The Battalion
SPORTS
Friday, February 16,1990
7
Sports Editor Richard Tijerina 845-2688
Mattox: ‘Hush money’ tape off-limits
Smith’s conversations with A&M officials guarded from disclosure
Nadja
Sabawala
Guest Columnist
—
Lady Ags need
home support
against Texas
W iat a shame.
The Texas A&M women’s basketball
team will play its biggest game of the
year tonight at home, and if things keep
up, they’ll be playing in front of a small
crowd.
The Lady Aggies average a meager
338 people per game, less people than I
had in my Biology 113 class my
freshman year.
Overall, if you add up the total
number of people attending the womens
games this year, you’ll come out with
3,716. That’s total, folks.
On the other hand, you have the
University of Texas, famous for its Lady
Longhorns who are virtually unstoppable
and who dominate the SWC. Their
average attendance is 7,118.
UTs average attendance is more than
twice the tota/number of fans at a Lady
Aggies game.
And don’t tell me it’s because of
inadequate facilities. G. Rollie White
has a 7,500 capacity.
If we just had one crowd that equalled
Texas’ average, G. Rollie would be
nearly full, and a rowdy crowd in a
small, enclosed space would really rev
up a team!
We’ve got that chance, Ags.
Tonight, the Lady Aggies face
powerhouse Texas for the last time this
season.
UT is undefeated in conference play at
11-0, and A&M was the last SWC team
to beat them. That was in 1978. For 12
years, UT hasn't lost in the conference.
I’d think they were pretty confident
about tonight’s game, wouldn’t you?
Let’s put those 7,118 screaming fans
in G. Rollie, but let ’em be Aggies.
“Beat the Hell Outta t.u.” from a packed
G. Rollie would really be an awesome
experience.
Give our team the support they need to
beat those poor sips. If the fans do their
part, the Lady Aggies will do the rest.
A&M is 10-1 in its 1 1 games played in
G. Rollie and averages 82.9 points per
game.The Lady Aggies have won five of
their last six games and are currently
fourth in the SWC standings.
There’s only one game separating the
Lady Aggies from third place Texas
Tech, and if A&M wins this match
tonight, what a way to move up: a win
over the Lady Longhorns, who have
commanded this conference for what
seems like forever!
AUSTIN (AP) — State Attorney General
Jim Mattox said Thursday a tape-recorded
interview between Texas A&M University
officials and a former football player who
alleged that the school violated NCAA reg
ulations is excluded from public disclosure.
Former Aggie running back George
Smith last year said an A&M official offered
him “hush money” to publicly recant
statements he made to The Dallas Morning
News that the school earlier paid him to
keep quiet about NCAA recruitment viola
tions.
These allegations touched off a contro-
Sore ankle may
hamper senior
against Texas
By RICHARD TIJERINA
Of The Battalion Staff
At 5-5, senior guard Lisa guard is the
floor general for the Texas A&M women’s
basketball team. But on the day of her final
game against Texas today, she doesn’t even
know how much she can contribute.
Credit that to a badly sprained ankle
which doctors originally thought was bro
ken.
Herner injured it in last Saturday’s 90-71
win over Southern Methodist. Herner,
known for her aggressive style of play, fell
on top of a Mustang player and tore some
ligaments in her right ankle.
Thursday was her first day of practice,
and Herner said she was going to talk to
Coach Lynn Hickey about her playing sta
tus after they saw how well she could move.
Herner said she could run on the ankle, but
has problems cutting and planting.
If Herner, who is averaging 6.1 points
and 2.9 rebounds a game for the Lady Ag
gies, can’t start, sophomore guard Sheri
Dillard will take her place. Either way,
Herner said she’d see action.
Herner said she felt 90 percent healthy
Thursday.
“It’s real sore,” Herner said. “Right now
the main thing is I’ve been out of practice
for four or five days. I’m a little out of
shape and my timing is off, but Sherri has
been practicing hard and is playing real
well. She’s come in and really done a lot.”
Herner, who was named the Southwest
Conference Player of the Week after her
career-high 28-point effort against Hous
ton last month, will be counted on to lead
the Lady Aggies against the No. 6 Lady
Longhorns.
Tipoff at G. Rollie White Coliseum is set
for 7:30 p.m.
The Lady Longhorns haven’t lost a SWC
versy that led to football Coach Jackie Sher
rill’s departure from the school.
But Smith later denied making the
statements about the “hush money.”
In the attorney general’s opinion re
leased Thursday, Mattox said a more than
two-hour tape-recorded interview between
A&M officials and Smith concerning the re
cruitment allegations was excluded from
the Texas Open Records Act.
Mattox said the tape could be kept secret
because the interview dealt with the “educa
tion record” of Smith. This includes re
cruitment information because it is related
game since 1978. Last year, the Lady Ag
gies appeared ready to break that streak,
but fell apart in the last few minutes to lose
78-70 at home. Texas outscored A&M 10-2
in the last three minutes of that game.
Herner said the Lady Aggies have to be
encouraged by that game, because they
matched the Lady Longhorns point-for-
to a students’ education record, the opinion
said.
Part of the Open Records Act prohibits
the release of information contained in ed
ucation records under the provisions of the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
This act prohibits federal funds to educa
tional institutions that permit the release of
education records without the consent of
the student.
Smith was interviewed by A&M General
Counsel James Bond and Vice President of
Finance and Administration Robert Smith,
according to the opinion.
point until the very end.
“Last year we had the lead with a little
over two minutes left in the game and lost
it,” she said. “We just made some mental er
rors and missed some free throws. They
can be beat. We went down there earlier
See Herner/Page 8
Smith, who played high school football in
Coffee County, Ga., answered questions
about his recruitment by A&M and other
schools, his contacts with A&M coaches af
ter transferring to another university and
other events of his life at A&M, the opinion
stated.
Some information on the tape recordings
has appeared in newspaper articles. The
opinion stated that these public statements
made by Smith that are part of the taped in
terview with A&M officials cannot be with
held.
Men face tough
test Sunday
against Longhorns
By CLAY RASMUSSEN~
Of The Battalion Staff
The Texas A&M men’s basketball team
will be looking for sweet revenge this Sun
day afternoon as they host Texas at G.
Rollie White Coliseum.
Tipoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
Last January, the two met in what was
redicted to be an easy win for the Long-
orns. Instead, the Aggies stayed close to
Texas all evening and freshman guard
Brooks Thompson’s three-point shot with
just under a minute left in the game pulled
A&M to within one point, 91-90.
But the Longhorns made five of their fi
nal six free throws down the stretch to beat
A&M 96-94.
Former coach Shelby Metcalf predicted
that the Aggies would rise from the ashes of
the Texas loss and begin the path to South
west Conference dominance.
“I think this game (loss to Texas) was an
indication of things to come,” Metcalf said
after the loss. “If we keep working hard,
something good is going to happen to us.”
Instead of something positive happen
ing, the Aggies dropped their next game to
Arkansas, and Metcalf was fired two days
later.
In his place, interim coach John Thorn
ton is trying to fulfill Metcalf’s dream of
greatness for A&M.
The Aggies have shown-they are on the
edge of winning some big games. In all of
its losses under Thornton, with the excep
tion of Houston, A&M has been in the
game until the final minutes.
And that’s where their inexperience kills
them.
However, the Aggies appear to have the
leadership to win the tight games, if they
could just play consistent basketball.
Junior guard Lynn Suber, who shot the
last-second three pointer to beat Southern
Methodist last Saturday, has averaged 16
points per game.
But against the Longhorns, Suber aver
ages 24 points. Against Texas, he is shoot-
See Game/Page 8
Herner won’t let injury stop her
Battalion File Photo
A&M’s Lisa Herner, shown in action last November, said Thursday she
won’t let a sore ankle prevent her from playing today against Texas.
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