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Show Monday, April 24, 2006 University Journal Page B5 Journal Almanac April 2006 Forecast -- , iLU-iNJi2- By SAM FARMER LOS ANGELES TIMES LenDale White never started a game for USC last season, but he was good enough to lead the nation in scoring and, at times, steal the thunder from Heisman teammate Reggie Bush. what But White has done or hasnt done in the last few months is enough to make pro coaches very uneasy about making him an early selection in next weekends NFL draft. White is the latest in a long line of risky draft prospects. Pass him by, and a rival team could wind up with a punishing touchdown machine. Select him, and you could be paying millions to a player who so far hasnt felt an urgency to stay in shape and is hobbling into this weekends draft on a bum hamstring. You have to be very sure of yourself, said Bill Walsh, former coach of the San Francisco 49ers. You have to be able to say, look, theres a risk here and were willing to accept the risk. If it doesnt work, its just part of doing business. In a sense, every prospect is a risk. Bush might be too small to be an every-dow- n back in the NFL. Scouts have questioned quarterback Matt Leinarts arm strength and mobility. No one knows how quickly quarterback Vince Young can adjust to a traditional pro running offense. Quarterback Jay Cutler never had a winning season at Vanderbilt. But no prospect has taken a more conspicuous tumble in recent months than White, who will enter the draft without d dash. He having run a didnt work out at the combine, instead announcing he would do so at USCs April 2 pro day. There, however, his afternoon consisted oflittlemorethana sub-pa- r bench-pres- s performance. It was later determined he had a slight hamstring tear. That raised diagnosis eyebrows around the league, considering it Trophy-winnin- g 40-yar- was made by a chiropractor and not a physician. I think theres some concern because he's (about White) shown a repeated history of not preparing and not staying in shape, said an NFL personnel executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. But the talents there, and people will take a flier on him. You cant afford to miss on your first two picks, so it does make it risky to take him. It looks as if at least two teams might be willing to roll the dice on White in the first round. Carolina is considenng using the 27th pick on him and Pittsburgh, which has the 32nd pick, sees him as a potential Jerome Bettis replacement. Teams take risks with one eye on the upside. When Pittsburgh selected Ben Roethhsberger with the 11th pick in 2004, they were betting he could make the dramatic step up from the Conference, something not everyone thought possible. Two years later, he was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XL. Eight years ago, 19 teams passed on the chance to select Marshall receiver Randy Moss the Cincinnati Bengals because they doing so twice flinched at his troubled past and playbook-thic- k rap sheet. The Minnesota Vikings took him with the 21st pick, and Moss responded with perhaps the greatest rookie season in league history. Does one good risk deserve another? Not necessarily. A year d later, the Vikings used a select to pick Michigan State defensive end Dimitrius Underwood, who signed a contract, then walked away from training camp after one day. He said he had no desire to play football and eventually cut ties with the Vikings. He later tried comebacks with Miami and Dallas, but his career was cut short by psychological problems that included at least two suicide attempts. Before he entered the draft, n first-roun- five-yea- r, $5.3-milli- Underwoods odd ways caught the attention of his college coach, Nick Saban, who told reporters, I think Dimitrius behavior over a httle bit of time here has been a little bit unusual. A player doesnt have to be selected in the first two rounds to be a significant nsk. Denver gambled last year when it took former Ohio State star Maurice Qarett with the final selection of the third round. He showed up out of shape just as he was at the combine and soon was out of a job. USCs White, who grew up in Denver, was quick to distance himself from that Buckeye bust when he returned to his hometown. I am not Maurice Clarett, he told reporters in Denver. I never violated team rules. I never robbed anyone, he said I just havent run a dash and I gained five pounds. Thats all that has happened. Considering the millions of dollars the NFL invests in its players, its not surprising teams place a lot of importance on interviews, not just a prospects height, weight and t . SUU Symphonic Orchestra, Thorley Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m. $3 for students ( j HIGH: 63 LOW: 34 PARTLY Forecast HIGH: 68 LOW: 40 Senior Portfolio Exhibition, Braithwaite Fine Art Gallery, noon to 7 p.m. FREFi SUU Women Ensemble, Thorley Recital Hall, 7.30 p m. PARTLY CLOUDY Forecast 40-yar- d HIGH: 69 LOW: 40 Y J Senior Portfolio Exhibition, Braithwaite FineArt Gallery, Noon to 7 00 p m. FREE Resume Writing Workshop in the Sharwan Smith Center room 101 2 p m. Interview Skills Workshop in the Sharwan Smith Center room 101 3 p.m. SUU Outdoor Rec, Rappelling Graveside, '317 time. The interviews are very its probably enlightening the best thing you can do, Washington Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs said. You get a chance to have some communication with them and feel what kind of personality they have. You know how fast they can run and how high they can jump and you watch them athletically. But thats not the No. 1 thing youre looking for, Gibbs added. Youre trying to see what kind of person they are. Ernie Accorsi, general manager of the New York Giants, believes thats better achieved through e interviews rather than standard psychological examinations. I know psychologists love those questions, Accorsi said I m more worried about whether he can go out on the edge and get to the passer. I dont get into all that stuff. Thats supposed to mean something. ISOLATED - S S T T O R M 3 p.m. Forecast Art Major Seminar, Lothar Osterburg, Room 101, J.L Sorenson PE. Building Senior Portfolio Exhibition, Braithwaite FineArt Gallery, Noon to 7 p.m. FREE Resume Writing Workshop in the Sharwan Smith Center room 101 3 pm. SUU Outdoors. Caving on Cedar Mountain, 3 p.m. Black Box Project, South Dance Studio, 6.30 p.m. Multipurpose Building. Combined Voice Studio Recital, Thorley Recital Hall, 7.30 p.m. face-to-fac- To place an announcement of an event or a d university-sponsoreevent off campus- Submit the information to the Journal by calling send it to the SUU post office marked Journal Almanac; bring it to ST 176C, or send an email message to journal ffisuu edu The Journal HIGH: 63 LOW: 41 SCATTERED T - S T O R M S bears no responsibility for omissions. Deadline for receipt of information for Monday issues is noon. Fridays. For Thursday issues, the deadline is noon. Tuesdays. Weather is provided courtesy of the National Weather Service, which makes no guarantees relative to its prognostication SPLASHING ALONG !$ ' U !K.ti ' U' 1 ifiJiV i krV' u S"Y y WfciHiHHiiilMlWjlliAmililW'lllllILt Freshman Jody Welcker runs through the water during the 3000-metsteeplechase the BYU Cougar Invitational. The competed Saturday at Utah State, but will play host to Utah Valley State results were unavailable at press time. The at the Southern Utah Invitational Friday at Eccles Coliseum. er at (SsSff Continued from Page B6 came up three golf championship, but the strokes short of their first league title despite shooting the low round of the day SUU shot 298 in the final round fora total 905, second to IUPU1, which finished at 902. Host Western Illinois was third at 906, with UMKC fourth (907), Oral Roberts fifth (911), Oakland sixth (912), Centenary Sweep Continued from Page B6 shy of LePreys record. Southern Utah hopes breaking records will translate into a victory Tuesday against foe Brigham Young University. The and Cougars split a doubleheader April 11 in Provo, but play just one game Tuesday seventh (927) and Chicago State eighth (1028). Ebalo shot the individual low round with a 69 to move from a four way tie for second into a tie with Oaklands Brian Stuard at even-pa- r 216, but Stuard birdied the first playoff hole to claim medalist honors, leaving Ebalo alone in second SUUs Eric Nilsson, was named the conferences Freshman of the Year after firing 228 to finish tied for 12th. In addition to Ebalo and Nilsson, Zach Johnson finished 20th at 230 for the with Taylor Edwards 27th at 237 and Jesse Wheeler 30th at 239 at Kathryn Berg Field beginning at 1 p m. in the season, and are The Cougars are led by senior first baseman Ianeta Le i, who is batting .394, with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs tnio season. Jumor shortstop Jodi Norton is also having a quality seasonfor BY U, batting .301 to complement i 31-1- 4 home runs and 40 RBIs. After Tuesdays game, the play a pair of doubleheaders against UMKC this weekend at Kathryn Berg Field beginning Friday at 1 p m. 12 .yn&v & |