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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1990)
The Battalion SPORTS 9 Wednesday, February 28,1990 Sports Editor Richard Tijerina 845-2688 “Super ball” would be no fun for this golfer S ay, have you heard about the one where the golf ball has wings on it? It’s true ... sort of. A small golf company in Connecticut has created a new, super ball that soars like a jet, putts with the steady roll of a cue ball and bites the green on approach shots like a dropped cat from 50 feet in the air. Or so the advertisement for the ball says. “It’s too good to be true,” you say. Well it’s not. But how is this new invention going to affect the game of golf? I mean it would be a great advantage to the average “hacker” who can throw a golf ball as far as he can hit one, but what about the golfers who can hit a ball over a mile with their eyes closed? One pro who tested the ball drove it 400yards, reaching the green on all but the longest par-fours. Well, we know one thing’s for certain. This new, phenomenal golf ball won’t be seen on the Professional Golf Association Tour. It would allow a golfer to turn a par four into a par three, and real men don’t play par three’s. Right, Amie? Despite the long distance offered by this ball, what will it do to the overall competition of the golf game itself? Picture if you will: Two golfers teeing up at a par four, 400-yard hole. “Care to make a friendly wager on today’s round?” one player asks the other. “I don’t see why not. I feel pretty good today.” “You first, then,” he says. So up steps Bob “Can’t Hit a Lick” Jackson with his brand, spanking new lime-green Titleist. Whack! “I told you I felt good today,” Jackson exclaims. Then Joe “Used To Be a Hacker Before I Discovered This Super Ball” Wilson reaches in his pocket and reveals this ball from the Twilight Zone. Smack! “Oh, a hole-in-one. How ’bout that,” Wilson triumphs, with a smirk on his face. Not too fair, is it? But I’m afraid this See Snyder/Page 11 Ags, Cougars meet in dunking drama “The Return of Phi Slama Jama ?...” By CLAY RASMUSSEN Of The Battalion Staff Call it, “The Return of Phi Slama Jama,’’ but Texas A&M men’s basketball coach John Thornton would rather call Wednes day night’s show, “The Aggies Strike Back.” A&M will try to exact some sweet re venge on Houston at G. Rollie White Col iseum Wednesday. In their last meeting, the Cougars waxed the Aggies 108-90 at Hofheinz Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The 1989-90 Cougars are being com pared with the 1982-83 team — a group that was affectionately referred to as Phi Slama Jama. It consisted of current NBA stars Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, Larry Mich- eaux and Michael Adams. The 1982-83 and 83-84 Houston teams advanced to the NCAA finals, only to lose to North Carolina St. and Georgetown. “This year’s club has the same kind of athletic ability as Phi Slama Jama,” Thorn ton said. “They don’t have Akeem, but they’ve still got some great centers.” Houston is blessed with two talented cen ters this season. Junior Carl Herrera (aver aging 15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds) is 6- feet-9-inches tall and is effective filling up the lane. Thornton has developed a healthy re spect for Herrera. “Herrera might be the best player in the league from top to bottom,” Thornton said. “If he wasn’t the best junior college player last year, he was in the top two.” And if Herrera gets into any sort of trou ble, junior sensation Alvaro Teheran is close by to bail him out. Teheran, a 7-foot-1-inch transfer from Houston Baptist, dominates the defensive boards. The Cougars are by no means lacking tal ent, and Thornton realizes the huge task A&M faces Wednesday night. “I think Houston can match up with any body in the country,” Thornton said. “They have a lot of big men that can run and jump.” The Aggies, 6-8 in the Southwest Con ference, are coming off a 103-95 win against Rice. Houston comes into College Battalion file photos Two shades of Phi Slama Jama. For mer Houston center Akeem Olajuwon (above) blocks former Aggie guard Al Pulliam’s layup attempt in a Feb. 2, 1984 game at Hofheinz Pavilion. The Cougars went on to reach the NCAA finals against Georgetown. A&M’s David Harris (right) has been slam ming dunks all season for the Aggies in 1990. He leads the team in dunks. Station riding a nine-game winning streak. They’re 10-3 in conference play and are tied with Texas for second place in the SWC. “I think we started them off on their streak,” Thornton said. “They kind of rocked and rolled a little bit, up and down, and then played us extremely well in Hous ton. Now, they’re on a nine-game winning streak. “If you look around the country, how many teams have won nine straight games? There aren’t many.” However, Thornton is still upbeat and said he feels his team is on the brink of making some big things happen. The Aggies have had back-to-back 100- point games, tied the SWC record for three-point shots in a single game (12), and have snot over 50 percent in their last two See Phi Slama Jama/Page 11 Lady Cougars pounce on Lady Ags, 94-76 By NADJA SABAWALA Of The Battalion Staff Lady Cougars guard Jana Crosby racked up a game-nigh 25 points as the Texas A&M women’s basketball team lost to Houston, 94-76 Tuesday night in G. Rollie White Coliseum. An Aggie crowd of 450 watched the Lady Aggies’ nopes of a strong regular season finish slip out of reach as their conference record drops to 8-7 and 16-10 overall. Sophomore forward Dena Russo came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points and six rebounds for the Lady Aggies. Houston took command of the game early with a 15-7 lead with 12:53 left. “We didn’t act like we were ready to play at the beginning of the game,” A&M coach Lynn Hickey said. “Houston just pulled ahead and made us play catch-up/’ The game became very physical with the Lady Aggies trying to make up lost points. A&M got its seventh team foul with 9:48 left in the half and the Lady Cougars pounced ahead to a 31-14 lead. The Lady Aggies appeared to have gath ered some steam to end the half when they went on a 11-2 run, signaled by a quick steal and layup by freshman guard Yatisha Bo- sha. Junior center Louise Madison followed with an easy layup off a transition and A&M seemed in the game. “We had a good run at them and then we made some cricial offensive mistakes,” Hickey said. “Theyjust took advantage.” The Lady Aggies ended the first half be hind 43-28. A&M began the second half well, and both teams were on a close run, 12-13, Houston. Then came the Lady Aggies’ foul trouble. Sophomore guard LaTanya Irving and junior forward Diane DeCree each had four fouls with 10:37 left in the game. Ju nior center Louise Madison, who sat out some of the game because of hyperventilat ing at the end of the first half, eventually fouled out with :59 left. Fouls allowed Houston an easy 27 points with a 75 per cent rate from the line. A&M will face Texas Tech Saturday in- G. Rollie White Coliseum at 2 p.m. r (fr&at fggaeg c&e* Of( /ff America axcUate /VfU toitk Dav-ioi{.eCterma*/ 0 ? e &. 2%, f 990 s4cccitt<vUutU' J s*snf # ai oei = Airr STUDY ABROAD THIS SUMMER AT WEST LONDON INSTITUTE DATES: July 16 - August 6, 1990 CLASSES: Earn college credit in: • History 105/Western Civilization • Government 211/Comparative Politics • English 202/British Literature • Art 105/Survey of Art History COST: $1925 (Deposit of $975 due by May 10) Please contact David Wickham at (214) 333-8624 for more information. MOUNTAINVIEWCOLLEGE 4849 W. Illinois Ave. • Dallas, Texas 75211 • Dallas County Community College District • An Equal Opportunity Institution
