_12A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 15, 1999 Recker latest to bolt from Indiana hoops Ditka sees Williams' potential, do Browns? AUBURN, Ind. (AP) - Luke decker, Indiana's leading scorer last season, said today he would transfer to another college because he was not sat- isfied with his development as a play- er. The 6-foot-6 sophomore swingman is the third Hoosiers starter to leave in 'the past two years. "This is the toughest decision I have ever made," Recker said in a faxed statement. "I love the state of Indiana, 'and playing for IU was always my life- lhng dream." Recker had given coach Bob Knight one of his earliest commitments, say- ng even before his junior year at DeKalb High School that he would %lay for the Hoosiers. He started 30 of 3 games and averaged 12.8 points a game as a freshman, then started 33 of 34 games last season, averaging 16.1 points a game. The former Indiana high school Mr. B'asketball, who played both guard and forward for the Hoosiers, said he has not decided where he will transfer. He Will have to sit out one season and then have two years of eligibility remaining. "It is not easy to leave my friends, iny family and my home state," Recker said. "I love to play basketball, and the thought of sitting out a year kills me.' Guard Neil Reed left Indiana after thi 1997 season, accusing Knight of physical and verbal abuse, and later enrolled at Southern Mississippi, where his father is an assistant coach. In December 1997, center Jason Collier quit the team, saying he no longer could take Knight's constant criticism, and enrolled at Georgia Tech, where his father played in the 1970s. Recker, however, indicated his deci- sion was not because of Knight. "I appreciate the opportunity given to me by coach Knight;" he said. "However, I have not been satisfied with my development as a player. I blame no one but myself for this and believe my development will best be served in another program." Rumors that Recker was considering a transfer began to pick up during a slump in his play in January. He was held to a single point in a loss to Michigan State and didn't start the next game, when he managed only seven points off the bench in an overtime loss at Minnesota. Knight didn't say why Recker did not start, although earlier in the Big Ten season he benched Recker because of his defensive lapses. Knight was out of town on a fishing trip and could not be reached for com- ment. Team spokesman Gregg Elkin said he had no indication Recker was planning to leave. "There are rumors every year about somebody," Elkin said. "He had been going through our off-season condi- tioning program, and if you're going to transfer, why do that?" AP PHOTO Indiana forward Luke Recker becomes the third starter in two years to transfer from coach Bobby Knight's Hoosiers. Recker has yet to announce what school he will transfer to. The Los Angeles Times SAN DIEGO - The scrutiny has been understandable. You take a generation of stopwatch- toting football types educated in the '50s, and they want to know how that diamond stud is planted into Ricky Williams' nose and if their organization will be liable for it should some oppos- ing linebacker knock the snot out of him. And, anyway, just how does that thing stay in there? So they gather from all parts of the country to watch Ricky Williams, the Texas running back with the perpetual bad hair day, his dreadlocks respectful- ly pulled back in a pigtail, and, by George Halas, if he's going to play for any of these guys, he'911 have to cut 'em. They all know this is the curious upstart who hired Master P to be his agent, and is he that Prince guy who keeps changing his name, or what? They know Master P is no Leigh Steinberg, that's for sure, and that's another red flag, like the 20 pounds Williams put on after the season. The diamond earring in the left ear, of course, is almost required gear now in NFL locker rooms, and it's under- stood by everyone that when he gets his signing bonus, he'll be able to decorate the right side too. But about this ring thing. This tongue thing. Stuck right through the middle of the tongue. You surround Ricky Williams with more than 100 NFL codgers, and if he's got that tongue thing in there, they're all leaving asking the authorities for'his rap sheet. The thing is, though, you don't have to stick your tongue out at Mike Ditka - he knows a tough guy when he sees one. Ditka knows a football player. Sure, he's never met a quarterback, but tough, gritty, explosive football players, that's his forte. And Ditka wants this guy Williams, while the rest of the NFL isn't so convinced. They'd like to see him run around orange cones like a mouse trapped in a maze. They'd like him to do the broad jump, run 40-yard dashes, as if any NFL team is going to let Carl Lewis set himself in the blocks, wait until he's ready to go and then take off unimped- ed. They'd like to see something more out of Ricky Williams. This is no generation gap - this is simply idiotic. Ricky Williams has already run for more yards than anyone in college, flashed the speed to race past . intimidated defenders and shown th first-class moves to don the jers v football great Doak Walker for a game after Walker's skiing accident an subsequent death. Can everyone else in the NFL.b wrong and Ditka right? That's scarie than any tongue ring, rapper agent o funky hairdo. "We're willing to trade the whol orchard for one apple tree," Ditka 'sai the other day on TV, "because this is pretty good apple tree." Ditka and the New Orleans te have made it known they will & almost anything, including bread pud- ding for a year at the Commander' Palace, for the opportunity to empld Williams in their backfield. And if yo employed the quarterbacks the Saint now have, you'd want to hand the bal off as quickly as they would. But there's more to it than that. Ditke sees Williams as the best player , Saturdays NFL draft, while evei else has gone draft stupid. And so the Saints have offered thei entire draft for the opportunity to move from the 12th position in Round l for- ward to pick Williams. They have als offered choices from next year's draft and almost anybody off their present roster. Unfortunately, it's probably going take more than Billy Joe Tolliver to court the Cleveland Browns' for, although the Browns, the newestUr on the block, look lost. They have had the No. 1 pick since last year when they were awarded dan expansion team,, and they still don't know whom they are going to take. They liked Kentucky quarterback- i Couch, but then they took notice of Oregon quarterback Akili Smith. The locals made mention of Jim BroW running back who dominated forie Browns, and so they thought that was an interesting piece of information and took a gander at Williams. Back to Couch. And then Smith. They brought in Williams for a chat after going across the country to work him out. Back to Couch. "It will go right into Saturday morn- ing until minutes before the draft opens," said Chris Palmer, coach ofthe Browns. Here's a historical footnote to inde in Cleveland Brown lore as they begin again in the NFL: They could have bad Ricky Williams. But they' will probably go for the passer. What do you think of that, Ryan Leaf? We're E ndi 1 Versity.com, an Intemet startup company, is launching its service: to college campuses across the country. We offer free lecture notes, free campus specific content, free student related services, as well as facilitating an online community. Our vision is to become the premier website for college students. Are you, e Graduating this semester? v Excited by the opportunity to travel to college towns across the nation? v Motivated, trustworthy and personable?A " Confident in your abilities to manage college students? tax your resume? 517-333-1921 phone: 517-336-3966 GS 116 Geology in the Rockies Summer 1999 (June 26-August 11) Earn Eight Hours of academic credit bystudying Introductory Geology in the Rocky Mountains. Visit: * Yellowstone National Park " Grand Tetons Dinosaur National Monument " Craters of the Moon. SETTING This ideal "outdoor classroom" offers some of the most scenic and interesting geology in the entire Rocky Mountain region. Mountain uplifts and deep erosion have exposed a variety of Earth structures and rocks of diverse age and origin. The effects of alpine glaciation, landslides, stream erosion, and host of other geological phenomena provide an unmatched introduction to geology. The geological istor of the Tetons, Gros Ventre and Wind River mountain ranges is fully recorde in a sequence of ossiliferous rocks that in many cases can be interpreted in terms of processes still at work today. LOCATION The University of Michigan field course is taught at Camp Davis, a permanent facility built by the University in 1929. Cam pDavis is about 20 miles south of Jackson, Wyoming, near the junction of the Overthrust Belt, the Snake River Plain, The Wind River Range, and the Green River Basin; the Tetons lie to the north, the Gros Ventre Range to the east, and the Basin and Range Province to the est. It is simply an outstanding place to learn about geology. The camp is located on the Hoback "iver near its junction with the Snake River; the trout fishing is great. FACILITY The field camp was constructed by the University of Michigan in order to provide a teaching facility in the Rocky Mountains. Camp Davis living quarters consist of rustic cabins with wood-burning stoves and running water. Meals are served mess-hall style in a large dining room. Cam pfacilities include classrooms, a first-aid station, a large recreation hall, a softball diamond, and a volleyball court. Other facilities are available in Jackson; transportation to town is provided regularly. COURSE CONTENT Geological Sciences 116 is an in-depth course covering all aspects of geology. The goal of the course is to teach students about minerals and rocks in a variety of settings. Approximately two weeks of the course are spent on trips to other parts of Wyoming as well as Nevada, Montana, Idaho, and Utah. Although lectures are a part of the course, much of your time will be spent in the field where instruction is often on an individual basis. FACULTY The Camp Davis teaching staff consists of faculty from the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Michigan and visiting faculty from other universities. The course is usually staffed by three faculty members and three graduate student instructors. CREDIT Geological Sciences 116 carries EIGHT(8) credit hours and is equivalent to a two-term sequence in introductory geology. It largely satisfies the natural science distribution requirement in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. NO PREREQUISITES High School seniors and university students are encouraged to apply. Entering first-year students could arrive on campus in the fall term with 8 hours of science credit out of the way by studying rocks and minerals in the mountains of the west. TRANSPORTATION A caravan of University vehicles will be drivina from the Ann Arbor Campus to Camo Davis and back A yacht for the price of a dinghy. Now you can get it all without paying for it all. 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