The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, January 11, 1994, Image 8

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    8 The Daily Collegian
Forditn , e, „
A brief look at the world of sports
NHL
Toronto 3, Boston 0
NY Islanders 3, Ottawa 3, tie
Montreal 4, Winnipeg 2
Tampa Bay 5, NY Rangers 2
Detroit at Anaheim
Late score not included
NBA
Philadelphia 99, Boston 94
Orlando 115, Houston 100
Former lady cager
wins prestigious award
Vectors Pittsburgh is
sponsoring the 54th Men and
Women of the Year Dinner
Saturday, Jan. 29 in honor of
those who have made
outstanding contributions in
their fields in 1993.
Among the winners is Suzie
McConnell-Serio, recipient of
the Woman in Sports award. A
former Penn State basketball
standout, McConnell-Serio is
the current girl's basketball
coach at Oakland Catholic High
School. She is a two-time
Olympic medal winner.
Tests show no damage
to Kerrigan's knee
BOSTON (AP) Nancy
Kerrigan could be skating again
within a week.
Dr. Mahlon Bradley said
yesterday a magnetic resonance
imaging test showed no damage
to her right kneecap and no
injury to the ligaments.
"I am very excited,"
Kerrigan said. "I am looking
forward to starting my
rehabilitation ... so I can get
back on the ice as soon as
possible."
NCAA rejects proposal
to restore scholarships
SAN ANTONIO (AP)
Delegates at the NCAA
convention rejected a proposal
to restore the limit on men's
basketball scholarships to 14,
drawing bitter criticism
yesterday from the Black
Coaches Association.
The BCA had indicated it
would consider protesting.
Dennis Coleman, general
counsel for the BCA, said black
students had the most to gain
from an estimated 330
scholarships that would have
been saved by the proposal.
SEC loses Palmer,
Bostic to NFL Draft
Alabama receiver David
Palmer said yesterday he would
enter the NFL Draft.
Palmer's decision came hours
after Auburn tailback James
Bostic, the leading rusher in
the SEC, announced that he was
leaving school early.
Ryan will keep his
opinions to himself
HOUSTON (AP) Buddy
Ryan, summoned by the front
office for the second time, said
yesterday that he will not offer
any further public criticism of
Oilers ofi'ensive coordinator
Kevin Gilbride.
"I am through discussing
anything ... except ... my
specific responsibilties as
defensive coordinator," Ryan
said.
Strawberry says he
is ripe to play again
LOS ANGELES (AP)
Outfielder Darryl Strawberry
attended the first winter
workout of the Los Angeles
Dodgers yesterday, and said his
chronic bad back is now
100 percent.
"The gap between the
top teams in our
conference and the
University of lowa is not
a great one. We're not
too far back."
Tom Davis
lowa men's basketball coach
Compiled from Collegian staff and
wire reports.
National coach of the year to guide lady booters
By MICHAEL SIGNORA
Collegian Sports Writer
His seven-year record as coach of the
Ithaca College women's soccer team was an
astounding 110-23-23. He has won a pair of
NCAA Division 111 National Championships,
and his winning percentage as a collegiate
coach is a Paterno-like 77.8 percent.
And now, Patrick Farmer will be
attempting to continue his tradition of suc
cess as the coach of the women's soccer
Injuries plague gymmen
The floor exercise
in recent weeks has
proven to be
hazardous to the
team's health, causing
several foot injuries
to team members.
By SHANON LEVIN
Collegian Sports Writer
The floor exercise routine has
left the Penn State men's gym
nastics team without two feet to
stand on literally. Two gym
nasts within the past week have
suffered foot injuries while com
pleting tumbling passes.
The first of which occurred to
sophomore Tony Pansy.
"I was just at practice tum
bling on floor and I happened to
roll my foot over," he said.
Due to this injury, Pansy was
unable to make the trip to West
Point last weekend.
Yesterday, Pansy said he would
be able to compete on Saturday at
Syracuse. He doubts he will be
ready to tumble and vault, but his
participation in the other four
events looks promising.
"I went to the doctors and they
said right now it's a stress frac
ture," he said. "I go to get more
tests done the beginning of next
week, but I've been landing on it,
so I'll be able to CoMpete.",
Although it is too early in the
week to create a final lineup,
Coach Randy Jepson agrees that
Pansy is making progress.
"Tony's coming along really
well," he said. "The doctor seems
to feel that it's a day-by-day thing
and he can go as needed."
Pansy is still experiencing
some pain, but it has become less
intense. However, he is taking
precautions to avoid reinjury.
"I tape it and I wear a pad on
the bottom of my foot so it
doesn't arch up as much," he
said.
While Pansy was here recov
ering on Friday night, freshman
Icers deal
By LEIGH ANNE RISKOSKY
Collegian Sports Writer
From adjustments of travel
plans to game plans, the Icers
faced and overcame adversity on
and off the ice during the semester
break.
Snow Woes
Last week's snow provided per
haps the longest road trip in leers'
history.
The Icers departed from State
College at noon last Wednesday for
an early evening flight from Pitts
burgh to Minneapolis with a con
nection to Arizona. Only one
runway was open in Minneapolis
so the Icers had to circle the air
port for about an hour before
Bob Knight: a man shrouded in mystery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. That is all. The
man with the red sweater has gone.
Doesn't want to talk. Probably out ice
fishing.
It is nothing new to expect disrespect
from Robert Montgomery Knight. It is his
style to play hide-and-go -seek with the
media like some sort of whiny child. Even
after victory, like the Hoosiers' 80-72
defeat of Penn State.
It is part of his legacy. Along with the
slouched posture and the nasty scowl and
the tenacious man-to-man defense. He is a
great coach. He is a lousy dinner date.
Hidden among a facade of facetiousness
is a brilliant, compassionate man. But we
will never know the real Bob Knight,
because he will never let us see.
The news that follows' him is a trail of
contradiction. One week, he is publicly
berating a player. A few weeks later, he is
the national coach of the year.
Once in a while, we catch a fleeting
glimpse. Thirteen years ago, Sports
Sports
team, which will begin its inaugural season
as a varsity sport this fall.
"I am very pleased with the opportunity
to initiate women's soccer at the varsity
level at Penn State," Farmer said. "Penn
State's athletic history, as well as a Big Ten
Conference Championship in women's soc
cer in 1994, dictate that we develop a high
ly-competitive program. I think it will be an
exciting time on campus and for women's
soccer in Pennsylvania."
Farmer comes to Happy Valley as the
recipient of several awards for coaching
Tony Pansy performs in the floor exercise in a meet last month. He was injured recently doing his
routine.
Jean-Marc Michel was at West
Point in the midst of competition.
Unfortunately, he too, was unable
to finish the floor exercise
healthy.
"It was my first pass and I
with plenty of problems during break
refueling in Michigan. As a result,
the team missed the connection
and turned the airport floor into a
hotel.
Goaltender Dennis Magulick
said the team reached its final
destination at 2 p.m. Thursday.
"Everyone kind of responded
differently," Magulick said of the
whole ordeal. "Some people were
most pissed off that we missed a
full day in Arizona because when
we got there, it was about
70 degrees without a cloud in a
sky."
Changing Faces
Just one day before the Icers
left Arizona, they found out that
defenseman Larry O'Byrne may
My Opinion
Michael
Weinreb
Illustrated's Frank Deford dug through the
rough surface to reveal a maelstrom of
emotion (the article was reprinted this
year in the Jan. 10 issue.) The portrait is
inflammatory. The portrait is ingenuous.
"All of us learn to write by the second
grade, then most of us go on to other
things," Knight once said. He is frustrated
by these outsiders intruding on his game.
He is disgusted by the way they distort the
purity of his game.
ended up stinging my left ankle
pretty well," he said. "I did finish
the rest of the meet. That was
actually my last event."
Michel described the injury as
"nothing serious" and doesn't
miss the rest of the season with a
recurring shoulder injury. Icer
Coach Joe Battista said surgery is
a must for the defenseman to con
tinue playing.
Junior defenseman P.J. Amodeo,
who reinjured his right knee just
three games into last semester,
had major reconstructive surgery
over break and is doing well.
Senior forward Cliff Graziano
sparked the Icers with three goals
against Arizona last weekend after
sitting out the first semester due
to academic problems.
Who's In Net?
Before the semester break, the
unstable goaltending situation
worried Battista. However, that is
excellence, ' including the 1989 National
Coach of the Year, Empire Athletic Asso
ciation Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1992
and New York State Collegiate Athletic
Conference Coach of the Year in 1992.
"I think his background speaks for itself,"
fullback Julie Munch said. "It's going to be
a fresh start for all of us, and hopefully
everyone will make the most of it."
Former Coach Dirck Aumiller said he is
uncertain if he will have any involvement
with the team next season. If Aumiller is no
longer involved with the program, mid
expect it to keep him from com
peting on Saturday.
"The injuries aren't season
ending or anything," Jepson said.
"They're just things that are
going to take a little time."
no longer the case now
Sophomore Jeff Crispino was
stunning in the Arizona series and
has taken the No. 1 position among
the four current netminders.
"He has shown us flashes of
brilliance at times this year," Bat
tista said, adding that he hopes
Crispino can continue his strong
play.
The backup position will be
filled by either Magulick or junior
Derek Lecours.
Power Outage
Special teams make or break
games and that was not more evi
dent than in the Arizona series.
The Icers went 2-for-14 on the
power play in the series. Battista
So he turns his back, closes his ears, and
does whatever the hell he wants to do. And
he does it better than anyone. He is a
great coach. He is a lousy diplomat.
Knight never made it to the media room
of Assembly Hall on Saturday night. No
one was surprised. The surprise is that the
loss was all Knight's.
He missed Penn State's Bruce Parkhill,
one of the nation's most underrespected
coaches, who spoke with dignity and pride
in the face of another frustratingly
agonizing defeat. Like he always does.
If Parkhill skipped a news conference,
they would call him ungrateful.
Knight also missed his best and brighest,
seniors Damon Bailey and Pat Graham,
displaying quiet humility and respect,
although they have had better nights.
If his players missed a press conference,
Knight would boil over.
But the coach just wants to be left alone
Take the magnifying glass away from his
program and point it someplace else. Until
then, that chip will rest firmly on the
Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1994
fielder Bridget Brugger said she believes
the Lady Lions will go through a period of
adjustment, but noted that this was a normal
occurrence.
Farmer was selected from hordes of
applications, Aumiller's being one of them,
and Penn State is as happy to have him as
he is to be here.
"Obviously we're pleased to have Patrick
join us," Associate Athletic Director Ellen
Perry said. "Patrick brings a level of
expertise that will start our program at a
very high level."
Changes
surround
grapplers
between
semesters
By ADAM COHN
Collegian Sports Writer
Winter vacation was the best of
times and the worst of times for
the wrestling team.
On the plus side, the Lions won
their first dual meet of the season
when they upended North Carolina
State 34-10 on Jan. 2. They also
won their first Big Ten dual when
they beat Wisconsin 18-10 on Sat
urday.
Unfortuantaly there was also
some bad news for the Lions. lowa,
a preseason co-favorite with Penn
State, easily defeated the Lions 29-
15 on Friday.
Bad news also came when the
Lions learned that All-American
Josh Robbins would not be able to
wrestle because of academics.
Greg Troxell's career is over
because of an elbow problem that
requires surgery and Assistant
Coach Ken Chertow has left the
team to pursue a private business
venture.
If there was a bright spot for the
Lions, it might have been the
Midland Championships.
Four Penn State wrestlers ven
tured to Evanston, 111., to wrestle
in the prestigious tournament.
Three wrestlers placed in the top
four, led by Cary Kolat, who
avenged his loss in last season's
national championship match by
beating North Carolina's T.J. Ja
worsky 8-3 in the finals. For his
efforts, Kolat was rewarded with
the oustanding wrestler award.
"It was a match I've been
looking forward to for a year,"
Kolat said of his match with
Jaworsky. "I had a good tourna
ment, but not a great tournament."
said the main problems were the
lack of preparation before travel
ing and the offensive zone. The
team only practiced for three days
after the month break, giving them
no time to focus on the power play
minus O'Byrne, the key contribu
tor for special teams.
Also, Arizona's aggressive pen
alty killing broke down the Icers'
efforts and created some short
handed scoring opportunities.
On a postitive note, Penn State
killed eight of nine penalties
against Arizona.
"Most of our problems before
the break were related to the fact
that those guys were tired and
needed a break," Battista said.
"Maybe we don't need open heart
surgery, we just needed cosmetic
surgery."
and success
shoulder of that rolled sweater.
It is difficult to understand someone who
respects the game of basketball more than
the game of life.
There are things that we all hate. There
are things we must do. These things
overlap occasionally, and we suck in our
guts and deal with them. Some call it
maturity.
Somewhere in the bowels of Knight's
own office hangs this ruthless quote from
George Patton: "Your loyal friends (will
do) their hypocritical Goddamndest to trip
you, blacken you and break your spirit ...
It is frightening to think that an attitude
like that is molding minds. But somehow,
he continues to do it successfully. Nearly
95 percent of his four-year players have
graduated.
He is a great coach. He could be so
much more.
Michael Weinreb is a senior majoring in
journalism and a Collegian basketball
writer.