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Sports
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1981
Page 9
Tournament time
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Metcalf, Aggies open against Oklahoma City in Illinois Classic
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By FRANK L. CHRISTLIEB
Battalion Staff
Shelby Metcalf has a unique
I philosophy about basketball tour-
i naments.
The 19th-year Texas A&M
' coach believes that teams benefit
! from playing in tourneys away
| from their home courts, even
though road games always offer
the greatest challenge. Even after
I experiencing a disastrous touma-
| ment last December, when the
* Aggies’ seven-game winning
I streak came to a halt in the KOA
| Classic in Billings, Mont., Metcalf
| prefers a tournament schedule be-
| fore the start of conference play.
Metcalf said he’s confident ab-
| out the three tournaments facing
| his team during the next three
I weeks. The Aggies, 3-0, start that
series of road tourneys tonight
when they play 3-2 Oklahoma City
University in the first round of the
Illinois Basketball Classic in
Champaign, Ill.
After watching his team defeat
Louisiana State University 68-63
Monday night in G. Rollie White
Coliseum, Metcalf didn’t seem
worried about the Aggies’ first
venture away from College Sta
tion. With the fine play he’s seen
from the Aggies in their first three
wins of the season, Metcalf may
have reason to be optimistic about
their chances in the tough tourna-
. ments ahead.
I In its first three games of the
I season, Texas A&M has defeated
I St. Edward’s University, Sam
I Houston State University and
ILSU. Metcalf has seen outstand-
| ing leadership from junior guard
■ Tyren Naulls, who has averaged
11*7 points a game, has nine steals
| and has connected on 50 percent
of his field goals. The 6-4 Naulls
has been compared to guard
David Britton, who led the Aggies
to a Southwest Conference cham
pionship two years ago.
Leading the Aggies in scoring
through the three wins has been
Junior forward Claude Riley, aver
aging 19.6 points a game. Starting
shoots, he looks for his man.
When you really need one, he
makes the good play.
“There was some selfishness
last year, but this year everyone
plays as one. We don’t have to
worry about anyone not giving the
ball to us, because we know he’s
Tyren Naulls
Claude Riley
ebodi
hutoffl
junior forward Roy Jones and
senior center Rudy Woods have
also played important roles in
Texas A&M’s success. After the
win over LSU, Metcalf cited Jones
for his performance.
“I thought Roy played well,”
Metcalf said. “I think this was his
best game. Roy’s the guy who gets
the team on the move — he’s very
deserving. He gets better all the
time, and this is the best outing
I’ve ever seen him have.”
The Aggies, who have displayed
a quicker offense with Naulls and
fellow starting guard Reggie
Roberts, must learn to discipline
their movement of the ball, Met
calf said, especially in fast break
situations.
“We’ve got to get to where we
know the difference between
when we’ve got the break and
when we don’t, Metcalf said.
After each of the three wins,
Metcalf has emphasized that he’s
pleased with the Aggie starting
five of Naulls, Roberts, Riley,
Jones and Woods. However, Met
calf is still worried about Texas
A&M’s depth at the forward and
center positions.
Reserves Lonniel Bluntson, 6-
8, and Mike Thomas, 6-6, have
played well during the Aggie
wins, but Metcalf wants more
backups for his starters in case the
team is hit by injuries.
As for the guards behind
Roberts and Naulls, Metcalf says
he couldn’t be more pleased.
Senior Milton Woodley and fresh
man Gary Lewis give the Aggies a
potent supply of guard reserves,
with Lewis averaging eight points
a game and showing the on-the-
court maturity Metcalf had ex
pected before the season.
Lewis, who admitted the ner
vousness he felt in the Aggies’
opening exhibition win over the
Windsor Basketball Club, said he
and his teammates felt confident
after the Aggies’ upset of LSU.
“Actually, it was the best I’ve
felt out of all the games we’ve play
ed here,” Lewis said. “We were
motivated, we were just so ex
cited. I guess we had something to
prove to everybody.”
Lewis said Naulls has stepped
in to become a “quiet leader” for
the Aggies. Riley added to that
assessment, saying Naulls’ initia
tive on the court has helped to
stabilize the team.
“He’s just that kind of guard, ”
Riley said. “He penetrates, he
going to.”
Riley added that the Aggies are
confident about the Illinois tour
nament, whose other first-round
game features the hosting Illinois
Fighting Illini against Army.
“As of right now, I feel that
we re going to be able to compete
with anyone up there,” Riley said.
Oklahoma City coach Lonnie
Nichols said he doesn’t know how
his team will fare against Texas
A&M, but he’s aware of the
Aggies’ strength. OCU finished
the 1980-81 season 14-15, playing
in the Midwestern City Confer-
“The University of Illinois,
being the host team, will be strong
and may be favored to win the
tournament,” Nichols said. “Texas
A&M probably has better overall
talent than anyone here. We re
short, slow and can’t jump, and
Army has a disciplined, ball-
control team.
“I know if we get the lead, they
(the Aggies) are going to have to
come out and chase us a little.”
Nichols, who has three starters
back from last season’s team, said
the Texas A&M win over LSU
didn’t surprise him. He said his
team must stop Riley, Naulls and
Woods to have a chance of defeat
ing the Aggies.
OCU, which has a 3-2 record,
has defeated the Arkansas-
Monticello, Washington State and
Southwest Missouri State. The
Chiefs’ losses have come to Fresno
State and Western Kentucky.
Nichols relies mostly on 6-6
senior forwards Rubin Jackson and
James Campbell. Jackson aver
ages 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds
a game.
United Press International
OKLAHOMA CITY — The
niversity of Oklahoma is willing
wool!: 1° pay whatever is necessary to
Bring suit against the NCAA con
cerning the rights to televising
football games, an OU official said
Thursday in federal court.
Dee Replogle, president of the
OU Board of Regents, testified
itonio
Irops
ason.
to sliil
iv’s p;
hopes khat the university was “absolutely
iniMpoinmitted” to the lawsuit filed by
to pay any legal fees.
Replogle said the suit was being
funded by OU, Georgia and the
College Football Association, a
group of 61 of the country’s major
college football powers.
Oklahoma and Georgia claim
that all CFA schools share interest
in the suit and that the schools are
seeking to have it certified as a
class action against the NCAA.
anonymous because of the fear of
reprisals by the NCAA.
The suit, filed by the two
schools in September on behalf of
the CFA members, alleges the
NCAA’s control of television con
tracts violates anti-trust laws.
The CFA and NCAA have each
negotiated their own television
contracts with different networks.
The CFA claims the NCAA has
threatened disciplinary action if
schools participate in the CFA
contract.
OU and the University of Georgia
against the NCAA.
He said OU was prepared to
carry the suit to the U. S. Supreme
Court if necessary and was willing
An OU attorney told U.S. Dis
trict Judge Luther Eubanks some
CFA schools should be repre
sented in a class action suit but
should be allowed to remain
nii Virdon may give up
post after two years
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United Press International
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Bill
ffAVirdon says 30 years of traveling
shave left him tired.
So, the Houston Astros mana-
;er is contemplating giving up
•aseball in two years.
T’ve had close to all the travel
ing I want. I’ve got two more years
on my contract. I’ll know about it
(the future) in another year or so, ”
Virdon said Thursday. “Thirty
years in baseball is a lot of
traveling.
It’s nothing else but the travel
ing. There’s nothing else to read
into it.
“Really, the ideal situation
would be if you were a home’
manager. But that’s not possible.
So when I’m through managing, I
don’t want to stay in the game,
because there’s not much you can
do in baseball that doesn’t involve
some sort of traveling. ”
He took a team that finished
431/2 games out of first place in
1975 and led it to a division cham
pionship in five seasons. For the
past three years, the Astros have
been contenders.
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The Chiefs hold a 6-4 series
edge against the Aggies, winning
the last game between the two
teams 84-79 in 1977. If Texas
A&M defeats OCU, its opponent
will probably be Illinois, which
had a 21-8 record last season. The
Fighting Illini defeated Texas
A&M 71-57 in 1979, the only time
in the only meeting of the two
teams.
THE BATT
DOES IT
DAILY
Monday
through Friday
All seats Just $ 2 00
THEATRES
CINEMA l&ll
fficial says OU serious about suit
>kaggs shopping center/Across from A&M
FRIDAY & SATURDAY MIDNIGHT MOVIES
Cinema I
MONTY PYTHON
AND THE HOLY GRAIL
Makes Mig Kong
look like an ape!
An epic fantasy
of peace and magic
3 \
.M S C.
^AjGGIE
PRESENTS
Th
he story of a man who
can no longer live
the dreams and traditions
of his father...
And of the love he finds
with a woman who believes
in his talent.
A movie that will make
you care, make you sing,
and make you cheer.
NEIL DIAMOND LAURENCE OLIVIER
. THE JAZZ SINGER"
A JERRY LEIDER PRODUCTION
Starring LUCIE ARNAZ • CATLIN ADAMS • franklyn ajaye
FRIDAY
8:00 P.M.
DECEMBER 11
RUDDER AUDITORIUM
PG
ALL TICKETS 75« W/TAMU I.D. TICKETS AVAILABLE 9-4:30 AND 45
MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME AT MSC BOX OFFICE.