Friday, March 27, 1987/The Battalion/Page 9
Sports
al Coaches say three-pointer
DQ helped UNLV, Providence
™ any N l E W ORLEANS (AP) - Some
tagesprofiut® sk - etba11 coaches agree that Ne-
v aii onivi-B^a'^a 5 ^ e g as ailf l Providence
nto a coE®g ht . r not ( be ‘ n ^ he NCAA Final
v, and vou JW"? 1 [ n 1 ot f ? r the 3 -P° int g° u al -, r
navbecandoM lt hel P^ rr s « me ^ams, that s for
(In tint ti 1B re — UNLV and Providence,
„ ’ 1 Pittsburgh Coach Paul Evans said
e ™ "wiBiursday.
_, P]P trs '!jB “The 3-point goal really bene-
. l . noig Btted Providence because they
"" 1 '' haven’t a lot of inside players,” Mich
igan Coach Bill Frieder said.
■ Whether the championship game
Mil be a shootout between UNLV
Md Providence remains to be seen.
I In Saturday’s First game of the Su-
erdome double-header, No. 10
Iracuse, 30-6, takes on Providence,
p-8, followed by No. 1 UNLV, 37-1,
gainst No. 3 Indiana, 28-4.
Indiana, led by Steve Alford’s 52-
rcent accuracy with 98 3-pointers,
fis the best 3-point shooting
Barksmanship (121 for 241 — 50
Brcent) among the Final Four
■Syracuse basically relies on one 3-
M)int player, Greg Monroe, and has
lade 93 of 230.
I UNLV, with Freddie Banks and
lerald Paddio leading the way, has
Irown up 746 bombs, making 40
percent. Banks made 142 and Pad-
rbanon A: ■ dio 85.
pcrs on Thajf The Runnin’ Rebels, coached by
tape of Ar: Jen v Tarkanian, are on the biggest
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roll of all with a 22-game winning
streak in quest of their first NCAA
crown.
Providence hit 43 percent of its
long-range shots on 275 of 646. Billy
Donovan, 96; Ernie“Pop” Lewis, 94,
and Delray Brooks, 65, head the
Friar 3-point makers.
The Friars finished fourth in the
Big East regular season and are the
lowest seed (No. 5 in the Southeast)
to get this far. Both UNLV (West)
and Indiana (Midwest) were No. 1
seeds and Syracuse (East) was the
No. 2 seed.
In a sampling of coaches who are
meeting in New Orleans in connec
tion with the Final Four, most
agreed that both games were toss-
ups.
“It’s wide-open, a tough call,” said
Frieder, who added that he picks Big
Ten rival Indiana and Syracuse to
win. “Indiana has been in every
game this season and (Syracuse’s
Ron) Seikaly is playing extremely
well.”
Southern California Coach
George Raveling said, “It’s a strong
Final Four. Any team has a good
shot at winning it. (Indiana Coach)
Bobby Knight’s tough with a week to
prepare. (Providence Coach) Rick
Pitino’s on a roll.
“Vegas not only has a good of
fense but a good defensive and re
bounding team. The 3-point rule
has helped Vegas and Providence
and helped Syracuse because it
opened things up inside for Seikaly.”
Oregon State’s Ralph Miller, the
dean of Division I coaches, said,
“Any four teams are capable of win
ning. It’s whose game is on. Like
Tarkanian said, it takes a a little luck.
With North Carolina and Villanova
the last few years (NCAA champions
in 1983 and 1985), who knows?”
Coach John Thompson, whose
team beat Syracuse in the Big East
tournament final, said of the Orang-
emen-Providence game:
“It’s very unpredictable when you
have two league teams. It’s like the
NBA when teams play best-of-five or
seven. You never sweep the other
team. Syracuse is in a tough situa
tion. They already won twice. It’s
psychologically tough to win a
third.”
Of those coaches interviewed,
only Evans had a strong view on the
outcomes, picking Indiana and Syra
cuse to meet in the title game.
“Probably Syracuse’s inside game
will take its toll on Providence. When
Bobby Knight has a week to prepare,
he can beat anybody.”
And the winner will be?
“I hope for Syracuse,” Evans said,
“but probably Indiana.”
Indiana in state of hoop, Hoosier hysteria
n that our ifi
dying," Tir
nape delivcrcH
iperAs-5aiir HINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — From
savs inter* the preps to the pros, basketball has
eking the p^Biana on the brink of Hoosier hys-
mind outi;.: teria.
is blood pr».®’oach Bob Knight’s Indiana team
unshehad' made it to the NCAA’s Final Four,
iparicia, arr-p? Pacers are headed for the NBA
in hreaifeMvoffs for the first time since 1981,
Hi the Marion high school team is
n what hfmtBjng for a third straight prep title,
ia." A siE®-loosier Hysteria, that uniquely
ion, hemiplldiana strain of March Madness
ttscularweal thai afflicts the state most of the
de of the lx yeai. again has built to a fever pitch,
to indicatiosrH'Wkh IU in the Final Four, it’s all
i in question. |p
there,” said David Finkelstein of
Fort Wayne, among the many who
showed up in Hoosier red at the
Pacers’ 101-92 victory earlier this
week over Washington. “Sure it’s
bigger that last year, no doubt about
it.”
It’s had some help. The movie
“Hoosiers,” the eighth top revenue
grossing motion picture last week,
has enlightened the nation about In
diana’s prep tourney, in which every
high school, large or small, has a
shot at a single state crown.
And “Season On The Brink,”
John Feinstein’s chronicle of a sea
son with Knigfrt and the Hoosiers,
has found itself atop The New York
Times non-fiction bestseller list.
A CBS Sports crew already has
filmed the story of the town of
Kouts, which haa one of the smallest
high schools to make it to the region-
als of the state tourney this year.
Come Saturday, and the high
school semifinals, ABC’s Wide
World of Sports, ESPN and USA
Today all will be on hand, said Bob
Williams of the Indiana High School
Athletic Association.
Rockets’ Sampson practicing,
hopes to return to lineup April 1
HOUSTON (AP) — Ralph
Sampson is still trying to make
something positive out of an in
jury-filled season.
Sampson, sidelined since Feb.
3 after undergoing arthroscopic
knee surgery, returned to work
outs Wednesday and hopes to be
playing regularly again by April
1.
He’s also retained a new agent
to negotiate his contract renewal.
“If we can get it (contract) done
before the playoffs, let’s do it,”
Sampson said. “I would like to do
that and then go on and win the
championship. That would cap
off the whole year.”
Such a scenario would be a re
versal of the way Sampson’s sea
son has gone. He was on the
team’s injury list twice early in the
season with sprained ankles.
Then he had to have lateral
cartilage removed and has been
recuperating from surgery while
the Rockets struggle for position
in the NBA playoffs.
Sampson had missed 25 games
with his latest injury going into
Thursday night’s game against
Portland in The Summit.
Sampson was considering suit
ing up for the game and hopes to
be playing regularly soon.
“My projection is to be playing
by April 1 and take it to the pluy-
offs,” Sampson said.
Sampson also has hired the
Philadelphia firm of Wilkinson 8c
Perry as his agents to replace
Tom Collins of Los Angeles, also
the former agent for Los Angeles
Lakers center Kareem Abdul Jab-
bar.
Gene Perry, an attorney for the
firm, said' he likely would start
contract talks with Rockets Gen
eral Manager Ray Patterson be
fore the playoffs.
“I thought Ralph did very
well,” Rockets Coach Bill Fitch
said of Sampson’s first workout
since his Feb. 3 injury. “His pass
ing from the low post really stood
out.
“Granted, he’s not moving
around defensively like he’ll have
to later on. But for the first prac
tice, it was very good.”
Sampson missed 11 of Hous
ton’s first 13 games this season
with ankle sprains.
“I want to avoid what hap
pened after the first ankle
sprain,” Sampson said. “I tried to
come back a little too soon and re
injured myself.
“I’m going to be very patient
until I know I can put a foot
down and be physical, which is
what it takes to win in the play
offs.”
Sampson is in the final year of
a 4-year, $5.5 million contract,
signed his rookie year.
The Rockets earlier made a
verbal $20 million contract offer
to Sampson but he backed off,
saying he didn’t want to be dis
tracted during the season.
“It’s been a rough year for me,
but I think the Rockets manage
ment knows that 1 like Houston
and that I think we can win here,”
Sampson said. “I’ve expressed
that many times.”
Gervin could join Rockets by year's end
HOUSTON (AP) — Former
San Antonio Spurs guard George
Gervin, who led the NBA in scor
ing four times, could be wearing a
Houston Rockets uniform for the
rest of the regular season and the
playoffs, General Manager Ray
Patterson says.
“George Gervin would look
great in a Rockets uniform,” Pat
terson said. “Gervin would cer
tainly take a lot of pressure off
Akeem (Olajuwon) and Ralph
(Sampson).”
Gervin currently is playing for
Banco Di Roma in the Italian
League.
If Gervin’s team loses its pay
off game Sunday, its season will
be over, leaving Gervin free to
play in the United States.
“It’s a unique case where we
could help him and he could help
us over the short haul,” Patterson
said. “Here’s a guy who can roll
out of bed and score 20 points.
He would give us a tremendous
lift at the big-guard spot.”
Patterson said that because of
the team’s salary cap, the Rockets
are only interested in signing
Gervin for the rest of the regular
season and for the playoffs.
Gervin, contacted by the San
Antonio Express-News in Rome,
said he was happy playing in Italy
but left room for negotiation.
“I’m a businessman first, and I
have to consider an offer like
that,” he said.
Gervin led the NBA in scoring
four times and in nine NBA sea
sons averaged 26.2 points and
shot a career 51.1 percent from
the floor.
The Rockets have suffered at
the big-guard spot this season.
Robert Reid was bothered early
in the season by a knee injury,
and Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell
Wiggins were banned from the
NBA in January because of drug
usage.
“This was the best alternative
we could come up with in trying
to get ready for the playoffs,” Pat
terson said.
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,SITY
ial
'Vr
MSC OPERA and
PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY
Presents
CLASSICAL AND BROADWAY PERFORMANCES
AND
WE WANT YOU
WHO:
ANYONE INTERESTED IN APPLYING
FOR THE OPAS STUDENT COMMITTEE
WHAT
A MANDATORY NEW MEMBER
INFORMATION SESSION (IT IS ONLY
NECESSARY TO ATTEND ONE SESSION)
WHEN
AND WHERE:
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ROOM 410 RUDDER TOWER
AT 7:00 P.M.
or
TUESDAY, MARCH 31,
ROOM 701 RUDDER TOWER
AT 7:00 P.M.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:
SARA WALL 764-8279 OR 845-1515
BACKPACKING
ENCHANTED ROCK
STATE NATURAL AREA
APRIL 3-5
ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF ENCHANTED ROCK
DURING THE HEIGHT OF WIIDFLOWER SEASON! !
The $35 fee includes camping equipment,
backpacks, food, permits, transportation
costs, and experienced guides. Limited
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STATE NATURAL AREA
INTERMEDIATE CLIMBING TRIP
APRIL 3-5
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The $30 fee for this adventure includes
camping equipment, climbing equipment,
transportation costs, camping permits,
and experienced instruction. Limited
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Sign up for both of these adventures in the
Intramural-Recreational Sports Office in 159 Read
until Tuesday, March 31 at noon. For more
information please call Patsy at 845-7826.