—The Daily Collegian Tuesday, Feb. 27, 1996 Henson Continued from Page 10. nament)," Henson said. "From 1968-70, we were knocked out by UCLA every year." Henson, known for his hair style called the "Lou-do" and the suffocating defense his teams play, then took his act to Illinois for the 1975-76 campaign. He has been there ever since, becoming the school's all-time winningest coach and turning Illinois into a national power. "He's certainly been coaching an awfully long time, and I think probably felt he has done all he could do at the University of Illinois," Lion coach Jerry Dunn said. "He's done a great job there. He's done a great job everywhere he's been. I think his record is an indication of the kind of coach he is." In his fifth season with the Illini, Henson guided them to a third-place finish in the 1980 NIT, the school's first postseason appearance since 1963. Illinois made the NCAA tournament the sea on after and soon became a fixture in the "Big Dance," including Henson's return to the Final Four in 1989. Wood gets even better with age By CRAIG YETSKO Collegian Sports Writer After graduating from Los Lunas High School in New Mexico, Brandy Wood had several choices of colleges at his disposal. But in the end, Penn State was just too good to pass up. Wood, now in his senior year, said his list of colleges included UCLA, Minnesota, New Mexico and Penn State. He cited the fantastic job Lion coach Randy Jepson did in recruiting him and the appeal of Happy Valley. "It just seemed to fit what I was looking for," Wood said. In 1992, Wood was the Class I Junior National All-Around cham pion and placed second in all around at the Tulip Peter Cup, an international competition in Kiskunhalas, Hungary. He also has represented the United States as a junior national team member in competition in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain. Over the past four years, Wood has been a solid performer for the Lions. In his junior year, he com peted in all 12 events and placed 21st in all-around at the NCAA Championships. Jepson said Wood has been a vital component of the Lions' success during his career. "He's been a very stable and pos itive gymnast for us," he said. SEND US A POSTCARD Stop in before you leave for break & we'll give you a label with our address Spring Break - Wish We Were There Book Bu This season, Wood is the only active senior on Penn State's ros ter. Teammate Tony Pansy was lost for the season earlier this year. However, Wood said that Pansy still makes a large contribution to help the team. "Tony's been pushing us and coaching us," he said. During the weekend of the Illi nois meet, Wood was named the acting captain. He promptly took charge of the competition and led the team to victory. He won the all around with a 55.65 score and placed second in the parallel bar event with a 9.35 mark. Taking the reins of leadership on the mats has provided a positive feeling for Wood. "I try to be vocal in the gym," he said. "Guys look up to me because I'm a senior and it's a good feeling to have people look ing up to me." He cites the coaches for the Lions as a major reason for his suc cess. "Mike (Masucci) has done a really good job," Wood said. "He takes off where Randy leaves off." Wood added that Masucci, the assistant coach of the Lions, has been a major factor in the gym. He said it helps a lot that Lee Ricketts, Masucci and Jepson are always around to aid the gymnasts. "All three guys do a phenomenal job," he said. Being a slow starter has been a The Big Blue wants you to send SBS a postcard when you go on Spring Break, even if you just go home. IT'S EASY! Student Book Store 330 E. College Ave. 237-7616 Back going on everyday "He'll be greatly missed," said Purdue assis tant coach Bruce Weber, who has been with the Boilermakers since 1981. "He hasn't gotten the recognition I think he deserves. His teams always played great defense. He'll be missed by the league." Henson, whose career collegiate record is 662-327, won't be back for 21st season at Illi nois. He said that now he has made his decision to retire, he feels some but not total relief. "It's hard to think you're not going to coach anymore when that's what you've done all your life," he said. "It's hard to step away. It's like a parent. You know they're going to die and you prepare for it, but when it happens you're not prepared for it." Illinois must now prepare to hire its 13th head men's basketball coach, and that is where the trouble may be. Henson said he supports the promotion of current assistant coach Jimmy Collins, who he calls an excellent recruiter and coach, to replace him as the head man. "I'm not going to pressure them to hire Jimmy," Henson said. 194 , ../rte , \ u constant for Wood. He said during the first few meet, he gauges what he has to emphasize during prac tice. This system has worked for Wood for the past three years. Wood said he usually peaks at the end of the season. This year, Wood said, could be his best ending. "I think this season will be exceptional," he said. The rankings for NCAA and Big Ten show that Wood is on his way for a fantastic finish. He ranks third in the nation in horizontal bar and ninth in all-around, and second in the Big Ten in horizontal bar and fourth in all-around. Two weeks ago, Wood continued his improved performance against Ohio State. With scores of 9.45 in floor, 9.25 in parallel bar and 9.4 in rings, Jepson was encouraged by Wood's performance. The only problem event was the horizontal bar. Ironically, this is Wood's best event. Wood said he missed his release and is deter mined on fixing his mistakes promptly. "It's back to the drawing board," he said. Wood's teammates think he is doing a great job in leading the team. Junior J.M. Michel said he is a definite leader and is fit for the position. "He knows what he has to do as a leader," he said. Freshman Tim Lashua said Wood is a very consistent gymnast who Collins also has support from the high school basketball coaches in Chicago, a talent-base Illi nois has used to its advantage. The Illini roster includes four players from Chicago. "I definitely support Jimmy Collins," said Robert Hambric, now in his 14th season at Simeon High in Chicago which produced cur rent Illinois' players Bryant Notree and Kevin Turner. "I know it'll hurt their recruiting in Chicago for a fact if they don't hire him. If they think they can win without Chicago talent, then God bless them." Hambrick said Collins has an excellent per sonality and is sincere. "The kids believe him," the Simeon coach said. And the kids believed Henson when he start ed his coaching career at the little high school in New Mexico, where the team, previously headed by the school's football coach, never won many games. He taught that team how to win. Henson captured that state title he coveted And he won much, much more. Brandy Wood senior men's gymnast can be depended upon. He added that his leadership and hard work helps the team improve their skills. "He inspires us to be consistent," he said. The future for Wood is up in the air after graduation. He is considering graduate school and has one more internship to fulfill. Wood hopes to stay close to Happy Valley after his gymnas tics career is done. "I have left the future wide open," he said. Courtesy of Penn State The University Concert Committee Proudly Presents Billy Joel 2vettuag Ot Questtons mid LAtisultits... Ci Ll / 1 gCe Ante Spend an intimate evening with Billy Joel!! March 28th 7:30 pm Tickets: $2O 6 Ticket Limit Eisenhower Auditorium Sales Begin: February 28 for PSU ID Holders. Available at Eisenhower Auditorium Box Office, Mon-Sat, B:3oam-4:3opm • MC/Visa/AMEX/Discover Phone orders accepted at (814) 863-0255 beginning Feb. 29 The Man The Music The Legend McNutt hammers home excellence By DAVID SCOPINICH Collegian Sports Writer Many college students complain about being too busy with home work, jobs and partying. Neal McNutt is the exact opposite of those students, doing more in one day than the average student does in a week. McNutt, a 19-year-old sopho more, is a two-sport athlete at Penn State. He is a tight end for the foot ball team and competes in the ham mer throw and the 35-Ib. weight throw for the track and field team. McNutt does not have a scholar ship, so he pays for his education with money from a summer job and student loans. However, there's the satisfaction of knowing he does something that many peo ple think is impossible. So far, McNutt is succeeding. McNutt starts off every weekday at 6 a.m., working out for football. He has sculpted his 6-foot-5, 225-Ib. frame to handle the demands of two sports. He then goes to classes, which are scheduled around his practices. After classes, he goes to track practice from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., then scampers home to study. He manages to keep a 2.50 grade point average. McNutt was also a two-sport ath lete at Conrad Weiser High School in Robesonia, and he believes he can continue his rigorous schedule for the rest of his college career. The people who know McNutt best do not doubt his commitment. "He's a good, quality character kid," Conrad Weiser football coach Al Silveri said. "If anybody can handle all three, it's Neal. He's got a good, diligent work ethic." Perhaps no one knows what dri ves him more than his father, Don McNutt, an agriculture teacher at Conrad Weiser. "He's always tried to do more than most people fit into a schedule," he said. "Sometimes I think he has 26 hours in his day." McNutt was recruited by several schools for football and track and field, but his final decision was based on academics. "I came to Penn State because they had turf grass science," McNutt said. "That's what I wanted to major in." His career goal is to become a superintendent of a golf course. Penn State recruited McNutt for track and field, but not football. McNutt did not receive a scholar ship because the track program has limited scholarships, usually reserved for upperclassmen. Nittany Lion track and field coach Harry Groves wanted McNutt for the shot put and the discus, but those plans changed quickly. Groves saw things weren't working out for McNutt, so he decided a change of events would be best for the freshman. "I never even saw a 35-lb. weight or a hammer until college," McNutt said. "I have to give the (coaches) a lot of credit because I was raw, but they helped me with my tech nique." Conrad Weiser track and field coach Charles McComsey always knew that McNutt would find suc cess at Penn State. "I knew the coaches were anxious to get him up there. I knew he would find his own niche," McComsey said. Groves also believes McNutt can be successful at both sports. "I expect he can handle it because other people have," he said. "It's a matter of prioritizing. If you're doing football, you concentrate on that. If you're doing track, you con centrate on that." Jay Paterno, McNutt's tight end coach, believes that he can handle two sports along with academics. "He wants to do it and that's 90 percent of the battle," Paterno said. "He's done some great things as far as his development this fall." Paterno said McNutt's develop ment could garner him more play ing time at tight end. "If he contin ues to improve the way he has, it's going to be hard to keep him off of the field," he said. If McNutt does get more playing time, Penn State will gain at least one more fan. "I'm a Notre Dame fan, but if he ends up playing, I'll be a convert," Don McNutt said. McNutt does not want praise and accolades for his efforts. Satisfac tion would come very easily for him. "I would be satisfied when I'm 40 watching television with my son to think back and remember that I contributed to the Penn State foot ball team," he said. That's not expecting much in return for what he does.
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