Show 'I T0URIIAI1BIT The Herald Journal Logan Utah Thursday March 9 2000 — Page 7 2000 Coming into today’s game Reno ' the Tigers have lost five of their last six games and seven of their last nine “It will be a great challenge “That’s what we did against for us and we’ll have to play Aon last time and that’s what the best we’ve played all--' we’ll do against them this season togame win” Thomason said time” of today’s contest In the game at Logan USU The Aggies of course are at shot 52 percent in the first half the other end of the spectrum and built up an lead “You know everybody by halftime Although the keeps talking about who’s hot Aggies would make just 8 of at tournament time and I 19 free throws in the second don’t know if anybody’s hotter half they still came away with than us” Morrill admitted “I the win thanks to nine steals mean how can they be? But I( and 19 turnovers by the Tigers don’t know if it’s who’s hotter Junior forward Shawn going into the tournament or Daniels had four of those who gets hot during the tour- steals and also added a team-hig- h nament?” 16 points eight rebounds Now tied wifo Pennsylvania ! and two blocks Ultra-quic- k for the longest streak in the point guard Bernard Rock fin- - country USU has reeled off 16 rshed with 13 points and nine straight wins and emerged vie- -' assists thanks in part to all torious in 19 of its last 20j the attention the Tigers placed A victory tonight would on Brown and Rolle the school record of “That’s how it is against in a season set by the' Continued from Page 6 BUCSSU U-po- int ' ( - : 25-win- junk defenses” Rock said team and would likely 1 assure foe Aggies of a berth in foe NCAA Tournament 1997-9- 8 “They focus on the wings and ‘ leave the point guard kind of open And the last two prac- tices I’ve had great practices against the junk defenses “I’ve been knocking down my dose shots I haven’t been I’ve relying on been driving and codling in and hitting the little off the glass” Glass was about all Rock and Daniels could hit in the first game against the Tigers when standing at the line Both players went 4 for 11 from the charity stripe and the Aggies made just 17 of 36 (47 percent) free throws for the game Morrill’s approach tb thef postseason is that Utah State-h- as already proven itself to be foe best team in the Big West and anymore victories from here are on out have to be considered “gravy” “We should be able to relax and go play hard and have fun knowing that we’ve at least secured a special season in many ways” he said Yada yada: Utah State leads the series wifo UOP but has lost three of the last four meetings against the Tigers in the Big West Touma-ment The lone victory came in the championship game in 1998 After 'suffering a through shooting slump cen- 15-foo- " all-ti- “They’re so consistent” Thomason said of the Ags “They defend well rebound and take care of the ball They're only Achilles heel is their shooting” Pacific wasn’t able to take advantage of that last month inasmuch as with the excep- ter Dimitri Jorssen has knocked down 12 of his last free-thro-w 17 McKnight (16 points five and forward Mike Hahn (5 for 7 10 points) none of die Tigers did much damage against foe Aggies offensively add the outcome was never really in doubt mamH name for himself In the Bis West i 't-- i n I I&U Trio tl ‘‘V - said “Knowing his personality be will want to do more than just go but do well enough to make teammates call him "Big Daddy" but he's really more of a big kid The baby face with the round cheeks is always adorned with a smile and foe eyes suggest that all is right with the world Shawn Daniels plays basketball like Ken Griffey Jr played baseball a decade ego — for the fun for the joy because that's just what kids da If he wore a hat on die court it would be on backwards If had pants on they'd have grass stains at the knees If he had a pocket on his shorts it'd have a slingshot in iL from Bakersfield And yet the Calif plays a position with a very grown-u- p sounding name — power forward Physical play down low Banging bodies in the post A lot of sweat and a link Mood Ifs every big man for himself in the frontcourt And yet despite the bashing and the cursing and the high elbows somehow "Big Daddy" always seems to emerge with the bucket or die rebound and a big smile "He's always been that way" says Shawn's mother Joyce Daniels "I remember his coach in high school told him to never let anybody take the smile off of his face when he was playing basketbalL "But he's always been happy What you see is what he's been since he was a little boy" What Joyce Daniels sees now is what die hoped to see when she turned her son onto basketball when he was eight or nine years old Although Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens sang of "Trying to find something better on die streets of Bakersfield” Joyce hoped Shawn would keep away from those streets altogether "Pm a single parent and we don't live in the best neighborhood" she says "So I was determined to keep him away from the streets and away from the gangs "I thought if I got him involved in sports that he wouldn't want to mess with drugs" The same went for Shawn's twin sister Shaw-n- a Joyce would plop the pair down in front of the TV and let the Lakers of Magic Kareem and Worthy nurture their desire to play basketball Shawna started off first playing for a team in fourth grade and Shawn followed soon after "After watching her play I wanted to play” Shawn says The' twins played all through high school taking road trips together with die boys' and girls' teams The desire to play hoops also kept them in school and much to Joyce's delight off foe streets and out of trouble "It's a nice place a really nice community" Shawn says of Bakersfield "But it has its bad parts and gang violence and stuff like that Playing basketball and going to school pretty much It got me doing kept me away from most of H other stuff than just hanging out on foe comer wifo some of the people in the neighborhood” Being bigger dun most of the kids around him also mule it easier for Daniels to avoid conflict off foe court and succeed on ft A starter as a freshman at Highland High School he led the team in scoring that season a forgettable campaign Highland won 21 games each of foe 4-- 18 rnmtmjm v James Parker Speaking of i James Parker might not know it but he’s got a chance to tie USU-grcMark Enyeart as the Aggie with most AIN American awards If Parker earo’s his fifth title in foe weight throw Saturday he will do just that “I’ll tell him after it hapat determine how good you can bej is race against the best there is Aggie senior Marcus Morgan- has earned his foot at doing just ' an that With a personal best oP 4:0307 minutes Morgan is pens” Gensel said If it doesn't happen Saturday he’s got a few more ranked 11th in the country Like? Thurston he’s a senior and a c newcomer to the national circuit chances since Parker is only a junior If some of the back “I'm pretty nervous right now” Morgan said via' pain he’s dealt with during the season flares up this weekend he can always shoot for his fifth during foe outdoor season and next year But don’t count this kid out He’s the real deal and Gensel knows ft Gensel’s cell phone V sub-fo- Parker left the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Herald Journal Me photo season this has fit nicely in earlier Pacific shown Daniels here Shawn against Aggie his Urge Utah Stata uniform and Stew Morrill's system - “Not only was his throw fair but it was his PR” some-- - where along Interstate 15 emv' route to Salt Lake City Intema-tional Airport “There’s a lot of minute milers there” But Gensel believes that is a good thing : “He can run a 4:02 by himself” Gensel said “He’s ai r bulldog He's a competitor” While it's not often milers an Indoor Championship with a weight throw title but didn't even break a sweat After his initial throw the pain in his back encouraged him to pull out of foe meet “I only force once at Reno” Parker said It didn't matter Throw all they want no one could touch him Then there was last year’s outdoor NCAA Championship After faulting on his first two throws Gensel said he didn’t know how Parker would react attempts “It’s going to be good”( Parker said “It helps me get iq£ it helps you my mindset tfgahiz i ydtf fflobghfiml ' ready for the big meets” ‘ ' If pain flares up he said he will withdraw But it’s doubt-fi- d ” hie won’t give it at least one college try “The kid's unphaseable”' Gensel said “I’m very excited for him you never know bow good he can be ” Marcus Morgan Arguably the best way to-- j Continued from Page 6 By Jeff Hunter sports writer field-go- al Brown has scored 63 points over the last four games McKnight leads the country in free throw percentage at 949? This will be the final year-t- he Big West Tournament is held in Reno With Nevada jumping to the WAC next season the postseason finale will'1 be moved to Anaheim Calif tion of senior guard Clay Ahavn Daniels Is s ur are ever called bulldogs by anyone Gensel said he’s' - earned it Morgan's consistendrive?1 cy and business-lik- e fcould earn him status Gensel said “Marcus is going to be right there” he said According to Morgan the an stage is set “This week at practice I felt1 very strong” Morgan said “I’ve run the fastest I’ve run’ and I'm actually feeling a little"' confident too” offered him a visit to Utah State Gensel said Despite some discomfort Daniels accepted liked what he saw Parker is currently ranked with hrs foot earlier this sea-and heard while in Logan and afro: dis- sixth in foe nation and automatson Morgan and Gensel said wifo Arce had who move foe national foe is ready to ga for he cussing ically qualified been offered a job on Stew Morrill's “He's as healthy as we’ve meet after his school-recor- d staff after being away from Bakersfield toss of during ever had him” Gensel said for a year signed on wifo the Aggies foe Wilson Motor Invitational While the outdoor season is Morgan races Friday at 6j£ v Utah State however got a little more Shawn Daniels than it wanted last fall for main the event pm MST in the preliminaries always After suffering an ankle injury Daniels track and field athletes Parker before a 6:15 pm Saturday1’ final Thurston jumps at 2 pm was told to stay off ft as much as possisaid the indoor championships ble over the summer While foe ankle the for nice are a Friday and Parker will throw springboard was slow to heal Daniels was quick to rest of the season at 2 pm Saturday eat and he was carrying over 280 matic bid to the NCAA Tournapounds on his frame when he showed up in Cache Valley ment that goes wifo ft But foe "Once I got here coach just told me Bakersfield Daniels delighted his hometournament still lost $81046 to get it off” Daniels says town fiuu and fiunilyty averaging 177 Last March when Nevada’s Continued from Page 6 blocks and rebounds 17 1L4 28 Wotting wifo strength and conditionpoints men’s team failed to qualify the career: steals during his ing coach Shawn Griswold and his sponsored the tournament to tournament only sold $164662? staff he managed to shed 30 pounds in foe drew That kind of production more than half a million dollars in tickets and foe RSCVA suf--n time far the start of foe season Without attention of schools like Long Beach reached sales Ticket fored a loss of $131198 foe added weight Daniels has become a State Prpperdine and Tblsa not to in 1997 when the The RSCVA refers to the $299615 shotg mention foe Aggies Assistant coach title annual lost the to Pack loss as “The Wolf game a Randy Rahe went to California to take autoWest's foe and Pacific 9 DADDY on See Big and Daniels foe at Page look quickly next two seasons however and then put together a 25--8 mark behind the senior leadership — and 24 points and 13 rebounds per game — of Daniels But when ft came time to head off to college two things held him back: grades and his love of life in Bakersfield "He was supposed to go to Southern Utah” Joyce says "But he decided he wasnT ready to leave home at foe time” Instead Daniels thought ft was a great opportunity to stay at home and get two yean of school out of foe way” and signed on wifo Bakersfield Junior Cd- lege and head coach Mark Arce An all- conference selection both seasons at two-ye- V 71-fe- et Nevada ar basket-scorin- |