| OCR Text |
Show Page B2 THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, Utah, Thursday, January 21, 1999 M0RNIK3 tftooM BRIEFING Notable Quote on partner Charles Barkley's golf game at the Bob Hope Classic. SUWANEE, Ga. (AP) -Morten Andersen usually went to the Super Bowl as a television analyst for his native Basketball Denmark. This year, they'll have to Richard Hamilton scored 31 points, including a in overtiebreaking time, and Connecticut remained unbeaten by edging No. 25 Miami Wednesday night. The outcome was in doubt until the final buzzer, when a attempt by the Hurricanes' John Salmons rimmed out. Connecticut, ranked No. 1 for the past eight weeks, improved to 16-- overall and in the Big East. Miami fell to and top-ranke- d 8 0 8-- 0 11-- 4 hmh After 17 seasons, Andersen is finally in Super Bowl "Charles hit so many bad shots ..." Michael Jordan 70-6- Unite 5-- Elton Brand scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half as No. 2 Duke beat Clemson, William Avery added 18 , points for the Blue Devils led who three ACC), by only points at halftime before taking command in the second half for their 13th straight victory. 82-6- (18-1- find someone else. The Andersen, long regarded as one of the NFL'8 dominant kickers, will finally be on the field for a Super Bowl rather than behind the microphone when his Atlanta Falcons meet the Denver Broncos. "Given the two choices," he said Wednesday after the Falcons held their first practice for the Jan. 31 game in Miami, "I'm real glad where I'm at." It took 17 long seasons the first 13 with the New Orleans Saints, the last four in before his dream Atlanta came into focus, standing 38 yards away between two tall, yellow posts at the Metrodome. "I got my target," Andersen said Wednesday, recalling his kick in the 30- game-winnin- g 27 overtime victory over Minnesota in the NFC championship game. "I looked through to see all the arms waving (in the crowd), but there were no distractions. I was very single-minde- d of purpose, really. I felt It was surcomfortable. very prising, really." Well, not that surprising. Andersen has been making those type of kicks throughout his career, 26 in all. "Some people love the pres- sure," Falcons coach Dan Reeves said. "It's like Michael Jordan wants the basketball when a lot of people want to pass it. It's like John Elway wants the football with two minutes to go and the game on the line. He's better in that situation. "I think Morten is that way, too." Tight end O.J. Santiago, who caught a crucial pass on the winning drive in overtime, figured the game was over as soon as the Falcons crossed midfield. "I knew Morten was automatic," Santiago said. "I went over to the sideline and some of the guys were grabbing hands and wanted to grab my hand. I looked at them and said, 'Hey, I've not held hands on one field goal all year. I've not been on my knees (in prayer) for one field goal all year. This is just another field goal for Mort. It's automatic." Andersen holds the NFL record with 35 field goals of at least 50 yards in his career, but the conversation focuses on his steadfast mental outlook rather than his strong left leg when he's discussing the finer points of kicking. "I don't know if you guys believe this, but visualization if you do it enough is a very powerful thing," he told a group of reporters. "Your mind is so powerful, it tells the body what to do. "I've trained for many years now. My mind is pretty well trained to do what I want it to do. That's what I rehearse." 5 Hi, i "-?- ' - rzf sk X - R1C FELD The Associated Press Flying Falcon: After 17 years of toiling, Atlanta kicker Morten Andersen will finally get his shot at the Super Bowl. 7-- 0 Heshimu Evans broke out of a slump with 20 points and nine rebounds as No. 7 Kentucky handed No. 6 Auburn its first loss of the season, 72-6- Erick Barkley scored 18 points and No. 8 St. John's held Providence to its lowest point total of the season, 84-5- Walsh returns to San Francisco as GM SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Trying to recharge a front office left in disarray by the departures of its top people, the San Francisco 49ers reached into their past for stability and direction Wednesday by hiring Bill Walsh as general manager. Walsh, the Hall of Fame coach who laid the groundwork for the 49ers' consuccess, signed a four-yea- r tract. Terms weren't disclosed. It is his third tour with the club. He coached the 49ers to three Super Bowl victories in the 1980s and had an uncomfortable year-lonstint under George Seifert as a consultant in 1996 in which his suggestions were routinely ignored. long-runnin- The Red Storm (16-3- , Big East) won their fourth 7-- 1 straight game. Jon Bryant scored a points as No. Wisconsin routed Illinois, 17 n-high seaso- 15 75-6- g Bryant had five to help the Badgers overcome an off night by leading scorer Sean Mason, who got into early foul trouble and finished with only seven points, 12 below his average. Quincy Lewis scored 30 points and No. 17 Minnesota made 25 straight free throws as the Gophers beat Michigan, 76-7- , The Gophers Big 18 free in a throws made Ten) row in the first half and seven straight in the second. (12-3- 3-- 2 scored a 24 points, includof the ing his first Jeremy Hays season-hig- h season, and Brian Williams added 21 as Alabama beat No. 22 Arkansas, 67-6- No. 23 Oklahoma State f run went on a 33-and coasted to a victory over 4 Baylor, first-hal- 75-4- Desmond Mason scored 18 points and Adrian Peterson had 5-- 1 16 for the Cowboys (13-4- g "I just couldn't return to the SPARTANS Continued from Bl percent for the field in WAC play. That tells you, at least at home, they've been very accurate. When you can shoot, you can hang with anybody and that explains how they beat Fresno State so bad they just shot it." Cleveland just returned from the longest road trip in the NCAA, a successful sweep of San Diego State and Hawaii. "As satisfying as last week's road wins were this is a big game because there aren't any easy games in this conference for our team," Cleveland said. San Francisco 49ers in a subordinate role, and I think that's understandable," Walsh said. "Not that I haven't worked well with others or for others. I did that for George Seifert for one year. But the role has changed, where I can really, truly express my beliefs and implement those beliefs." news During a wide-rangin- conference, g the Walsh alternately portrayed himself as a mentor for the team's young executives and coaches, a personnel guru and decision-make- r in the mold of Russian President iron-fiste- d Boris Yeltsin. "I still believe I can be a value to the organization," Walsh said. "I certainly have the "We will have to battle until the end. You can really help yourself by winning your home games." The Cougars have been bouyed by the play of junior Silester Rivers, who had 14 points against SDSU and then carried the Cougars with 20 points and 9 rebounds at Hawaii. "With Silester in the lineup, we have our best offensive lineup, but we need to improve our post defense and rebounding. "If our post players are playing well, it allows us to stay in games if our perimeter players are not playing well. Our guards will have their hands full against Sah Jose State and Fresno State." , Big 12). averaging 3.9 points. Caldwell, a CBA played one game with Dallas. Continued from Bl Avent has played in parts of seven years with four NBA the lockout. clubs Atlanta, Milwaukee, Rumored to make a reapDenver and most recently is pearance in the Jazz camp Vancouver. He had been playAntoine Carr at least on a ing for the CBA's Rockford temporary basis while Foster Lighting this season. recovers. Saddi Washington is the Carr, a free agent, wasn't rookie invitee. He gradulone the to Jazz expected to return ated from Western Michigan and hasn't participated in the and had been with the CBA's team's informal workouts at Grand Rapids franchise, where Westminster and Franklin he was averaging 8.7 points. Covey. Utah's only draftee, Torraye Utah is also expected to Braggs, wasn't listed on the continue its run for former Denver Nugget Johnny training camp roster since he hadn't signed with the team. Newman, and possibly, former NOTES: The Purple-WhitRocket Mario Elie, according to ESPN. scrimmage and the preseason Six other players have been game against the Denver invited to the Jazz camp: Nuggets have already sold out at the Delta Center. Anthony Avent, Adrian The scrimmage, slated for Joe Shawnelle Caldwell, Scott, Jan. 25, was free to the public and Saddi Stephens and all 20,000 tickets were Washington. Of the invitees, Scott had gone by 8:10 a.m., Wednesday, the most NBA experience a just 70 minutes after they ' were made available. year ago. In 41 games with The 3,500 available seats averScott the Cleveland, for the Nuggets exhibition aged 4.6 minutes and 1.1 were distributed by 7:40 a.m. points. The Associated Press conStephens played in seven tributed to this story. for Houston last season, games MALONE Football Gary Barnett, wooed by many schools since leading Northwestern to the 1996 Rose Bowl, is the new coach at Colorado. The school called a Friday news conference to introduce him. Barnett's hiring is subject to the approval of CU's Board of Regents. Golf Playing in a Bob Hope Chrysler Classic group that included former NFL wide receiver Roy Green in the trio of amateurs teamed with the PGA's Payne Stewart, Michael Jordan hit several long drives down the middle, made a few good chips and had one birdie per side. i At one point, Jordan laughed so hard at pal Charles Barkley's wildly scattered shots that he fell to the ground and lay on his back guffawing. Later, Jordan rolled in a birdie putt to cap his day, the gallery roaring its approval. 35-fo- All-Sta- r, e 1 of course health and energy you've heard Boris say the same thing to sustain my efforts." With the 49ers facing a they're a salary cap crunch projected $24 million over next season's limit Walsh said he and his staff face major challenges in holding the roster together. "It's not going to be easy but you have a choice of pyramiding or mortgaging into the future further or trying to deal with it directly," Walsh said. "We can't do it cold turkey but we certainly have to be looking closely at where we are with our squad and the cap." He took pains to say he was there to complement the efforts of coach Steve Mariucci, JUCO Continued from Bl However, Maurice Baker did. It works both ways. UVSC was able to hang with Dixie and beat Snow not because of Danny Brotherson. Rather, it was Brent Hawkins. So, without further ado, here's the best of the rest for each men's team: UVSC Top player: Danny Brotherson Underrated: Brent Hawkins. Hawkins' abilities to run the offense and come up with the key shots at cruical times is what maintains the Wolverines as a league favorite. "Everybody talks about Danny Brotherson or Nate Knight, but Brent Hawkins is our MVP," UVSC coach Jeff Reinert said. "When he fouled out (against Dixie) I think that really hurt us more than anything Dixie did." DIXIE Top player: Rudy Williams Underrated: Maurice Baker After the UVSC game, Baker's no longer an unknown quantity. He scored 11 points in the final 94 seconds of regu lation, singlehandedly keeping Dixie in the game after Williams fouled out. "He's our best player," Dixie coach Jeff Kidder said. "I tell him he's got to score more to make me look like a good coach." r consigned to a new tract last week, and praised him as one of the finest coaches in the league. San Francisco went 12-- this season and beat Green Bay in a wild card playoff before losing to Atlanta in the divisional round. "I'm certainly not going to interfere with Steve, other than a play or two I might try to call during a game," Walsh said, laughing. Joining Walsh in the front office will be Terry Donahue, 54. The former UCLA coach and broadcaster, Donahue was hired as the team's player personnel director. Walsh said Donahue also will be groomed to eventually succeed him as general manager. five-yea- 4 Underrated: Mike Marion. Did you know Marion was averaging 15.0 points per game? Didn't think so. COLORADO NW player: Kelly Calverly Underrated: Jamin Smith He's here for more than just his cool name. He's the leagues top presence in the paint, blocking 1.8 shots per game. TREASURE VALLEY Top player: Brandon Burney Underrated: Steve Simmons We'll cut to the chase here. Burney's a scorer, period. Simmons' imposing presence inside is what allows Burney to be the league's top scorer. Simmons leads the SWAC with 9.1 boards per game. Top SOUTHERN IDAHO Top player: Curtis Bobb Underrated: Chico Moore Moore is connected on 53.8 percent of his shots and is pulling down 7.1 rebounds per game. RICKS player: Ty Shippen Underrated: Kris Cox This one's a stretch because Shippen and Cox are equally important to the Vikings. Cox is the better scorer (15.3). Shippen's the is second in the SWAC with 5.8 assists. Top NORTH IDAHO Top players: Rashaad Kines, Johnny Goodman Underrated: Jason Keep Keep's name just doesn't come up, thanks to Hines and Goodman, the league's best scoring punch. But when Hines and Goodman miss their shots, Keep is there to put 'em back, averaging 7.3 boards and an astonishing 64.6 percent shooting from the field. SALT LAKE Top player: Troy Ostler Underrated: Tim Erickson Actually, there are about six players under Ostler that keep the Bruins afloat. However, the sharpshooting Erickson gets the edge for averaging 15.8 points and being among the league leaders in three-poiand free throw shooting. 1-- SNOW Top player: Trent Whiting Underrated: Mitch Montgomery When UVSC took Whiting out of the Snow game plan in the second half last Saturday, Montgomery picked up some of the slack. He finished with 17 points. He's a deadeye from t range, the league's best free throw shooter, and he's tied with Danny Brotherson at 4.7 assists per game, the 7th best figure in the SWAC. EASTERN UTAH Top playerHayden Prescott three-poin- nt 2 Sides finally sign off on agreement After NEW YORK (AP) 204 days, hundreds of millions of dollars in losses and countless fits, starts, fights and snags, the NBA lockout finally came to an official end Wednesday. "It's a great feeling," commissioner David Stern said after he and union president Patrick Ewing affixed their signatures to the nearly 300-pag- e collective bargaining " agreement. It was an incredible relief." All league business will officially begin at noon Thursday, with training camps opening and trades and free agent signings going through. The e schedule for the upcoming season will be released, Scottie Pippen will officially join the Houston Rockets, Latrell Sprewell will become a member of the New York Knicks, Antonio McDyess will return to Denver and the Chicago Bulls will renounce their rights to Michael Jordan all of it happening at once in what promises to be busiest day in league history. Still unanswered are dozens of questions about who will play where. Dennis Rodman, meanwhile, changed his mind Wednesday and decided not to retire. "OK, so here's the deal," Rodman wrote in a message posted on his website. "I've had some long discussions with the people I love, the ones whose opinions matter most to me, and I've decided not to retire after all. ,11 n play in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or overseas, Rodman also wrote: "There's one thing I have always told my fans I would do in my last game that I still haven't done. I'm sure you know what it is, but I still have to come back for at least one more game so that I can get buck naked on the court." Players and their agents worked feverishly to finalize deals. Among the tentative agreements: Christian Laettner heading to the Detroit Pistons in a deal sending Charles O'Bannon and Scot Pollard to Atlanta. UTnwvtAt Tnvalr lAimnfT naa joining MJLa. iiaiici moo the Los Angeles Lakers. Billy Owens was signing with Seattle. Michael Stewart was close to signing with Boston. Jerome Kernav wan hand ed to San Antonio. Sam Perkins was ready to sign with Indiana. "Tomorrow will he the ernai. est day in the history of the ' league," agent Keith Glass said, "and I m looking forward to it." sign-and-tra- '"? , i |
