By Matt Welnack sports editor If the Frogs want to have a chance at making the cut for the NCAA Tournament, both coaches and players said the game tonight against Rice is an important one. TCU meets the Owls at 7:05 p.m. today at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum to end the regular season. TCU is coming off a win against Southern Methodist University, 86-83, where the Frogs overcame a 13-point deficit early in the second half to complete a season-sweep of the Mustangs. The Frogs (16-13, 7-6 Western Athletic Conference) will most likely receive their second-straight invitation to the National Invitation Tournament. "It seems like the NIT is a lock for us, but we're still trying to make a run to get in the NCAA tournament," junior starting point guard Thomas McTyer said. "We've played teams that win their tournaments, and we have played them well. Finishing out the season like we have probably helped us." Head coach Billy Tubbs said it will be difficult for the Frogs to make the NCAA tourney. He said the Frogs will have to win the WAC tournament next week to make it to the NCAA tournament. "I think we obviously have a better shot right now at the NIT," Tubbs said. "If we get the (Rice) game and win the tournament in Fresno, which is difficult but could happen, we could have a shot at the NCAA. These games are very important, and we need to go in on a high note." Tubbs said the Frogs are playing their best basketball right now. TCU has won six of its past nine games. "I don't think there's any question that we're the best we've been all year," Tubbs said. The Owls (5-20, 1-12 WAC) are also playing well right now. Rice won its first conference game against UT El-Paso on Feb. 24, which was also its first victory against a Division I team since Dec. 2. Despite being a last-place team, Tubbs said the Frogs cannot take the Owls lightly. TCU defeated the Owls 83-70 in their previous meeting on Feb. 3. Senior forward Marquise Gainous scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to pace the Frogs in the win. The Owls were without one of their leading scorers, junior guard Mike Wilks, who averages 15.6 points per game and 3.4 assists per game. "The game, I think, will be tough," Tubbs said. "They played without some of their better players, and they have had a lot of injuries. Wilks is, I think, one of the best point guards in the league. He will be back tonight which makes them a lot better team." The Owls will also have the services of junior forward Erik Cooper, who has been out with a foot injury. In the games Cooper has played, he has averaged 21.5 points. "I don't think it is a shoe-in," Tubbs said. "We've got to be ready to play." Tubbs said the win over SMU gives the Frogs confidence going into the end of the season. "It's an advantage anytime of the year when you can build confidence and you're excited about playing," he said. "But, it all comes down to winning, you have to perform every game. Right now, we're not thinking about SMU, we're thinking about TCU and SMU." Practices have been upbeat, McTyer said, after the comeback win against SMU. "We've been real excited," he said. "It seems like we practiced for a real long time because we were going so hard, but it was for only an hour. Everybody's still excited from the win, hopefully it will carry over to the Rice game." Junior forward Ryan Carroll said the Frogs needed something to boost the team morale. "I think the win gave us some confidence," Carroll said. "I think we were a little down. Winning this game gave us a little boost at the end of the season." Carroll said a win against Rice will be important because the Frogs want to avoid a letdown going into the conference tournament. McTyer said the Frogs need to prevent turnovers to stay in the game. Carroll said the Frogs need to continue to shoot the ball well and move the ball inside to Gainous more. "We need to take care of the ball and play defense," McTyer said. "Our key is rebounding and defense. If we rebound, we can probably play with anybody. We just want to play like we play." TCU averages 40 rebounds per game and gives up 85 points per game. The Frogs, however, possess the second-highest scoring team in the nation with 88.7 points per game. The game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, was moved to tonight to accommodate television. The game will be at 7:05 p.m. at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and will be televised on Fox Sports Net.
Matt Welnack
By Danny Horne staff reporter Anyone outside the TCU women's basketball team or the TCU campus might mistake Saturday's game at Rice as just the last game of the regular season. But at this point in the season for the Lady Frogs, every game going into the Western Athletic Conference tournament, is equally as important as any other. "The players are definitely a bit anxious because they know the tournament is next week," said Lonnette Hall, assistant coach. "But we plan to keep them calm and make sure they know that we cannot overlook this game. A win on Saturday would be good as a momentum builder." In the previous meeting on Feb. 3 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, Rice (17-8, 9-3 WAC) escaped with a 67-65 victory on a last-second jumper by Lady Owls' senior guard Marla Brumfield. "We lost to them early in the season in a game we felt we should have won," said Jill Sutton,a TCU junior guard. "We know we played well enough to win that game, but we did make some costly mistakes." Sutton said those mistakes included 24 turnovers as a result of Rice's constant defensive pressure. "Instead of trying to dribble through their pressure, we will look to pass the ball more," Hall said. "The more we can keep the ball off the floor against Rice, the better off we will be." The Lady Frogs take a 2-7 road record into Autry Court where Rice owns a 10-1 mark. The TCU offense has not been as explosive on the road this season averaging 61 points a game. "A lot of our road problems have probably been mental," Sutton said. "We just have to play hard and execute like every other game. It should not be different." Defensively, TCU (15-13, 6-7 WAC) will have to slow down Brumfield and senior forward Kirra Jordan. Brumfield ranks seventh in the WAC in scoring with 14.2 points a game while Jordan ranks ninth with 13.3 points a game. "We know what they are capable of," said Janice Thomas, TCU junior forward. "But as long as we can keep them from controlling the game, we should be all-right." Thomas said the Lady Frogs will use its strength and power in the post to counter the inside game of Jordan and senior forward Kim Smallwood. "We know they are athletic with great quickness, but we also know we are stronger," Thomas said. "One of our focuses will be on getting their top players into foul trouble early. If they are not on the court, they cannot hurt us." That strategy is reminiscent of the Feb.17 game against Texas-El Paso in which the Lady Frogs got Minersfreshman center Amy Pack into early foul trouble. She eventually fouled out, and TCU came back to beat UTEP 79-71. The Lady Frogs will also have to deal with Rice senior guard Jenny Cafferty, whose 48 percent mark from three-point range leads the WAC. Offensively, Hall said the Lady Frogs plan to implement some new sets to get shooters like Sutton, senior guard Diamond Jackson and sophomore guard Tricia Payne free from the Rice pressure. "When you have played each other once already, you have to change things up a little," Hall said. "That was part of the problem against (Southern Methodist). Our shooters were hesitant because they felt that SMU knew what we were doing. "We decided to try some things that Rice has not seen to give our shooters some added confidence." Jackson leads the Lady Frogs with 13.3 points a game to tie with Jordan for ninth in the WAC, and Payne has averaged 15 points a game in her last three contests. The disappointment from the 84-74 loss last weekend to SMU, while not in the forefront of their thoughts, has definitely not been forgotten, Thomas said. "We will not just let it go, but we also cannot let it effect how we play," Thomas said. "We know that we have to bounce back from the disappointment against SMU and play harder to win at Rice."
Danny Horne
By Chris Ray Skiff staff Both the men's and women's tennis teams are sporting the Western Athletic Conferance players of the week. Junior Scott Eddins and senior Lucie Dvorakova achieved the honor for their play in this weekend's matches.
Eddins has led the TCU men's team to the No. 15 ranking in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and he is currently ranked No. 100 in singles action. Eddins defeated Lawrence, 6-3, 6-2, in straight sets and defeated Caradima in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Dvorakova went 3-0 last week in singles action and 3-0 in doubles action, teamed with fellow senior Daria Zoldakova. She holds a 13-5 record on the season and is 8-1 in the spring. Dvorakova is currently riding a five-match singles winning streak into the weekend's matchup. In doubles action, the team of Dvorakova and Zoldakova hold the No. 8 ranking in the ITA. The European duo is 7-1 on the spring dual-match season and 16-2 on the year as a whole. The women are 7-2 on the year and hold a current two-match winning streak. The TCU men's tennis team will be in action in the Corpus Christi Invitational this weekend. The women's team will host Central Florida at 9:30 a.m. Friday and Texas A&M at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Chris Ray
By Chris Gibson staff reporter It's a decision that every college athlete has had to make. Where should he or she go to school? There are many factors that contribute to this decision, but one factor is the facilities that the school offers for them to practice, play and even study. With a major emphasis put on winning, TCU must be able to recruit student-athletes by providing topnotch facilities or risk losing them to another school, and just like every other major college, facilities are increasingly important at TCU, coaches said. TCU Athletics Director Eric Hyman said facilities have been a source of concern since his first day on the job. "One of the first things that I felt (TCU) needed was a strategic plan, and part of that was a plan for the facilities," Hyman said. "It was important for us to set a target on where we wanted to go and then begin to form a plan on how we were going to get there. "Recruiting is just like the real world in many cases. A prospective student-athlete comes in, and they take a look at the total package, just as someone in the business world would look at a company. They want to see that some type of commitment is being made by the university or they will go somewhere else." And upgrading facilities plays a major part in that decision. Many Division I athletic programs, including Rice, Southern Methodist and Texas A&M, among others, are constructing multimillion dollar facilities in an effort to remain competitive in the recruiting wars. SMU is building a multimillion dollar football complex and Texas A&M is renovating Kyle Field. With the recent hiring of Hyman and Chancellor Michael Ferrari, who have both voiced a commitment to improving TCU's athletic programs, TCU officials said they are hoping to increase the visibility of the school. Ross Bailey, director of sports medicine and operations, said the upgrading of TCU's facilities isn't in response to the improvements by other schools. "First and foremost, any construction that TCU is a part of is need-based," Bailey said. "After that, there is no doubt that the student-athletes look somewhat at the facilities as they go around to different college campuses and try to decide where to go to school. "I think it is more of a case of doing what is best for TCU and not so much of keeping up with other schools. Everything that TCU is doing now and will be doing in years to come was identified in the master plan that we formed when Hyman came in. You won't see TCU doing anything on a whim." Sophomore swimmer Jamie MacCurdy said the quality of education, the relationship with the coaches and TCU's overall atmosphere played a larger role in her decision than the quality of the school's facilities. Keith Allen, assistant director of football operations, agreed. "I really don't think that facilities are a deciding factor, but they are a factor," Allen said. "If you already have the facilities it's great, but also I think that student-athletes want to feel like they are a part of what's going on. They want to feel like they are starting new traditions and making things better for TCU." Sophomore football player Frank Montgomery said the football coaches used a similar pitch when recruiting him. "The facilities weren't ever a big factor in my decision to come here," Montgomery said. "But the coaches told me that the better we performed, then the better things would get around here, and I really wanted to be a part of something like that. I think it gives us all something to play for and makes winning more fun." Head soccer coach David Rubinson said the presence of first-rate facilities does help in the recruiting process but usually isn't the determining factor in a recruit's decision. "The most important thing is that people realize that we here at TCU are committed to athletics and to higher education," Rubinson said. "Fort Worth and TCU are both really easy sells. When a student-athlete takes his or her visit here they not only see that TCU cares about their sport, but that TCU cares about them."
Chris Gibson
By Chris Harrison staff reporter Soccer head coach David Rubinson can remember when the soccer program had to recruit players without the facilities they have today. "I think the most important thing is that people recognize that we are committed as a university to athletics and higher education," Rubinson said. "Now, I think student athletes are going to recognize that when they come here to visit and see what we are building, they will take into consideration what there is here to what there are offered in other places." Aided by a renewed commitment by the university's administration, the athletics department is in the process of improving current facilities. Rubinson said that with the construction of the new soccer facilities, recruits will have now have concrete evidence that the university is making improvements.
Rubinson said Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium, the new 1,000 seat stadium, is as good as any in Texas. "We are miles ahead of where we were," Rubinson said. "We now have a facility that has a practice area and a good place for the fans to watch soccer games. "Sure there will be stadiums around that are bigger than ours, but you will never find a more intimate place to watch a soccer game. At TCU, you are on top of the action. You just won't see a body out there, but you will be able to put a name with a face." Women's golf coach Angie Ravioli-Larkin said Fort Worth's impressive golf courses offer the facilities that recruits are looking for when they are deciding what university to attend. "Having a winning program like we have is a major factor in recruiting," Larkin said. "The next thing we let them know about is the accessibility to all of the courses in the city of Fort Worth. "All of the country clubs and public courses go out of their way to help us in our practices rounds and with our program," Larkin said. "It is so great to have all of the courses and the diversity of each to help our players practice and improve their golf game from when they come to TCU their freshman year." Larkin said the different courses in Fort Worth allow TCU golfers to get the feel for the various styles of golf courses. "The courses in Fort Worth are each laid out in way that the men's and women's team gets to experience different challenges every time they go out to practice," Larkin said. "All of the club pros are more than happy to let the teams come out and work on their game and practice whenever they need to." While the soccer and golf facilities are much improved, swimming coach Richard Sybesma said his facilities could probably be upgraded. "The pool we have now is 30 years old, and a lot of the universities that have built facilities in the last 20 to 25 years have really outclassed the facility we have here," Sybesma said. Sybesma said the addition of new facilities can help improve the performance of some teams. "For example, Texas A&M built a new facility four years ago," he said. "Five years ago we beat them in the conference level and in the duel meet. Last year they were ranked 10th in the nation." Sybesma said the importance of modern facilities has a major affect on a high school senior's decision in attending a university. "It just goes to show how big of an impact facilities can have on a program and on recruiting," Sybesma said. "When a high school senior can see a well built facility, I think it really affects his or her thinking process in choosing a school." Sybesma said that the facilities they have now are good and will be comparable to others in Conference USA. "I think long term, they are thinking about building a new recreational facility," Sybesma said. "I think the term 'If you build it, they will come' is really true in college athletics. If you build you will get the top notch athletes."
Chris Harrison |
Eddins notched two straight-set victories last week over
Abilene Christian's Max Lawrence and Texas A&M's Dumitru Caradima.
Eddins improved to an 18-7 mark on the season, leading the Frogs in wins.
"When the recruits are here on campus,
I think it is an easy package to sell," Rubinson said. "When
the recruits see the John Justin Athletic Center and especially our new
facility, which I think is key, it is the real sales point."| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |