Show ft ' 'I B2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday March 3 2002 Nelson looking to return next season after Morrill took over the program for Larry Eustachy Nelson played in all 28 of Utah State's games averaging 45 points and 33 rebounds per contest Because he was coming back from a two- year layoff after his mission Nelson had to get himself back into playing shape During a pub- lie scrimmage he led all players with 18 points He also had six rebounds “It definitely wasn’t easy” Nelson said about By Gregg Hardy staff writer They are three letters found within the alphabet By themselves they don't hold any special meaning to an athlete But when you string them together it's the one thing he or she never ' wants to hear ACL However Utah State Aggies forward thetimingofhisinjury“Ihadalotoffujiat Spencer Nelson believes the tom anterior era- that scrimmage and in practice I was just getdate ligament in his left knee which he suffered back on Oct 3 1 has proven to be ting better Each time I went out on the court it seemed like I was getting a little more something of a positive in his life comfortable and a little bit better serious Really he's Morrill had high hopes for Nelson before the “I don't know exactly why but I really wasseason With several new players on this year’s n't discouraged too much by it” said Nelson team the coach was counting on Nelson who before his injury had just to help build some chemistry not to returned to Utah State after serving a mention be a key part of the team's on- two-yeLDS Church mission in court success Tulsa Okla “I knew immediately — “Vas he a big part of our plans? (Aggie trainer Mike Williams) told me Yeah” Morrill said “We felt he was that it's probably the ACL And then Aggie the doctor said it was the ACL So I going to play a lot of time He wasn’t a basketball knew immediately that I was out for projected starter necessarily but he could have potentially become that” the season and that was the next six months of Said Aggie forward Tony Brown also a my life freshman on that ‘98-9- 9 team: “He was com“For some reason I wasn't disheartened I ing along (with his conditioning) A lot of guys just looked at it as another challenge And realdon’t come back from their mission and play I it it’s been a now look at as blessing just ly as well as he was playing It’s tough to lose ' A lot of good things have come from it” someone that you know might be able to get for his parents A appreciation some good minutes and quality minutes and ' Jim and Michele is one of those good things After his first surgery (he had a second one to help your team out “He brings a work ethic You can never get clear an infection in the knee) Nelson returned to hi!s parents' homein Pocatello Idaho to enough guys with a good work ethic on the same court at the same time" recuperate Nelson admits he often thinks about what ' It was there that Nelson realized he took a could have been had he not suffered the injury basic human activity for granted But he quickly points out that had be not gotWalking ten hurL his friend and teammate Chad Evans “My mission helped me not take basketball for may not have been able to impress the Aggie granted because I wasn’t able to play basketball” coaches to the point where Evans was put into Nelson said “But this has helped me not take the starting lineup for much of this season walking for granted Just little things like that it’s “Of course vou think about that a lot about made me a lot stronger mentally tougher It’s the different chemistry and where you would helped me gain a much greater appreciation for have fit into the picture” Nelson said “It looks As I laid in bed I honestly thought my parents like I would have had a good opportunity But J a lot about ‘Hojpefully I can be a parent like they Chad are to me’ They were unbelievable” stepped up into the place and I was really Don’t get Nelson wrong though He would happy that Chad did Chad's a good friend of mine so I was really happy that he was able to much rather be playing basketball for the Aggies this year especially with them having a have that opportunity to ' step up and he did ' take advantageof it” chance to make their third straight trip to the-- ' ' '! Nelson said he spends five days a week rehaNCAAToumament Because of his injury Nelson also missed the bilitating his knee and hopes to resume playing in May which will give him five months chance to compete against his older brother before the Aggies officially begin preparing for State for senior is Idaho a who center JT JT 2002-0- 3 their season Naturally he will have to this his with twice season in Logan played wear a brace on the knee Bengals losing both games to the Aggies “I have a lot of confidence in the doctors As a true freshman Spencer was part of head coach Stew Morrill’s first team in 1998-9-9 (and) die trainers” Nelson said “Everyone’s di ar : No 5 Soomers Eli LuceraHareM Journal Utah State forward Spencer Nelson goes through rehab at the Speciality Hospital hi North Logan Nelson is working to recover from a knee injury suffered last fall - getting me ready to go Hopefully I’ll be playing by May and that’ll give me the entire sum mer to get back to where I was and even exceed that and try to get better “Yeah I plan on coining in next September 6) 70-6- APphcio Oklahoma guard Ebi Ere (2) works the bal inside for guard Michel Morandais in foe first half onSatuiday by making two clutch shots midway through the second half and foe Bull- dogs advanced to die semifinals of the West Coast Conference tourna LAR AMIE Wyo (AP) — For the sec- ond time in a week the torch has been passed frotp Utah” Six days after Salt Lake tity Olympics ended Wyoming put an end to Utah’s streak of seven consecutive regular-seaso- n ' v conference championships ( Marc Bailey sank two freethrows with 4 seconds left and scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half in leading Wyoming past Utah 6 Saturday for the Mountain Conference title i ft is Wyoming first outright league tide1 V in 20 years add foe Cowboys are the first tide out- team to win foe regular-seaso- n three-yethe in of history die Moun- right i tainWesL : The Cowboys (20-- 7 overaU ll-- 3 MWC) i 57-5- ! t ' ! - a shot against Colorado ment at San Diego Dickau finished with 17 points and Gonzaga (27-seeking its fourth straight conference tournament title 3) (8-2- ! 11-- 7) Nal4Ariaonai99: No 21 California 53 Rick Anderson had 17 points to tead sixArizona scoreni double' figures as the Wildcats handed California its second-wor- st loss in school 1-- 20-lo- ss SeeTOP25onB3 PORT COLLINS Cola (AP)— Brian Greene scored outright in 1982 They shared foe MWC title test year with Utah and BYU A The Utes (20-- 7 10-- had been tied wifo Cincinnati for the longest active streak in the nation Cipcinnati still has a shot at Win ning the Conference USA tide this sea “You never want to seek solace iri defeat" Utah coach Rick Muenis said: !? “but give Wyoming credit They won foe league ’Diey played very hard They're ah outstanding team They have sormel size and foey're very We werp beaten But we couldn't have played any hardetiTVA ’ Wyoming tinned time and Andy Birley added seven of his22in the extra 'i s period as Colorado State A defeated Brigham YoOng '15 on Saturday rugftL' Matt Nelson had 20 point jfia!CokxadoState ' Moimtein West Confidence) The Rams were 27for-3- 4 on free throws including 16 from foe final twomhutes of regulation through overtime ' Reserve Jared Jensen had 18 and Travis Hansen 15 for Brigham Toting which lost its 4) A (12-173-- H BYU kxf 35-2- 6 athalftime £ and Mark Bigdow’s gsvethp Qxigan a52-38k- ad midway thraugh foe second half foflow-u- p basket C cttM foe gap to 57415 wifo 34' seconds kxLGreene hittwov free throws and a byup in foe last 23 seconds to tie the game I 15-for- -? ar I 0-77) m lastwonai 3) 4) - 1 NCAA tournament QuannaS White Aaron McGhee and Jason Detrick each had 12 points for Oklahoma’ ' which made five of its first 21 shifts from the field James Wright had 16 points for Colorado (14-1- 3 which has lost six of seven No 7 Gonzaga 82 Loyola Marymount 64 Dan Dickau overcame a slow start - (9-2- 68-6- top-rank- ed : No 12 Oklahoma St 66 Texas A&M 51 Melvin Sanders tied his career high with 18 points and Oklahoma State outscored Texas A&M 16rl in foe final 7:04 to beat die Aggies at Stillwater Okla Oklahoma State (23-- 7 10--6 Big 12) led by as many as 16 in the first half and by 10 with 13 minutes remaining before the Aggies made things interesting 17 Jesse King scored a career-hig- h for Texas A&M 1 which lost its ninth straight No 13 Oregon 65 UCLA 62 At Los Angeles Frederick Jones scored 22 points said foe Ducks Won die Pac-1- 0 title outright and earned a No 1 seeding for next week’s con-ference tournament The Ducks (22--7 14-won at Pauley Pavilion for the first time since 1984 also the last time they swept the Brains It was Oregon's first outright title since winning foe 1939 NCAA championship Dan Gadzuric had 22 points and 11 rebounds for UCLA (19-1- 0 first-roun- 3) 1) and automatic NCAA berth won its ' 12th straight game Greg Lakey scored 18 points for the Lions who lost for die 15th straight time to Gonzaga No 11 Kentucky 70 Na8 Florida 67 Gerald Fitch playing for die first time since being suspended for disciwith plinary reasons hit a 33 seconds to play for Kentucky at Lexington Ky The Wildcats (20-- 8 10-- secured a d bye in next week’s Southeastern Conference tournament as the Eastern Division’s No 2 seed while the Gaton (21-- 7 104) will have to ptey in Thursday's opening round Fitch who had missed die last forte games gave the Wildcats a 7 lead After a Florida miss Cliff Hawkins made two free throws a sec-- ’ ond later to put Kentucky up 7 Brett Nelson scored 23 points to tead Florida which dropped to third in the Eastern Division No10 Pittsburgh 92 West Virginia 65 At Pittsburgh JuUus Page had 23 points fin foe Panthersi(254:13-- 3 Big East) who dosed the bestt j season in school history and 51- year-ol- d Fitzgerald Held House with their seventh straight win: Drew Sdnfinahad 20 points for the Mountaineers 0 who had foe first season in school history (9-2-0) Hollis Price scored 23 points and had some key steals in the second half as No S Oklahoma overcame a sluggish start and then held off Col- orado for an 82-7- 1 victory on Satur- ' day at Boulder Colo The win gives the Sooners (24-- 4 13-second place in the Big 12 Kansas and keeps alive their hopes for a possible No : seeding in the hard-worid- tame the The Associated behind doesn’t because we’re talking about a very kid" upbeat positive and playing like I usually do” Kentucky slips by Florida Zags keep on rolling By Said Morrill: “It’s a serious injury I don’t know when the soonest is we can expect to have him back What I will say is this: Spencer Nelson will nuke it back Til be shocked if he V j er got Brigham Young wifoini1 wifonine seconds left ? 5 But the Rams converted their - ? 77-7- !- vi 11- (: T r - ' vs i V: : : f r v ' 'X if v 'jf- c- uy-- - v - ! : -- j ajhfl y "j— ' !' v |