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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, November 19, 1968
Pre-season blues Same ol' song from coaches
Sports editor's note: This is the first of a nine part series on Big Eight basketball teams, their personnel and their title chances for the 1968-69 season.
By DICK DEAN
Kansan Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Big Eight basketball coaches cried their woes here Sunday during the annual Big Eight basketball clinic at the Muehlebach Hotel. All eight coaches appeared pessimistic about their team's chances of winning the Big Eight crown.
After each coach spoke, the floor was open to questions. Perhaps the most concern of the sportswriters and sportscasters lay in how junior college transfers and sophomores were helping out. This is a year when many new players are on the scene.
Reason is that many fine seniors were lost by all the teams. Leading with lettermen back are Kansas and Iowa State with nine apiece. Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado and Kansas State have six returning.
Oklahoma State coach Henry Iba, fresh from guiding the U.S. Olympic basketball team to a gold medal, said that his team
"is the best since my 1964 team." The '64 team won the championship.
KU coach Ted Owens said later, "as much respect that all of us (coaches) have for Mr. Iba, we sure wouldn't like to see history repeat itself." Owens was referring to the 1964 season when Iba coached the U.S. cage team to victory in the Olympics and came back to win the conference that year.
Coach Norm Stewart said that his Missouri team will be small. The tallest player is 6-5 Doug Johnson, a 23-year-old junior who joined the team after completing a hitch in the Army. Stewart quipped, "For your information, Doug is not up for social security benefits (referring to his age). He also entered the Army on our side."
Oklahoma coach John MacLeod said, "Our progress has been extremely slow, but we've had a good effort."
Nebraska coach Joe Cipriano said that his team has more rebounding potential and fairly good shooting. "Our defense is the real question mark," he said. He hinted that the Huskers might not resort to the pressing defense for which they have been known.
"It will be a great amount of physical risk for us to play the other teams this year," joked Iowa State coach Glen Anderson, referring to the tremendous height of the other teams. "We had a hell of a time beating our frosh in an overtime last week," he said. "We don't have any positions, we just go out and play." In a more serious mood, Anderson said that he had experience to work with, but all starting spots were up for grabs.
Russell (Sox) Walseth of Colorado said that his team was "in a state of flux," and that "it will take us a while to figure out what we have." There is no definite starting lineup, but the Buffs have 7-2 Ron Smith to intimidate opponents.
Kansas coach Ted Owens cites a group of good sophomores plus improved shooting of Rich Bradshaw and Bruce Sloan to help KU contend for the championship.
When asked if that will mean that KU will run the fast break more, Owens replied, "I've said that for the last four years, but we've lacked the rebounding."
(See tomorrow's Kansan for the second part of the report of the coaches' basketball clinic.)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (UPI)—Oklahoma linebacker Don Pfrimmer seems to make a habit of demolishing the Missouri offense.
Last year he had a tremendous day against the Tigers as the Sooners won 7-0 at Columbia, Mo., and went on to capture the Big Eight Conference football championship with a perfect 7-0 record.
Saturday, the 6-0, 185-pounder had another field day against the then sixth-ranked Tigers. He was credited with being in on 20 tackles as the Sooners whipped Missouri 28-14 to stay in title contention.
"Pfrimmer played his best game of the year Saturday," Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks siad after the senior was named Big Eight Lineman of the Week yesterday.
OU's Pfrimmer named Big 8 lineman
Sooner coaches credited him with 10 solo tackles and 10 assists. Two times, he knifed
through the Missouri line to tackle backs for three-yard losses.
"It looks like Don Primmer knows something about Missouri nobody knows," Fairbanks said. "Don had a great ball game for us. This was by far his best game of the year."
Last season against the Tigers, Pfrimmer was also named conference lineman of the week.
Pfrimmer's numerous tackles helped keep Missouri's running game to only 174 yards while Oklahoma tailback Steve Owens was outrushing all the Tigers with 177.
Fairbanks commenting on the number of tackles credited to Pfrimmer, said, "That's a pretty good day's work for anybody."
Other top nominees included Nebraska defensive end Sherwyn Jarmon, who was credited with eight tackles and kept pressure on Colorado quarterback Bob Anderson in the huskies' 22-6
victory, and Kansas State split end Dave Jones, who caught seven passes for 115 yards and one touchdown in the 38-29 loss to Kansas.
Others nominated were Iowa State defensive tackle George Dimitri, who was in on 13 tackles in the 26-17 loss to Oklahoma State; Kansas offensive guard Dave Aikins, who had a fierce blocking day against the Wildcats; Colorado defensive end Mike Snitterk, who had another great day for the Buffs at defensive end, and Oklahoma center Jon Kolb, who coach Phil Cutchins says "had his best day yet, even better than against Colorado last week."
Competing against the top talent of five other Big Eight gymnastics teams, KU's Kirk Gardner captured a share of first place on the rings in the KU Invitational Gymnastics Championships at New Robinson last Saturday.
fifth. Iowa State, Colorado and Oklahoma took the top three places while Nebraska ranked sixth. Results
The Atchison sophomore posted a score of 9.30 to tie Iowa State senior Meythaler for first place.
Floor exercise 1—, Snow, KSU, 9.1
Sexton, OU, 8.95 — 3, Ito, US, 8.875
(4) tie, Pierson, KU, Berry, ISU, 8.775
(6) tie, Ware, KU, Bergeran, CZU
8.55, 8. Male, QUI, 0.875
High bar—1, Sexton, OU, 9-375. 2 B. Simmons, IU, 9-025. 3 Blea, CU. 4 Butzman, IU, 8-85. 5 Pomeranz, UU, Show, KSU, 8-52. 7 Mazur, IU, 8-225.
KU performers Robert Pierson, Lawrence senior, and Stan Clyne, Wichita sophomore, also advanced to the finals in this six-tteam meet. Pierson, an all-around gymnast, earned a second in the long horse, tied for fourth in floor exercise, and took a seventh in the rings.
Rings—1, i (tie) Gardner, KU, Methaler, ISU. 8.30. 3, Rettbeg, OU. 9.175, USU. 8.704, USU. 9.075. 5, Maher, ISU. 8.074, USU. 8.955, ISU. 8.95, T. Plergon, KU. 8.875.
Parallel bars-1, Mazur, ISU. 9325,
2 B Simmons, ISU. 925. 3 Sexton,
4 German, ISU. 895. 9 Graves,
ISU. 895. (tie) Blea, CUA,
Pomeranz, UU. 8.65.
Side horse—1. Taylor, OU, 8.875. 2. Hoffman, ISU, 8.80. 3. Edwards, CU, 8.5. 4. Repp, OU, 8.275. 5. Pomeranz, KL, 7. Sliner, CU, 7.625. 7. Howland, KSU, 7.525.
Soph leads KU's gymnasts
Long horse—1, Snow, KSU, 9.3.2
Pierson, KU, 9.0875, 3. R, Simmons,
Clyne, KU, 9.0875, 3. Blea,
KU, 9.1925, 6. Sexton, OU, 8.8625,
May, KU, 8.4875
Although only individual awards were presented, team scores were calculated. In the final standings K trailed K-State by 1.2 points to place
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