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Show Ghe SaltLakeTribune = SPORTS My Callas 117, Seatie 103 Denver 105, Golden State 97 Phoenix 112, LA Clippers 68 @ BASKETBALL: RAPTORS COACH SLAMS INDIANA'S KNIGHT C-2 ay APRIL 15, 2000 Utes Finish 2nd True Testfor Strong performance on vault sparks Utah, but Bruinstake team title Morris Just Around Corner ws 's twofalls to post a careerhigh-ty TH Rob Morris is ready to freak. T LAKE The Universityof Utah took second. Barring something egregious, ‘Troy Maben/TheAssociated Press Utah's Deidra Graham helped leadthe Utestotheir bestfinishin five years on Fridayat Boise, Idaho. “We'll rememberthis for the rest of ourlives,” Jones saidof Utah's best nationals score ever. It will be a season to remember because the Utes were accorded little chance of even making the Super Six after a rash of injuries to All-America 9.9orbetter, won with 197.300. Two-time competitors. And when they went to defending champion Georgia (196.800) vault, their weakest event, there were still few in Boise State's Pavilion who That was an upset. The Utes, posting a season-high 49.40 on vault that surpassed their season wasthird. “We're for real,” exclaimed Utese- high of49.175, achieved their best nationalsfinish in five years with a 196.875 39. total. UCLA, piling up seven scores of “I body else fell,” she said. TRIBUNE BOISE — UCLA won the NCAA women’s gymnastics championship Fridaynight. That was noupset. 39.425 all-around total. woud rather have gone out andfinished second with a great meet than win with a mediocre meet because some- BYDICK ROSETTA In some ways, he alreadyhas. “This whole thing, the whole process, has been weird,” he says. “Andit stilll is.” mother’s homenear Provo with a small gathering of family and friends. For Morris,the selection, sat NCAA WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 1 deal with it in the privacy of his Houston 10, San Diage'4 Arzons 3, San Francisco t @ NFL DRAFT: FRANK HAS EXPERIENCED UNCERTAINTY C-2 GORDON MONSON the former BYU linebackerwill be taken during thefirst round of today’s NFL Draft.If not, he will 9 Anatom 4 NY. Yankees 7, Kansas CayS Minnesota 10, Battnore 9 gave them much of a chance against Georgia and Nebraska. nior Denise Jones, who compiled a 5 all-aroundscore andtiedherca: But senior Ashley Kever, who was reer high on vault with a Theresa Wolf rec ed Sce UTES,Page C-4 from likely to come in the back half of the round,will simultaneously conclude an odd run-upto wealth MaloneStats AIR WAR andposition, and commence the realization of what, to him, never seemed real. Up From ’99 “This is crazy,” he says. Today, “mylife is going to change forev- er. When I was playing high schoolfootball in Idaho,I thought I'dend upplaying at BoiseState. MVPSeason That’s all I couldsee.So, now,it’s like. . . ‘What have I done?’” Whathehas doneis impress pro scouts enough to be labeled the bestinside linebackeravailable. Respect for Mailmanisn’t high enough, Sloan says Morris’path to this juncture is well-chronicled. Even now,publicationsare eating it up. He came to BYU from a small farm town, BY wenton an LDS Church mission, was switched to linebacker and ruled the Cougar defense. And he did it with panache.He painted his toenails pastel colors as a means of“staying in touch with myfeminineside.” He said he wanted to cross-dress like Dennis Rodman. He wore Superman SAN’ANTONIO Likeeveryoneelse, Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan knows Laker center Shaquille O'Neal is this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player. Sloan just can't figure out why Karl Malone isn’t the consensus runner-up. “I just wonder how manygames those peo- ple think we would have won without him,” Sloan said. Malonehas been the MVP twic in 1997 and '99. shirts. He jumped off balconies © «, *< into swimmingpools, He chased alligators with sticks in the Everglades. He spokehis everruminating mind, almost always With fresh pointof view. He was religious, and,yet, independentminded. Andheplayed football like a madman. “The press asks me aboutthat all the time,” he says. “They seem to love that combination.” Hethoughtpro scouts would focuson football, but when he got to the scouting combines, he found it more comprehensive than that. Statistically, he has played better this year than he did during his awardwinning, lockout-shortened seasonof‘99. Despite playing one fewer minute per game, he is scoring more (25.8-23.8) and rebounding more (9.5- nice reward. more for me'to do, but, as ridicu- I Tomorrow,oddly enough, he |™ will play on. But I dofeel, on a whole,this is oneof my better years. Maybe not mybest. Butoneof them.” See MALONE.P: ge C-6 SKI JUMPING Quad-Crazy . ©; lous as it all is, I'm going to enjoy this. [Today] is a day to cele- TV: Channel 5 (.795-.788), ‘Honestly, I'mjust gladto still be playing at this level,” Malonesaid. “ ‘With all the games andall the minutes, playing at this level is a poke, prod, and even brand you. I was LB29.It was like a stock show,scouts looking for the best piece of meat.I always thought cowshad a good life, until I went through that. The part I liked best was talkingto the coaches. That poe you backinto the human Te part he loathed was the written personality/psychology tests. Morris took 15 of them for various clubs. They featured questions such as; Which would you rather be... .acat or a dog? ©. Areyou afraid ofdeep water? § Whatis most alike about a saw and an ax?Finish the sentence: Policemenare. . . (blank). When was the last timeyou thought about punching orkilling someone? While taking one suchtest for the Dolphins, Morris finally snapped. “Tt was about 11:30 at night, and I had been upsince 4:30 that morning,” he says. “I was punch drunk. Halfway through,I put my pencil down,got up,and said,‘I'm outta here.’ The guy with the Dolphins said, ‘Hey, you can’t leave.’ I said,‘I'm going insane here. You guys already have an all-pro middie linebacker. Sure, I can go.’” And he did. After “retiring” from school in December, Morris has worked out in Phoenix ata “Lube, oil, andfilter shop for humans” with other NFL prospects, readyfor what's to come,“I'm looking for: ward to it,” he says, “It's weird: 1 didn't ever expect this, but I think I can be an impact player in the NFL, even as a rookie, There's TONIGHT Vs.: San Antonio Where: Alamodome ‘When: 6:30 p.m. 9.4). He is also shooting bet Radio: ter from thefield (.512-.493) ) KENZ-AM 1320 and the free-throw line “T relate that experience to being a cow for three days,” he says. “They herd you around, they - &, 5. . UHM THESALT LAKE TRIBUNE, wanted to play running back, Bare Was First To Pull Off Feat BY JANET RAE BROOKS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Danny La/TheSalt LakeTribune Davis midfielder Paul Timothy,left, collides with Layton’s Trent Burrup and goalie Ryan Garton. Layton won 4-3. Layton Takes Control in Region1 @ More Prep ‘Soccer @ Prep Baseball, Softball KAYSVILLE - E Barcing a soccer ball off your head into the net over a charging goalie sounds exciting, but Layton's Miles Hicks considered it routine, “T was just doing my job,” Hicks said, “Tt feels real good;it puts you on a high.” The second-half score broke Davis’ momentum in Layton’s 43 win Friday. “That was the biggest goal of the game,” Layton coach Rick Talamantz said. The win puts Layton (6-2) on top of Region 1 over Davis (5-3) one game. ‘is is probably our biggest game of the year so far, to finally be at the top offic! ally,” Talamantz sald. Davis led an emotional charge in the C4 C4 last minute,” But goalie Ryan Garton snuffed out Davis’ run, gaining control of theball before the Darts could score, “He's the man; he saved us,” Talamantz said. “He played the best gameof his career." Layton climbed to a 3-1 halftimelead, all on set plays. On the first, Shawn Larsen faked the defense by tipping the ball on the first penalty kick, then Micah Robinson buried the ballforthe Lancers. ers. Seventeen years ago today, Frank Bare didn’t let anyofthese factors prevent him fromattempting the world’s first quadruple somersault onskis. The night beforehis his: toric jump, friends he ran into at dinner CameronStrickland headedtheball in offa corner kick for the second, and then promised tovisit his gravesite. “PeoplethoughtI wasreally on asuicide missionandjust wantedpublicity said Bare, whosefatheris a member of theIn\ ernational Gymnastics Hall of Fame. “Even my family Kyle Christensen picked up a rebound thought I had a death wish.” andsenttheball past the right goalpost final minute, nearly sending the game into overtime on several throw-in plays deepin Laytonterritory. “My heart was pounding,” Talamantz said. “I thought I was going to die in the No helmet, no training, no landing hill, no proper take-off kicker andnolack of naysay on another penalty kick. ampionship games are won on set plays, Davis coach Bret Jepson said “We just didn’t mark up onsetplays.” Seth Alexander scored Davis’ first goal on a penalty kick. “In thefirst half, we just didn't play well at all, regardless of [Layton’s} set plays,” Jepsonsaid. But Davis turned it around in the second half, gaining momentum on a Well, you canhardly blame them. ‘TheSalt LakeCityaerialist deliberately set out to performastunt that would set theacrobatic world on its ear. A triple-twisting qua- druple somersault four revolutions witha full twist onthelast three flips was consid ered impossible, At the time, twisting triple somersaults were uncommon. “Twas ona missionthat was kindof light years beyondthe acrobatic world,” Bare said. Practicing forthe jump was impossible: There were no waterjumps big enoughor Daniel Vettori lob shot fromtheleft an- trampolines springy enoughto providethe gleinto the upper-right corner of the net necessary height. That meant Bare's first qua druplejumpwould end, one wayor another on cold, hard, unforgiving snow. After Hicks’ goal gavethe Lancers some breathing room, Davis’ Landon Potter scored on a header from a crossing pass. But the Darts couldn't catch up, See BARE, Page C-3 |