Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 65

I Wednesday PMNovember 9 1988 Foil Worth Section 8 Page 5 College basketb a 11 recruiters run fast break Texas BY ROGER BRMN Fort Worth Star-Tekvam Believe it or not the center of national basketball recruiting attention this year is the state of Texas Honest No joke With today the first day of the early national-signing period Texas is expected to attract most of the attention The early signing period during which prospects can sign binding national letters of intent extends through next Wednesday Basketball prospects will have a second national signing period next spring begining April 13 The class of '89 features four of the nation's top center recruits and all of the so-called big tradition-rich schools have come calling which leaves us with a double-edged question Has basketball in Texas improved that much or is this just a fluke year when the talent level is down in the rest of the country? is a little bit of both" said Clark Francis publisher of HoopScoop mag azine "But don't sell any of those guys short They are all legitimate Division I talents and probably would have been considered top prospects in any year I guess it is kind of unusual that we are talking about kids from Texas but then again it shouldn't be Simply because a state as big as Texas should produce as much talent and (basketball) has just started to come to the forefront in recent years" While one might think the Southwest Conference probably would be the main beneficiary of such an outstanding class from Texas it is not None of the four centers is expected to sign with an SYv'C school Sam Houston 6-foot-9 center Daryl Devaull is the top recruit in the area and he too is headed out of state DeVaull is expected to sign with North Carolina-Charlotte tomorrow The WC has been slow in gaining commitments but all are expected to garner at least one signee today North Texas and UT-Arlington are expected to sign a couple of junior-college prospects The leader of the highly recruited center pack is San Antonio Cole standout Shaquille O'Neal (6-10) O'Neal is considered the top prospect in the nation at his position by several publications including The Sporting Nevis Dick Vitale's Magazine Basketball Times the National Recruiting Cage Letter All-Star Sports and Hoop Scoop "Shaquille is a sleeping giant who has awoken deep in the heart of Texas" said Van Coleman publisher of Ara tional Recnilling Cage Letter "He was totally unknown until the Houston Shootout last summer and at the BC! national tournament in Tempe Ariz" O'Neal last night said he will sign with Louisiana State LSU has been recruiting him longer than any other school Grades shouldn't be a problem for O'Neal who carries a 33 grade-point average "He is very similar to David Robinson in style and looks" Francis said "O'Neal is a physical specimen who runs the court like a guard blocks shots with the best and has a nice soft shooting touch around the basket" O'Neal probably got his stamp or recruiting hype when Vitale saw hirr this summer at the BCI and raved about his exploits said recruiting analyst Jay Parker of Houston "His name is Islamic but you bettei learn how to pronounce it because he is going to be around a long time" Vitale said "It means Little One but there is nothing little about this big man's game" Katy Mayde Creek's Matt Wenstrom (7-1) is the tallest of the foursome and is expected to sign with North Carolina after wavering on an earlier verbal corn mitment to Kentucky Wenstrom rated the 26th best player in the nation by The Sponing Nets is known for his offensive prowess and shooting skills that range as far as 15 feet Wenstrom averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per ing touch down on the blocks and a nice jump hook too" The last of the foursome is Odom's teammate at Kingwood Todd Schoettlekotte (6-10) who is expected to sign with Purdue Schoettlekone averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds last year and sports a shooting touch that ranges to 18 feet He is not as rugged as Odom but he doesn't mind banging Parker said "lie doesn't have great speed but he has excellent passing skills and sees the floor very well" Francis said "When you talk about his game you talk about his scoring ability in that he can go inside or step outside and hit the 15- footer with just as much ease" Kingwood Alief Elsik and Dunbar are expected to be ranked among the best teams in the nation in the preseason With that kind of exposure and attention being heaped on the state this definitely could be one of the best years for basketball in Texas game last year and is expected to improve on those numbers this season "This is a kid with excellent offensive moves who only needs to develop a little more upper-body strength" said Bob Gibbons publisher of All-Stat Sports "1 think his skills and potential are evident when you look at the schools that recruited him He has good hands excellent passing skills and is fundamentally sound" Probably the most versatile of the foursome is Houston Kingwood power forward Rodney Odom (6- I 0) who will sign with UCLA Odom is known for his brute strength around the basket and is compared to one of the Bruins' top players Trevor Wilson in style Odom averaged I 7 points and 14 rebounds for last season "He is a tough hard-nosed shotblocker who can dominate the paint on the defensive end when inspired" Coleman said "He is tough and physical on the boards and has a nice shoot Texas Wesleyan opens with a 90-62 victory Leading receiver grounded by injury 4) 0 ft -1 4 I Z' 1'' 'To ''fot e- -r- 0-3 4 1 1)-- I 4 I 4V 4 1Itio: '4 t' t4 '1' It''' 0 ikk 4 1 7 tri- 4 0el ti 4-Atf 1 1 V4 vt otti' Alt 1- i Li y- vv X- i tirC 0 t' ty T''r 16- 4 (0 i- 4 4 011iirm- j4 Ithobtor I 10 0 1::: If l'' 4-1 i 4 re )I ik i 17- 4 ts 4 12 of re Liiii 1 cir) 1 'it1- ik' ''14 3 4 i Nroll: -44- i 14 oi -i 1 44 xsAp11N 1 4 4) 3 1 i i '4 1 oqr 1 1 b' 44Z 1 4 de1 1 fol 71 ma ts 7 Pk 1 TCU's top receiver Jarrod Delaney may sit out Texas game BY WENDELL IOUSE Fort Worth Star-Telegram There was little time or reason to worry In its season opener the Texas Wesleyan basketball team finished like it started dominating In between there were some lapses but not enough to cause concern The Rams ran away from East Texas Baptist University (0-2) last night winning 90-62 Texas Wesleyan fell short of its goal of 100 points but the victory was enough After the Tigers scored the first basket the Rams exerted their dominance From the outside the inside and on defense Texas Wesleyan had its way The Rams jumped to a 21-6 lead with 14:36 remaining in the first half and stretched that advantage like a rubber band The lead grew to 43-20 with 5:18 remaining and was 50-33 at halftime But East Texas Baptist closed with a modest 13-7 spurt and the Tigers continued that to start the second half They solved the Rams' full-court press that had forced 12 turnovers and pulled to within 53-41 with 17:25 remaining "We were allowing them to inbound the ball easier than we did in the first half" Texas Wesleyan coach Charles Jolley said "That allowed them to break the press and get some easy layups" After a couple of East Texas Baptist turnovers Rod Gordon scored two baskets for Texas Wesleyan and a 64-47 lead with 13:41 But the Tigers stayed close and with 9:52 remaining trailed 66-54 But East Texas Baptist self-destructed over the next four minutes missing the front end of three one-and-one free throws making four turnovers and only I of 3 field-goal attempts For the game the Tigers were 9 for 16 from the free-throw line and made 18 turnovers "We were never that concerned" Jolley said "But we did go to a matchup zone which we play well And we were able to stretch the lead back out" Smith a sophomore guard from Everman High School led the Rams with 16 points He was 5 of 10 on three-point shots Three of those three-pointers came in the first five minutes Rodney Nobles a senior from Trimble Tech and sophomore Wayne Dixon each had 14 points Nobles 6-feet-7 and Dleon 6-8 gave the Rams an imposing duo underneath They each had three blocked shots and Nobles had 10 rebounds Texas Wesleyan had a 51-34 rebounding edge which underscored the Rams' dominance of the game despite the fact they had to scramble a bit in the second half FG FT Reb ETB Ptfm M-A M-A 0-T A PF Foster 23 0-7 0-0 2-5 2 1 Hunt 8 0-2 0-0 0-1 2 3 Felder 33 6-10 2-2 4-9 1 1 Gould 11 2-4 0-0 1-1 2 3 Ellis 22 2-4 0-0 1-1 2 1 Boyd 27 4-9 1-3 1-6 0 2 McGuffee 20 3-4 0-0 0-2 0 1 Ellison 9 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 1 Gordon 9 3-5 3-6 1-2 0 1 Howard 5 2-5 0-0 1-1 0 0 Foster 4 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 Henry 4 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 Shaw 16 0-0 0-1 0-1 3 1 Davis 4 0-0 2-3 0-0 0 0 Johnson 4 OA 0-0 0 0 0 Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 Pt 0 0 14 0 4 8 6 0 9 4 2 2 0 2 Totals 200 27-63 9-16 10-34 13 19 62 Percentages: FG 426 FT 563 3-pt goals: 0-1 (Foster) Blocked shots: Turnovers: 18 (Gould 4 Foster 3 Felder 3 McGoffee 2 Gordon 2 Boyd 1 Shaw 1 Davis 1 Smith 11 Steals 5 (Boyd 2 Hunt 1Gordon 1 Davis 1) Technical fouls' None FG FT R431) TWC Min M-A M-A 0-1 A PF PtS Smith 24 0-1 1-2 3-8 6 3 16 Saladan 13 4-5 0-0 0-0 3 1 8 Mallory 9 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 Johnson 17 1-3 0-0 1-1 1 5 1 Gordon 27 4-13 0-1 5-6 8 1 8 Simmons 16 0-0 4-8 0-1 0 0 4 Adams 16 3-5 0-0 2-7 0 0 4 Hams 14 1-6 2-3 2-7 1 2 8 McCaskill 11 4-8 0-0 1-7 1 2 8 Dleon 22 7-8 0-0 0-3 1 2 14 Nobles 26 5-13 4-7 5-5 1 1 14 Totals 200 29-62 11-21 19-51 24 15 90 Percentages: FG 468 FT 524 3-pt goals: 372 (Smith 5- 10 Johnson 1-2 Adams 1-1) Blocked shots: 9 (Nobles 3 D'Leon 3 McCaskill 2 Adams 1) Turnovers: 15 (Gordon 5 Adams 4 Harns 2 Smith 1 Mallory 1 McCaskill 1 Dixon 1) Steals: 10 (Sinvnons 3 McCaskill 2 Gordon 2 Smith 1 Adams 1 Nobles 1) Technical fouls: None Halftime score: Texas Wesleyan 50 East Texas Baptist 33 were swinging for the fence so to speak" UTA never trailed in the match but North Texas coach Carol Pierce said she was pleased with what she saw from her squad "We had a mental letdown in the second game but the intensity in the first and third games was good" Pierce said "We scored more points on them than anybody in conference I told them I'd give them Friday off if they scored 10 or more' Senior hitter Ana de Oliveira led UTA with 10 kills and 10 digs Junior blocker Kim Martin recorded II kills six digs and a 429 hitting percentage for the Lady Eagles Houston win Aimee York a 5-10 senior middle hitter had three kills an ace and two blocks Martin mounted a 12-0 lead in the first game Marcus finally got a point after a Martin error cutting the Warriors' advantage to 12- But two Marcus errors and two kills by Hockett put the game away Marcus managed to take a 3-0 lead in the second game but Martin battled back to gain a 5-3 advantage It was a different story for Sam Houston as it had to hold off a scrappy Keller team The Texans (30-6) had slim leads in both games and did not take control until midway through each one The Indians who finished the year 21-10 gave Sam Houston problems in the second game taking a 4- 1 lead Sam Houston came back to go ahead 6-4'but Keller cut the lead to 6-5 BY MIKE JONES Fort Worth Star-Telegram Jarrod Delaney Tars leading receiver was listed as questionable and linebacker Richard Booker was listed probable after both had diagnostic arthrograms performed yesterday on injured knees Neither suffered cartilage or ligament damage in last week's game against Texas Tech but preparations will go on this week as though neither will play Delaney at flanker has been the Horned Frogs' top receiver this year with 30 catches for 440 yards and four touchdowns Split end Reggie Davis will work at flanker this week Senior Allen Foret and walk-on Don Danford will handle split end What impact will Delaney's loss be to the Frogs' meager passing attack Saturday against Texas a team that has battled problems in the secondary all season? Delaney averages 489 yards of the Frogs' team total 1001 yards a game "It's already affected us against Texas Tech last week" receivers coach Noel Mazzone said "There were a couple of times after JD went out when the lack of experience at wide receiver cost us big plays It wasn't so much that the guys in there screwed up but they did not react the way JD would have in a couple of situations" Delaney jammed his knee on the 20- yard touchdown pass from quarterback Scott Ankrom in the first quarter and was in for only three more plays in the third quarter "Someone is just going to have to pick up the slack" coach Jim Wacker said "Obviously it's a big loss JD has had a great senior year" Trainer Ross Bailey gave Delaney no better than a 50-50 chance of being able to play against Texas Delaney said he thought his chances were "slim to Bell From Page 1 This team averages 308 yards and 232 points a game Maddox is the second-leading passer in Tarrant County with 1686 yards and 13 touchdowns and Hunnicutt is the second-leading receiver with 39 re- I' ceptions for 580 yards and five touchdowns 4 "There are times we play as well as any team I've ever had" Edwards said But it doesn't al- Maddox ways work that way not when you're dealing with 16- and 17-year-old boys whose biggest concerns off the field are what acne medicine works best how high their car insurance will go with one ticket and why anyone would need to use logarithms in the real world Lamar From Page ished ahead of them in district "We finally have gotten that monkey 'off our backs" said Lamar coach Eddy Peach whose team has compiled a 25-5 record the last three years "It feels great and it is a big relief" Peach said "It has been a tough situation for us and I'm really proud of the kids for what we have accomplished We have had some awful good teams in the past who didn't make the playoffs I tried to downplay that all year but the kids felt it I'm sure t- We got great leadership out of our captains and seniors and they really pulle4 us together We had a big crisis when (starting senior quarterback) (Joe) went out with an injury in the 1 TCU notes none" but he hoped to be able to play in the season finale at Texas Booker's prognosis is a little better But with his effectiveness in question the linebacker corps will be scrambling this week for healthy bodies Redshirt freshman Jordy Reynolds who came in for Booker for 15 plays against Tech is scheduled to start on the strong side against Texas Weak-side linebacker Scott Harris was lost against Tech for the last two games with a badly sprained ankle leaving alternate Greg Moore to man the weak side Walk-on Adan Casas will have to serve as backup on the strong and weak sides because sophomore Chuck Mooney is limited to special-teams duties because of a shoulder problem Defensive end Roosevelt Collins also will work at weak-side linebacker this week and will be available in certain situations "The injury numbers are beginning to add up" defensive coordinator Marc Dnve said Early signing: Today begins the early signing period for basketball TCU expects to sign at least two players including 6-foot-8 forward Brad Beasley of Eustace High School a Class 2A school in East Texas Beasley who also was recruited by the University of Kentucky and Texas Tech previously had given an oral commitment to SM He changed his mind last week after undergoing extensive questioning from SMU officials about his academic credentials Beasley is an honors student and already has passed the Scholastic Aptitude Test TCU also has received an oral commitment from 5-foot-9 point guard Ray Kelly of San Francisco Reardon High School and reportedly is in the running "We'll do some good things and then we'll just go out and do something silly that will cost us" Edwards said That has been the story of the Bell Blue Raiders this season They are District 8-5A champions with an 8-1-1 record but they have a tendency toward inconsistency that must be worked out as they enter the Class 5A playoffs Bell plays Lamar (8-2) at 8 pm Saturday at Texas Stadium in the second game of a bidistrict doubleheader that begins with Arlington (10-0) facing Irving Nimitz (8-1-1) at 5 pm "When we're rolling it's tough to stop us" Maddox said "Maybe it gets too fun and it gets to the point where you expect to much you think it will happen every time and you get complacent" In five different games this year Bell 1 Arlington game He missed the next two games but we still won" Joe missed two games with a bruised knee but returned against Martin in a battle of second-place teams Joe ignited the Vikings' 33-8 victory with 245 yards passing and two touchdowns to assure them of a playoff berth "That was a game we had to have to make the playoffs" Peach said "We knew what was at stake and the kids just went out and got the job done After the victory we all could breathe a sign of relief because we knew what it meant" The victory ended years of frustration for the Vikings who suffered about every piece of bad luck possible during UTA volleyball team wins another conference crown Fort Worth Star-Telegram JOYCE MARSHALL were limited to a total of 25 the past two years under terms of the three-year probation handed down in May 1985 Briefly: Texas linebacker Duane Duncum will miss the TCU game because of a shoulder injury it was announced yesterday The TCU women's golf team with its victory in the Lady Cardinal Invitational this week has won two of five fall tournaments and finished no lower than eighth Senior Ellie Gibson is the team leader with a round average of 741 Sophomore Chris Miller was the medalist in the Lady Cardinal with rounds of 72-74- 74-220 Her average round entering the tournament was 784 The women's soccer team finished with a record of 11-5-1 The men's record was 9-7-1 After winning the Notre Dame Invitational Relays last weekend in South Bend the Frogs' swim teams play host to SN1U (4 and 7 pm) today at the Rickel Swim Center Both teams swim Friday at MM every week and our kids hung in there "But that's the way it was in 1986 We were a blink of an eye away from winning a state championship and we were still fortunate to get out of district We beat Grapevine the last week by a touchdown and beat Trinity by a last-minute field goal In 1982 we went to the state final but all Bowie has to do is kick a field goal in the last game and we don't make the playoffs "It's tough getting out of district around here and we just feel fortunate to be here We don't want to go back and replay any of those games" "If we play our best there's no telling how far we can go" Maddox said "When we saw what those other Bell teams have accomplished" Taylor said "When we see what a Bell team can do it makes us want to do the same thing and makes us believe we can" don't know that much about" Lamar has won three of its last four meetings against Bell including the last two games Two years ago the Vikings won 7-6 in a defensive struggle I low-ever last year behind the sparkling play of Joe who rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown the Vikings rolled to a 31-14 victory "Neither team should be awed by each other because we have gone against one another for so long" Peach said "It is a great challenge for us and we are looking forward to it "I don't think fans anywhere could ask for any bitter high school football than the games that will be played at Texas Stadium this weekend on for 6-6 forward JJ Eubanks of Sullivan (Ky) Junior College Kelly is rated by some coaches as one of the top junior-college forward prospects in the country TCU has four open scholarships No changes Tucker says: Athletic director Frank Windegger assured those in attendance at Friday night's annual Letterman's Association banquet that there would be no change at the top of the school's football program reiterating chancellor William Tucker's pronouncement last month "I basically told them the same thing I've said before that any speculation is totally unwarranted and that Jim Wacker will be the football coach" Windegger said yesterday He added that he made the statement in part to squelch any talk that might damage recruiting TCU this year can sign the full complement of 25 players allowed under NCAA rules The Frogs has led by at least 10 points or more only to have the opposition rally and take the lead In three of those games the Blue Raiders rallied to win They led Kilgore 24-7 and ended up with a 31-31 tie and they led Nirnitz 14-0 and lost 35-21 "We come out too fast and don't maintain our intensity" linebacker Todd Taylor said "The thing I like about it" Edwards said "is that we've made mistakes but still stayed in there and found a way to win" "This district has really been tough" Edwards said "Every week these teams have been really coming after us and that's the one thing about the kids that I'm proud of after we lost our first game against Nimitz we couldn't afford to stub our toe We were in a war zone their 10-year playoff drought On three occasions they finished second in the district before runner-up teams were allowed in the playoffs In 1981 and '82 they tied for first place in district but failed to make the playoffs because they lost to the co-champions Their last playoff appearances came in back-to-back seasons (1978-79) "We told the kids that this was their turn to try and change all of that" Peach said "But that pressure was still there and we knew it would still be there no matter what we did or said "But now the dark cloud has moved on no we have an opportunity to show what kind of team we have And it is not like we're lining up against a team we BY CI IRIS PERKINS Special to the Star-Telegram ARLINGTON The UT-Arlington volleyball team clinched its fourth consecutive Southland Conference volleyball title last night by defeating the University of North Texas 15-6 15-1 15- la The Lady Mays (23-5 7-0) ranked No 7 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and No 9 in the NCAA Division I poll extended their season winning streak to I I matches their game winning streak to 33 and their conference winning streak to 38 matches "We passed a lot better" UTA coach Lisa Love said "Any mistakes we made tonight were aggression mistakes We Martin Sam By TRACY MIEN Fort Worth Star-Telegram GRAPEVINE Someone must have forgotten to tell the Martin Warriors that they were playing in the state volleyball playoffs The Warriors ranked No1 in the state acted as if yesterday's Class 5A area playoff match against Lewisville Marcus at Grapevine High School was just another regular-season match Martin (34-3) used only 40 minutes to pound the Marauders 15-1 15-9 Martin and Sam Ilouston advanced to the Region 1 tournament Saturday at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene Sam Houston downed Keller 1 5- 8 I 5-6 in the second game of a doubleheader "I never thought it be that easy" Martin coach Joni McCoy said Jenny Hocken a 5-6 senior hitter had five kills and an ace to lead Martin I.