
tion and the Aggies’ Nov. 30
ing date will allow Metcalf
hforaii the Aggies to work on any
forgotali knesses they find in the Wind-
en treattfscrimmage.
3,
here in
Claude Riley
After last season’s exciting start
and finish, Metcalf hopes the
Aggies continue the pace at which
they finished the 1981 conference
schedule. Texas A&M won seven
of its final eight SWC games last
season, finishing with a 15-12
overall record and a conference
mark of 8-8, tying the Aggies with
the Texas Tech Red Raiders for
fourth place.
During the first three weeks of
the Aggies’ 1980-81 season, the
team won seven straight games.
The steak included impressive
tournament wins in the First Un
ion Invitational in Charlotte,
N.C., and the Virginia Tech In
vitational in Blacksburg, Va.
However, the trip to the KOA
Classic in Billings, Mont., started
the Aggies on a downhill slide
which sent them spiraling down
ward from the number 10 national
ranking they achieved during the
win streak. During the second half
of the SWC season, the Aggies
pulled together and played like
the league champions of the pre
vious year, but by that time the
title had been all but clinched by
the Houston Cougars.
After playing so well at the end
of the season, Texas A&M’s efforts
were wasted when TCU’s Darrell
Browder hit a 38-foot jump shot to
beat the Aggies 62-60 in the first
round of the conference tourna
ment. Metcalf says he wants to
forget the unpredictable events of
the past season, and hopes that the
Aggies will start a new trend of
consistency when this season be-
gins-
“That’s one I’d like to forget,’’
Metcalf said. “It was the most frus
trating season I’ve had as a coach.
We played great early and got
ranked as high as 10th in the na
tion, then we went into the worst
slump I’ve ever seen.
“We re optimistic now, but I
guess everybody is at this point in
time. I’ve got a great coaching staff
— all three (Barry Davis, John
Thornton and David Goff) were
captains of championship teams
here, so they know what it’s all
about.”
Reggie Roberts
The leading returnees for the
1981-82 season are 6-9 junior for
ward Claude Riley, 6-2 sopho
more guard Reggie Roberts and
6-1 senior guard Milton Woodley.
In addition, 6-11, 220-pound cen
ter-forward Rudy Woods returns
to the Aggies after sitting out the
spring of last season because of
academic difficulties.
Woods had been averaging 8.1
points and 5.1 rebounds a game
before being declared ineligible
for the spring semester. With 938
career points and 612 rebounds,
Woods ranks 14th and eighth on
the all-time Aggie list in those
categories.
Riley, who started every game
last season, is the leading return
ing Aggie scorer after averaging
10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds a
game. Roberts brings a 9.7 point
average and a 2.4 rebound average
into this season after making the
All-SWC Newcomer team in
1980-81.
After solidifying the Aggies
backcourt while starting the
Aggies’ final nine games last sea
son, Milton Woodley returns as a
top guard prospect. Woodley av
eraged 4 points, 1.6 rebounds and
3.2 assists in a starting role.
Junior forward Roy Jones, at 6-
7, played well coming off the
bench last season, and should soli
dify a group of Aggie reserves that
looks strong after Metcalfs good
recruiting year.
Metcalf said another top player
on his squad is UCLA transfer
Tyren Naulls, a 6-4 junior guard
who sat out last season to become
eligible. The performance of Blinn
Junior College transfer Lonniel
Bluntson, a 6-8, 220-pound cen
ter, has given Metcalf a reason to
be excited about the Aggies’
strength under the basket.
Metcalfs other top players in
clude 6-1 freshman guard Gary
Lewis, 5-11 senior guard Mike
Brown, 6-3 senior guard Bruce
Sooter, 6-6 junior transfer forward
Mike Thomas, 6-8 sophomore for
ward Ethan Glass and 6-6 junior
transfer forward Sonny Burton.
One surprise during the fall
workouts, which began Oct. 15,
has been walk-on Temple Junior
College transfer Kevin Cunning
ham. Metcalf said Cunningham, a
6-5 forward, is an intelligent
athlete who should contribute to
the team’s effort.
Metcalf said the SWC race will
be more competitive than before,
because of the overall balance of
the league. Although the title has
already been conceded to Hous
ton by most SWC followers, sev
eral teams have a chance to unseat
the champion Cougars.
“The league is going to be su
per, super tough this year, be
cause all the great players last year
were underclassmen, Metcalf
said.
Metcalf cited Baylor University
forward Terry Teagle, University
of Arkansas center Scott Hastings,
University of Texas center LaSalle
Thompson and Houston guard
Rob Williams as returning top
conference performers.
Texas A&M will exhibit a more
exciting brand of basketball this
season, Metcalf said, with the
Aggies running more fast breaks
and presses.
Although preseason picks slate
the Aggies for fifth or sixth place in
the SWC, Metcalf hopes that his
team can prove false those predic
tions.
“I think there will be a great
race in the Southwest Conference
this season,” Metcalf said. “I just
hope we re part of it. ”
Landry says young Dallas
secondary must fill holes
United Press International
DALLAS — The Dallas Cow
boys, who used to consistently
challenge for the honor of being
the NFL’s No. 1 defensive team,
are currently ranked as the worst
defensive club in the National
Football Conference.
Through the first half of the
season the Cowboys have given up
3,046 yards, or 380.8 per game.
Most of the damage has come
through the air, where the Cow
boys have allowed 260 yards each
time its young secondary has
taken to the field.
But somehow, Dallas has man
aged to compile a 6-2 record.
“It really doesn t make you con
fident (to have given up so much
yardage),” said Cowboys coach
Tom Landry. “Well, we re going
to give up yards. There is no use
kidding ourselves. We have a
young secondary and we have not
really jelled well.
“Anytime you step on the field
something is going to happen. You
may leave early or you may have to
stay late. But something is going
to happen. We’ve got the poten
tial to be a good defensive team.
But now we are still giving away
the big plays in the secondary.”
Offsetting the yardage allowed,
however, is the surprising num
ber of interceptions that have
been claimed by the Cowboys.
Rookie cornerback Everson
Walls leads the league with eight
and fellow cornerback Dennis
Thurman has six. The Cowboys
have a total of22, tops in the NFL.
“We are still going to have to
make the turnovers, said Landry.
“We had five interceptions last
Sunday and without those it would
not have been a contest.”
The inexperience of the Cow
boys secondary — which includes
two rookies and another player
(Thurman) forced to fill a corner-
back role instead of the more
familiar safety position — is ob
viously the main problem.
“When you are a rookie you
don’t see anything,” Landry said.
“I remember when I played as a
rookie, I saw very little. I didn’t
know what was going on half the
time. You just play by instincts.
Everything is blurry to you.
“You tell a guy to key on some
thing, but all they see is a whole
cloud of movement. They couldn’t
key on a man if they wanted to.
And that kind of hurts you on de
fense, he said.
Biles files complaint with NFL
after official s interference call
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United Press International
HOUSTON — Houston Oiler
Head Coach Ed Biles has filed a
grievance with the NFL over a
penalty call made by field judge
Donald Orr in Monday’s game at
Pittsburgh. It was Orr who two
years ago made a critical incom
plete-pass call against the Oilers in
a playoff game against the
Steelers.
In both cases, on Monday night
and on Jan. 6, 1980, Orr’s calls
involved Oilers wide receiver
Mike Renfro.
“I lodged a complaint with Art
McNally s office, ” Biles said Tues
day. McNally is the supervisor of
NFL referees.
“I went through proper chan
nels. I don t want to get in an offi
ciating controversy. The Steelers
beat us, he said. Pittsburgh won
the game 26-13.
Orr ruled in the 1980 AFC
Championship game that Renfro
juggled a touchdown pass that
would have tied the game, making
it incomplete. The call was scruti
nized closely after the game and
then-Oilers Head Coach Bum
Phillips openly criticized Orr and
said Renfro had made the recep
tion as he showed films of it to the
media.
Monday night Renfro was flag
ged for offensive pass interference
by Orr, and the call nullified a call
by another official of defensive
pass interference inside the Steel
ers' 5-yard line.
After watching the play on the
Oilers’ game film Tuesday, Biles
said there was no penalty against
Renfro. He admitted, however,
that “it was a judgement call. ”
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