Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 143

Chicago Tribune. Monday, October 26, 1998 Section 3 11 SOCCER COLLEGE BASKETBALL L- -r Big Ten tips off new image Stress on finesse, not roughhouse play, at media day i 1 tie 4 Arena can't go out a winner By Gary Relnmuth Tribune Staff Writer Talk of change was definitely in the air at Sunday's Big Ten basketball media day. It was Michigan State, coach Tom Izzo who was not. In an upset, Izzo and not Indiana's Bob Knight was the only coach who failed to show up at the O'Hare Marriott to talk about his team. Whether that proves to be a bad omen especially after the way the Spartans fooled the so-called experts last year remains to be seen.

Izzo was grounded when successive flights he had booked from East Lansing, were canceled and he was unable to get a standby seat on a third. Izzo's travel problems aside, though, the 10 out of the 11 coaches in the league who picked Michigan State to soar again this season probably aren't wrong. The Spartans are huge, huge favorites to repeat the championship they shared last season with Illinois. Meanwhile, it was also clear Sunday that it's not your father's Big Ten Conference anymore: How so? Over and over Sunday, a new Big Ten motto began to emerge. Basically, it's this: Bruisin' is out, cruisin' is in.

The Spartans, back on top for the first time since their Big Ten championship season of 1990-91, return five starters. Their best player is preseason All-American junior point guard Mateen Cleaves. Their second-best player may be 6-foot-8-inch senior forward Antonio Smith. Size is far from their biggest asset. Quickness, experience and teamwork are.

"The big question for us this season," said Izzo, who spoke by teleconference, "is can we defend well enough and score well enough in the interior?" Indiana and Purdue, the teams picked to finish immediately behind Michigan State, are basically in the same situation. "The big, physical Purdue teams of the past could shut you down," said Boilermakers senior guard Alan Eldridge. "This year we have to try to do other things." Northwestern has 6-11 Evan Eschmeyer back for his 10th year in the middle (well, OK, sixth) and Minnesota, has a 7-1 freshman named Joe Przybilla, who "in due time could be one of the best centers in the country," said Golden Gophers coach Clem Haskins. But "Big centers are hard to come by," said Iowa coach Tom Davis. "There just aren't as many of them out there." Maintaining the small-ain't-all-bad and change-is-good theme, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany actually said this before the proceedings were through: "It is not our aspiration to be the most physical league in the country.

I think basketball is a game of quickness, finesse and intelligence. Being physical has been our reputation for a long time, and it's not easy to shake." Delany's comment about physical play evolved from the day's primary theme: the reform of college basketball in general and the Big Ten in particular. As the point man of the 102-year-old conference, Delany is in the forefront of a movement that seeks to ease the pressures on young stars and reduce the Big Ten's attrition rate. With 50 percent of the players who signed letters of intent to play Big Ten basketball in the 1990s leaving the school with which they signed without graduating from that school, Delany wants to make the old new again by returning to the day when freshmen were ineligi-bile for varsity competition, by reforming the summer recruiting season to limit contact with shoe companies and street agents and by increasing high school coaches' roles in the process. Said Northwestern coach Kevin O'Neill: "The long and short of it is that as soon as college basketball coaches quit cheating, we'll get rid of our problems." What the Big Ten does need, Delany said, is the continued growth of the its postseason tournament.

Which is why Delany said he expects the league to announce soon that it has extended its two-year contract with the United Center by an additional year. After the tourney in 2000, however, "we'll have to make a judgment We thought the first tournament was very successful in no small part due to the United Center and the city of Chicago, but there are other wonderful venues in the Midwest." On the Notre Dame front, Delany said, "No decisions are imminent. In the next four to seven months, they will make a determination about joining the league." And if the number of schools in the league rises to 12, what then? "It's a travesty," Knight said. "If somebody does join, I hope a new name is selected that accurately portrays the makeup of the league." Will that happen? "No," Delany said. "I don't think that's the inclination of the core group.

We don't see it Big Ten so much as a number as a brand name." Which only goes to show that the more things change in the Big Ten, the more they stay the same. Purdue women aiming for 1 I 1 8i D.C. United coach Bruce Arena and on the sidelines during the second the job until about two weeks ago. Contract talks with Arena have focused on the length of his contract and the scope of his responsibilities for other national team programs. D.C.

United General Manager Kevin Payne lashed out Sunday, calling the slow leaks concerning the national team job "a ridiculous soap opera" and saying the issue has been a distraction for his team. "I don't want to jump the gun on the federation's press conference, although they're pretty good at scooping themselves," Payne said. Arena's imminent hiring, which has been as open a secret as recent Washington grand jury testimony, prompted some of his players to reflect on the end of an era. Arena has coached D.C. United for all three years of its existence, and four of his former players from Virginia, where he won five NCAA titles, were in D.C's starting lineup Sunday.

"It'll be tough," said D.C. defender and World Cup '98 starter Eddie Pope. "He's created a winning tradition here that'll be I was so nervous. I didn't know what to expect, with the whole atmosphere. But once I got my feet on the ground I was OK," For the first 5 minutes, the Fire had a severe case of stage fright, but United was unable to take advantage for the opening goal Tony Sanneh had a wonderful chance off a United corner kick, one of 12 United forced, but Kubik was there to block it The Fire started asserting itself in the 14th minute.

Jerzy Pod-brozny, who was instrumental in holding the ball under pressure and finding teammates, made a run at the United defense and sent a tricky shot that United goalkeeper Tom Presthus dove to his left to stop. Podbrozny was rewarded for his hard work in the 29th minute on one of the prettiest goals of the season The play started along the left sideline as Diego Gutierrez played the ball to Kubik. Then the Fire put on a dazzling display of one-touch soccer. Kubik to Nowak to Ante Razov back to a suddenly free Nowak, who took a couple of dribbles to draw out Presthus before sending a pass to a wide-open Podbrozny for an easy tap-in. "The first goal was a great goal in the way the ball moved and the way the players moved to create a chance," Bradley said.

"That goal says a lot about these players. Obviously, Peter was in the middle of it, but it was more than just Peter, it was good work." Nowak clearly won the battle between the two prized midfielders, earning playerof-the-game honors. But his Polish countryman, Podbrozny, wouldn't have been a bad choice either. but it is as good as soccer gets in America. To catch up those out there in the marketplace who are late to the story, the Fire was not supposed to be here, was not supposed to win the game against D.C.

United, was not even in existence until a year ago. Is the fact that an expansion team can win it all out of the gate good or bad for soccer in America? Hey, what can it hurt? "When we started building our team, we never thought we weren't supposed to be good just because we were an expansion team," Bradley said. How good is the Fire? It really doesn't matter. On this day the Fire was clearly better than D.C. United, the two-time winner of the three-year-old league.

United played like it had been reading its press, except that soccer doesn't get much of that. The United coach, Bruce Arena, who will probably go from this gig to coaching the national team, whined in the fashion of losing coaches everywhere, blaming the officials. And that is an indication that the Fire did something significant here. If this wasn't important, Arena wouldn't have whined. Arena claimed that his star player, Marco Etcheverry, had been fouled inside the penalty ft By Bonnie DeSimone Tribune Staff Writer PASADENA, Arena wanted to go out on a high note.

He had to settle for a grace note. With just under 2 minutes remaining in the MLS Cup and his two-time defending champions about to relinquish their title, the p.C. United coach strode over to (he opposing bench and shook Bob Bradley's hand. The pair exchanged a few words, then slung their arms casually around each other's waists for a fleeting moment. It was an unusual gesture for Arena, a proud man who hates to lQse and who generally competes until the final whistle.

Yet it was also the natural gesture of two old friends who have paced many sidelines together. Arena and Bradley have been a duo at the University of Virginia, D.C. United and the 1996 Olympics. "I think I might have done it with another coach, but I did it especially because it was Bob," Arena said. United went down like champions it's hard for me to believe that they're not the best in he league." Although he resolutely refused to discuss it Sunday, Arena Almost certainly coached his last Major League Soccer game for the immediate future.

The U.S. soccer federation is expected to name him the new national team coach at a press conference Tuesday in New York after a protracted and public period of equivocation. Federation officials maintained that they had several finalists for iFire Continued from Page 1 who have what it takes to compete for a championship," Fire coach Bob Bradley said. The Fire won Sunday the way it won all season, by taking advantage of its scoring opportunities and shutting down the opponents top players. United's Marco Etcheverry, named the league's most valuable player Friday after recording 19 Assists, was effectively taken out of the match by Fire midfielder Chris Armas.

Forwards Roy Lassiter and Jaime Moreno, who combined for 34 goals during the regular season, pere held scoreless by the combination of Lubos Kubik, Francis Okaroh and J. Brown. the Fire, which has been criticized for being a team that does nothing but defend, put together two goals in the first 45 minutes and created other good opportunities to put the two-time Champions on their heels. think the breaks went our way today," Bradley said. "Sometimes soccer works that way and today was our day." It appeared as though United would make the breaks go its way in the first 5 minutes.

Off the opening kickoff, Etcheverry sent a long ball to Ben Olsen. After winning the ball back, Olsen sent a pass to Lassiter, who flicked a pretty back-heel to a wide-open Moreno. Moreno took a couple of steps and launched a shot that sailed just over the crossbar. Elapsed time: 14 seconds. "We were kind of unsure of ourselves early," Brown said.

"Myself, Lincicome Continued from Page 1 Mike Ditka was his dietitian. What the town will make of Lubos Kubik and Peter Nowak and Chris Armas and Zach Thornton and coach Bob Bradley is yet to be seen, but there is a photo of all of them somewhere surrounding t.he Alan Rothenberg Trophy, wearing those instant title caps and souvenir medals around their necks. "The soccer community in and around Chicago will react in a great way to this championship," Bradley said. "They've been supportive of us from the beginning. They'll be excited that we are bringing the title back.

"As for the greater community we know we compete against some great teams and some great traditions. The Bulls are a great model for what a champion is. Even with all the money those guys make, they are all about jvinning. always said that to gain credibility in any marketplace, you must compete for a championship. Those are the kinds of things we've talked about in the locker room and hopefully that is something that the people in Chicago will respect." In pther words, it's only soccer, championship.

The Boilermakers won't have to wait long to learn how they stack up against the Lady Vols. Purdue plays host to Tennessee in its season opener Nov. 15. "We have to play hard and keep having fun," Figgs said, "but we have the people and the desire to get to the Final Four and maybe win the national championship." "Not because we're athletic. We don't play flashy one-on-one ball," White-McCarty said.

"But we have a lot of heart and desire and do things that don't show in the box score things like diving for loose balls and playing unselfish defense." Purdue's guards do pretty well, too, in things that show up in the box score. White-McCarty led last year's team with averages of 20.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals. Figgs chipped in with 15.5 points, 3.7 assists, 1.8 steals and despite her size 5.1 rebounds. Carolyn Peck may coach not only the nation's best backcourt but also the deepest Tiffany Young AP photo his players display a worried look half of Sunday's loss to the Fire. missed.

Hopefully, some of the guys here have earned a chance to be called onto the national team, and he'll continue to be a part of some of our playing careers." If all goes smoothly, Arena will coach the national team in a Nov. 6 friendly with Australia in San Jose. As many as five Fire players could be called in for that match: goalkeeper Zach Thornton, defender C.J. Brown, forwards Ante Razov and Josh Wolff, and midfielder Chris Armas. Armas' eligibility status is still unclear, as he has played several games for the Puerto Rican national team.

The Nov. 6 match will be the first in a long process of experimentation leading up to qualifying rounds for the next World Cup, which will begin in late 2000. Arena also will have to decide how to handle the delicate issue of the estranged veterans who were either cut or benched during the World Cup by his predecessor, Steve Sampson. Most prominent among them is D.C. defensive midfielder and former national team captain John Harkes, who played for Arena at Virginia.

"I tried to play like a playmaker in the middle of the field," Podbrozny said. "I thought Jerzy had an excellent game today," Bradley said. "He did a good job of making things hard for them and showed his ability with his vision and passing to make things happen." While it was important to score the first goal, the Fire had been in that position before against United, only to lose. That made the second goal all-important Podbrozny was again the catalyst He had possession at midfield in the 44th minute with three United players around him. While falling down, he was able to get the ball to Nowak, who broke down the left side and cut to the middle.

Nowak then fired a shot that deflected off Diego Gutierrez and past Presthus. Razov was in front of Presthus in an offside position, but referee Kevin Terry ruled he wasn't part of the play and let the goal stand. At halftime, United coach Bruce Arena screamed at the officials about the non-calL "I applaud the Fire," Arena said, not wanting his complaints of the officiating to overshadow his good friend Bradley's day. "The Fire did what they had to do today, we didn't catch any breaks." And for the Fire, the script had a very happy ending. Fire 2, United 0 FIRE i D.C.

United 0-2 0-0 I First half: 1, FIRE, Podbrozny (Nowak, Razov), 29th minute. 2, FIRE, Gutierrez I (Nowak), 45th minute. Goalies: FIRE, Thornton; D.C, Presthus. Attendance: 51,350. Complete Fire coverage, Back Page.

area, and he insisted that on the Fire's second goal, a Fire player was offside. "And maybe the Fire still would have won anyway," Arena said, not sounding at all like he meant it. Bradley, an apostle of Arena's, even agreed that his mentor had a point. "The breaks went our way," Bradley said. When we are ready to start arguing over hand balls and offsides and uncalled penalties, soccer will be a lot deeper into our hearts than it is.

How seriously can you take an event that has among its sideline mascots dancing jars of corn oil, mayonnaise and peanut butter? By the time I have finished writing this on what would ordinarily be the 40-yard line of the Rose Bowl, all traces of the MLS Cup '98, all the banners and bunting, already have been removed and the shadows on the Santa Catalina Mountains are deepening, signaling a setting sun at my back. American soccer's biggest day is almost over. It is almost as if it did not happen. The world is back to where it was except Chicago has its most unexpected and most inconspicuous sports champion. I'm sure somebody besides me will remember to say, well done.

By Bill Jauss Tribune Staff Writer To nobody's surprise, least of all Stephanie White-McCarty's or Ukari Figgs', media members and Big Ten women's basketball coaches Sunday both tabbed Purdue as the team to beat this season. White-McCarty is a 5-foot-ll-inch bride of five months from West Lebanon, Ind. Figgs is a 5-9 mechanical engineering major from Georgetown, Ky. They are the senior guards, co-captains, spiritual leaders and coaches on the floor for the Purdue team that returns all five starters from the squad that last year fashioned a 23-10 record, won the Big Ten tournament and came within one game of reaching the NCAA Final Four. White-McCarty and Figgs, attending Sunday's Big Ten media day in Chicago, expressed confidence about having another strong season.

Both, in fact, spoke of their goals of dethroning three-peat NCAA champ Tennessee and its superstar, Chamique Hold-sclaw, and winning the national Free Hands Xw. WW -f the very top started last year when White-McCarty played forward. Katie Douglas was terrific as a freshman. Incoming freshman Kelly Komara wui DacK up iggs at me point. "We play a lot of people," said Peck, who will become general manager ui uie vjiianuu win da team next year.

"Who gets the minutes is no problem. Steph and Ukari are selfless. The younger players follow their example ag leaders." Purdue also has talent up front Camille Cooper finished strong as a 64 freshman last year and tied Northwestern's Kristina Divjak as 1 II 7 A hioh nrpr nn thp Hw Tpn a -star team that made an unbeaten tour of Scandinavia last summer. The coaches picked Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State behind Purdue. The media's top three picks were Purdue, Eli-' nois and Penn State.

White-McCarty, Figgs, Divjak and Penn State's Andrea Garner made both the coaches' and media's all-Big Ten team. Ohio State's Marrita Porter made the coaches' team. Tauja Catchings of Illinois made the media team. ST For More Info Call: (247) 2B9-4152 1 'ft x. -lav.

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