Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 23

Basketball B4 'Prep sports B5 Football B6 Business B10 Sports Eagles' talk uplifting for Person Need some PT baby Thrash Shears waiting for their time to come 1 Br flhkibt kl jjj By Richard Scott Post-Herald Reporter Wesley Person knew he wasn't entering the office for Auburn 'basketball coach Tommy Joe JEagles two weeks ago to receive a pat on the back At the same time Person knew he wasn't going to get a kick in the butt either "I knew I wasn't at my best at the time" Person says "I knew it was something about the way I was playing so I just sat down and started listening to what he had to say" The meeting turned out to be more constructive conversation than critical castigation It also turned out to be just what Person needed "He told me to be more aggressive and not stand around waiting for somebody else to do it" Person says More specifically Eagles wanted Person to start playing like he knew Person can Eagles wasn't expecting miracles He just wanted Person to shoot rebound and pass up to his capabilities "He wanted me to be more of a triple-threat" Person says "and turn it loose and play hard and relax and not be so tentative Just go ahead and do what you want to do "That talk gave me a lot of confidence" Since the talk with Eagles Person has responded by averaging 248 points and 105 rebounds over the past the four games while sinking 603 percent (41 for 68) of his shots from the field Person a 6-foot-4 sophomore forward was at his best Tuesday night in Las Vegas playing 39 minutes and scoring 20 of his team-high 28 points in the second half "Wesley Person had an oustanding second half" Eagles said "He made big play after big play to keep us in the game" It seemed as if every time UNLV would start to pull away Person would hit a shot and Auburn would climb back into the game The Tig-ers lost 85-82 but Person and his teammates gained a small measure of respect and confidence "That's big-time basketball out there and we went out and really played hard and made it a game" Person says "But we didn't win" Auburn (4-2) needs Person to continue his hot streak in this weekend's Blue Angels Classic in Pensacola Fla The Tigers play Slippery Rock (4-2) at 8:30 pm today Please turn to AUBURN page B4 eligible to play with the Blazets until Nov 27 more than a month after preseason practice began By then he was buried behind four other guards in the playing order "I've still got to learn the system and get back into the flow" said Shears who has played 55 minutes over six games averaging 37 points "I've just got to be patient Eventually my time will come "Every player would like a lot of playing time But I'm not just thinking about Willie Shears I'm trying to do whatever it takes to help the team But it's hard when you've been out a year You finally get back and you're ready to go Now" Shears looked as if he was ready to go in his debut against Mississippi Valley State sinking three-of-five shots and scoring seven points in only nine minutes But he has made only four-of-18 shots from the field since "My shot is not really off but a shooter has got to have confidence" Shears said "My first night I was so excited to be back I didn't think about it But lately when I go in I feel like 'I've got to make it happen' Because I know I'll only be out there for a short amount of time" While Shears expected to see a lot of pine time early on the 6-8 230-pound Thrash was supposed to be one of the Blazers' main contributors inside One day before the season began however Thrash twisted his knee during practice The injury kept him out of the first two games and has limited his playing time since "It's been a mind game" Thrash said "I was always scared that ltd hurt it again My game's coming back but it's slow It should be back 100 percent by (January)" But now Thrash has a new challenge: Haywood The 6-5 forward leads the team in blocked shots with 14 and is fourth in rebounding average with 43 despite coming off the bench Please turn to UAB page B4 By Cary Estes Post-Herald Reporter They are biding their time waiting for some time Playing time that is Clarence Thrash and Willie Shears did not play for UAB last season Thrash sat out because he failed to meet Proposition 48 eligibility requirements Shears because he was transfering from Connors State (Okla) Junior College But now both are eligible to play And they entered the season as highly touted players capable of quickly breaking into the sophomore-dominated Blazers' regular rotation So where are they? Why does Shears and Thrash sound more like a farm implement company than a feared basketball combination Why aren't they in the words of Dick Vitale getting much PT baby? Simple mathmatics is the main reason There are 200 minutes worth of playing time (40 minutes times five players) to be divided up each game With UAB's five starters nearly guaranteed to average at least 25 minutes per game that leaves only 75 minutes at most remaining for the rest of the team And among the non-starters sophomore Carter Long has emerged as the Blazers' most consistent outside shooter and sophomore Frank Haywood has established himself as an inside force and one of the team's best rebounders Both players have seen their minutes steadily increase this season Kick in the 15 minutes per game sophomore Reginald Allen has been receiving and there simply is not much time left for Shears and Thrash So how do you keep everybody happy? "You don't" UAB coach Gene Bartow said "You do the best you can But we're trying to win games first" Shears a 6-foot-2 guard expected this to happen He did not become Bill IngramPost-Herald In Auburn's past four games Wesley Person has averaged 248 points and 105 rebounds Bandits finally cash in at free-throw line SCORE: Birmingham Bandits 114 Albany Patroons 102 ATTENDANCE: 803 QUARTERS WON: Birmingham three Albany one STAR: Birmingham guard Eric Johnson scored 18 points and made all eight of his free-throw attempts KEY STAT: The Bandits made 27-of-30 free-throw attempts (90 percent) including their last nine NOTE: The Bandits endeded a two-game losing streak and remain on top of the Eastern Division of the Continental Basketball Association NEXT: 2:05 pm Sunday vs Fort Wayne at State Fair Arena Chet Fussman By Chet Fussman Post-Herald Reporter For much of this young season free throws weren't free for the Birmingham Bandits In fact they often were quite costly But the Bandits finally took advantage of charity last night scoring 14 of their final 16 points from the free-throw line to hold off the Albany Patroons 114-102 at State Fair Arena The loss snapped a two-game losing streak for the Bandits (9-11) who remain in first place in the Eastern Division of the Continental Basketball Association They won six of seven points losing only the fourth quarter In the CBA three points are awarded for a victory one of each winning quarter The Bandits who rank next-to-last in free-throw percentage (68 percent) in the CBA made 27-of-30 last night including their final nine "Unusual isn't it?" Bandits coach Mo McHone said Guard Eric Johnson one of the team's best foul shooters didn't miss in eight free-throw attempts and scored the Bandits' final six points "I think everyone has taken it upon themselves not to miss any free throws" said Johnson brother of former Detroit Pistons star Vinnie Johnson "Everyone is concentrating a little more on them "A lot of games we lost on the road earlier you'd look at the stats and see we missed seven free throws and lose by two There were definitely a few games there we could have won" The same could be said of Albany which narrowed a 23-point deficit to six with 3:10 remaining But the Patroons who missed 12-of-38 free-throw attempts (68 percent) ran out of gas in the final two minutes unanswered points The Bandits however stretched their lead shortly before halftime on six quick Michael Cutright points to win the quarter 28-21 and lead 53-41 at halftime The Bandits displayed excellent first-half balance: Chris Collier scored nine points and five others scored eight Birmingham extended its lead to as many as 23 late in the third quarter but still failed to put the game out of reach "I was very disappointed in our fourth quarter" McHone said "We didn't play well and let them back in it" The Patroons opened the final quarter an 24-11 run and after a pair of Kenny Travis free throws the Bandits led only 102-96 with 3:10 remaining But the Bandits hit their final free throws and Albany would get no closer Royce Jeffries led the Patroons with 24 points and eight rebounds Jim Farmer led the Bandit attack with 23 points while Skeeter Henry added 21 and Johnson 18 Larry Houzer who signed with the team earlier in the week and hasn't yet had a full practice was a major factor with 16 points and two blocked shots McHone said he tries not to make a major issue of his team's free-throw shooting and was glad to see improvement last night "If you keep bringing it up it just gets worse" McHone said "But the players are aware of it" With the Bandits up 99-90 Farmer scored the team's next five points from the line followed by two key Henry free throws on a flagrant foul call The Bandits retained possession and Henry hit a jumper to open the gap to 108-96 Johnson then sealed the victory with his six free throws The Bandits dominated the first three quarters They won the first quarter 25-20 with Henry slamming home a pair of breakaway dunks in the final 67 seconds They extended its lead to 43-29 midway through the second quarter before Albany responded with eight Bill IngramPost-Herald The Bandits' Skeeter Henry slams after a steal Buffs now dial Warren's number for long distance By Richard Scott Post-Herald Reporter The University of Colorado must have seemed like a million miles away from home for freshman tailback Lamont Warren "When the season started going better my academics picked up because I was more motivated" Warren says "As the season progressed I started playing more and getting to know people and how everything worked everything got a lot better" Warren's freshman season at Colorado definitely has been on a rise Warren started the past six games for the Buffs and become the team's leading rusher while setting a Colorado-freshman record with 830 yards this season He also has established himself as a special player to watch in the future "He's a bona fide candidate to do some significant things here" Colorado coach Bill McCartney says Five months ago Warren was wondering if he was a bona fide candidate to sit around and watch this season as a redshirt Warren didn't even play the first two games and found himself fifth on the depth chart at tailback so he was just starting to get used to the idea of redshirting when McCartney called him into his office "He told me to be ready" McCartney says "that nothing was settled He told me to stay motivated be ready and my turn might come at any time "I was excited I started looking forward to the football powers every year including Washington running back Beano Bryant and Tennessee defensive lineman Chris Mims Playing in a successful high school program helped Warren fit right in at Colorado the defending national and Big Eight champions "Playing at Dorsey gave you the will to win" Warren says By all indications Warren should be in for much more winning in his college career According to a Colorado sports information department poll the Buffs (8-2-1) are the second youngest team in The Associated Press top 20 with 24 freshmen and sophomores playing in significant roles The youngest team in the top 20 is Alabama Colorado's opponent in the Dec 28 Blockbuster Bowl at suburban Miami Alabama is only one of the top programs Warren will play against in his career In addition to Big Eight rivals Oklahoma and Nebraska the Buffs are scheduled to play Miami Michigan and Iowa during Warren's career "That's the big time-' Warren says "and we know if we beat those teams we'll get the big-time recognition "Our future looks bright so watch out for us" Warren's turn came immediately In his first game against Minnesota he carried 10 times for 61 yards and two touchdowns "That was my first game so it was more or less a chance to see if I could compete on that level" Warren says "That was a big boost for me That game told me I could play but I still had a lot to learn" The more he learned the better he played The next week Warren rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against Stanford He followed that with 110 yards on 10 carries against Missouri Warren's fast start was enough to put him in the starting lineup the next week against Oklahoma He grew up the hard way that Saturday grinding out 81 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries Warren finished the regular season with 483 yards rushing in the last five games His best game came in the season finale at Iowa State Only 1500 fans showed to brave a minus-15-degree wind chill but Warren braved the arctic chill for 168 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries That's an amazing accomplishment for an 18-year-old from sunny Southern California but Warren actually attributes his success to his neighborhood and his school Dorsey High School sends players to Division I-A When Warren came to Colorado from Inglewood Calif it didn't take him long to realize his success in high school and his abundant talent weren't enough to ensure happiness The only people happy about Warren's unhappiness were at the phone company "It was pretty tough" Warren says "The worst thing was being away from home because you do get homesick I called everybody and most of my friends are in colleges across the country BLOCKBUSTER BOWL Colorado vs Alabama "I think my first phone bill was $632" Fortunately for Warren and his budget his phone bills aren't even close to what they used to be Even better as the cost of his phone bill has fallen his grades have risen.