Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 15

flUie (gazette 7 Tuesday, Mcrch 25, 1 997 Pope Wildcats used to underdog role Gophers aim to avoid hysteria By RON USKO AP Sports Writer Minnesota is wild its college basketball team, and that's why Clem Haskins is getting his players out of town as quickly as he can. The Golden Gophers backed up and headed to Indianapolis today to prepare for the first Final Four appearance in school history. The national semifinals aren't until Saturday, when Minnesota meets defending champion Kentucky In the Second game, but Gopher-mania is gripping the Twin Cities. "We want to get out of town because I know what's happening here," Haskins said Monday. "Everybody loves the guys so much, and ypu hear so many times people patting you on the back and congrat-: ulating you.

need to get away from that. We think we have It won (already). -We need to get back to work, and as Jong as I have them In town, we can't do that." In The Gophers (31-3) continued their Jahdmark season Saturday by beating UCLA in the Midwest Regional final; and they have been hounded by well-wishers- ever since. They were welcomed home from San lAntonio with a rowdy gathering at Arena late Saturday night, with television helicopters following team bus from the airport. university official said more than 200,000 calls were received in a -five-hour period from fans seeking 3,500 tickets allotted to each school for the Four.

One person sold his tickets for $1,000 Several players went to a Minn sou Timberwolves game Sunday and were swarmed by autograph seekers, and Bobby Jackson had the same experience when he went to the Mall of America to buy a pair of shoes Sunday afternoon. Jackson spent more than two hours signing autographs, and he is all too eager to get to Indianapolis. "We really can't go anywhere out to public without being mobbed," Jackson said. "It's been fine. The publicity that we're getting now is nice, (but) it's been overwhelming." Haskins plans to keep a tight grip on his players while they're in Indianapolis, too.

After spending about an hour with the media Monday, the Gophers are off-limits until Friday. But that's just business as usual for Haskins, who routinely limits media access to his team during the regular season. Nothing will change with a national title just two wins away. To win that title, the Gophers will first have to knock off Kentucky, a team that, like UCLA, has more size, speed and tradition than Minnesota. 'The Wildcats- (33-4) are 6V4-point favorites and are after their seventh national championship, but the Go-.

phers firmly-believe they are the team to beat. "We've got a lot of confidence in ourselves," said forward Courtney who won Indiana's coveted state championship as a senior at Ben Davis High School on the out-; skirts of Indianapolis. "We just can't wait for the game to start. "We know Kentucky has a great tradition and a great ballcliib. They're going to be trying to repeat, 'sas showed they could compete with -anyone.

Olson figures another Final Four berth should get people to stop thinking about the past failures. "To my understanding, this team has been to two Final Fours and a -Sweet 16 in the last four years," he said. "If people want to criticize me because of the problems we've had In the past, that's fine. But they need to stop blaming these kids for that. Only one of them was even here for any of the first-round losses." That was Simon, present when Arizona fell to Miami of Ohio In the first round of the 1995 tournament.

But he was hardly the same player then. He learned a lot while starting 30 games over his sophomore year, then had a chance to study the game as he sat on the sidelines ineligible because of academic reasons over the first 11 games of this season. That Included the season opener, an 83-72 win over North Carolina. While freshman Mike Bibby was scoring 22 points in his first college game, Simon was in the stands eating popcorn. "It was really the start of the maturing process for us," Simon said of the first North Carolina game.

"To beat a team like that without any starters from last year was a big confidence builder. From there, we just grew up so quickly." That probably won't make them a favorite at the Final Four, however. The Wildcats are the single No. 4 seed in a field that includes three No. 1 seeds Kentucky, North Carolina and Minnesota.

Of course, Arizona has already proven that seedings and rankings aren't the only things that matter. By EDDIE PELLS Associated Press Writer BIRMINGHAM, Ala. It started in the first round against South Alabama, continued against Kansas and will keep going when Arizona gets to Indianapolis for the Final Four. People expect the Wildcats to lose, even though their performance in the Southeast Regional repeatedly refuted their reputation as a tourna- -me nt choker. Arizona coach Lute Olson credited junior guard Miles Simon, a three-year starter, for taking charge of team with not one senior in the lineup.

Simon finished with a career-high 30 points Sunday in a 96-92 overtime victory over Providence. It sent the Wildcats into the Final Four to play North Carolina. "1 think early in the season, Miles saw there weren't going to be any seniors and decided to establish himself as a good, positive leader," Olson said. "It's worked. This team is as together as any team I've ever been involved with." And he'B been around a while.

In his 24th year of coaching, Olson will make his fourth Final Four appearance. The first was with Iowa in I960, the last three- have come over the last 10 seasons at Arizona. Still, it was the reputation -the Wildcats developed by losing in the first round three times in this decade that made them a popular choice to fall to I3th-seeded South Alabama in the first round. The Jaguars held a 10-point lead with 7:31 left, but the Wildcats scored 17 straight points to win that game. The win over top-seeded Kan- Minnesota coach Clem Hatkint ant wen qimtiont from reporter on Tuesday.

(AF photo) The Gophers aren't as well-known nationally as Kentucky, North Carolina or Arizona, and none of their players appeared destined to be NBA stars. But they have worked their way quietly into the national semifinals with relentless defense and a balanced offense that makes them difficult to shut down. That combination had some players talking about being a team of destiny after winning the Midwest Regional, a notion Haskins downplayed Monday. 'This team is here because they worked hard 'and prepared themselves to be here," Haskins said. "I don't think it's any tuck that we win." and they have an NBA player In Ron Mercer.

It's going to be a tough game for us, and I feel we match up perfectly with them. And they've got to match up with us, also." The Gophers haven't been over- '-whelming on the court sirice the first-; round of the tournament. They need-: ed two overtimes to get past Clem-son in the regional semifinals and rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat UCLA. But they beat the Bruins with little help from starting point guard Eric Harris, who suffered a shoulder and was largely ineffec-. live Saturday.

Harris expects to be healthy for Kentucky, giving Haskins back the full nine-man rotation that has got-. ten Minnesota this far. NCAA men's basketball championship N. Carolina 11) II (1) Kentucky Florida State hopes for a different game with UConn Calipari i "apologizes sfor remark NIT :4) St Ktntudiy uacll2 rX II Bio-'. I 637lc.lH,rnl.1S)U LJ Kentucky N.

tsrolkui rj tj S) Stanford 72-59 I 97-74 Louisville 16) I MhJ cn.Lpioi.Mp Ltoulsyjgl II BttiUteh 82-77 0T March 31 Teee(10) I (1) Mlnneeote lj3jflSl Kentee (1) I WnneeoM V2r5it Arizona El (4) ctsmeonl 4 20T I jr'; rlione(4)H Minn. H'l Arizona El pi (e) towa state bo-72 96-92 OT 7. Term-Chert: (t4)p I I UCLA I 1 Providence! (io)fel 11(21 UCLA 74-73 or -ii i I I I 7ls center, scored a career-high 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked the final Irish shot. Notre Dame's student section taunted Traylor by waving keys and chanting "Suburban" when he attempted shots. Questions have been raised concerning a 547,000 Suburban he's been driving lately.

Traylor says a relative paid for the car. But Michigan officials said last week a booster with close ties to Traylor was involved in violations of NCAA rules, But it's Traylor's on-the-court driving that worries. "The Tractor Traylor, I hope he don't run over my little 190-pound guy that's going to be guarding him," Richardson said: Carol in a kicks 'Heels to semifinals By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer 21 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Galling a sports writer a "Mexican was insensitive and an ill- advised attempt at humor, New Jersey Nets 'coach -John Calipari says. 'Calipari on Monday publicly apologized to Dan Garcia of The Star-Ledger of Newark for with the writer last week following a practice at Ramapo College in Mah: to apologize to Dan -Garcia for.my ill-advised attempt at ihumor.and insehsitivity.for'the re- mark," Calipari -said in reading a' prepared -statement about '45 before the Nets' 109-B4 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers oh Monday night.

retrospect, I can understand how the remark could have -been misinterpreted. have apologized to Dan person- ally and in writing, and. in no way was my intent to be derogatory in a racial context," Calipari said. "I am 'sorry for any pain my remarks have Jtaused' Calipari, seemed matter of- Four. "I don't think the winner here is the No.

65 team in the country, far from it. The NCAA is a great tournament, but when you look at all 64 teams there, there are probably 25 or 30 of them who couldn't win the Richardson isn't talking trash. He has led the Razorbacks to three Final Four appearances in 12 years, including 1994 when Arkansas defeated Duke for the school's first NCAA title. His inexperienced team there is just one senior on the roster was inconsistent during the regular season, but has jelled in the postseason by winning all three of its NIT games at home. Like all Richardson teams, this one applies defensive pressure the full 94 feet of the floor, and loves 3-pointers 690 attempts this season.

"We're a perimeter team," Rich-; ardson said. "We're not as physical as some of my teams in the past. Sometimes, I don't know which team is going to show up, but when the right one does, then we're pretty So is Michigan. After starting the year ranked No. 9 in the nation, the Wolverines, who start three juniors and two sophomores, missed the NCAAs by losing six of seven games during a late stretch in February.

The Wolverines' first two NIT wins came at home before a thrilling 67-66 victory at Notre Dame last week to earn their trip to New York. In that game, Robert Traylor, Michigan's 6-foot-8, 300-pound sophomore INFOPE IT'S ffifF -24 MRS. 4G5-8100 By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer NEW YORK Pat Kennedy couldn't review the game films of the lasL time his Florida State team played Connecticut. And that's just the way he planned it. "I think we burned every copy of that we could get our hands on," Kennedy said.

The Seminoles will play the Huskies tonight in the NIT's first semifi- nal game at Madison Square Last season, Connecticut took a 20-point lead in the opening minutes and embarrassed Florida State 79-61 on national television. Kennedy was so embarrassed with his team's performance that night, he. wrote a letter of apology to Florida State fans and sent it to a local newspaper. "I thought it was as bad a game as we've ever played," he said. Now, three straight wins have given Florida Slate an opportunity to reverse the loss and earn its first to the NIT championship game in school history.

"Our guys were plenty excited when they found out who we were going to play," Kennedy said. The Connecticut-Florida State winner will meet the winner- of tonight's second semifinal between Arkansas (18-12) and Michigan (22-11). The winners will meet in Thursday's championship game fol-. lowing a third-place matchup. The Seminoles went 6-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season before losing to Wake Forest by one point in the ACC tournament.

That loss probably cost Florida State a trip to the NCAAs. But Florida Slate has reeled off three victories in the NIT, including road, wins at Syracuse and West Virginia to get to New York. "Our kids are fired up," Kennedy said. The same could be said for the NIT. This year's semifmalists give the tournament a final four comparable to this week's Final Four in Indianapolis.

All are strong basket-- ball programs from big-name conferences with big-name coaches and players. "The four of us could be in there also," Arkansas coach Nolan Rich-- ardson said of this year's Final By DAVID DROSCHAK AP Sports Writer CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Few would argue that North Carolina's NCAA tournament competition didn't stack up to the three other Final Four participants. Tar-Heels coach Dean Smith, however, has seen enough upsets in the postseason to pretty much discount seedings. In fact, the winning-est college coach of them all even wishes the NCAA wouldn't announce the seedings until after the tournament.

"IFthey said OK, the first seed just go on in and play in the Final Four and see what happens, well fine, I'll accept that. Other than that, I think they (seedings) have no meaning' said Smith, whose top-seeded team in the East Regional defeated four teams that weren't even ranked in the too 20. 'fact in reading the statement, re- $ised to answer questions and said he considered incident, now OlMDO'S KELPS YOU GET HEADY TO GO FISHING! Fishing Licenses The Tar Heels got another break Sunday in the East Regional finals: -DeJuan Wheat of Louisville wasn't much of a factor on his sprained left ankle. But Smith doesn't necessarily buy the notion that the Tar Heels, who have won 16 straight, waltzed through an easy field to get to the Final Four. "Gosh, Maryland got beat by a 12 seed.

I think Maryland is very good," Smith said, referring to an ACC rival who beat the Tar Heels earlier in the year but got upset early in the NCAAs. "Duke got beat by a 10 seed, Wake Forest got beat by a six seed. Basketball is a strange game in that anyone can win. "Middle Tennessee some people made fun of them when they played here they beat Providence this year and they beat. tanooga.

That just shows you about college basketball." North Carolina's toughest game of the four in the tourney came against Fairfield, a huge underdog in the first round. "We trounced our 16th seed, didn't we?" Smith "Talk about Bulk Bait Reel Repair New Supplies Daily Line Winding: Stren Triiene TURKEY HU W.MG suppuea Ondo's I Garcia, a Mexican-American who has covered the team for nine years, was not present when Calipari read the statement. He said Jim Lampar-'ieilo, the Nets' executive vice president of administration, handed him a letter of apology. 0' f'lf he apologized, that's, fine," said. "He made a mistake.

apologized to me. Let him go on with the team." While Calipari apologized, the Nets committed a blunder during 'the game. J' 'During the third quarter, -an 'ganist at the Continental Airlines 'Arena started playing "The Mexican Hat Dance." "It was played," Lampariello ad-, imitted after checking with officials. Salt's played at almost every game." At least four fans silting across jrom the Nets' bench wore sombre-Itos. In Thursday's incident, Calipari hwas being interviewed by JYew York Post reporter Fred Kerber after practice when he gestured toward 'Garcia, who was talking to another -Nets official 30 yards away.

Kerber said that Calipari was about media coverage, and said "Mexican loud renough for Garcia to hear. Kerber said that started a scene that lasted for about 10 minutes, it, Garcia said, "I don't appreciate ethnic remarks," and Calipari -responded, "You can't take a joke? 7-IfI ve offended you, I apologize." Calipari also asked Garcia if he thought he was doing a good coach- As the top-seeded Heels (28-6) rolled through their regional toward their fourth Final Four of the decade, their main competition stumbled along the way. That group included No. 2 seed -South Carolina, which was upset by Coppin State in the first round in Pittsburgh. No.

3 seed New Mexico and No. 4 seed Villanova were knocked out a round later. Each of North Carolina's four NCAA tournament victims Fairfield, Colorado, California and isville had deficiencies. In Fairfield, the Tar Heels faced a No. 16 seed with a losing record.

Colorado hadn't been to the NCAA tournament in 26 seasons, and had to play its second-round game about 80 miles from the North Carolina campus. The next two opponents had injury problems. California missed injured star Ed Gray and his 24.8point scoring average in a fairly close game with North Carolina. He broke his foot Feb. 22, and did not play in the tournament.

seeding. What, did we score 26 out of 30 possessions In the second half and we still didn't gain much? It wasn't like they were getting layups. "We were, but they were shooting For those who do lend credence to seedings, the three other teams heading to Indianapolis with (he Tar Heels had a much tougher road. Kentucky in the West Regional and Minnesota in the Midwest had to beat No. 2 seeds in their regional title games.

Ari2ona knocked ofF (he nation's No. 1 team Kansas in the Southeast Regional semifinals. And, holding true to form for North Carolina SO far in the tournament, the Tar Heels will get No. 4 seed Arizona which beat North Carolina in the season opener in one semifinal while the other two top seeds meet in the other game. rc 1IIIIMB3ffl Winston Cup Driver Minnefonka Moccasins Now In flOOSE ond DEERSKIN Sterling Martin Respecki named top grad assistant 8 -g of Kodak 4 HERE Red scots.

Due tooti Hd New Sooft? Come To tant at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for three seasons. She returned to Clarion to obtain her master's degree in science education. Respecki will be awarded $750 from the Women's Sports Foundation Director of Development Tuli Scott Sunday, March 30. The award will be given during the Jostens-Be-reson Awards brunch at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four in Cincinnati. Her award will benefit the Clarion's women's basketball program.

CLARION The Women's Basketball Coaches Association honored Clarion University's women's assistant basketball coach Shelly Respecki as the 1937 "Graduate Assistant of the Year." Respecki is best known for leading Clarion to the Elite Eight in 1991 as the starting point guard. She started for the Golden Eagles in 1991-92. She holds the career records for assists (470) and free-throw percentage She also holds the single-season records in those categories (233 assists, .849 free-throw percentage). Respecki first served as an assis job, to which Garcia apparently responded, "No, I think you're i 5-year-old coach." said the answer enraged Calipari, who said Garcia deserved 'ia be punched for the comment, Garcia reported the incident to the iNBA. League spokesman Brian Mc-Intyre said Monday the NBA had yet to receive the letter and would not on the incident.

Nets president Michael Rowe said "'Calipan has shown no prejudice since being hired in June. L4 Jn INDIANA 1 I lM MALI- 1 Autograph Session 6 TO 8 P.M. Center Stage.