.The Battalion
JSPORTS 7
-^Wednesday, May 2,1990
Sports Editor Nadja Sabawala 845-2688
h
Scott
Wudel
Sports Writer
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the bad and the ugly
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.t is said that life is full of many
highs and lows, ups and downs, peaks
id troughs ... the list goes on. Yet we
re blessed with the ability to deal with
icse changes and wait patiently for the
highs to come along after so many lows.
Such is the case in the ever-so-popular
ivorld of sports. We all have our favorite
;am and as loyal fans, we’ve watched it
|hange for better or worse over the
years.
I At one time, our favorite team was at
the rock-bottom of its league, but we
yent to the games or watched them on
TV anyway. After all, the ticket lines
yvere short and the aggravation we
sustained watching the helpless band of
gluttons self-destruct somehow gave us a
release from our own problems.
Besides, better days and a pool of first-
round draft choices were ahead of us.
1 Then one season the long wait is over.
A team of new faces takes the field or
ourt and suddenly things are coming up
oses. As loyal fans we marvel at each
uchdown pass, are dazed by each slam
dunk, and rejoice with each home run.
e see crazy fans paint their faces team
olors.
The stadium wave actually becomes
un, while the “Hey-hey” song vibrates
e walls of the arena. Our team is
jabeled “the Cinderella story of the
league.” The only problem is we can’t
get tickets to the game anymore.
| Case in point — the San Antonio
Ipurs.
I Many San Antonians remember the
days when the Spurs were fighting for
division and conference titles. That was
Over seven years ago and the team
leemed the falter more every year since.
Spurs’ fans witnessed the performance
if sub-par players, scoffed at team
trades, coaching changes, and even
pleaded for divine intervention. All in a
day’s work for faithful fans.
Now it is exhilirating to see a team
m around the way the Spurs have,
hey improved 35 games this season on
the shoulders of one Navy ensign and a
fleet of young faces, not to mention a
|ity full of ecstatic Spurs’ fans now
eaping the rewards of a long wait.
After the Spurs captured the Midwest
ivision title in the final game of the
eason, nearly every one of the 16,000
ans present stood at their seats after the
inal buzzer and cheered fanatically for
0 minutes. They chanted the players’
ames, stomped their feet, and
elebrated the reality of the event until
e champagne-soaked players returned
ee Wudel/Page 8
A&M reassigns Metcalf
Battalion file photo by M. Mulvey
Former A&M basketball coach Shelby Metcalf was reassigned to head up an
outreach program in East and Central Texas for at-risk young people.
From Staff and Wire Reports
It’s taken a little more than three months,
but former Texas A&M basketball coach
Shelby Metcalf has been reassigned, the
University announced Tuesday.
Metcalf, who was removed as coach by
Athletic Director John David Crow in Jan
uary, accepted President William H. Mob
ley’s invitation to assume responsibilities for
developing an outreach program in East
and Central Texas for at-risk young people.
Metcalfs title is senior representative for
University relations, a position that will be
affiliated with the Office of School Rela
tions.
“I appreciate the confidence that Dr.
Mobley is demonstrating in me by giving
me this opportunity to serve the University
that I love, and to continue my association
with young people,” Metcalf said.
The outreach program was created two
years ago in cooperation with the Univer
sity of Texas to establish minority-oriented
outreach centers in key metropolitan areas
of the state.
The program has centers in Dallas,
Houston, San Antonio and McAllen, and
others are scheduled to open soon in Cor
pus Christi and Austin.
A&M’s portions of the program are run
by the Office of School Relations.
“With Dr. Metcalfs help, we will now ex
pand A&M’s outreach efforts into an area
not covered by our cooperative program,
but one that certainly deserves our atten
tion,” Mobley said.
Mobley announced the appointment af
ter several sessions in which he, other mem
bers of the University staff and Metcalf ex
plored ways in which the former Aggie
coach could continue to provide service to
A&M.
Metcalf served A&M for 32 years, includ
ing the last 27 as the Aggies’ head coach. He
compiled a 438-306 record at A&M, and
holds Southwest Conference records for
most seasons and most games.
He earned his doctorate in philosophy
from A&M in 1974.
“Dr. Metcalfs ability to work with young
people will be a valuable asset in the Uni
versity’s expanding efforts to encourage ju
nior and senior high school students to fin
ish high school and pursue further
educational opportunities that are consis
tent with their interests and abilities,” Mob
ley said.
“Dr. Metcalf is a valued member of our
University community, and he will add
unique strength to our outreach program.”
Rockets’ Floyd makes Lakers sleepy,
2-1 series to resume Thursday night
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rock
ets gave coach Don Chaney half of his guar
antee Tuesday night and stopped the
Lakers’ first-round winning streak in the
process.
Otis Thorpe took up the scoring slack for
foul-plagued Akeem Olajuwon and Sleepy
Floyd added 23 points and set a club play
off record with 18 assists, leading the Rock
ets to a 114-108 over Los Angeles in their
NBA first-round playoff series. The Lakers
had won 20 consecutive first-round games
since a loss to Houston in 1981.
After the Rockets fell behind 2-Q in the
best-of-5 series, Chaney guaranteed the
Rockets would win games in The Summit
Tuesday and Thursday, forcing a deciding
game in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“The guarantee thing was just a ploy to
get our guys going,” Chaney said. “I still re
spect the Lakers, but we have another game
to go before we go back out there.”
Olajuwon scored 22 points and got seven
rebounds. He drew his fourth foul 26 sec
onds into the third quarter and missed most
of the period.
“That’s a decision a coach has to live
with,” Chaney said. “We are a great defense
when he’s in there. When he's out, we re
suspect.”
All five Houston starters scored in dou
ble figures and they all contributed defensi
vely, too, with Olajuwon on the sidelines.
“When Akeem is out, we try to focus on
teamwork,” Thorpe said. “It’s just a matter
of doing your job and that’s what we did.
“That was scary. When he’s out of the
game we’re on the decline,” Chaney added.
“But tonight we were able to buy some time
until we could bring him back in the game.”
“We’ve played well before when he has
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It took Freud 38 years to understand it.
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Lady Aggies sign
B linn’s Fasnacht
for ’90 season
From Staff and Wire Reports
The Texas A&M women’s basketball
team continued to rebuild its forces Tues
day with the signing of guard Jennifer Fas
nacht from Blinn College in Brenham.
The junior from Austin is the third
player to sign with the Lady Aggies this
spring, joining Shawn Medlock from Wa
co’s McClennan Community College and
Beth Burket from Jourdanton High
School.
“Jennifer is a excellent competitor and a
proven leader who will give us needed
depth at the guard position,” said A&M
head coach Lynn Hickey in a statement re
leased by the University’s Sports Informa
tion Department. “She’s a strong leader as
well as a good student.
“She’s the type of student-athlete that we
want at Texas A&M.”
Fasnacht will be reunited with former
Blinn teammate Yvonne Hill. At Blinn, Hill
and Fasnacht combined forces to lead the
Lady Bucs to a 24-10 record, a conference
and regional championship and a berth in
the junior college national tournament.
“Jennifer and Yvonne were a great duo
at Blinn,” Hickey said. “I hope they can cre
ate the same kind of chemistry at A&M.”
Fasnacht received all-conference recog
nition both her freshman and sophomore
year at Blinn. She averaged 7.2 points, 8.3
assists, and 4.3 rebounds.
Wayne Williams, Blinn College head bas
ketball coach, said in addition to hertangi-
ble skills, Fasnacht’s greatest asset could be
her intagible skills.
“She has tremendous dedication to the
game,” Williams said. “She is a very intense
worker and a great competitor, particularly
when the game is on the line.”
With the signing of Fasnacht, the Lady
Aggies completed their recruiting for the
1990-91 season.
“We feel that we’ve got some quality play
ers coming in,” Hickey said. “The two ju
nior college guards should be able to help
us immediately.”
Hickey also said that Terri Jo Bartlett,
redshirted last year, has the ability to domi
nate the SWC.
“Nobody in the SWC is going to sign any
body that big or that good,” Hickey said.
“These players are good, solid additions,
both athletically and academically, to the
young group that we’ve got coming back
this season.”
114-108
been out of the game,” Floyd said. “We’ve
got players who can play with anyone,
whether he is in or out of the game.”
James Worthy led the Lakers with 26
points. Magic Johnson had 17 points, but
none in the fourth quarter.
“We shouldn’t force up shots like we did
that their double-team coaxed us into,”
Johnson said. “Tonight, they made the
plays they needed to offensively and de
fensively in the last five minutes.
“We have to play 48 minutes, not 40 min
utes.”
Lakers coach Pat Riley agreed with his
star.
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