ACU basketball teams in action

By BILL HART / Senior Staff Writer

After three weeks of facing teammates, the Abilene Christian University men's and women's basketball teams finally get to meet an opponent tonight.

The Lady Wildcats face Zala Volan (Hungary) at 6 p.m. at Moody Coliseum, while the ACU men take on CSKA-Bulgaria at 8 p.m. Both games are exhibition encounters and do not count toward ACU's record.

Admission is free to both games.

The ACU women are coming off their finest season ever, 31-2, and third best in NCAA Division II history. But tonight, they find out how life will be without Jennifer Clarkson Frazier, who is gone after winding up as the school's No. 2 scorer and rebounder.

Coach Suzanne Fox has a 93-27 record in four years, but she is 1-3 in exhibition games. Texas Tech defeated the Hungarian team, 69-58, on Thursday.

Fox returns three starters - center Aukse Steponaviciute, forward Caroline Omamo and guard Cheree Monden. Another starter, Shalonda Bowden will miss the season because of knee surgery.

"We've had two scrimmages and we've shown a lot of improvement," Fox said. "Our talent level is pretty even, so we'll probably have a lot of different lineups this year. Last season, we used the same lineup in 32 games."

Letterman Jill Kurschner, Baylor transfer Erica Knight and freshman Emily Berry of Lubbock are forwards. Omamo can play center as well and will see time there as will Roseline Ogido of Kenya and Audra Ruston, a freshman from Boerne.

Giving strength at guard are Barbara Pyle of Abilene, Farrah Frantz and Jennifer Havard. Heather White, a transfer from Texas-Arlington, has quit school.

Steponaviciute, Pyle, Havard and Monden are the only seniors on the squad.

"This will be a glorified scrimmage, I'll play everyone to see how they do in a game situation," Fox said.

Hungary boasts a tall team that includes nine players taller thanr 6-0, and they range in age 17-29. Eva Pinter, 6-4, is the tallest and next-to-the-youngest player at 18. The youngest is 6-1 guard Bernadett Csecs, who is 17.

This will be the Hungarians third game. They played West Texas A&M Friday night in Canyon.

The men's game will mark the debut of Shanon Hays as ACU head coach. The Wildcats were scheduled to play a team from Germany, but a conflict arose and the Bulgarians are here instead.

Hays lost only one player from last year's 13-14 team, and all five starters are back &emdash; center Broderick Bobb, forwards Jason Millwee and Brent Wilson and guards Joseph Golding and Chaz Jackson, the Lone Star Conference freshman of the year. Guard Kevin Starks, who started eight games, also returns. Another guard, Derrick Henley, who started one game, will miss the year because of a leg injury. Golding also has been slowed because of knee problems.

Other lettermen back are center Alex Vogt and forwards Jared Mosley and Steven Meadors.

Hays strengthened the team by bringing in junior college transfers guard Billy Garner and forwards Lawerence Gardiner and Randy Smith, plus freshman guard Jeff Ivy.

"We've looked well in workouts offensively, but we've got to get better defensively," Hays said. "We're glad to be playing Bulgaria because we and Mary Hardin-Baylor are the only non-Division I schools on their schedule. And this is their first game.

"I'm going to do a lot of experimenting and use a lot of combinations because the players are new to me and I'm new to them."

Bulgaria has 6-11 Lubomir Amiorkov, 6-10 Robert Gregov, 6-9 Nikolai Gospodinov, 6-8 Ivailo Ralkov and 6-7 Hristo Popov and Svetlin Dimitrov. The players ran from age 17 (6-4 forward Iordan Bozov) to 33 (Amiorkov).

The women open their regular season Nov. 15-16 in Wichita Falls against Pittsburg State and Northeast Oklahoma. Their first home games will be in Wildcat Classic Nov. 29-30 against Texas Lutheran and Arkansas-Monticello.

The men open at home Nov. 15-16 in the ACU Tipoff Classic, facing Adams State the first night and Western New Mexico the second night.