Emerald
WEDNESDAY
Januwy 31. 1996
‘Magical’
Lakers beat
Warriors
■ NBA: Los Angeles
clowns Golden Stale as
Magic Johnson nearly
notches a triple-double
tNCtJKVVOOO, Calif JAP) —
After 4 1/2 MWMim of retirement
and (tints as a coach and owner.
Magic Johnson chock ml back
into lh« NBA on Tuesday night
Wearing a uniform so new it
still had wrinkles and his new
'MVP” shoes that were flown in
specially from Taiwan. Johnson
couldn't hide his enthusiasm for
the game he was forced out of
when he contracted the virus
that causes AIDS
The Ttt* year -old star shed his
warmups and took the court
with less than three minutes
gone in the lackers' game against
Golden State. He was on the
floor when the final buzzer
sounded. Just two rebounds shy
of a triple-double
Johnson finished with 19
points. 10 assists and eight
rebounds in 27 minutes as Los
Angeles defeated the Warrior*
12*118.
i ne t.**.»>! v iumn| power
forward. Eldon Gamplwil, had
Just picked up his second foul,
and as warn a* coach l ie I Harris
turned around to look at hi*
bench, a huge cheer went up
Johnson Jugged to the scorer*
table to check in as the crowd
gave him a standing ovation,
waving signs reading. "Magic's
Back."
Johnson missed his opening
shot, a hook from the low post
over Joe Smith, and later drove
the floor for a layup for his first
basket He then made a left
handed hook.
Traces of the old Magn were
clearly Visible on one play After
Johnson missed a Jumper. Vlada
DtViu snared the rebound and
passed back to Johnson on the
right wing, where the 10 year
«>l<! faked and drove around the
*0 year old Smith lor an easy
layup
to 13 first half minutes. John
son was 5 lor 8 with five assists,
two rebounds, two steals and no
turnovers For the game, he
made 7-of-14 field goaf attempts
Johnson played the low post
some and also assumed beilrwtn*
dling duties, even when point
guard Nick Van Kael was on the
court. On the defensive end,
Johnson banged bodies with
.Smith, the rookie power for*
wand.
Moat important, be energised
the young Lakers, only two of
whom were around for the 1990
91 season, his last before his
retirement Los Angeles built a
17-point first-half lead against
Golden State, a team that had
beaten the Lakers in nine of
their last It meetings, and
scored a season-high 72 point*
before halftime
When Johnson was in the
game during the first half, the
Turn to NBA Page 12
fjffm.''1 ft. t
S*nkK Kevin Robert* who»f tucc*** In tt>« 11*-pound w#ighl cleat he* brought him national attention In th* l«t( foul y«*rt. lin t the
only wrvttltnfl Roberts »t Oregon anymore, hi* brother Ouaty joined the teem thia year
Wrestling family values
Dusty Roberts has followed his
brother Kevin to Oregon to achieve
similar, but not [kiralltl. success at
the collegiate wrestling level
By Chit* H*n**n
For Oregon wrentier Dutly Rrsbefis. the
transition fiom high school to going out of
state for college thou lit hove been more clif
fuult After nil. he wasn't going to be fuiti
Bfe teg
m. WLM
would b*< a Division I 4th ■
letr
\ • it llidt w erect '
enough h«* wu < amine to
<1 jutnjr.ur- tb*8 for the Mil
four veers be* boon dotnt
lotted by hi* older brother ,
Kevin. 4 senior who t* *
two time AJI Atneriten.
two-time Most Valuable
iown wnMuor, Mmi vsiuaiw rmmnaii in
»M1. currently ii«*d for fifth on Oregon'*
arw victory li*t with <12 win*, currently
ranked third in the nation «! l t» pound*,
and whom Gap-like good look* ran been
MMto un wreatlmg poster*
plastered throughout the
Eugene «tM All of this
would seemingly create *
shadow that «v»« Hulk
Hogan couldn't fill
But Duily K<<i*u1» fefu*
e* to live in hi* brother*
shadow Instead, he la
intent on creating hi* own
t matte and tefinimt the
skills that made him a two-time prep Male
champion and second Imm Antes Tiger
All American while in high school in
Spokane. Wash, and on# of the Duck* lop
recruit* this past year.
"Watching Kevin succeed ha* given me a
little mom drive," Dusty Roberts said "But
on the other hand. I like to compete regard
less of what he * doing 1 tee what he d<>es
and I envy It, but 1 never actually say J
have to be like k»vui.'“
The younger Roberts Is redshirttng ihlt
•*ear. learning '•>« (opes. being patient,
wailing for hi* chance to succeed. He
Work* out with E he tftim. ;>i I, fi, ,!»> 14.*
pound* Red shirt* «i» expected in do every
thing the starter# do — ess »pf get (he glory
on the weekends.
I work ooi with Own t#>.*m "very day. hut
when I **e them out there siting. 1 real
ly wish l we out there." Uusty Robert*
said ‘But it U good for me to be getting the
espertem a end being patient "
White Dusty Robert* t* bo*v being
patient, hi* hrodvet i* ho»y compiling a per
t«w i ret urd this season, go ng 20-0 and
dominating the t IH pound w ghl etas*
He is on pace to break hi , ersonal best
f«*r win* »«>t in a season two year* ago when
he went 2» g It may appear that Kevin
Roberts I* wrestling at hi* peak, unstop
pable even, but he is quick to remind per*
pie iltat the season i* far from over, and he
still has at least one formidable opponent
left on the schedule
“I can definitely still keep improving the
nest four or five weeks." Kevin Roberts
said *1 need to refine some mgs and put
some things together Any time you're in
college you have to re*pc i your oppo
nent*. but some guys are |ust easier than
others"
Arizona State University's l canny f eli*.
ranked No l in the Pacific- i(J t inference,
will be Kevin's greatest challenge in the
year-# remaining dual meet* They meet
Feb H in Tempe. Art*
"{Felt*! is one of those guys who can
turn it on when he needs to. and I don't
think he has hit his full stride yet.~ Kevin
Roberts said "Fell* will definitely be a
challenge and the toughest opponent left
on my dual meet schedule I hope I'm
rearly “
The senior also needs to start getting
ready for life after college After he passes
all his classes this term and ne*l. he will
graduate in June with a degree in sociology
The what wiilyou-do-then question draws
the look of a man who doesn't want to
Weems
fifi
/ work tut! >« ith the irtim every dux. hut
when f tee them tml there * nettling. I
really wtxh I war mil there, hut n 11
gm>d for me lt> hr getting the
rtprnrnte and hr trig fHtttem
— DUSTY ROBERTS
OnocnWnilat
55
think about such nridU
'I wtil start Jo Chink about that alter the
*w«B »* over." In? said w ith a hall vrnilr
half-smirk.
But he does Lima chat his wrestling day*
are not over
I would like to try my hand at fr««?»iyl*
and compete on a national lev pi If | ran
find a wav to support myself and allow
myself the time I need to be competitive, I
would like to do it for a few more year*,”
he said 1 still think I have a lot of
wrestling to leant I will always be involved
in wrestling, whether it is at the coaching
level or whatever "
Me would like to slay in Eugene, at least
for a while, to watch what he predict* to lie
a stellar career at Oregon for his younger
brother
"H« lias lawn |tui restful) at every level
so far," Kevin Roberts said "The skill and
tli* tenaciousness are there already "
Tlie obvious question, then. I* who
would win if the two brother* went at it.
"He would," said Kevin Roberts shame
lasvly. with his brother nodding in the
background "I may he at a higher level
wrestling, but he's bigger, so you can throw
ail dial other stuff out the window
So does Dusty Robert* ever think about
trying to throw around hi* older, more de«
orated brother?
"No. tug really. Because I know I could if
I wanted to." Dusty said with a laugh "We
haven't fought far at least five years,"
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soa* January 31 1996 Oteoan Deny fmneak} 9