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John Thompson Runs The Olympic Team His Way SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 19B8-THE CAROLINA TIIVIES-5 By Jim O’Connell IP Basketball Writer ^ easy to hide when you are igcsl person in the room, fhompson doesn't want to lyway. U.S. men s Olympic ,jll coach is taller than all ; of his players, and his voice |„(js attention not only from ,,1 from anyone within range. Thompson is in charge. 6.fool-10 Thompson will team trying to defend the flcdal won in Los Angeles Bob Knight, a coach in the il spotlight even more than pson but for different Jipson has never publicly a player, he has not had a vrritten about him that ■i his every flaw, and he has led a team off the court when turned against him. as, however, been accused of an "us vs. them" attitude, of a racist and of facing )vcrsics with the same )|c: His team comes first, lay 1986, the Olympic team t his team and it will stay ay through the final day of out Games. He has taken on Kational Basketball iation, one of the nation’s nown broadcasters and even S. government in defense of m. ipson let the public know he jset when the Atlanta Hawks I a group of Soviet players a train and then toured the Union to play their national He was even more upset the Soviet Union’s best 7-foot-2 Arvydas Sabonis, ought to the United States by the Portland Trail Blazers, who drafted Sabonis, for treatment of a ruptured Achilles tendon. "Realistically, I see Sabonis as being a fulfillment of Lenin’s propficcy; The capitalists are selling the communists the rope they can hang us with," Thompson said. "I personally feel we are being used. We are in direct competition with them, and to prepare Sabonis to play against us just isn’t right." NBA commissioner David Stem said Thompson is "a great coach, but I’m glad he’s not our secretary of state." "1 understand Portland’s trying to protect its investment and I understand it’s a business," Thompson said. "I’m a capitalist, but I feel there is someplace we have to draw the line. As the U.S. basketball coach, I honestly feel we’re selling them the rope to hang . us with. "1 have always been accused of having an ‘us against them’ mentality at Georgetown. I’m proud of that in this case because it is us against them." Thompson, who is black, has had few white players while compiling a 370-130 mark at Georgetown with three Final Four appearances and one national championship. When CBS commentator Brent Musburger said the public would worry about white players making the Olympic team, Thompson was quick to call the comments "ignorant and dangerous." "That' was a very tactful way of trying to get a quota on the number of blacks on the Olympic team. I’d be willing to bet you that nobody ever asked Bobby Knight that question. ... I’d be willing to bet you my life is far more integrated that Brent Musburger’s." Thompson has two whites - one a woman - among his three Olympic assistants, and his support staff is racially mixed. The issue of race doesn’t seem to concern him as much as cooperation from the government. He had trouble getting permission from the Army to use a base near Seoul as a backup practice facility, and he wasn’t shy about complaining. "It appears to me that I have to get an act from the president in order to use a United Slates facility and I kind of resent that," Thompson said. ”1 always get a Jtick out of people telling me this is our team, America’s team. It is until you want to use some facilities." Why would Thompson, who was an assistant to Dean Smith in the 1976 Olympics, take on these extra problems when he already has enough trying to run a successful program? "The one thing that I’ve asked of the players is to do the best that they can every day in practice," he said. "You volunteered to make this commitment, nobody made you do this. This is something that is important and I want you to work as hard as you can. "There’s pressure to get up two times a day for practice. There’s pressure on the staff and on the players. I think that’s the world we live in and the world we enjoy. If there wasn’t a certain amount of pressure, if there weren’t a certain amount of challenge, if there weren’t a certain amount of excitement, a certain amount of responsibility, I don’t think any of us would be here doing this because it’s too hard, the work is loo time consuming. We aecept that challenge and all I can ask is for them to make that kind of commitment." Wilber Marshall Has Difficulty Living Up To Fans Expectations By David Ginsburg AP Sports Writer ARLISLE, Pa. (AP) - jigton Redskins linebacker r Marshall is beginning to be pressure of being a S6 nman. shall has done just about hing his coaches have asked lis summer. But the statistics he has but five tackles, an and nary an interception or 1 two prcscason games. Ily impressive numbers for a Ao came to the Redskins in nge for two No. 1 draft s. 'm covering receivers, iig running backs, dropping in the zone, things like that," till said Monday, "I can’t the big play all the time, didn’t bring me here to be an I player, to make everything n at once. People need to that." Marshall joined the ins during the off-season laying out his option with the 50 Bears. He got a 5500,000 g bonus, and his $6 million over five years is the highest defensive player in NFL )■ shall said part of his early »is can be attributed to the «lly of grasping a new system, c claimed the Redskins’ way mg things will not enable him (k up impressive statistics, ly. lot of linebackers blitz 95 HI of the time and they make one or two sacks a game and you think that’s great," he said, "I think that’s what people are looking for right now. They’re probably asking where all the big plays are." The person whose opinion matters most. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, is sure Marshall will soon show the ability that earned him a berth in the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons. "It’s just a matter of him getting used to everything," Gibbs said. "He felt more comfortable this week than last, and hopefully that will happen evew week. We’re not worried. He’s a gifted guy." Linebacker Coach Larry Peccatiello said some of the high expectations thrust upon Marshall come, unfairly, from the high salary he receives. "It’s hard for people to accept the fact that a guy’s making good money and not making every play on the field," Peccatiello said. "It doesn’t work like that. He’ll make his share of plays, but not every one." Meanwhile, quarterback Doug Williams said Monday that he doesn’t think he can lose the starting job in training camp, but backup Jay Schroeder believes he still has a chance to claim the job before the regular season gets underway Sept. 5. "Last year 1 thought 1 had a good training camp, but 1 didn’t get a shot at the job,” Williams said. "So 1 figure if I’m going to lose the job this year, it has to be in the regular season.” Said Schroeder: "The only person who can make that decision is Coach Gibbs. I’ve still got two (preseason) games left, and we’ll go from there. "I’m going to have to outplay him by far (to get the job)," Schroeder said. "I’m going to have to come in and do a lot of things he’s not doing at the time. Then we’ll see what happens." There was good news and bad news concerning injuries on Monday. Comcrback Darrell Green, who bruised the muscle in his rib cage July 27, practiced for the first time in weeks. But reserve wide receiver Eric Yarber, injured in Saturday’s game against Miami, underwent arthroscopic surgery on two sprained ligaments in his right knee. Team officials said the leg will be immobilized from four to six weeks. In other news, the Redskins cut running back Tim Jessie, defensive end Curt Koch, defensive tackle Kent Tramel, punter Doug Robinson and quarterback Jack Stanley to reduce the roster to 90 players. Koch, an llth-round draft pick out of Colorado, was the second draft choice to be waived, and Robinson’s exit leaves only veteran Steve Cox and free agent Wayne Ross to compete for the punting job. Rosters must be reduced to 60 players by next Tuesday. Illegal Drug Use Rampant In Track Says, Javelin Thrower Uy Bert Rosenthal AP Track Writer UTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) gal drug use is a widespread ™ in track and field, and tliould be an immediate and crackdown on abusers, says ' Smith, a javelin thrower fing for her fourth Olympics, ilc several athletes, including of the world’s elite, have saspended for illegal drug use 1974, Smith believes many >tiave escaped punishment, la wonder how they are able laway with it," Smith said at J'S- Olympic track and field 1 training camp at the arsily of California-Santa “ta. "I can’t understand why arc not caught." Among those * over the past 14 years were flucknett, the former world fholder in the men’s discus; 'fh distance runner Martti 'io; Zdenka Silhava of. Czechoslovakia, world record- holder in the women’s discus; Ilona Bricscnick of East Germany, 1980 Olympic champion in the women’s shot pup Lyudmila Andonova of Bulgaria, former world record- holder in the women’s high jump, and Switzerland’s Sandra Gasser, third-place finisher in the women’s 1,500 meters in the 1987 World Championships. Suspensions are meted out for "life," but most have been reduced to 18 months after appeals. Smith intimated that Britain’s Fauma Whitbread, the 1987 world champion in the women’s javelin, and East Germany’s Petra Felke, the world record-holder in the event, were not conforming to the rules. . . , , "There are indications that the top two (javelin throwers) on the international scene are doing things that we (Americans) should resort to." said Smith, a winner of five Strong Weekend Performance By Olympians Shown Against NBA COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, (AP) - A strong weekend performance against a team of National Basketball Association players helped Virginia Tech’s Bimbo Coles stay in the running for a berth on the U.S. Olympic team. All-American forward Sean Elliott of Arizona and Stanford forward Todd Lichti were cut from the team Monday, the American Basketball Association-USA announced. The cuts reduced the roster to 15 players. The team must be cut to 12 players by Sept. 2. Among those remaining was Coles, a guard and Lewisburg, W.Va., native. He scored 15 points to lead the Olympic hopefuls Sunday in a victory over the NBA players. "Due to the fact that we are overloaded with players in their position, regretfully we had to release Sean and Todd today," Olympic coach John Thompson said. Elliott and Lichti were juniors (Continued On Page 8) Greater Durham Open Results Former Elon All-American Danny Graham won the 13th annual Greater Durham Open Golf Tournament at Duke Golf Course, Topping defending champion Pete Watt of Richmond Va.; by four strokes, a previous winner Benjamin Joseph of Fayetteville caputred third place. Others flights champions were: J.R. Preston, president flight; Oliver Smith, first flight; Jolte Joyner, second flight; Howard William, third flight; and Milton Jones, fifth flight. George Marrow of Burlington, won the senior division, nosing out Herbert "Flip" Massey of Raleigh. Barbara McLaughlin beat out Rose Weens for the ladies titles. The tournament was co sponsored by the Bull City Golf Club and Miller Beer. The Bull City Gold Club and Miller Beer contribute a portion of the proceeds to the John Avery Boy’s Club and the Durham Striders youth track team. A car was to be given away by University Ford for a hole in one on the par 3 third hole, which was almost won by James Harris, but his ball spun out of the hole. The Bull City Golf Club is a member of the North-South Golf Association, which consist of the ten clubs from Va., N.C. and S.C, The event had 193 golfers participating. LOS ANGELES-Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky holds up his Los Angeles Kings jersey in front of owner Bruce McNall. Gretzky became a King in a trade which sent center Jimmy Carson, the rights to amateur Martin Gelinas, three future first round draft selections, and an undisclosed amount of cash to the Oilers. (UPI Photo) Rotator Cuff Injury May Stop Pitchers, Not Cornelius Bennett By John F. Bonfatti AP Sports Writer FREDONIA, N.Y. (AP) - Rotator cuff injuries have sidelined more than a few baseball pitchers, but as Buffalo Bills linebacker Cornelius Bennett notes with a laugh, "I’m not a pitcher." So don’t expect Bennett to miss any playing time despite a rotator cuff injury that kept him out of practice for a day last week at Fredonia State College. Bennett, who helped turned the Bills defense into one of the N^T-’s most respected last year in his rookie season, suffered the slight injury to his left shoulder last November when he collided with Bills defensive end Bruce Smith. The injury got lost in the array of plaudits and awards Bennett received last season - including being named to several all-Rookie teams - but resurfaced last week. The shoulder began to twitch, Bennett said, and while Bennett still wanted to practice. Coach Marv Levy held him out for a day until the pain disappeared. "It was nothing to talk about," Bennett said Monday. "We had talked about surgery during the off season last year, but they waited until il finally stopped bothering me." While it’s not definite, Bennett said the Bills will likely decide to have him undergo arthroscopic surgery after this season. Bennett said it’s likely the shoulder will be painful at points during the season, but added, "It’s nothing that’s going to keep me from playing." That’s the bad news for offensive coordinators who realized shortly after Bennett came to the Bills in a blockbuster three- way trade last October that they would have to design ways to blunt his devastating pass rush. In eight games, Bennett blew in from his left outside linebacker slot for 8.5 sacks. He also led the team in forced fumbles with five. The tag "impact player" began being applied to him, something both he and Levy dismiss. "That’s been with me since my first day in college," said Bennett. "Things like that, I don’t pay any attention to them. I just go out and play. If I play my best, success (Continued On Page 7) national titles who has been ranked first or second in the United States since 1976. "Look at Fatima," the 5-foot-6, 138-pound Smith said of the 5-5 3/4, 170-pound Whitbread. "She used to be my size." Smith called the drug-testing system in the U.S. "a farce. There must be a large coverup." "There is no coverup," Baron Pittengcr, executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said Monday in a telephone interview from USOC headquarters at Colorado Springs, Colo. "1 don’t know what she’s talking about." Smith’s comments followed release of a report that all American athletes had cleared drug-testing procedures following last month’s U.S. Olympic track and field trials at Indianapolis. Although 6 to 10 athletes failed the tests, none will be suspended because they tested positive for (Continued On Page 8) Attention College Graduates: Once ag^n, we’re proud to offer the GMAC College Graduate Fi nance Plan. GMAC wants to help us give you the credit you deserve, and the keys to a new car. For this special GMAC financ ing, all you need is your diploma proof of a job, a low down pay ment, the Mility to meet monthr payments and no derogatory errait references. You’ll get $400 off the purchase Come In an see us today. 600 East Main Street, Durham Durham 682-0451 Chapel Hill 942-0318 Raleigh 847-8161 GET THE CREDIT YOU DESERVE price, or a 90-day deferral on your payments,* as a graduation pres ent from GMAC, After all, graduating from college is no small achievement. Wefre proud to offer you one of your first rewards. 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Aug. 20, 1988, edition 1
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