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Recruiting war is declared
A&M starts slow; Tech, Texas off and running
Associated Press
Basketball coaches at Texas A&M
haven’t announced any signings of re
cruits, but they have indicated they will
soon be trying to catch up to the quick
start of some of the other Southwest
Conference schools.
Texas Tech basketball coach Gerald
Myers announced Wednesday the sign
ings of three players, including two
guards he said will fill one of the Red
Raiders’ biggest recruiting needs.
The Red Raiders, on the first day of
the NCAA early signing period, signed
Barron Brown, a 6-3 guard from Lancas
ter; Leslie Wallace, a 6-1 guard from
Lubbock; and Brad Dale, a 6-7 forward
from Amarillo.
“Signing good, young guards was one
of our top recruiting needs, and we feel
good about both of these players,’’ My
ers said.
Other SWC programs also concen
trated their signing efforts in Texas.
High school or junior college players
who don’t commit in the early signing
period, which extends through next
Wednesday, must wait until April 13.
Finding guard prospects was one of
Tech’s priorities, Myers said, because
two of the top three guards on this sea
son’s roster are seniors.
Wallace, listed among the country’s
top 100 recruits by Basketball Times
magazine, averaged 23 points, 7 re
bounds and 3 assists as a junior. Brown
averaged 16 points for a Lancaster team
that advanced to the Class 4A state semi
finals .
Dale averaged 15.6 points and 7.9 re
bounds at Amarillo High, traditionally
among the state’s top programs. “He’s a
good athlete and plays for an outstanding
high school coach and program,” Myers
said. “That is one of the reasons we re
cruited him.”
First-year Texas coach Tom Penders,
focusing on inside players, signed 6-8
Gerrald Houston of Atlanta (Ga.) Doug
las and 6-9 Cory Lockridge of Abilene.
Houston, a top 100 recruit according
td a UT athletic department spokesman,
averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds as a
junior. Lockridge averaged 12 points and
11 rebounds.
Rice coach Scott Thompson signed
four players he says will help the Owls in
their attempt to develop a nationally re
spected program.
The Owls signed Marvin Moore, a 5-
11 guard from Killeen; Scott Tynes, a 6-
6 forward from Klein Forest in suburban
Houston; Brent Scott, a 6-9 center from
Lansing, Mich.; and Dajaun Eubanks, a
6-8 forward from Dallas Kimball.
“What we have done is put two
classes together of kids who will be co
hesive,” Thompson said. “We plugged
the holes that we needed to plug, with
youngsters who can help us. They are ca
pable of being a very good Southwest
Conference recruiting class. It’s another
step towards Rice basketball making the
big move to being a top-notch pro
gram.”
Moore and Tynes, named the most
valuable players in their respective dis
tricts last season, have been recognized
as among the top 20 players in Texas by
the Texas High School Basketball Scout
ing Service. Moore averaged 23 points
and 7 rebounds as a junior; Tynes aver
aged 22 points and 7 rebounds.
Scott averaged 17 points and 13 re
bounds, and Eubanks averaged 10 points
and 8 rebounds.
“I think that after this season, people
are going to look at each one of these
kids and say, ‘Wow; how did Rice steal
those kids?’ ” Thompson said.
First-year Southern Methodist coach
John Shumate signed his first prospect of
the fall, Greg Kinzer, a 6-10, 245-pound
center from Richardson Berkner.
“Greg will be one of the keys to our
future,” Shumate said. “He has the size,
strength and shooting ability to be a le
gitimate front-line player in college.”
Texas Christian coach Moe Iba an
nounced the signings of Bart Beasley, a
6-8 center from Eustace, and Ray Kelly,
a 5-10 point guard from San Francisco.
Beasley averaged 34.3 points and 17
rebounds and was a Class 2A first-team
all-state selection last season. His father,
John Beasley, starred at Texas A&M in
the mid-1960s.
Kelly averaged 10 points and 9 assists
in leading Riordan High to the city’s
West Catholic League title and a runner-
up finish in the Central Coast Section.
Aguirre key for Mavs to take title
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have eight
months to find the heart and discipline it takes to be
champions.
They started this season like they left off last year,
smothered by the pressure of a close game against the
Los Angeles Lakers.
Make no mistake about the 116-113 loss to the
Lakers in an NBA opener on Nov. 4. The Lakers de
livered a message to Dallas.
“1 hate to say it again/” said Dallas’ Rolando
Blackman, “but I do hope we can learn from it.”
Dallas said the same thing when it fell to the Lakers
in Game 7 of the Western Conference playoffs.
What’s the key for the Mavericks to learn to play on
the Lakers’ level? You might start with moody Mark
Aguirre. Will Aguirre, soon to become another NBA
million-dollar man, finally start showing up in the final
two minutes of big games?
If he doesn’t, you can kiss the Mavs championship
hopes goodbye again in 1988-89.
Off-guard Rolando Blackman is a great streak
shooter and point guard Derek Harper has his mo
ments, such as beating Houston last week with a last-
second shot.
Roy Tarpley and James Donaldson aren’t good
enough shooters to dominate a game in the closing
minutes.
Small forward Aguirre has to be the Mavs’ leader
but has yet to display the capabilities of being one.
In case Dallas had forgotten its lesson, the Lakers
gave them another one on opening night.
Dallas and Aguirre played great until it counted.
Leading by six points with 2:34 to play, Los Angeles’
Magic Johnson and James Worthy took charge while
the Mavs stood around wondering what happened.
The Mavs pressed and panicked. Aguirre had a
forced air ball and missed another shot. Sam Perkins
let Worthy steal an inbounds pass.
Dallas found out again why it still isn’t in the
Lakers’ class.
Let’s tune in to Johnson about prime-time play:
“You can’t worry about how you’ve been shooting or
how long it’s been since you had a shot. You have to
worry about how you’re going to shoot when you shoot
the big one. That comes in the last two minutes. We
don’t miss too many of those. ”
Are you listening, Mark? Those are the words from
your good buddy. Magic, the best man at your wed
ding.
Aguirre yearns to have a world championship ring
just like his friend, Magic. And the same respect from
the rest of the NBA.
But until Aguirre steels himself to take charge of the
Mavericks’ offense when it counts, the only way he’ll
get a ring will be as a gift from Johnson.
Let’s hear from Dallas center James Donaldson
about the Lakers’ pressure-proof play.
“We had bad shot selection at the end,” he said,
candidly. “We didn’t even listen to our coach (John
MacLeod) who was trying to get us to call a time out.
You can’t beat a quality team like the Lakers in a close
game doing things like that.”
Owner Donald Carter questioned the Mavs’ “killer
instinct” last year.
He didn’t say much after Dallas stretched the Lakers
to seven games in the conference finals.
However, he’s still worried about it.
“We made the Lakers uncomfortable but they
weren’t willing to accept defeat under any condi
tions,” Carter said. “We need to get that way.”
Dallas is shooting for the world title but the Mavs
still don’t seem to have all the ammunition they need.
The big bang in the final two minutes is still miss
ing.
AL Cy Young
goes to Viola
NEW YORK (AP) — Frank Viola,
the Minnesota Twins left-hander who
led the major leagues in victories in
compiling a 24-7 record, was named
the winner of the 1988 American
League Cy Young Award on
Wednesday.
Viola received 27 of a possible 28
first-place votes and 138 of a possible
140 points from the Baseball Writers’
Association of America.
Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland
Athletics got the other first-place vote
and was second with 52 points.
Mark Gubicza of the Kansas City
Royals was third with 26 points,
Dave Stewart of Oakland had 16,
Bruce Hurst of the Boston Red Sox
had 12 and teammate Roger Clem
ens, Cy Young winner in 1986 and
1987, had eight.
“I didn’t know what to expect,”
Viola said from his Orlando, Fla.,
home.
“I didn’t want to worry about it,”
he said. “You don’t want to get your
hopes too high so that they get shot
down.”
Viola, the first Twins player to win
since Jim Perry in 1970, said there
was no reason to be upset that he
wasn’t a unanimous pick.
“Twenty-seven out of 28, that’s
not bad, is it?” he said.
Viola, most valuable player of the
1987 World Series, had a 2.64
eamed-run average this season and
193 strikeouts, ranking third in the
AL in each department.
“It took me five-plus years to find
this kind of consistency. This year is
just a carryover from last year,” Vi
ola said just before the season ended.
“It’s been a dream,” Viola said.
“Any pitcher who tells you he doesn’t
dream of winning 20 games or start
ing the All-Star Game or winning the
Cy Young is a flat-out liar.
“I know that after the season ends,
it will have been a pretty good year to
look back on.”
Viola, 15-2 at the break, was the
winning pitcher for the American
League in the All-Star Game.
His 20th victory of the season
came on Aug. 30 against Texas.
It also was the 100th victory of his
career.
“Actually the goal of winnit:
was more important to ms.
said. “It means you gooutfe:
cry fourth day, be consistentaiiii
healthy.
"1 just hope the next 100 are:
easier than the first 100.”
Viola won 19 consecutive gat j
the Metrodome over 25 startsj
tween May 22, 1987, and I
27. And he won two moietl
starts during the 1987 World St™
Twins Manager Tom Kell) ;
Viola’s performance created tip |
tions that were impossible to fill-
“He doesn’t have an ‘S't
shirt,” Kelly said. “Alototji
around here think he’s Supemw.
is strong as an ox every three# j
games. There’s just noway.'
Although he has settled i
nesota life, Viola is a a native,y
Yorker and at one time was
play in his hometown.
“I’d be so close to home a
have a chance to make soi
money in commercials,” hes
was MVP of the World Seriesiiill
iR'M't.t last year and, exceptf#a
ney World, I haven’t endorsed!
thing.”
Now he’s not so sure he\
go home.
"The more I’ve learned;
baseball organizations, themottij
realized that it would be hardt
home again,” Viola said.
"We may not get the bige
cial money here in Minnesota,!
do get some privacy and soratj
of mind.”
He’s so well-liked in Mini
that when a poll was held i
whom the Vikings should
quarterback, Viola got five vote |
“He has a better arm than!
them,” a respondent said,
to Tommy Kramer and WadeWi
“And he can’t lose in the Dome
Viola earned a $100,1
winning the Cy Young award,g
him a $1.6 million incomet
He made $ 150.(XX) in perfa
bonuses during the season in a
to his $ 1.35 million salary.
He gets a $1.55 million base
next year.
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