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Sports
Page 9 • Thursday, October 21, 1999
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BY BETH MILLER
The Battalion
When Texas A&M quarterback
ndy McCown thinks about how
wants his career at A&M to be
membered, his preference is con-
rned neither with being a pass-
quarterback nor a running
arterback.
“I just want to be the kind that
ins the most games,” lie said.
■ This season — McCown’s first
jif full-time starter — the senior is
feraging a school-record 254.7
ssing yards per game and com-
(eting 53.5 percent of his passes.
He threw for a career-best 362
ids last Saturday against the Uni-
rsity of Kansas, which was his
icond 300-yard plus game.
His average completed pass is
6 yards, and eight of them have
en for more than 40 yards.
In 1998, McCown stepped into
e starting quarterback position
;ainst Kansas after he completed 11
13 passes for 167 yards and two
mchdowns against the University
lig 12 Men’s basketball tourney heading to Dallas
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He finished the season 66 for
130 passing for 1,025 yards and six
touchdowns. He also had 91 carries
for 139 yards, the most by an Aggie
quarterback since Bucky Richard
son rushed for 423 yards in 1991.
After spending time during his
first three seasons as a backup to
departed quarterback Branndon
Stewart, McCown said one thing he
learned by observing Stewart is not
to be affected by people’s negative
criticism.
‘‘I have learned a lot each year,”
he said. “I have worked hard, and
I can handle anything now.”
He said the most difficult part of
being quarterback has been deal
ing with the pressure associated
with A&M’s passing game.
‘‘There is a lot of pressure on me
to make every pass perfect,” he said.
“It is partly me putting pressure on
myself because I am a perfectionist.
But also, other people put pressure
on me because I am the quarter
back, and everyone attributes good
plays to the quarterback and bad
plays to the quarterback.”
McCown said being quarter-
GUY ROGERS/The Battalion
A&M senior quarterback Randy McCown is averaging 254.7 passing yards
per game this season, which puts him on pace to set the school record.
back automatically assigns him a
role as a team leader. He said it
has not been difficult to keep oth
er players motivated because
they are all of the same mindset
— cooperation and determina
tion pay off.
“We don’t have a bunch of su
perstars,” McCown said. “We have
blue-collar guys willing to work
hard. It doesn’t matter who makes
the plays and who gets the credit,
as long as it works out and as long
as we win.”
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DALLAS (AP) — The Big 12 men’s basket-
all tournament will come to Dallas in 2003 and
04, departing its Kansas City venue for the
|rst time in more than two decades, league di-
dors decided yesterday.
In 2001, the conference championship foot-
all game will be played at Texas Stadium in Irv-
The basketball games will be played at the
. The women’s hoops tournament during
The conference hopes to heighten the expo-
are of league basketball programs in Texas, but
topped short of cutting ties with Kansas City,
which has hosted the men’s tournament since
the inaugural Big 8 event in 1977.
“There was a real strong feeling that Kansas
City has done a remarkable job hosting the
events through the years,” Big 12 Commission
er Kevin Weiberg said.
Conference directors made no decision on
future sites for the league baseball tournament,
traditionally conducted in Oklahoma City, al
though they continue to consider the Texas
Rangers’ home.
“Our baseball negotiations are ongoing. I think
that’s about the only thing I can report today,”
Weiberg said. ’’Oklahoma City has done a wonder
ful job. I fully expect that we will continue to hold
baseball tournaments in Oklahoma City, but we’re
also interested in a proposal to have the baseball
tournament at The Ballpark in Arlington.”
A decision is expected in the next month.
The football championship, which will be in
San Antonio this year, will move to Arrowhead
Stadium in Kansas City in 2000 before tfansferring
to Irving the next year.
While pigskin venues after the 2001 game
have not been decided, conference directors
want to continue to rotate the games between
northern and southern locations. Right now, the
game is conducted in alternating years in San
Antonio and St. Louis to reflect the league’s
northern and southern divisions.
Spurs’ center taking
time with decision
DUNCAN
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Tim
Duncan, the big man with the
mean jump hook, the killer bank
shot and the
deadly serious
stare, is return
ing for his third
season in the
league and aim
ing for a second
NBA champi
onship.
It could, how
ever, be the end
of his stint in San Antonio.
“I’m keeping my options
open,” said Duncan, whose three-
year contract expires after the up
coming season. “At the end of the
year. I’ll figure out if I’m going to
be here or somewhere else.”
Plenty of teams surely will
show interest in the 7-foot All-
Star, who led the Spurs to their
first title in June and was named
Most Valuable Player of the NBA
Finals.
Duncan insists his future with
the Spurs will rest partly on a Nov.
2 vote in Bexar County on con
struction of a new basketball are
na. That vote could determine
whether the Spurs remain in the
city, and Duncan has indicated he
wants to know where the team
will be based before committing
to another contract.
Left unsaid are his other con
siderations.
It’s widely known, for in
stance, that Duncan and Orlando
Magic coach Doc Rivers are
friends. The chance to play for
Rivers could be a big draw for
Duncan come next summer.
Rivers minimizes that scenario.
“Guys are going to do what
they want to do,” he said.
“There’s nothing I can do to talk
a guy into coming or leaving. I
think that’s way overblown, to be
honest. They have a champi
onship team and I don’t see that
changing anytime soon.”
A former Spurs player. Rivers
was a television commentator be
fore accepting the Orlando coach
ing job in June. Rivers informally
guided Duncan and his team
mates in workouts during the
NBA lockout last year when
coaches weren’t permitted to
have contact with players.
“I know him,” Duncan said.
“He’s a good guy. I worked out
with him a bit during the lockout
time. That’s about it.”
The NBAs tampering rule pro
hibits coaches and players from
trying to entice players under con
tract to other teams. The league
recently admonished former
Spurs player Will Perdue, now
with Chicago, for suggesting Dun
can might join the Bulls after his
Spurs contract is up.
“Tim Duncan is not married to
San Antonio by any means,” Per
due told reporters. “He’s made
that very clear.”
Rivers said he doesn’t know
whether the arena vote and the
possible relocation of the Spurs
will be big factors in Duncan’s de
cision.
“Honestly, I haven’t talked to
Tim about it, obviously. I can’t,
even if I wanted to,” he said.
Should Duncan want to sign a
contract extension with the Spurs
before the season, the deadline is
Oct. 31. Under the league’s col
lective bargaining agreement,
Duncan could sign a six-year con
tract for $70.9 million or a seven-
year deal worth $86 million.
Other teams could pay him a
comparable amount under the
collective bargaining rules.
“It’s not a matter of money,”
Duncan said. “I figure I’ll make
pretty good money anywhere. ”
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