By Rusty Simmons sports editor The women's basketball team plays its first and last exhibition game of the season when the team takes on Russia Shelen at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. New head coach Jeff Mittie said having only one exhibition contest, instead of the usual two or three, before the games start officially counting causes some problems. "This a dress rehearsal for the coming games," he said. "With only one exhibition, we can try some things, but our focus has to be on getting ready for the first game of the season." The initial match up of the season for the Frogs is at 7 p.m. Monday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum when they are pitted against St. Mary's (Calif.) in the preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament. But Mittie said the TCU team has some things to work on before the season opener. "I want to see how we execute the offense," he said. "That is the focus early when you change the system. Rhythm and spacing will be the key." Senior forward Shonda Mack said the team is excited about the freedom of Mittie's recently installed offense. "If you're open, Coach Mittie wants you to take the shot," she said. "He's not questioning your ability. He's letting you play basketball." With the departure of center Misty Meadows, TCU will need a new offensive presence in the front court. Mittie said he has addressed the need, but no one has responded in practice. "We need more interior scoring," he said. "Nobody has stepped forward in the paint as a consistent scorer." Mack said the inside play will be solidified before the season begins. "We're all going to step up," she said. "Right now we're focusing on understanding the new offense. When the offense becomes a part of us, we'll do the other things right." In the back court however, Mittie said he is confident in his returners. "Our perimeter spots have put up good numbers in the past," he said. "They have a lot of game experience." All four Frogs returning with double-digit scoring averages from a year ago are guards. Juniors Amy and Jill Sutton lead the group, combining for 24.8 points a game last season. Sophomore Tricia Payne and senior Diamond Jackson each added 10.3 points a game last season. Although installing a new offense has been stressed the most in preseason practices, Mittie said the squad has also worked hard to become a better half-court defense. TCU will play primarily man-to-man defense this season, and Mittie said that is all that will be seen against Russia Shelen. "We'll be in man-to-man (defense) the entire game, because we haven't installed anything else," he said. "If something that looks like a zone is seen, we're doing something wrong." Mittie said the focus of the exhibition will be more on what the Frogs are doing rather than Russia Shelen's style of play. "The game will be 90 percent us, and what we have to put into place," he said. "Ten percent will be (Russia Shelen's) personnel and how quickly we can pick up what they are doing." The Russia Shelen team was founded in 1980, and finished in the top three in the Russian 1st Division two out of the last four years. The squad comes to Fort Worth after playing a nine-game string in 11 days.
Rusty Simmons
By Gibbs Colgin staff reporter The Lady Horned Frogs' swim team gave a great overall effort in its meet against Notre Dame Saturday head coach Richard Sybesma said, but lost to the Irish 154.5-99.5. "I was very pleased with the way the women competed, because they are one of the top 20 teams in the nation," he said. Sybesma said even though the team lost, many individuals swam their best times. After 10 events, the Frogs finally won an event when senior Robyn King placed first in the 500-meter freestyle. Also placing first for TCU was sophomore Jamie MacCurdy in the 200-meter individual medley and freshmen Cory Lukens, Katie Peterson, Andrea Stevens and senior Katie Bloom in the 400-meter freestyle relay. Sybesma also said freshmen Kim Miller and Kate Swearingen, sophomore Marisa Schenke and junior Bridget Nelson swam well. The women also competed last week against the University of Illinois at Chicago. TCU won with a score of 139-80, taking 10 of the 13 events. The 2-1 women have a relay meet against the University of North Texas at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rickel Building right before the football game against the Eagles. Sybesma said they are having the meet right before the homecoming game because it's convenient and a great opportunity for alumni and fans to come and watch the meet.
Gibbs Colgin
By Gibbs Colgin staff reporter The TCU men's swim team was behind Notre Dame 27-9 Saturday at the Rolfs Aquatic Center after losing the 400-meter medley relay and the 1,000-meter freestyle. But the Horned Frogs came back and won nine of 14 events to win 143-199. TCU took the lead for good when senior Adrian Velasquez won the 50-meter freestyle. Head coach Richard Sybesma said after they lost the first two events, many of the team members got discouraged, but the upperclassmen stayed positive and motivated the other swimmers. "The meet was an emotional one," Sybesma said. The comeback began in the third event when junior Ryan Mammarella beat Notre Dame's top swimmer in the 200-meter freestyle. Then, in the 100-meter backstroke, freshman Aaron Ewert and junior Mike Wills took first and second place. Sophomore Scott Adkins put TCU in the lead, 47-46, when he won the 100-meter breaststroke. Velasquez also won the 100-meter freestyle and was the anchor leg for the winning 400-meter freestyle relay team with freshman Jeff Parkinson, Mammarella and Ewert. Other events the Horned Frogs placed first in were Ewert in the 200-meter backstroke, Mammarella in the 500-meter freestyle and Wills in the 200-meter individual medley. Sybesma said he was happy with the team's overall effort. "I was pleased with our team performance and the way they raced," he said. "We have some athletes that are performing very well for this early in the season." Other team members that swam well, Sybesma said, were freshmen Scott Cessac, Clint Bargi, Michael McKeller, K.C. Attaya and Dana Kizer, sophomore Josh Pipes and senior Brent Hendrix. The men also beat the University of Illinois last week with a score of 140-114 are now 2-0. They will compete against No. 10 ranked Texas A&M 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Rickel Building.
Gibbs Colgin
By Joel Anderson staff reporter With the image of swaying palm trees and soft island breezes firmly in the past, TCU head football coach Dennis Franchione said one of the most appealing sights of the season, thus far, is the Horned Frog's remaining schedule. And to Franchione, whose Horned Frogs defeated the Rainbow Warriors 34-14 in the picturesque setting of Honolulu, Hawaii on Oct. 30, there aren't many things more attractive than three consecutive home games.
Junior strong safety Russell Gary said the opportunity to play the remaining games at home should energize TCU's fans and the team. "Since we had a big win at Hawaii we probably should have a pretty good crowd for these next few games," Gary said. "We're just starting to put things together. We got kind of worn out on playing all those games on the road." But before the Frogs jumped into the next game, they used the all-important bye week to refine technique, relax the starters and give junior tailback LaDainian Tomlinson's sprained ankle a chance to heal. Tomlinson, who sprained the ankle on his second rushing attempt against Hawaii, ran through Tuesday's drills with no noticeable limp. "L.T. looked OK (at Tuesday's practice)," Franchione said. "I think he'll be ready for Saturday." If Tomlinson isn't ready to go against the University of North Texas, sophomore backup tailback Andrew Hayes-Stoker should be able to adequately fill the shoes of Tomlinson, who is currently the nation's fourth-leading rusher at 155 yards a game. Hayes-Stoker rushed for 99 yards on 18 carries and scored one touchdown in relief duty against Hawaii. Senior wide receiver Mike Scarborough said the emergence of Hayes-Stoker, coupled with a win over a resurgent Hawaii squad, has brought the team together as the season ends. "The unsung hero always plays a part in who wins and who loses," Scarborough said. "Each week somebody steps up, and that's what we need." But Franchione isn't quite prepared to declare his team fit for postseason play. He said the Frogs have to focus their energy and concerns on North Texas, Texas-El Paso and Southern Methodist. "Right now we're not in a position to be thinking about a bowl game," Franchione said. "It's just a little premature to worry about that at this point. It helps that we'll be at home, but we need to come prepared to strap it up and get ready to hit." Not all of Franchione's troops can ignore the prospects of a possible bowl berth, though. "I'd be lying if I said we aren't thinking about playing in a bowl game just a little bit," Scarborough said. "Winning at Hawaii sparked a whole new season for us. We found out that if we play together as a team, that we're pretty good. Everybody understands what's riding on these next three games."
Joel Anderson
By Matt Stiver staff reporter The tennis ball flew over the net, hit a racket and traveled back over. What happened next would turn the match around. The TCU women's tennis doubles team of seniors Lucie Dvorakova and Daria Zoldakova was leading Kaysie Mashey and Janet Walker of the University of Texas 8-7. Dvorakova and Zoldakova had not lost a match during the fall semester, and with a win, could have guarunteed an undefeated season. Zoldakova said she just lost grip of her racket as she went to switch hands. "Lucie served, and hit a volley that the girl returned," Zoldakova said. "I didn't start to change my grip (fast enough). I always hit forehand, and (this time) I hit it overhead and it landed out." The Frogs lost, 9-8(3) in a tiebreaker.
"It was one of the best doubles matches I've ever had a team play," Ingram said. "I think (Lucie and Daria) became a doubles team. They were down 5-1. We talked and they were playing not to lose, and we decided they needed to play to win. We decided that they needed to play good offensive tennis, and they won four straight games to get to 5-5." Leading 8-7 with a chance to serve out the match, the Frogs lost two points. Zoldakova hit with the wrong grip, then Dvorakova double-faulted. The Frogs went on to lose that game, and the match was evened. Ingram said he could have done more to help Zoldakova and Dvorakova perform better. "That was the only time they lost their serve because they had been serving very well," Ingram said. "I think they were nervous, and that's my fault. They haven't played that many hard matches, and they need to play harder matches. We need to (have them practice against the men's tennis doubles teams). (Sophomore Leoni) Weirich and senior Jessika Kjellgren (who practice against Zoldakova and Dvorakova) play a different kind of game than Texas plays. They stand on the baseline and hit hard and Texas comes to the net." Zoldakova said they learned a lot in that match. "You have to concentrate on every single point," Zoldakova said. "If you make one little mistake, it shows. If you look at the match, there were lots of lets and deuces. (Smashey and Walker) know how to win the points." In singles play, four TCU women fought their way into the Round of 32. Zoldakova and Weirich both advanced the Round of 16. Ingram said things contrived against his team. "There is a god of tennis," Ingram said. "When a tennis ball hits the net, it should stop. Sometimes there is a god up there who rolls it over when it shouldn't. And that happened to us several times. We didn't make the proper sacrifices, I suppose." Weirich defeated No. 16 seeded Lisa Dingwall of Texas A&M, 6-3, 6-3, her second victory over a seeded player. Michelle Faucher of Texas, seeded No. 2, would not become the third. Weirich was defeated, 6-2, 6-3. Zoldakova advanced to the Round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Katgie Pruett of Southern Methodist. Looking to move into the quarterfinals, Zoldakova took an early lead on Anna Monhartova of Tulane. "I was up 4-1, and I was playing really good," Zoldakova said. "Then coach Ingram got there and I started to think about the match more. I lost my offense. She hit every single ball (in play). And she just came back. (Monhartova) is a good player." Monhartova rallied back from the early deficit and won the match, 6-4, 6-2. Zoldakova said they tried too hard to win the match. "Instead of putting the ball down the middle, I'm trying to put it down the line," Zoldakova said. "I try to hit better shots than I should."
Matt Stiver
By Joel Anderson staff reporter Terrance and Tim Maiden walked off the practice field with the same rhythmic stride, helmets in hand and sharing a conversation that most likely was only comprehensible to them. To the naked eye, the only difference between Terrance, a stocky junior linebacker, and Tim, a spindly junior wide receiver, is 30 pounds. But while friends and strangers try to link the identical twins in all manners, Terrance and Tim are in a constant struggle to publicize their differences. "We probably need to kind of break away from each other," Tim Maiden said. "People expect us to be like one another and live with one another all the time. We may be twins, but we're still different people." But other than the obvious distinction in physical stature and Terrance's propensity to act as the spokesman for the two, most of the variances are negligible, if they exist at all. "They hang around each other all the time," said junior defensive tackle Theodore Anderson, who has known the twins since elementary school. "They both like to study, they don't like to joke around that much and they both love to argue with each other.
The twins, who were just entering high school, were watching older brother Alton Maiden play on television for Notre Dame at their grandmother's house in Shreveport, La. Terrance and Tim said their grandmother motioned over to them after Alton had made a big play. "Baby, one day you all will be in college playing football on TV, too," she said reassuringly. The boys perked up. Maybe we will, they thought. They did, but their grandmother died before she could watch them play. "I enjoyed being around her and miss her so much," Tim said. "The strength and charisma of our grandmother was unmatched." "She's seeing us play in heaven right now," Tim said. "And she knows from gospel music to football to school, we work hard." Tim and Terrance have found themselves battling against the injury bug for most of their careers at TCU. An assortment of injuries has kept them off the field for long periods of time until this season. Tim broke his collarbone during his red-shirt season at TCU, then missed most of his freshman year with a foot fracture. Both injuries have slowed Tim's progression at receiver. As a sophomore in TCU's run-oriented offense, Tim caught three passes for 43 yards. Through eight games this season, Tim has 11 receptions for 117 yards, good for third on the team. "After all those injuries, I thought maybe football wasn't for me," Tim Maiden said. "But I just worked harder to get onto the field. Now I'm trying to accomplish some of the goals I had when I first came to TCU." Terrance redshirted his freshman season, then played behind All-Western Athletic Conference linebacker Joseph Phipps for the next two years. Terrance had 34 tackles, one sack and forced two fumbles in spot duty last season.
"When I got hurt, it was really hard for me," Terrance Maiden said. "I really expected to get out on the field and start after all the time I sat out the first two years. But I knew things would turn around for me, and a lot of that had to do with maturity." Things have finally turned around for the Maidens, and their coaches and teammates have taken notice. "They are hard workers, accountable for themselves and very disciplined," head coach Dennis Franchione said. "They've had some tough luck, but now they're finally getting their chance to show what they can do." Their former high school coach at Dallas Carter High School, Bruce Chambers, has caught wind of the Maidens' accomplishments. "I always knew they could play," said Chambers, currently the running backs coach at the University of Texas at Austin. "They have the athletic ability, but they just needed a little time. The fact that those guys have stuck with it and persevered says a lot about their character." The Maidens don't talk much about their accomplishments; in fact, they aren't very chatty about much of anything. "No, they really don't talk too much," said Albert Maiden, the twins' father. "Terrance is a little more outspoken, and Tim is more reserved and a little bit more laid-back. They've never given us any trouble. It's easy to be proud of them and the things they do." One of the many activities the twins do is sing in a gospel group called M.D.M. The 25-voice choir recently released its first album titled, "I Found the Answer," and has had the opportunity to sing with Grammy Award-winning gospel star Kirk Franklin at several concerts. "This is how we give our glory to God," Terrance Maiden said. "I love trying to have an impact on someone's life through singing. You can see how the music affects people when you're on stage. It's really been a blessing for us to do these things." Terrance, not much older than 3 years old, was trying to pull a fast one on his father. Having just wriggled himself into some childish trouble, Terrance was facing punishment. "When they were that small I couldn't tell them apart," Albert Maiden said. "So Terrance was sitting there trying to convince me that he was Tim. He was trying to fool me. It was so cute." Did it work? "No, but it made me laugh so much," he said. "They already knew that they looked alike at such a young age. Their mother even dressed them alike. Now they are trying to become different individuals." Now the Maiden story is coming to a close. After 21 years of living with each other, the twins said they are considering going their separate ways after college. "I love my brother so much, but everyone has always expected us to be with each other," Tim Maiden said. "It's like having your best friend around all the time. I think it will be an adjustment, but we have to start our own lives. We've already talked about moving out." Tim and Terrance Maiden grew up in a home with a football legacy that loomed as large as any in the storied history of Carter High School. Carter, which one year sent 30 football players to college on scholarship, was also home to former All-America defensive lineman Alton Maiden, older brother to Tim and Terrance. Alton Maiden graduated from Carter in 1992 and signed with Notre Dame that spring. After logging time at nose guard over the course of four seasons for the Fighting Irish, he graduated in 1996. The twins have another older brother, Corenza Maiden, who didn't play football but has been an inspiration nevertheless. "He's been the ideal older brother," Terrance Maiden said. "He's so small in stature, but he's been a great big brother." With such tight family bonds, the twins realize that attempting to forge out on their own will be a struggle. "Our relationship with each other is very strong because not many other people know us," Tim Maiden said. "A lot of people may think we're stuck up or see us as jocks, but they really don't know how down-to-earth we are. We don't spend our time worrying about what other people think about us. We really keep to ourselves." Chambers, an identical twin himself, said he understands the dilemma of duplicates. "This is not just some guy who has come into their life," Chambers said. "As far back as these guys can remember, the other one was there. They've always been in the same room, went to the same school and went to the same church. There's probably going to come a time when they're going to separate, just like my brother and I did. "But it will be hard. Even though I live in Austin and my brother lives in Dallas, we probably talk to each other about 10 times a week." Asked to assess his brother's skills at receiver, Terrance glances at Tim (something they do whenever they are asked a question about one another) and laughs. "He's sorry," Terrance said with a grin on his face. "No, really, he's probably the best receiver I know. He's got great hands, he's a physical blocker and he's got good speed. But I feel like I would be a better receiver than him. At receiver, it's not all about speed." Tim looks away and snickers. "What about you playing linebacker?" Tim is asked. "I did play defense when I was on junior varsity and freshman at Carter," he said. "I could be pretty good on defense. I thought I was better than (Terrance)." There they go arguing again. What about fighting? "Yeah, we always had fights when we were little," Terrance said. "We still argue now, but we haven't fought probably since high school." Who won? "I'm not sure," Terrance said. "Probably whoever was the maddest. If I start a fight, Tim usually wins. If Tim starts a fight, I usually win." Now the twins get up to walk away. Tim ran on ahead, and the wiry brother sprinted up the steps of Amon Carter Stadium, leaving Terrance behind. Then Tim stopped and realized he forgot his brother. Terrance nodded, and Tim went on about the business of the day.
Joel Anderson |
"We've reached the point where we are still in a position
to accomplish some of the goals we set at the beginning of the season,"
Franchione said. "This is a pivotal point of the season, and it really
helps that we have our last three games at home."
The play of the doubles team was one of the highlights for
the TCU women's tennis team at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest
Regional this weekend at Texas A&M. Head coach Roland Ingram said he
was proud of his doubles team.
"But they always stick together."
Poised to take over the starting linebacker position opposite
Shannon Brazzell during spring and summer drills, Terrance Maiden broke
his right forearm during two-a-day practices. Disappointed, but undeterred,
Terrance Maiden played with a heavily padded forearm in TCU's opener against
Arizona. He has played in all eight games this season, alternating with
sophomore linebacker Chad Bayer. Currently, Terrance Maiden has 42 tackles,
one sack and one interception.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |