Show wigwiinihjjip Down under Bad hairdo bad temper and Lindsay Davenport are too much for Venus Williams to deal with at Australian Open 4B Standard-Examine- r Tuesday January 26 getting dizzy wins award WM Wildcats’ shooting guard named Big Sky Conference player of week AW er five-mon- th collegiate campaign but the Aggies’ ups and downs would rival those of Randy Hollis the Colossus ride at USU Notes Lagoon Their erratic performance would make Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde proud -very good one night and very bad the next - and their severe lack of consistency has everything to do with their so-s- o 8 overall record and 4 Big West Conference start Take last week’s road trip for instance The Aggies traveled to Boise State which was rolling along with an unbeaten Big West record at the time and is always a mighty tough place to play Utah State mustered its forces and came away with a much-neede- d 2 road win holding what had been a g BSU team to less than 38 percent shooting from the field on the Broncos’ home court Two nights later at the University of Idaho however it was an entirely different story for Utah State The Aggies scored 58 points again but other than that they didn’t even look like the same team They allowed the Vandals to shoot nearly 10 percent better (474) than the Broncos did USU made just shots from range and committed 20 turnovers in dropping a lopsided 77-5- 8 decision at the Kibbie Dome “We put so much effort into the Boise State game” said USU assistant coach Randy Rahe speaking at a “Big Blue” Booster Club luncheon Monday in Salt Lake City “We really played our hearts out against them And sometimes it’s hard to do that two nights in a row “At Idaho we actually felt we might have a better chance than we did at Boise State Whenever you win the first game of a road trip then you really want to sweep it You get real greedy “But it didn’t work out that way for us” Rahe sighed as Utah State suffered its worst setback in nearly two years “Idaho played its best game of the year against us” Utah State’s squad took the same sort of roller-coastride the previous week On Jan 14 they piled up their highest point total of the season in a 97-7- 3 rout of Cal Poly only to struggle and lead squander a double-dig- it two nights later in losing to UC Santa Barbara 66-6- 5 in overtime at Logan It’s a consistently inconsistent pattern that has plagued the Aggies aR season long They shot 45 percent in win over an Lafayette then shot 29 percent loss to BYU in a two-poiThey shot over 50 percent in beating Cal Poly then shot less than 42 percent in the loss to UCSB Just call ’em the Duncans because they’ve got more ups and downs than a yo-y- o One of the Aggies’ biggest problems Rahe says has been a lack of leadership Gone is a go-t- o guy like last season’s star Marcus Saxon who wanted the ball and seemingly thrived on pressure during crunch time That type of player is necessary for a team to roll up the kind of success the Aggies enjoyed last season when they went 25-- 8 overall And unfortunately this year’s team doesn’t have that type of gntty leader to step up See USU3B 9-- 2-- 58-5- high-flyin- 1 er nt nt (? f Executive Sports Editor: WSU’s Olson If 1 999 USU fans you like roller-coastthen you'd certainly following the Utah State University men's basketball team this season Sure virtually every team has its peaks and valleys during the course of a 25170 1 Latest win puts Utes in control m 4 Standard Examiner staff e Utah owns lead in WAC’s Pacific Division following 87-7- 4 victory over Fresno State two-gam- OGDEN - Weber State junior guard Shelley Olson was named Big Sky Conference player of the week on Monday after leading the Wildcats to a pair of victories over the weekend The Wildcats defeated Northern Arizona 70-5-2 on Friday then claimed a 74-6- 3 win over Cal State Northridge on Saturday Olson a shooting guard from Mt Vernon Wash earned the award after scoring 33 points in two V games She also had eight re bounds six steals three assists and one blocked shot in the two games NAU Against Olson INSIDE: Standard Examiner staff Olson shooting including from beyond the arc and from the line Olson reached double figures again against Northridge with 12 points She also grabbed five rebounds and collected four steals in the Wildcats’ upset win free-thro- College roundup 3B By JIM BURTON scored 21 points on DOUGLAS C PIZACThe Associated Press w OVER THE TOP: Fresno State’s Larry Abney shoots over Utah’s Nate Althoff dunng Monday night's WAC basketball game in Salt Lake City The Utes won 87-7- 4 SALT LAKE CITY - Hurry and get to the Huntsman Center folks Chances are even now Utah’s Alex Jensen and Andre Miller will be there working one sweeping the stands while the other vacuums the locker room One selling tickets for an upcoming game while the other pops popcorn for the concession stands Jensen a junior from Centerville joined forces with Miller and Hanno Mottola to led the Runmn’ Utes to a 4 critical victory over Fresno State on Monday night The wm Utah's 10th straight since Dec 19 and 31st consecutive at home 87-7- See UTES3B Scrimmage sends fans into frenzy Jazz return to action with intrasquad game at Delta Center INSIDE: More NBA signings cuts2B iu M © By TOM McEACHIN Standard-Examine- f i staff r -- &) SALT LAKE CITY - If Monday night’s Jazz scrimmage was any indication the NBA is alive and well in Utah You had to be there to experience it (and if you weren’t you’re probably going to laugh at this) but Monday’s practice game at the Delta Center had a playoff feel to it - not so much on the court but all around it A boisterous crowd developed more than an hour before tipoff celebrities were on hand (OK Roma Downey) and a film crew from NBA Entertain- ment was all over the place “They were into u M to” Said Jazz owner Larry Miller: “There were a few detractors there but all in all I thought g Karl’s last week clearly had an effect on the group here tonight I was pleased to see that” For the most part the entire evening was a lovefest Players received a standing ovation when they came out on the court including Malone they received another one when they started running warm-u- p laps up and down the court and they were even cheered while doing their stretching exercises Rock music was blaring the mascot dusted off all of his tricks players participat- fence-mendin- See JAZZ2B played SIDE LINES Standard Stars Layton boy Fremont girl win 2B weekly prep awards Alive and kicking DiMaggio watches TV report of his death 3B Sports Shorts yards in a single season ESPN said Monday that the special to be broadcast Friday will take note of the allegations that Simpson killed his Nicole Brown Simpson and a ex-wi- companion Ronald Goldman Although acquitted of cnminal charges Simpson was found liable for their deaths in a separate civil proceeding But panelists voting on the 50 greatest athletes were asked to consider athletic prowess alone the network said JOHANNA WORKMANStandard-Examme- r Utah Jazz point guards John Stockton (left) and Howard Eisley fight for the ball during Monday’s scrimmage at the Delta Center ON GUARD: sweepstakes may end today Ellis The Jazz could find out as early as today they fared in the LaPhonso Ellis The forward had once considered playing for more than a n teams but has since narrowed the field to three finalists: Atlanta Milwaukee and Utah Ellis was in Atlanta on Monday where former teammate Dikembe Mutombo now plays Jazz owner Larry Miller said he expects Ellis to make his decision either today or Wednesday at the latest “We just have to wait that one out” Larry Miller said “The tough thing to know is what level of interest to show We don’t want to be a pest but on the other hand we want to make it clear this is something that we have a high level of interest in” free-age- nt half-doze- Ellis spent the first six years of his career in Denver but the Nuggets renounced their rights to him last week so they could make room under the salary cap to sign Antonio McDyess Ellis Since the Jazz are over the salary cap the most they could offer Ellis this season is the $175 million exception which is essentially all that other teams in the bidding have available “He would fit into this team extraordinarily well” Miller said - Tom McEachin YoungRice ad wins TV award NEW YORK 7 Steve Young's concern for the welfare of his San Francisco 49ers’ receiver Jerry Rice made for the best football-theme- d TV commercial of the year in the view of panel of advertising experts The commercial for Visa was selected from among 50 originally submitted for consideration to the NFL Quarterback Club’s “Gridiron Greats of Madison Ave" In the commercial Young is on a date with a beautiful woman and Rice Young overlooks his date’s needs to make sure Rice is OK On The Air 5 30 p m - NCAA basketball: Indiana at Minnesota 730 pm SupersetbackBowl teams look to losses for inspiration Broncos’ in the Super Bowl the last two years” against Jaguars Falcons’ loss to 49ers motivate play INSIDE: NFL notes 2B The Associated Press MIAMI - In losing the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons found the inspiration to become winners For the Broncos the humiliating defeat to Jacksonville in the 1996 playoffs still serves as motivation “I will never forget that game” Terrell Davis said “Nev- er” For the Falcons a more recent loss at San Francisco in the third week of this season spurred the turnaround from perennial losers seasons in 33 r eight- winning years to NFC champions “That was when the characterbuilding on this team began the second half of that San Francisco game” Atlanta’s Travis Hall said of a 0 loss that was 31-- 7 at halftime “The guys just decided they weren't going to quit” So don’t expect any submissions by either side on Sunday when the defending champion Broncos and the upstart Falcons meet in the Super Bowl “It was painful” Ray Crockett said of the Broncos’ 30-2- 7 home playoff loss to Jacksonville “We definitely should’ve been in the Super Bowl that year But it might be a big reason we’ve been 31-2- - Simpson the Heisman greeted have to do You can’t get caught up in what people say or do “I have nothing to prove and I have nothing else to say about it It’s over with People who buy tickets can say whatever they want Super Bowl glory The following format 6VU football pliyors have been members of winning Sup x Bowl teams according to the Couriers media guide Gordon Gravelle tackle (Pittsburgh 1975 1976) Golden Richards wide receiver (Dallas 1978) Todd Chnstensen tight end (Oakland LA Raiders1961 1984) Marc Wilson Quarterback (Oakland LA Raideis19R1 1984) Bill Ring running back (San Francisco 19P2 1985) TomHolmoe defensive back (San Francisco 1985 1989) Todd Shell linebacker (San Francisco 1985) Jim McMahon quaiterback (Chicago 1986 Green Bay 1997) Bart Oates center (N Y Giants 1987 1991 San Francisco 1995) Kurt Gouveia linebacker (Washington 1988 1992) Steve Young quarterback of (San Francisco 1989 1990 the game in 95) Jason Buck defensive end (Washington 992) Jamal Willis running back (San Francisco 1995) Tim Hanshaw guard (San Francisco 1995) Note Year listed is when the game was Trophy winner in his senior year at USC was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2000 warmly for the most part although a handful of people clearly showed up just to boo him “My job is to play basketball” Malone shrugged “I love to play and I blocked that out and that’s what you 5 days to kickoff BRISTOL Conn - ESPN will air a documentary honoring O J Simpson as one of the 50 greatest North American athletes of the 20th century despite his reputation off-seas- enjoyed 1 to honor OJ said “It’s been a long drought It was good to get back It was good to be received the way we were and hopefully they enjoyed themselves” After a stormy Karl Ma- was 625-426- ESPN plans it” John Stockton lone B Scoreboard Indeed the Broncos learned a valuable lesson with that defeat Despite owning the best record in the AFC and clinching the West by the end of November they were well into their when the NFL championship was being decided between Green Bay and New England Ever since they are unbeaten at Mile High Stadium and have won six straight postseason games including last January’s Super Bowl over the Packers As for the Falcons their biggest tormentor has been San Francisco But when they made things close at 3Com Park then won five of their next six before meeting the 49ers again they felt validated And when they beat the off-seas- 9 Niners at home they felt ready to contend for just about anything That includes the Super Bowl which they reached for the first time with their scintillating comeback victory at Minnesota for the NFC championship The Falcons are unbeaten since Nov 1 But it was that Sept 27 defeat they tend to point toward as the turning point of their special year “The 49crs ruled our division” Ray Buchanan said “When we showed we wouldn’t back down against them things began changing” Added Terance Mathis: “I said we feared no one but we respect a lot of teams We feel now we can play with any team We don’t quit no matter how far behind we are” 31-1- ESPN -- NCAA basketball: Kentucky at Georgia ESPN Sports Fact Censorship Car owners in Utah can get vanity license plates to express their views about Salt Lake City playing host to the 2002 Winter Games - as long as the expressions are positive Bill Velmer wanted plates that said “2002NOT” Officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles said no saying the personalized plate is “not a public forum” In other words no freedom of plates - Standard-Examinstaff and wire services |