6
The Battalion
ORTS
Monday • April
Blazing Difficult Trails I
Sophomore outfielder William Gray overcame a serious injury along with campus racial tension to break into AggielL
&
ROBERT MCKAY/The Battalion
Sophomore Will Gray worked hard to rehab from a se
rious injury in order to contribute to the baseball team.
By Colby Martin
Staff writer
dversity is something Will Gray is acquaint
ed with quite well. Gray is the only black
.player on the Texas A&M Baseball Team, and,
thanks to a knee injury, he came close to not being
a player on the team at all.
Gray, a sophomore outfielder, was bitten with a
torn anterior cruciate ligament last season that end
ed his year on the team. One night when the team
was in the waning moments of taking batting prac
tice, Gray went back on a fly ball like he had done
thousands of times before.
“I just remember being on the warning track and
trying to find the wall,” Gray said. “I remember jump
ing up, and the ball ricocheted off the wall and into
my knee causing me to land funny.”
Before Gray knew it, he was out for the season and
in the middle of a grueling rehabilitation process.
“I was out there every day busting my butt, and for
some reason it was not getting any easier,” Gray said.
“The rehab was supposed to be for four months, but I
am just now starting to feel like I am back to normal.”
Most athletes stricken with the same type of knee
injuries are only out of action for three to four
months.
For whatever reason, Gray is just now returning to
top game-playing shape.
“I think that Will is finally back to normal, and that
is big for us because we need him to be at 100 percent,”
Coach Mark Johnson said. “He is going to be an im
portant part of this team.”
Coach Johnson explained that Gray had come
from a small high school where baseball is not a year-
round thing like it is for some players that play on the
elite summer teams.
“I am going to go play ball this summer in the Ar
Class of 1997: Playoff Payoff?
Last season’s rookie draft produced high-class talent that
is leading NBA teams into the playoffs — and the next age
N BA
teams
that
find them
selves lucky
enough to
have lottery
picks in the
draft usually
don’t see a
return on
their invest
ment until
their con
tract expires of they are traded to
another team.
Then the team that so faithfully
invested a first-round pick can
watch their player carry another
team to the promised land.
During the Houston Rockets-
Utah Jazz radio broadcast on Sat
urday night, Jim Foley and Gene
Peterson, notoriously-biased
Rockets announcers who regular
ly call officiating that doesn’t go
the Rockets way “crap,” suggested
that this is a disappointing season
for the rookie class of 1997.
“There are only, what, 16 rookies
on playoff rosters, and there are 16
teams,” Foley said.
This is the first season in a long
time when that statement rings
through as moronic.
Taking a look at what has be
come the best draft class in a long
time, we see four potential super-
stars that have led their teams to
the playoffs.
This is a tale of three teams, the
Cleveland Cavaliers, the San Anto
nio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets.
The Spurs were no surprise to
anyone. They locked up the first
pick in a lucky draw of the ping-
pong balls and selected can’t-miss
prospect Tim Duncan.
San Antonio soon found itself
in the hunt for a division title and
now are sitting in a pretty position
in the first round with the Phoenix
Suns as they head home with a 1 -1
tie in the series.
Some feel that David Robinson
should turn over his “Top-50 Play
ers of all-time” jacket over to the
young Duncan, who will almost
certainly be considered for the hon
or in a few years.
The younger of the towers sim
ply willed the Spurs to victory with
his clutch fourth quarter perfor
mance, looking more like a battle-
tested war-horse than a nervous
rookie on the firing line.
Duncan scored six consecutive
baskets over an assortment of de
fenders and was the reason the
Spurs now have the home court ad
vantage in the series.
Cleveland benefits from the
presence of two outstanding rook
ies. Brevin Knight has run the
show quite admirably as a Mike
Fratello disciple and center Zy-
drunas Illgauskas gave Indiana’s
Rik Smits all he could handle in the
two Cleveland losses.
Knight wasn’t highly-touted
coming out of Stanford and many
maligned him because of his
diminutive size, however he has
proved worthy of leading a team to
the playoffs and Illgauskas is the
perfect complement.
The Cavaliers also have rookies
Cedric Henderson and Derek An
derson (who was drafted ahead of
Knight) coming off the bench to add
defensive pressure and a fast-break
threat to the game’s landscape.
New Jersey would not be in the
playoffs if Keith Van Horn had not
played. It’s that simple. Van Horn
was a scoring machine in the regu
lar season and
played in the first
half of The Nets’
overtime loss to
JL ■ the defending
champion Bulls.
Y Van Horn had to sit
out the second half
fl | because of a virus,
^ and only after
»| « Coach John Cali-
Jl\ w pari urged him to
-Aky do so. Give Van
Horn the nod for
the Runner-Up-to-Tim-Duncan
Award for Rookie of the Year. In a
season with so much young talent,
that honor has more meaning.
Without the contributions of
these outstanding rookies, it is like
ly the playoffs would look a bit dif
ferent this season.
It also might be noted that the
rookies who have done so well in
leading their teams to the playoffs
this season all stayed in school for
four years. Experience is some
thing that cannot be taught, it can
only be learned.
So, Gene and Jim, before you
applaud the Rockets one more
time, before you criticize the offici
ating for not seeing phantom fouls
on opposing players and before
you call one more game with that
flavor of the home team that Rock
ets fans adore and the rest of the
public laments, please reconsider
your thoughts.
If the Rockets make it to the sec
ond round of the playoffs, it might
be a rookie, Duncan, that sends
your team home, and into retire
ment, for the season.
lington area, and I think it will only help me next
year,” said Gray.
Gray has tried to use this year as a learning expe
rience, taking advantage of watching fellow outfield
er Jason Tyner on the offensive side of the game.
“I feel like I could have started on this team if I would
not of sustained this injury, but I will still be ready when
a I feel like I could have started
on this team if I would not
have sustained this injury
Will Gray
Texas A&M outfielder
the time comes for me to step up,” said Gray.
What seperates him from the pack is his blazing
speed, and now that it has returned, nothing can
stop him.
Aside from his blistering speed, there is another at
tribute that Gray has that sets him apart. He is the only
black player on the team.
“It has never been an issue with us, and I do not
think it has been an issue with his teammates as well,”
Johnson said.
Gray acknowledges that many black baseball play
ers do not attend college because of high-dollar con
tracts tendered to them by professional teams. How
ever, he said that families that stress education will
encourage their children to snare the opportunity of a
first-rate education when the chance arrives.
“I think a lot of the time it has to do with being poor
rather than being black,” Gray said,
enough to come from an educatedfamik;
stressed academics.
"Even though I got offered plentyi
really important to both my parentsa
an education.” > i
l iiav siU'ssril ih.K hr h.ul ih-uthadffl;^K es J
with team males, .mil hr docs not feehveiir Mj] u J
ing on a team that is predominantly^lite, ■L't'j
"Almost all ol im li lends could n p|
a '■! air'. I;.-' ^ !
jfthe ba
cause i
at tiles
larly < ,V J
Iris! all I
id they
iportm
Isses fo|
ester
jmthe I
niseiie
But. a
ewers
leevnl
les/anJ
neve it when I told them that allofthesiot
not true,” he said. “Even other black atilt
asked me what it is like playing baseballbi
tell them that it is fine."
Gray said he was recently on abusridiii
when another student sat down nexttohii
troduced himself.
The first question he asked Gray was
he played.
“The thing is, the guy assumed that bee;
black, I must be an athlete,” Gray said.‘W
have not been just another student oncant
pie just make assumptions some times,bo:
not mean that they are racist.”
Gray also plans on staying for the fullfoi
school unless the money is impossibletoi
“Will’s parents feel like his education
the list, and he has really worked hardatdi
Johnson said. “He has a lot of respect for
er and father, and what is important toth
important to him."
Gray has faced the challenge of overc
injury in an environment that is devoir
black baseball players.
However, Gray said he does not pay alter
differences that seem so apparent tooutsid
“I really haven’t noticed it.”
Aggie Sports Briefs !
Id, de;
jllsl
ton i
—Jeff Webb is a junior
journalism major.
Wade takes gold
at Penn Relays
Texas A&M senior All-American
hurdler Larry Wade has earned the
reputation as one of the best col
lege hurdlers in the nation over his
four-year career.
This past weekend at the Penn
Relays he showed why. Wade
brought home the championship in
the 110-meter hurdles for the sec
ond straight year and he also lead
the men’s shuttle relay team to a
second-place finish.
Wade crossed the finish line in
13.49 seconds to beat freshman
phenomenon Terrance Trammell of
South Carolina. r
Wade’s time is |
an NCAA auto- |
matic qualifier I
and is a season
best for him. In 1
the shuttle hur
dle relay, Wade
teamed with ju- ^
nior Desmond 8
Powell and Wade
freshman Kris
Allen and Bashir Ramzy and fin
ished second behind Clemson in
55.84 seconds.
Senior Rosa Jolivet finished sec
ond in the women’s 400-meter in
termediate hurdles with a season-
best time of 57.62. Jolivet’s time
is an NCAA provisional qualifier. Se
nior Adrien Sawyer and Jolivet
along with sophomore Chimika
Carter and freshman Christina
Ohaeri teamed up to finish fourth
in the women’s shuttle hurdle relay
with a time of 54.60.
The men’s 4x400-meter relay
ran their best time of the season
in 3:08.99.
The Aggies will be competing
next weekend at the New Orleans
FourWay meet in New 0rleans,_La. _
! ■**
>
Scheschuk
from staff and wire reports
Baseball sweeps
Kansas Jayhawks
The Texas A&M Baseball Team
(37-15, 19-8) swept a three-game
series from the
Kansas Jay-
hawks in
Lawrence, Kan.,
this weekend.
The Aggies
destroyed the
Jayhawks 12-1
Friday on Ryan
Rupe’s strong
pitching perfor
mance. Rupe
had eight strike
outs and no walks in his complete
game victory. John Scheschuk and
Steven Truitt clubbed their 13th and
sixth home runs respectively.
On Saturday, the Aggies hit a
school- record seven home runs en
route to first place in the Big 12 Con
ference with a 17-12 victory over
Kansas. Homering for the Aggies
were Scott Sandusky (his first),
Craig Kuzmic (15), Scheschuk (14),
Daylan Holt (5), Truitt (7), Erik Sobek
(8) and Scarborough (4).
The Aggies outlasted the Jay
hawks 10-9 in the final game on
Sunday. Matt Ward threw seven and
two-thirds innings and struck out
seven batters. Homering for the Ag
gies were Kuzmic (16), Scheschuk
(15), Holt (6) and Sobek (9). Sean
Heaney hit two home runs to give
him a total of seven for the year.
Men’s team wins
Big 12 over Texas
The 1998 Texas A&M Men’s Ten
nis Team has accomplished what no
other team before them could ever do.
The Aggies have won the Big 12
Tennis Championships with a 4-0
win over No. 5-rankedIe:
In the finals ofthecoifc!
nament for only the thin!
school history, the Aggiesli
won the title and hadonlyi
lar-season title to theircredtl
For the second straiglfi
the Aggies were out to mail'
ly statement as they wonfi
first six sets.
The Aggies now await Wi
gional team selection,
will be hosted by Texas onte>!
Golf wins its!
crown since II
Led by medalist Isabel
berg, Texas A&M captf
1998 Big 12
Women's Golf
Championship
in Norman,
Okla., Sunday.
The Aggies,
who led by seven
strokes over host
Oklahoma enter- _
ing the day, shot M
a final-round 308 ®
and finished four
strokes better
than runner-up and 1997ctf
Texas. It was the Aggies’si
conference title (they wonthe|i
west Conference crown inl^l
A&M's title came after fif
runner-up in conference
ment action each of the last!
years (Big 12 Conference
and Southwest Conferendj
previous two years).
A&M’s final scores 1
299+312+308=919. Toni
champion Isabelle Rosbert
nine-over-par 225. Jamie
finished second with aneq
over-par 227.
Additionally, Rosbergwas' ! |
Big 12 Player of the Year
coaches.
MARIACHI’S
mexican restaurant
Daily Luncheon Specials
starting at $ 3.95
Shrimp Cozumel - $ 9.99
• Tuesdays •
Fajitas for Two $ 9.99 (beef or chicken)
Open 7 Days a Week
Sun - Thurs 7am-9pm
Fri - Sal Tam - 10pm
1315 S. College, Bryan
779-9052 • 822-0195
PROFITABLE NUMBER! 845-0569
The Battalion Classified Advertising
Spring ‘99
INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS
in 154 Bizzell Flail West
-Monday, April 27
1:30-2:00 PM
-Wednesday, April 29
7 7:00- 7 7:30 AM
Pick up an application at the meeting or drop by the
Study Abroad Program Office.
Study Abroad Program Office, 161 Bizzell Hall West, 845-0544
urn
1
C
I
a
s
s
o
f
1
9
9
9
Boot Danci
Who: Everyone in the Class of 1!
Date: May 16, 1998
Time: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Where: Rudder Exhibit Hall
Attire: Formal
Tickets: $ 10 Each, available at the MSf
Box Office starting April 27th
Also Available: Boot Dance T-shirt ($10)
Picture Package ($13.50 & $18)'
2 oz Boot shaped collector glass ($ v
Questions: Contact Dana Devlin (Social Serf
at 845-1515 or Devlin@tamu.ed»
A