3 aget) Texas A&M The Battalion Sports November 8, 1982 Page 11 Cream of the crop Lewis’ Cougars favored to win league basketball crown Arkansas’ Darrell Walker part of top backcourt duo Center Joe Kleine to take center spot for Razorbacks by Frank L. Christlieb Sports Editor DALLAS — C'.uy Lewis hasn't chosen his starting guards, Eddie Sutton lias his youngest team ever and Jim Killingsworth has to figure out a way to sneak his talented team past several others and onto the top rung of the Southwest Conference ladder. But don’t let these guys fool you. When the final buzzer sounds at the end of the last game of the regular season, Lewis, Sutton and Killingsworth may be so tightly bunched to gether that they and their play ers won’t have room to breathe. Or it may just turn out to be a runaway. After all, Lewis and the Houston Cougars did make it to the Final Four last season before losing to North Carolina 68-63 in the semif inals. And af ter all, no matter how young or old his players may he, Sutton and the Razorbacks always man age to win their share of games. And look at “Killer” Killing- sworth’s Horned Frogs. In guard Darrell Browder and f or ward Doug Arnold, TCU has the top two returning scorers in the conference. While spectators cry that the league won’t be the same with out Rob Williams, Ricky Pierce, Terry Teagle, Scott Hastings, LaSalle Thompson and Clar ence Swannegan, the coaches have only one reply: Hogwash. New names, they say, will crop up in place of those old cliches that have been bandied about for the past four years. Names like Browder, Arnold, Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drex- ler, Larry Micheaux, Darrell Walker, , Joe Kleine, Claude Riley, Reggie Roberts, Kenny Austin and Bubba Jennings will replace those oft-used names that have now drif ted on to big ger and better things. The consensus at Sunday’s annual preseason meeting of SWC coaches in Dallas indicated strong belief that Lewis’ Cougars would be the 1983 league champions, with Arkan sas, TCU and Texas A&M the probable challengers. Lewis said the league, as always, should be competitive. “Most of the starters f rom last year are returning,” he said. “I’d say at least 70 percent of last year’s starters are coming back, which means that the league is going to be experienced, well- balanced and strong from top to bottom. It’s not only hard to pick the champion, but it’s hard to pick the cellar team, too. “In a league like this that’s so well-balanced, you can go from top to bottom in a hurry. Or maybe from bottom to top. I think our league will be one of the best-balanced leagues in the country.” Here is a breakdown of each SWC coach and his ideas on the 1982-83 basketball season. The teams are listed in the league’s order of finish as predicted by media representatives at Sun day’s meeting: HOUSTON, Guy Lewis: With his guard situation up in the air at this point, Lewis can’t figure out why everyone’s in an uproar about his Cougars. But leave it to Lewis to find an effec tive backcourt combination if not before the season, at least during the Coogs’ tough non conference schedule. Guards or not, Lewis does have the scoring strength and rebounding of center Akeem Olajuwon, forwards Clyde Drexler and Michael Young and center Larry Micheaux. Drexler led that bunch by averaging 15.2 Rice forward Kenny Austin leads an experienced squad points and 10.5 rebounds a game during the Cougars’ 25-8 season in 1981-82. “Houston is the only place in the country that can lose its two starting guards — and its top two reserve guards — and every body thinks that they’re im proved,” Lewis said. “It doesn’t make sense. “We’re going to be a good bas ketball team — if we ever find out who our starters are. I think we’ve got good bench strength and I should be able to play eight or nine guys. “The only thing that worries me is that all of our big guys are on one end of the court and the basketball starts at the other end of the court — and there’s 94 feet in between,” he said. “If we can get around the double teams, the presses, the traps and the harassment from experi enced guards, and get the ball to Akeem, Micheaux, Drexler of Young, then we have a pretty * good chance of having a good basketball team.” dngpin* ne GuiU ) who rt- tly tel on, and isii the FI v Enfortf .ara simf Cuba and. , smug illas. uibians alj® are LeviiW a "motto .till at laf ;ho alleged i Colombia ,e Doniiif rfiamijsto lited State* defendant* da, ahead; her charge ents «’ et ' / are Da^ 1 lector Go 11 ' r ge I ose f ,, Ratlin* rto Corte 1 . DO YOU WANT WORK EXPERIENCE? ft ATTEND THE CO-OP FAIR j? Employers of COOPERATIVE EDUCATION stu dents invite you to visit their booths in the lobby of Zachry Engineering Center. 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But 1 know that’s not the way it’s going to be. We’re going to have to go out there and do it ourselves — or whichever other team will do it.” Lewis said he’s looking for ward to witnessing the improve ment of Olajuwon, the Cougars’ 7-foot center from Nigeria. Ola juwon, who’s been playing bas ketball for only three years, av eraged 8.3 points and 6.2 re bounds a game last season. “I’m very, very enthusiastic at how much he’s improved, and I’m very, very disappointed that he hasn’t improved more,” Lewis said, “He has made some improvement and is a better bas ketball player than he was a year ago. “He’s still not dominating like you would want a 6-1 1 player to he. He’s still learning the game and he’s going to be a much bet ter player in the future.” Lewis, who will earn th 500th victory of his UL1 career with the Cougars’ first triumph this sea son, described his guard situa tion as “muddled.” He said in experience in the backcourt may be a problem in the first few games. “There are about live or six players on about the same level of play,” Lewis said. “And 1 don’t like that. 1 want one or two of them to rise above the pack. I would really like to know now who my starting guards are going to be in our first game.” ARKANSAS, Eddie Sutton: Sports Illustrated visited the Arkansas campus last week to line! out about Sutton’s 1982-83 team. But a la the usual, Sutton says he doesn’t know why any one would have any interest in his squad. “I could not believe that they would come to our campus after we lost five seniors,” Sutton said. “This is the youngest basketball team I’ve ever coached. I said, 'Why would you come?’ and the guy said, ‘tradition.’ I guess that is important in any game you play. “We’re not very good right now. I think we’re going to get better. It’s the most inexperi enced and youngest basketball team that I’ve ever coached at a major-college level.” Sutton has two top starting guards in Darrell Walker and Alvin Robertson, plus Joe Kleine, a transfer center from Notre Dame who will be the Razorbacks’ starter in place of Scott Hastings. “There are a lot of question marks about the Razorbacks in 1982-83,” Sutton said. “But still, 1 like our basketball team. I like the chemistry of our ballciub. I don’t think I’ve ever had a team work any harder during the first three weeks of practice than this group has. “It’s a great start when you have Robertson and Walker, be cause ... they’re as good as any backcourt combination in col lege basketball. If we get any kind of play (under the basket), then we can be competitive in the conference race.” Sutton said Kleine, a 6-11, 250-pounder from Missouri,^ won’t be as versatile as Hastings. _£! “Kleine’s not as good as you £. think he is, and he’s certainly not £ as good as our fans want him to be,” Sutton said. “But in time, 1 t think heTl be a big-time center. S’- “Joe’s a different type of play- £ er than Hastings. He is not as * good as Scott Hastings, but in £ time, he may be. Kleine is strictly an inside player, whereas Hast- £ ings could play at the forward T position.” Sutton, who after last season £• >; See SWC page 12 Americas favorite old-fashioned ice cream parlor. $lP°off any SUPER SUNDAE With Pin t base <>t One Super Sundae at Regular Price. . EXI’II SWENsenc ONI.Y AT CULPEPPER OR POST OAK MALL 3 00 off I OR ■hug "I X 'J l< SWEDEN’S rTM I V A TT LUNCH OR DINNER FOR TWO ( (insistingol: 2 llatnhni gei Plates X L> l