Cal Star Receiver Set To Catch ‘Nova
With the NFL draft a little more than a month away, top prospects are starting to fret about how high they’ll be taken or which team will select them.
Not All-American tight end Tony Gonzalez. He has something a little more pressing on his mind - like starting today for California against Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Winston-Salem, N.C.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound junior said there was never any doubt he would play basketball once he declared himself eligible for the NFL draft on Dec. 31.
“This is something I love doing,” said Gonzalez, projected to be a middle- to late-first-round selection in the NFL draft. “I’ve done it for a long time now. I’m not in it for the NBA, I’m not in it for the money, I’m not in it for the glory. I’m like a child who goes out there to play basketball because he wants to. There is no other reason behind it.”
Beauty is in the eye …
It was the one question that neither Brad Miller, Chad Austin nor Brian Cardinal wanted to answer. How would they describe Purdue coach Gene Keady’s non-Hollywood looks?
The three players smiled and looked around the interview room before Miller handed the question off to Austin.
“He’s a very nice person. On the court, you know he likes his players to play hard. … ” Austin said Pressed for a more direct answer, Austin said, “I think he looks good.”
Footnotes
Georgetown’s last first-round loss came in 1981 when the Hoyas lost to James Madison 61-55. Georgetown was a 10th seed this year, its lowest in John Thompson’s 25 years as coach. … Navy became the first service academy to go to a football bowl game and also make the NCAA basketball tournament in the same school year. The Middies beat California 42-38 in the Aloha Bowl. … Clemson’s victory over Miami of Ohio was the first for coach Rick Barnes in five NCAA appearances.
Cincinnati’s Danny Fortson has made a decision about whether to play his senior season or enter the NBA draft, but he continues to insist that he will not disclose his choice until after the Bearcats are through with the tournament.
Indiana coach Bob Knight, despondent over the Hoosiers loss to Colorado Thursday night, walked from Joel Coliseum to the team hotel (approximately 2-1/2 miles) in heavy rain. … Pac-10 men’s teams were 4-1 in the first round, giving the conference four teams in the second round for the first time. The only Pac-10 women’s team to play Friday was Arizona, which defeated Western Kentucky. Four Pac-10 women’s teams - Stanford, USC, Oregon and Washington - play today. … Montana guard Skylia Sisco pulled a muscle in Friday’s practice at Stanford. Her status for today’s game against Texas Tech was not known.