Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 18

REPUBLIC Ex-West Virginia coach hired by Northern Arizona CITY Special to The Republic FLAGSTAFF Joedy Gardner, head basketball coarti the past four years at the University ot West Virginia. Saturday was named head coach at Northern Arizona University. Gardner had a record at West Virginia, before being released after this season. He was head coach at Arizona Western College for two years where his teams posted a 50-12 record. At West Virginia, Gardner had three winning seasons before his sopnomnrc-dominated team went 12-16 this past season.

However, West Virginia finished second in this year's Kaslern-8 Conference tournament, losing by 4 points to Villanova in the finals. Villanova advanced to the finals of the Eastern NCAA regionals hefore losing to Duke. During the past season. West Virginia lost close games to bom. Duke and Notre Dame, two of the four teams in this year's NCAA semifinals, ast year West Virginia defeated both schools.

Gardner. 42, was a unanimous choice of the NAU selection committee. In making the announcement of Gardner's appointment, NAU Athletic Director T. II. "Hank" Anderson said.

Moody is an outstanding coach and will fit rirjit in to our athletic program. He also will make a solid contribution not only to the university but also to the city of Flagstaff." Anderson also pointed out that Gardner's five years at Arizona Western will be a definite asset for recruiting in Arizona and California. Dr. Virgil Gillenwater, executive vice president at NAU and chairman of the search committee, said, "NAU is very fortunate to have Joedy Gardner as its new basketball coach. He was very impressive to Ihe selection committee, which spent many hours interviewing candidates Ihe past 10 days." Dr.

J. Lawrence Walkup, NAU president, said, "We were all impressed with Coach Gardner during his visi. The committee had looked at credentials of more than 1.10 candidates, and when Mr. Gardner became a serious candidate, the university's confidence in his ability was reflected by the unanimous vote of the committee thai he be named the new head coach." Gardner indicated there's strong possibility that his long-time assistant, Jim Amick, would be joining him at NAU. Amick was Gardner's assistant for two years at Arizona Western and has been with him the past four years at West Virginia.

Amick was head coach at Kofa High in Yuma from 1967- 70 before joining the Arizona Western staff. Amick coached the only' Koia team to participate in the state playoffs. That was during the 1967-68 season. In his first year at Arizona Western, Gardner's team was 20-9, and the following year, the Matadors coasted to a 30-3 mark and were ranked sixth among the nation's junior colleges. That year, he was Arizona juco and district coach of the year.

Arizona Western won four straight juco titles in the five years Gardner was there. Buke, Kentucky make NCAA finals I Devils trip Irish; Wildcats hold on By BOB EGER Republic Sports Writer a 7 Wf If A r-- The Arizona Republic I SECTION Page 1 1 iSunc.av, March 26. 19781 8 i iP'S Dos Reyes after Downs Handi cap win By CARL SOTO Lightly campaigned Dos Reyes, the pride of owner George McLoughiin of Sun City, will be aiming today to become only the second two-time winner of the Arizona Downs Handicap in the 28-year history of the stakes. It figures to be a tough task for the 7-year-old Kentucky-bred gelded son of Truxton King in the annual classic that has a field of 10 hopefuls But the odds won't be too great that the Bradley Rollins-conditioned runner can't do it. Only horse ever to win twice was Starting Time, who captured the stakes in 1952 and '54 the first 'ime with Eddie Burns in the saddle.

Twenty-six years later. Burns gets a chance to be the winning jockey a fourth time when he saddles up nn Proud Axe. other half of the McLoughiin entry. The McLoughiin standard-hearers face some formidable opposition, headed by J. K.

Houssels Fastern Native who'll be carrying top weight of 124 pounds into me engagement including leading rider Jim Powell. Last time around in the big eent a West Coast invader, Mrs. Johnny Iing-den's Money Lender won out v.iih a 1:42 flat effort for the 1-1 16 miles race. This time there are two California invaders John McKee 10-year-old New Alibhai with career e-m-i of and in ent Leparulo's Juan Don that was a multiple winner at Turf Paradise as a 2-year-old. Rounding out the field are Russell Foutz' Joy Go Lightly.

Charles La-throp's 10-year-old Rough Night, Sarival Farms' Defendant, Charles Buley's Commissioner Walsh and Mr. Linrose running for Evan Hansen and George Marquardt. Continued on Page I)-7 Iff Adams i counted 27 prints, had four steals and earned Phoenix a per.r.anenl lead with a pair of free throws at 1:29 H05-1II4I. The 1978 iPookie of the Year Walter Davis i guided in 26 points, including 13 in the frantic final quarter that had a crowd of 11.642 roaring. Davis, of course, is not VET the '78 H.O.Y.

but don't try telling that to local loyalists w'no have appreciatively watched his short but spectacular NBA career. Buffalo, chiefly off the long range potshooting of Randy Smith (34 points on 34 shots), had led much of the way Atsoculed Prt Duke's Mike Gminski (13) gets his finger caught (or rebound during semifinal NCAA basketball in in net as he and Notre Dame's Kelly Tripitcka vie St. Louis Saturday. Hot-handed 'rookies' gun ST. LOUIS It's going to be Blue Monday in the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championships.

Duke's upstart Blue Devils nipped favored Notre Dame, 90-86, and Kentucky's Big Blue Mat'nine held off Arkansas, 64-59, before 18,722 fans in Checkerdome Saturday lo earn berths in Monday night's national title game. i Snow which socked in St. Louis and other Midwest airports kept some fans from rooting for their favorite team in person, hut the folks on hand were treated to a couple of hotly contested affairs. Duke, youngest team in the tournament, reached the finals for the first time since 1964 by throwing a sticky zone defense at Notre Dame to neutralize the Fighting Irish's rugged inside game. Mike (iminski, a fi-foot-ll snphomnr ccnU who may be destined In become the dominant big man in the college game, scored 29 points for Duke.

The Blue Devils also got 22 points and 12 rebounds from ireshman forward dene Banks and 20 points from junior guard Jim Spanarkel. Duke, forcing the Irish to shoot from outside, forged a 14-puint halftime 1 43-29 1 and still led by 14 wiih 3:55 to play. But the Irish called ujxin some hidden reserve to mount a furious stretch rtnve and almost pulled it off. Suns' 112 and was in front 101-92 entering the final four minutes. Davis, his remarkable poise again asserting itself, then scored nine consecutive Phoenix points.

Then Adams added seven in a row and, after Paul West-phal's imX)ilant goal at to make it 110-106 Phoenix, Alvan stuffed another shot in the closing seconds. So Davis and Adams had evenly divided 18 of the Suns' final 20 points, several of them materializing from refensive pressure that included full rourt press. "The first time we pressed," said -im0 i y' Tracy Jackson's baseline jumper with 20 seconds lo go narrowed it to 88-86, and a turnover by Banks seconds later gave Notre Dame a shot at a tie. Duck Williams missed a medium-range jumper at :18, however, and Duke sophomore guard John Harrell drilled two free throws at :09 to ice it. "The clock was stopped so much at the end I was about ready to send out lor a mechanic," said Duke Coach Bill Foster, who saw his club climb to 27-6 with its seventh straight victory.

"We're so young I wasn't sure how we'd do at the foul line in a pressure game like this, and I really wanted to see seconds ticking off rather than have us at the line. "We had1 to get out of our combination zone, but we made pretty good use of the two-three. We tried to keep the pressure on with our running game. We didn't want to get isolated back in the trenches with them, and we used our fast break to get it out in the open." Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps, who takes a 23-7 record into a meaningless third-place game against Arkansas Monday, said he "obviously disappointed in losing, hut not disappointed in the way we lost. "Duke showed great intensity early," said Phelps, "and they got us in a hole.

When you get that far behind, you've got to play almost to perfection to catch up." Continued nn Page 0-5 106 win Adams, "we managed to contain both of their guards for about three passes in backcourt. Then deflected a pass and Walter (Davis) got the easy bucket driving in." Davis' three-point play at 3:52 got Phoenix within six (95-101). He scored 13 seconds later off the press to make it 97-101 and at 3:11 converted twice at the foul line for 99-101. Another Davis at 2:37, a 20-foot corner missile, deadlocked it at Then it was Alvan's turn seven points in succession that helped fend off the ubiquitous Smith. Smith was charged with an offensive foul attempting to get.

around Don Buse at 1:17 and the Suns up 105-104. The spread held up until rookie Alvan Scott deflected the ball and set up Adams three-point play with :39 showing. But Smith had another goal, his 14th, remaining to get Cotton Fitzsimmons' Braves within two at 108-106. 17-footer off an inbounding sequence was the ultimate clincher. BUFFALO (106) mr ru i neo ast ii Tr nip 6-9 3-4 a 5-9 00 25 7-9 0-0 43 14-34 6-8 B-M 1-2 15 1 1 0-1 0-0 10 2-4 (Ml 0 0 1 4 0 2 6 0' 4 3J 10 1- 3 04) 3-5 0-0 2- 5 0-0 3 i a 147 14 48 91 10-14 PHOENIX (112) MP rit ri 39 10-21 6-6 94 0-5 1-2 Reb Alt Sll Tr DTP 1 -t 26 4 I 5 i 2 10-ZJ 7-Y 2-5 1-1 8-14 24 I 1 1 3 0 W7 (Ml 8 3-6 5-6 510 1-2 34 0-0 44-97 24-32 43 27 15 ,15 112 o-i i-z 91 30 I0 23 14 112 Fouled out None.

Total fouls ButfaTo .31, Phoenix 18, Technical loul Buffalo. Coach Flti-Simmons. FG Pet. Buffalo 53. Phoenix 45.

FT Pet. Buffalo 71, Phoenix 75. A Gerulaitis, Borg 'm to reach Vegas finals LAS VEGAS, Ncv. (AP) Bjom Bnrg of Sweden and Vitas Gerulaitis won semifinal matches in the $200,000 tennis Tournament of Champions Saturday. Gerulaitus defeated defending, rnamp-ion Harold Solomon 6-4, 6-1, and said he was looking forward to playing Borg for the first time since their exciting match in Ihe 1977 Wimbledon tournament, won by Borg.

Borg had a tougher match; edging 36-year-old Cliff Drysdale 6-5. r-! UTEP tops Devil tracksters i. if- National Basketball Association record for team steals and now have 974 two more than Golden State's 1974-5 champions. With 27 assists, they reached the 2.112 mark for this fast fading season, eclipsing the franchise record of 2.100 set last season. Both weapons steals and assists were much in evidence as me Suns 45-30 1 recovered to seize a lead the banged-up but stubborn Braves I2H-47) had owned for 12 consecutive nunules spanning the third and fourth periods.

And so were Ihe clinic principals. The 1978 Rookie of the Year (Waller Devil triple jumper Chris DeFrance set a school record in that event with a 53-4 leap, just four inches behind UTEP winner Steve Hanna. "That was a pleasant surprise," ASU Coach Baldy Castillo said. "Chris has made a lot of improvement there and is capable of going 54 or 55 feet. We also want lo get Dannie Jackson in there because lie has Ihe same kind of potential." Jackson and DeFrance finished 1-2 in the long jump with Jackson winning with a effort despite a minor leg ailment.

"We're still improving, and that's the Important thing right now," Castillo said. 400-meter relay ASU (Edwards, Darden, Woora, G. Burl) 40.14i OU 40.39, UTEP 40.67. 1100-meter run-Wilson (OU) 3M.1i Wleksell (ASU) Blakelv (ASU) 3:50.5) Martinez (UTEP) 3:51.9. Javelin Chanman (ASU) 193-7; Garcia (ASU) 185-11; Mavuku (UTEP) 161-3.

110-meter hurdles Williams (OUI 14.2?; Jackson (ASU) 14.36; Mayuku (UTEP) 14.47; Boogman (UTEP) 1S.15. Shot out Almslrom (UTEP) 60-7'j; Welvik (UTEP) 55-0' a Heide (ASU) Hadlev (UTEP) 49-6 400 meters Burl (ASUI 46.27; McKenjie (ASU) Otieno (UTE) 48.74; Arnsud (OUI 49 10. 100 meters-Deal (UTEPI 10.44; Snoddv (OU) 10.19, Moore (ASU) 10.59; Kcllev (OU) 10.70. 00 meters-Rhode 'OU) 1:50 Onqaoa (UTEP) Hl-tl Courtney (UTEP) Mason (ASU) Long Jump- Jackson (ASU) 35-2'i; DeFranco (ASU) 24-3'; Pleasant (OU) Lanivan (UTEP) 24-1'j, 40 0 intermediate hurdles-Rvrum (OUI 5)15; Mavuku (UTEPI 52 83; Boogman (UTEPI 5291; Est (ASUI 55.09 2C0 meters Snoddv (OU) 20 80; Darden (ASU) 20 99; Williams (OU) 22 32; Nacei (OUI 22.66. Oiscus -Walvik (UTEPI 182-0; Almslrom (UTEP) 161; Heide (ASUI 160-5; Tahcr (OU) 157-10.

5.000 (UTEPI Cormfl jUTEP) Elder (ASU) Kock (UTEP) Mile relay- ASU Moore, G. Burl, Darden! OU Hioh lumo-Smllh (UTEPI 610; Bryant (OU) 6-10; Liridall (OUI 6-6; Arnev (una 10. Trinlj iump Hanna (UTEP) 53-1'. DeFranre (ASMI) 53 4 Hutchins (UTEP) Lanivan (UTEP) Pole vault Vjhlslrom (UTEPI 164); Johnson (OU) l0l Barpla (ASUI 15 6. Steele UJTEPI 150.

scores- UTEP 6, ASU 60. OU SO. By DAVE HICKS If things aren't functioning quite properly, a clinic sometimes is the answer. So the Phoenix Suns staged a 4-minute Rookie of the Year clinic Saturday night in the Coliseum. Presto! Things got better.

So much better, in fact, mat the Suns rallied from under a 9-point disadvantage to upend gritty Buffalo in a rousing 112-106 finish. Along the way the Suns established two records: With 15 thefts, thev bettered Ihe Jackson competes in three events, had the arduous task of running the 200 meters against one of his lop rivals, then returning six minutes later to anchor the mile relay. "I had enough recovery time so it wasn't too difficult tonight," the sophomore sensation said. "You can't hold back in the 200 meters because you're concentrating on winning and thal's all you think about. I'd been working on getting my leg speed back all week and concentrating in the 200." But Snoddy proved to be the nemesis he has been so often to Darden.

The ASU import from Pennsylvania beat the Sooner in a high school indoor meet, but Snoddy got his revenge in vinning the NCAA 200-meter crown ahead of Darden last spring. Saturday, Snoddy edged Darden at the tape to surpass me Devil standout again. He just came off an indoor record and has gotten a lot of work in so he had the advantage," Darden said. "I think 1 would've had a good shot at him if I had my leg strength together." todtiynw TELEVISION WIOE WORLD OF SPORTS California 300. Ch.

3. 3:30 p.m. PRO BASEBALL California vs. Cleveland, KXTC FA 93.31. 12:40 P.m.

PHL HOCKSY-Phoenix at Long Beach, KXIV (140D), 7:45 p.m. TALK TO THF COACH ASU track Conch Baldv Cajtillo and assistant Roger Kerr, KOOL (5(4)1. HORfE RACING Arizona Downl feature, KDOT (FftA I0O7I. 3 45 p.m. riw mm.

arcs in By JAY COLEMAN TEMPE Arizona State sprinter Tony Darden lost his personal battle with Oklahoma's William Snnddy Saturday night, but he was still breathing after the meet ending mile relay. And that in itself was a major accomplishment, Darden, one of the workhorse? of the Sun Devils' defending NCAA track and field championship team, helped ASU to both relay victories and a second in the 200 meters, but A-State dropped a triangular meet to the University of Texas-El. Paso. UTEP. otherwise known as the University of Nairobi at El Paso due it oreign running depth, compiled 69 points to ASU's 60 and Oklahoma's 50 for the Devils' third loss of the year.

Arizona State captured the top two spots in the 400 meters, the javelin and the long jump, plus its double v'ctory in the relays, but the Miners claimed seven firsts, particularly in the longer distances and weight events. Darden, who like teammate Dannie Sports VHKHMPIt DIO CHALLENGE OF SEXES Ch 10. II NBA BASKETBALL Portland vs. Phildl- phi, in. io, a.m.

WORLD SUPERSTARS Ch. 3, noon. BOXING vi, Ireland. Ch. 3, 1:15 p.m.

DYNAMIC DUOS ShoenMkar-Arcarri vi. Palmtr-Flovd. Ch. 13, 1:30 p.m. SPORTSWORLD Boxinu, baikalball, ikl-ln, Ch.

13, 1 P.m. PRO GOLF Hcrllagt Clatllc. Ch. 10. 1 m.

til mtf. zAXP rx i em.w sif Ass IiiiiiinMiiwiiiiiiiMiii A Republic photo by Kevin Scoflelct Swen Nater, at (i-foot-11 and 250 pounds, poses too much of a straight-on barrier. So the Suns Alvan Adams (33) tries to go around the Buffalo center in Saturday's 112-106 Paenix victory in Ihe Coliseum. mwmmMm 1 1 ttmm khiwim mKmm ttummm.