— The Daily Collegian Thursday, Aug. 28, 1997
Travis Berger recieves a pass from Sebastian Gouverneur in a game against Wisconsin-Green Bay two years
ago. Berger, an All-Big Ten selection in 1995, returns from a leg injury to give the Lions an offensive spark.
Nye hoping Santa Clause
By MATT HOUGHTON
Collegian Sports Writer
Although Christmas is still about four months
away, Penn State golf coach Greg Nye has
already written his wish.
Nye hopes Santa will answer his request
early for leadership and experience in time for
the start of the Nittany Lion golf team's fall sea
son.
For the first time in nearly three years the
Lions could begin competition without a defi
nite No. 1 player. With the loss of District II
Player of the Year Adam Decker to graduation,
Nye made it clear he is looking for someone to
step into the No. 1 spot and consistently pound
out a low score.
Someone like Brad Kittsley or Brian Clift.
"We are certainly hoping that Brad or Byron,
either one or the other, will pick that up and
become the new No. 1 player or collectively get
the job done," Nye said.
Both Kittsley and Clift were voted Academic
All-Americans by the Golf Coaches Association
of America last season and both bring experi
ence to a relatively young lineup.
"I have a more positive outlook than I've ever
had before," said Kittsley, the 1997 Rutherford
Intercollegiate Tournament champion. "I'm
really excited to get back and I'm looking for
ward to the tourney down in Seton Hall."
According to Nye, Kittsley and Clift are the
only two players who have secured a spot in the
starting lineup for the Sept. 6-7 Seton Hall Invi-
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tational, the team's first match. Both are capa
ble of being leaders, Nye said, but neither had
to assume the pressure that comes with the
leadership role last season with Decker consis
tently turning in top finishes.
Should these two seniors fail to provide con
sistently low scores, senior Joe Chuasiriporn
could also step up as one of the team's marquee
players, Nye said.
"I would look for some emergence out of
Joe," Nye said. "He showed great promise late
last season and when he got out of school he
qualified through the first leg of the U.S. Open
qualifier and he qualified for all his State Ama
teurs, State Open and did a nice job."
Aside from Kittsley, Clift and Chuasiriporn,
the only other player who consistently appeared
in the starting lineup last spring was junior
Scott Phillis.
Phillis struggled toward the end of the sea
son, but Nye said he still expects him to have a
good fall, especially after his recent 10th-place
finish in the Pennsylvania State Amateur Cham
pionship.
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"I think the team is more complete and I
think the team is deeper this year than
it's been since I've been here."
Brad Kittsley
Nittany Lion senior golfer
Offense
By MATT BELLUCCI
Collegian Sports Writer
If the Penn State men's soccer
team was a site on America Online,
the keyword would be offense.
This year's team will need to
score goals to win until the defense
has a chance to settle in.
The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 18
in the NSCAA/Umbro coaches poll,
have a bevy of offensive talent led
by last year's leading scorer Phil
Karn. A major cog in Penn State's
offensive machinery, Karn filled
the void left by Travis Berger's leg
injury. He led the team in goals,
assists and points and was a key
factor in guiding Penn State to the
Big Ten championship game.
But coach Barry Gorman thinks
Karn can become even more of
threat this season.
"We thought he had a very good
spring," Gorman said, "where he
contributed more in the all-around
performance rather than just look
ing to stay up front and be hand
fed, so to speak. He's working
comes early
Experience may be lacking in camp this sea
son, but Nye remains very optimistic about the
development of some of the team's younger
players.
"Probably the most exciting thing in the
development of this squad would be the three
recruited freshmen from last year who are now
sophomores," Nye said. "And we now have four
in what, I think, is a very exciting recruiting
class coming in."
"So there's seven guys who are going to rep
resent what happens over the next decade at
Penn State golf."
Sophomores Matt Abbott, Mike Saporito and
Bryan Burns headline this list. Though they saw
only limited playing time last season, Nye
believes this group will play an integral role on
this team.
"If I were to describe the group collectively
soft spoken, compliant, hard working, goal
oriented and excellent students," Nye said.
Abbott already seems to be proving Nye to be
prophetic with an impressive victory in an ama
teur tournament near his home town of
Endwell, N.Y.
"I think the team is more complete and I
think the team is deeper this year than it's been
since I've been here," Kittsley said, despite the
overabundance of underclassmen on this year's
squad.
"The future of this program is going to just
keep getting better and there's a lot of quality
young players," he said. "It's going to be a pret
ty competitive season in house."
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harder off the ball. He's working
harder on defense."
Gorman feels Karn needs to
improve his shooting percentage
and take better advantage of his
opportunities. Gorman said it is
simply a matter of concentration
and focusing on the task.
"He's a typical goal scorer," Gor
man added. "If he scores, he's
happy. If he misses he's very, very
moody."
Now that Berger returns to the
lineup, the Lions boast more
weapons than ever before. Berger,
a former first-team All-Big Ten,
led the team in goal scoring during
the 1995 season with 15. It's under
standable he might be a little rusty
coming off a 12-month layoff.
Berger hasn't seen game action
since an Aug. 19, 1996, preseason
game in Germany where he broke
his fibula and ruptured four ten
dons in his left ankle. Being out of
training for so long, this summer's
training camp has started to take
its toll on him .
"I knew that I was going to run
Bulls sign Jordan
for one more year
By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO Michael Jordan,
who led the Chicago Bulls to
five NBA championships over
the last seven years, agreed
yesterday to return for one
more season.
"I'm delighted and excited to
be back again. I look forward to
helping bringing another NBA
championship to Chicago," Jor
dan said in a statement released
by the Bulls.
Jordan, a nine-time scoring
champion, four-time regular
season MVP and the MVP of the
NBA Finals all five times the
Bulls have won, made a record
$30.14 million last season.
Terms of the contract were
not revealed. Reports said Jor
dan was seeking a contract
worth at least $36 million.
Earlier this summer, the
Bulls met one of Jo,rdan's
A RTcARVED
into some situations 'cause I
haven't played in a year," Berger
said. "My muscles aren't used to
being trained. I knew I was going
to be,sore and my feet weren't
going to hold up to the test. I felt
fine, so I think my ankle is going to
hold up fine."
But the loss of Berger last sea
son allowed others to enter the
spotlight. Junior midfielder John
McClay stepped up and finished
second on the team in scoring with
eight goals and one assist.
Midfielder Justin Evans will be
looked upon to increase his goal
production. Evans scored just one
goal last season and has looked
good so far in the preseason.
Senior forward Frederik Guster
will also contribute to the offense
as well.
"We're definitely going to be
strong up front and in the mid
field," Karn said. "We're sound
offensively, we just have to worry
about our defensive shape as a
team. That's probably what we're
worried about most."
demands for returning by re
signing coach Phil Jackson to a
one-year deal worth $6 million.
Another consideration for
Jordan, 34, was the status of
sidekick and good friend Scottie
Pippen, whom the Bulls were
ready to trade in June.
Reports have said Jordan was
seeking a promise that the team
would not trade Pippen.
Pippen will make $2.7 million
next season in the final year of
an eight-year contract. It is his
future free agency, as well as
the fact that he turns 32 in Sep
tember, that had the Bulls con
sidering a trade.
Jordan made a strong plea
after a six-game victory over
Utah in the finals to keep the
Bulls together for another shot
at a championship.
He said they had earned that
right and encouraged owner
Reinsdorf not to break up the
team, whatever the cost.
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