Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 33

Sports Minneapolis Tribune Tuesday December 81981 1C General news IT floor generals Mitchell, Tucker get on-job training By Jon Roe Staff Writer Always before there has been somebody else to do the job. Somebody who brought the ball up the court, somebody who faced the fulbcourt press, somebody who got the basketball to them. But now Darryl Mitchell has the Job for the University of Minnesota basketball team. So does Trent Tucker. A test of the theory that two heads are better than one.

Defining the job, however, Is easier than performing the job. Be a floor-leader, traffic-director, quarterback. Mitchell and Tucker admit they are getting on-the-job training. "In high school," Mitchell said, "I always played wing or second guard and get his job back. That likelihood, however, seems to be getting slimmer and slimmer.

The eligibility committee of the Big Ten met Sunday In Chicago to decide if Hall would be eligible for the conference season. The committee didn't make any decision but requested that more Information be submitted for consideration before a decision is made. The committee will meet again before the first of the year. Hall is currently ineligible because he is not in a degree-granting program. He has a sufficient grade-point average and he has sufficient credit hours.

But the senior guard has not been accepted into a baccalaureate program. Because the university has Gophers continued on page 4C i I a I Vikings need 2 wins plus' 2Buc defeats great physical shape. "Usually, If you're going to try to be rebounder, or play good defense, your scoring is going to suffer. If you're going to try to do one thing, you have to sacrifice on something else. I think you can do more than one thing, but it adds new dimensions to the game." Mitchell andor Tucker have been getting accustomed to their new roles In Minnesota's first three games of the season.

They will try to acquire more experience tonight (8:05 p.m.) when the No. 10-ranked Gophers (3-0) face Drake (1-2) at Williams Arena. But they have taken on their new job with the hope that by the time the Big Ten season rolls around Jan. 7, Hall would be back with the team for Pittsburgh Steelers wide choices was disclosed. The draft signaled the official death of the Kicks franchise, which was born six years ago when a group of 10 local investors bought the Denver Dynamos and moved the team to Minnesota.

A group of British businessmen, headed by Ralph Sweet, bought the Kicks on Nov. 12, 1980. After poor attendance last summer average attendance was about 17,000, down from nearly 32,000 in 1977 and 1978 Sweet told Kicks officials in mid-October to sell the team. The club lost about $1.5 million this year. JT front mpg WWnn fir--.

1 or I could even post up inside like a center. The guard who did all those other things was Derek (Harper, now a guard at Illinois). And for the last three years here, it's been Mark (Hall) who has been the guy. "But I'm a basketball player, so I should be able to adapt to a situation. I'm willing to meet that challenge.

I'm not afraid. I'll try to do the best I can." Tucker has been a shooter and scorer, too. Now he is setting up plays, barking commands. Can a shooter be a field general? Can a scorer be a passer? "I never thought I'd be in the predicament," Tucker said. "But I think it's possible to do both things.

I think the big thing about trying to do both Is that you're going to have to be a in Futcher, of Burnsville, said, "Well, you know, I suppose it could be worse. I could be going to Seattle." Futcher, a charter member of the Kicks, said Portland is a predominantly British team, which pleased, him. Futcher is from Chester, England. He added the Kicks' demise has not yet sunk in. "But I know it's gone," he said.

"It's finished. The players are on different teams now." He said he'd move to Portland as soon as his agent, Ron Simon, worked out contract details with the Timber. Neither Ntsoeiengoe's purchase price nor the cost of the five draft ON OHnnSF FROM 50 BRAND NEW champs. Hurry They're Goin' Fast! 119 pep reclining bucket -J on $1000 down MO APR, total note a 4 speed, Darryl Mitchell Raiders Steelers 30-27 Associated Press Oakland, Calif. Marc Wilson fired three touchdown passes and rookie Ted Watts broke a punt return S3 yards to snap a 20-20 tie as the Oakland Raiders defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-27 Monday night The victory kept the Raiders, 7-7, in the playoff chase, while Pittsburgh, 8-6, suffered a devastating blow when quarterback Terry Bradshaw broke his throwing hand in the second quarter.

The Steelers dropped two games behind front-running Cincinnati in the American Conference Central Division with two games left in the regular season. The Bengals and Steelers play in Pittsburgh Sunday. Oakland bad not led in the game until Watts took Craig Colquitt's punt at the Raiders' 47-yard line and raced through traffic to score with 11 minutes remaining in the game for a 27-20 lead. Chris Bahr added a 29-yard field goal for the winning points as the Raiders improved their Monday night record to 18-1-1. The Steelers came back to score the NFL continued on page 4C Ace Ntsoelengoe GARAGES DEFLATION '82 Prices held down! Buy your spring garage now and we will guarantee 1980 prices! defeat Associated Press Oakland Raiders defensive back Lester Hayes deflected a pass intended receiver Lynn Swann (68) in the first quarter Monday night at Oakland.

Trent Tucker well. I didn't see anybody stop eating." Now the Vikings must hope they beat Detroit and Kansas City two teams with playoffs hopes of their own and the Bucs lose to both San Diego and Detroit One Tampa Bay defeat isn't good enough because the Bucs would edge out the Vikings for the title based on their record within -the conference. Of course, the second NFC wild-card spot (the Eagles seem assured of one wild-card spot) is still available and Vikings are tied for that with five teams. "A lot of things can still happen," said Kramer. "There's still a chance.

And as long as there is a chance, you're not out of it" Kramer whistled a tune as he left the Viking locker room Monday, but he didn't sound carefree. He and his teammates are well aware of how badly they've been hurt by the loss in Chicago. Yet why should anyone be too sur- prised that the Bears beat the VI- kings? Even Grant agreed that with the exception of quarterback and; wide receivers, the 4-10 Bears have just as much talent as the 7-7 Vi kings. Vikings continued on page 2C Fourteen clubs participated in the draft, conducted by conference cal from NASL offices in New York, Bergquist said no other clubs aske4 to buy player contracts before tbe draft The Los Angeles Aztecs, a financially troubled franchise, did not take part in the draft A decision on the Az- tecs' futrue will be made at league meetings next week in Tulsa, Okla. said Ted Howard, executive director.

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COTTAGE GROVE LITTLE CANADA STILLWATER FARGO JTL By Charley McKenna Staff Writer Bud Grant remembers how he won his first NFC Central Division championship in 1968. The Vikings beat the Eagles 24-17 In the season finale in Philadelphia to finish with an 8-6 record and then waited in their locker room for a radio report on the outcome of the Chicago-Green Bay game. The Bears could clinch the title, with a victory but thanks td a last minute interception by Ray Nitschke, the Packers held on to win 28-27. The Vikings were champions. When the Vikings left Chicago Sunday after losing 10-9, they could still hope Atlanta would beat Tampa Bay and they would remained tied for first place.

A radio Jn the cockpit of their chartered plane brought the news that Tampa Bay had won 24-23 as the Vikings were eating dinner. The Vikings were now tied for second with two other teams. "There wasn't a big awwww (from the players) or anything like that," quarterback Tommy Kramer said. "They (the Bucs) won the football game." Said Grant, "I was disappointed but what can you do? Everyone in our business masks their feelings quite A half dozen or so groups, Including several local prospects, expressed interest in purchasing the Kicks. A Milwaukee group was the club's last hope, but a deal was never reached.

Edward Bergquist said Ntsoelengoe was sold before the draft because Toronto asked the league if it could buy his contract "Toronto came to the league, which passed it (their interest) on to me," said Bergquist a Minneapolis attorney appointed trustee when the club filed for bankruptcy last month. "The thought is, we (the Kicks) would do better that way (by earning more money)." VJz dcrft 2ll MEN'S and WOMEN'S Compare MANY at 5 Kicks players find new teams in NASL draft Five Minnesota Kicks players were taken in a dispersal draft Monday conducted by the North American Soccer League (NASL) while midfielder Ace Ntsoelengoe was sold to Toronto for cash shortly before the draft began. Players drafted were forward Ron Futcher by Portland, goalie tino Let-tierl by Vancouver, defender David, Stride by Fort Lauderdale, goalie Randy Phillips and midfielder-defender Tim Twellman by Tulsa. The contracts of the nine other Kicks players were not picked up. They are now free agents and may negotiate with any team.

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