UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, January 14, 1997
3B
New coaching revives Colorado
Buffaloes' morale begins to rebound
By Craig Horst The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The cream of the Big 12 crop certainly is top-ranked and unbeaten Kansas.
But what's going on in Boulder with that Colorado team that Ricardo Patton took charge of mid-season last year?
"They are disciplined. They execute," said Texas Tech coach James Dickey, whose Red Raiders saw their home-court winning streak stopped at 35 games by the Buffs Saturday.
"The they have a star in Chaucey Billups," Dickey said yesterday during the Big 12 coaches' conference call. "They know how to control the game. They're making big plays. They're making big shots. They had an answer every time we made a run."
Dickey said Billups had a very good
crossover dribble.
"He's got a great head and shoulder fake," he said. "He's always in control. Right now, he's making very good decisions."
Billups has turned into a complete player as a sophomore. He forces opponents to guard him at the three-point line, and he has the quickness to drive the basket.
Thanks to Billups and his teammates, the Buffs (12-3, 3-0 in the Big 12) have won five straight, the last two at Missouri and at No. 25 Texas Tech.
"Winning in Columbia and Lubbock certainly opened a lot of eyes across the country," said Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton. "Coach Patton has got them playing better defensively than any Colorado team I've seen since I came to OSU."
Sutton is not alone in his opinion of the Buffs.
"This is the best Colorado team I've seen in the 11 years I've been in the league," said Nebraska coach Danny Nee. "It's the biggest, deepest, strongest Colorado I've seen in 11 years."
Patton took over for Joe Harrington last season and the Buffers struggled to the end. But getting a chance to start a full season has allowed Patton, an assistant under Harrington, to mold the team to his liking.
Ricardo Patton
"This team has a focus about them, or has had a focus
about them, for the first 15 games," Patton said. "We realize we're capable of winning basketball games if we go out and lay it on the line each time.
"I just believe to succeed in anything that you do, you have to have some discipline, some organization, some structure. I think they realize that in order for them to be on the floor, they have to be disciplined and get after people defensively."
Patton said he talked to Billups in the off-season and urged him to be more concerned about passing the ball.
"His character is what shapes his game
He's just a good person," he said. "I had asked him to try to make his teammates better, to distribute the ball, not focus on himself so much. Now everybody understands Chauncey's style of play, and they are not standing around and watching him play. That's what has made us a better basketball team."
Billips said he and his teammates had embraced Patton's philosophy as the Buffs moved toward their goal of making the NCAA tournament after years of mediocrity.
"I think the key to our success has been our hard work relying on our defense," Billups said. "We've been working on our defense. We are playing a lot harder. That's one thing he demands — 100-percent effort on the floor."
"We all respect the coach, and we all give 100-percent effort out there. We just don't want to be a team that everybody comes in and says we can come in and it's going to be a fight, but we can get out of here with a win. That's the thing that's keeping everybody going on around here we're just tired of losing."
Bulldogs obey, respect Coach Tubby
By Paul Newberry
The Associated Press
ATHENS, Ga. — A whistle dangles from his right pocket. A practice schedule is tucked into the back of his warm-up pants. Tubby Smith crouches, hands on his knees, and barks commands.
"Get him! Hands up!" he yells, jumping right in the middle of the court to demonstrate a defensive pose.
The lineup at Georgia has changed completely. Most fans probably would have trouble naming all five starters. But, as much as any sport, college basketball is a game dominated by coaches. And the Bulldogs might have one of the best: A Rick Pitino disciple, slender with graying halr, a man who likes to play pickup games after practice and whose style has led to a whole new word.
TubbyBall.
track."
"Coach comes out intense every day," center Eric DeYoung said. "You've got to give it everything you've got in practice, or you're not going to play; you're not going to get better. Our success has been all because of him getting us on the right
A year after reaching the NCAA round of 16 with a senior-dominated team, the Bulldogs (12-2) are back in the Top 25 with a unique blend of junior-college transfers, experienced sophomores and true freshmen. Even Smith is surprised by how quickly things have come together with a roster that has not even one senior.
"I wish I knew what it was," said Smith, who has been to the final 16 three years in a row after making it in '94 and '95 at Tula. "I'd bottle it or maybe write a book and make some money."
The players point to Smith's refusal to accept anything less than their best. Whether it's yelling in practice or stomping his foot on the sideline during a game, Smith constantly prods them to fully explore their potential.
"After every game, I'm thinking about the good things I did, but I'm always reminded of the bad things, the little things I did wrong, because he's always telling me, 'Get in your stance, pressure the ball,' DeYoung said. "He's telling you what to do all the time."
Not even the coach's son, point guard G.G. Smith, escapes the wrath of Tubby.
"Point guard for any team is one of the biggest roles," the younger Smith said, "and playing for my dad is twice as hard, it seems like. Sometimes it doesn't seem like he's my dad; he's just my coach. It's a struggle at times, but I wouldn't be any other place besides here."
Tubby's teams match his demeanor with an up-tempo, intense style of play. The Bulldogs pressure on defense, run on offense and manage to keep everyone fresh by divvying up the playing time among the entire roster. Nine players are averaging double-figure minutes, three others are playing six to eight minutes a game.
"Ireally believe if a kid comes to college and is busting his butt doing the things you're asking him to do on and off the court, you've got to find some place for him," Smith said. "I really think they ought to look at expanding the college game so we can get these kids some more playing time."
Pitino, who had Smith on his Kentucky staff from 1899 to 1911, believed too
much emphasis is put on the Georgia coach's style of play and not enough on his ability to evaluate players.
Smith said he looked for a particular style of player: Talented, to be sure, but someone who also is willing to share time with his teammates. That shouldn't be surprising for someone who grew up in a household with 17 children.
"Having come from a big family and seeing those characteristics that my mom and dad tried to instill in each one of us, caring and sharing, I think it's especially important in team play to have those characteristics," Smith said. "If you don't care, if you don't share, there will come a time in the game that selfishness takes over."
So far, it hasn't. The Bulldogs, who already have exceeded the victory total projected in one preseason magazine, might be on course for another trip to the final 16. A key test comes today, when they play host to Pitino's team, defending champion Kentucky.
"This is a real big chance to let people know how good we are," DeYoung said. "They're beatable."
Big 12 salutes outstanding competitors
Colorado's Billups achieves week's best-player honors
DALLAS — Colorado guard Chaucey Billups was named Big 12 player of the week for averaging 28.5 points in the Buffalo's two road victories.
Missouri freshman Jeff Hafer, who scored 12 points in each of two losses, was named rookie of the week, the league announced yesterday.
Chauncey Billups
Billups helped Colorado to its best league start (3-0)
since 1968-69 with all-around play that included nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in an 87-78 victory at Missouri. He hit the game-winning shot as Colorado snapped then-No. 20 Texas Tech's 35-game home winning streak with an 80-78 victory.
Hafer had six assists, three blocks and two steals in the loss to Colorado, then added five assists and two steals in the Tigers' loss to Oklahoma State.
The awards are decided by a panel of media observers.
Oklahoma State women take conference honors this week
DALLAS — Oklahoma State's Renee Roberts, who scored 37 points in victories against No. 7 Texas Tech and Missouri, was voted Big 12 player of the week.
Teammate Jennifer Crow, who averaged 12 points, three rebounds and two assists coming off the bench, was named Big 12 rookie of the week.
Roberts, a 5-foot-10-inch
Basketball Wrap-Up Basketball Wrap-Up Basketball Wrap-Up Basketball Wrap-Up Basketball Wrap-Up Basketball Wrap-Up Basketball Wrap-Up
junior forward from Bartlesville, Okla., hit nine of 10 shots against the Lady Raiders. She had seven steals in the two games.
Crow, a 5-foot-9-inch guard from Corn, Okla, hit six of nine three-pointers against Texas Tech, and leads the Big 12 in three-point accuracy at 50 percent. The selection was her third this season as rookie of the week.
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