Ian:
Wednesday • March 4, 1998
The Battalion
Sports
lindsu
jury,
i no!»
Irklar
S enior Larry Thompson prepares
By Colby Martin
Staff writer
I Senior forward Larry Thompson of the Texas
ANM Men’s Basketball Team had trouble shooting
free throws this year. It is something that has been
exhausted in the media, and something that
Thompson is probably tired of hearing.
I “I just hope that Larry is not remembered for
free; throws,” assistant Coach Porter Moser said. “1
he >pe he is remembered for his leadership, and the
fact that he is a great person.”
I Thompson shot 200 free throws a day in prac
tice, but sometimes unex-
plainable things happen
to people. However, in
stead of giving up, he
v\ orked harder.
“He comes to the court
e\ery day, whether it is
practice or a game, and he
leaves it on the floor,”
Moser said.
Thompson was forced
Ho play center this year be-
Hause of the injuries to his
Heammates, and even
Bhough he was usually out-sized, his defense was
never lacking.
“Larry always understood what we were trying to
do as far as a game plan, and that was very impor
tant for us,” Moser said.
A&M’s last game against Baylor was a prime ex
ample. Thompson was given the assignment of
stopping a probable lottery pick in Brian Skinner.
Saying that he accomplished the goal is an under
statement. Skinner could only muster two of his 10
^total points against Thompson’s defense. Four came
from the line and the other four came when Thomp
son was on the bench.
“ I knew how important it was for me to stop
skinner if we were going to win the game,”
hompson said.
His task was made even more difficult due to
the fact that he had to stay out of foul trouble at
the same time. With only seven active players,
Thompson fouling out was almost catastrophic.
“Our plan was to have Larry make Skinner catch
the ball outside of the paint because two feet from
the basket is where he is most effective,” said Moser.
So despite being outweighed by a good thirty
pounds he effectively shut down the future NBA
lottery pick.
“Before the game Larry came up to me and said
that points did not matter; rebounds did not matter.
Just winning the game was important,” junior for-
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ward Shanne Jones Said.
Thompson went up to
every player in the locker
room and said some
thing to get them fired up
before the game. Though
Thompson might deny
it, his teammates really
won that game for him
land the coaches that are
moving on with him.
They were not playing
for a national champi-
onship, nor were they
playing for anything more than pride. To an athlete
that steps on any field of battle, pride is the driving
force. It is what fueled a senior on a team that had
not won a conference game all year to shut down
one of the best players in the country.
“I want to do things that are expected of a
leader, and whatever it is, I am willing to do it,”
said Thompson.
Sometimes what is expected from a leader does
not make the headlines, but it gains the respect of
your teammates. That is what defines a leader.
“It is great as a coach to see someone like Lar
ry succeed because you know that he is going to
make it in life,” said Moser. “I have so much re
spect for Larry as a person because he has such
an unbelievable attitude.”
“I do not know what the future
holds, but it will work out as
long as I take care of business.”
Larry Thompson
Senior center
The fact that Thompson made the All-Big 12
academic team the last two years is proof that the
man is going places.
“I just try to take care of my studies, because that
is what is important,” said Thompson.
He is leaving his basketball career options open,
but his head is on straight with regard to his future.
“I do not know what the future holds but it will
work out as long as I take care of business.”
Thompson said.
So as he heads off into life, it is abundantly
clear he will not be bothered by irrelevant things
like missed free throws. People like Thompson do
not answer critics and obstacles by turning in
their gym shoes and giving up. He smiles, shakes
his head at his misfortune and then he
sticks it to whatever challenge that
comes Hying toward the basket.
As he steps up to the line to pre
pare for the free throw that is
the rest of his life, no thoughts
about past misses will cross
his mind: he will hear only I
one thing. The sound of the
ball hitting nothing but net.
Baseball team loses heartbreaker in ninth
RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
Chad Hudson beats the throw to second base against Michigan.
By Travis Harsch
Staff writer
Ayoung Aggie baseball team learned Tuesday
that the old adage, “Better late than never” does
n’t always apply to college baseball.
After committing three en ors, walking three and
hitting four Michigan batters to put themselves in
a five-mn hole, the A&M comeback ran out of in
nings, as they lost to the Michigan Wolverines, 8-6.
“We gave them everything they got, and they
took advantage of it,” centerfielder Jason Tyner
said. “We just tried to show up in the ninth in
ning, and we coasted through the first eight. If
we would have taken care of business in the first
eight, we wouldn’t have needed it.”
Clancy Possum pitched four and one-third
innings in relief, giving up two hits, no earned
runs and striking out two.
“At first I was a little wild, but I got my control
about the second inning I was out there, I start
ed throwing better, that first full inning was a lit
tle rocky,” Possum said.
Possum kept the Aggies close with his perfor
mance, taking over with his team behind and
runners on base and Coach Mark Johnson said
Possum’s style had Michigan batters off balance.
“He’s an interesting pitcher, because you want
to keep the ball down and get ground balls, but
he gets strikeouts on the pitches up,” Johnson
said. “He did a pretty good job and gave us a
chance to catch up.”
Johnson also said he used the game a sort of
a test ground for the upcoming Big 12 games.
“We needed to see some guys who hadn’t
gotten to play as we approach another con
ference weekend,” John
son said. “We put some
some guys in some tough
spots today to see how
they’d respond.”
The Wolverines (4-3-1)
scored three in the top of the
first and added another in the
second to take a 4-0 lead.
Jason Tyner reached on
the lone Michigan error of
the day to lead off the third;
Steven Truitt then tripled,
tyner
scoring Tyner.
Craig Kuzmic hit a deep sacrifice fly to cen-
terfield to score Truitt and bring the Aggies
within a run at 4-3.
Michigan added one more in the fourth, as
Shane King was called from the bullpen to relieve
Scarcella. The Wolverines then added two more in
the fifth to run the lead to 7-3. Possum came on to
spell King with two outs in the fifth, then pitched
his way into a jam in the top of the sixth. After a hit,
an error, a walk and a hit batsmen loaded the bases
with no outs, Possum kept Michigan from blowing
the game wide open, striking out the next two bat
ters he faced.Chad Hudson gave the Olsen Field
faithful a reason to cheer in the bottom of the
sixth with his first home run of the season, a deep
drive to the power alley in right that cut the
Michigan lead to four runs.
After two men reached for Michigan in the top
of the seventh, Tyner made a Willie Mays-esque
catch at the warning track in center with two
outs to end the Wolverine scoring threat.
Three singles began the A&M comeback in
the ninth. Tyner’s single scored William Gray,
who had been sent in to pinch-run for Sund-
strom and cut the lead to three runs. A two-
out walk to Craig Kuzmic loaded the bases
again, and Pat Malone delivered with a single
that scored Scarborough. Chad Hudson, who
had a double in addition to his home run, then
lifted a short fly ball to right field that looked
as if it would fall in and tie the game. But right-
fielder Derek Besco made a diving catch to rob
Hudson and end the game.
The teams will close out the series
Wednesday at 3.
Mi
II' i
WKmmM' l
Pits
:;r
novel comes to life
r > To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning literary
111 classic, comes to life on March 10 and 11 in Rudder Auditorium. Set
xfl in a Depression-era southern town, Atticus Finch, attorney and
widowed father of two young children, stands against fellow
if * townspeople by defending a young black man falsely accused of
raping a white woman. Featuring unforgettable characters like Scout, Jem
and Boo Radley, To Kill a Mockingbird tells a story that will live in the hearts
and minds of everyone forever.
To Kill a Mockingbird
March 10 & 11 at 8 pm, Rudder Auditorium
Call 845-1234 for tickets.
sponsored by
FIRST
BANK
SC
PAS
Opera & Performing Arts Society
ELECTIONS
MARCH 2-6
9am-5pm
IN ROOM 149 K0LDUS
YELL LEADERS-STUDENT SENATE-
CLASS COUNCILS-STUDENT BODY
PRESIDENT-RHA OFFICERS
hHp://wvw.iama.edu/s9a
If you need special assistance, please
I call 845-5051
Campus elections are sponsored by the Election Commission.
&