European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 4, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 4, 1993 sports the stars and stripes Page 2924 years nearing 1,000 columns this is an anniversary week. On saturday it will be 24 years since prep pickings popped onto the scene and next week the 25th year begins., never in my wildest dreams Back there in 1969, when i was called into managing editor Mert proctors office and was offered the prep sports editor position did i Ever imagine that 1 would be approaching a Quarter of a Century in the same seat. But Here i am finishing up another Winter sports Campaign by waiting for nominations for the 1993 stars and stripes All Europe basketball teams and preparing for the Advent of Spring sports which begin next week a and it Isnit even  much water has flowed Over Many dams and under Many Bridges since March 6, 1969. Many things have changed. A there have been great championship football and basketball games and some not so great. There have been sensational winning streaks and reverse streaks that weren to so great. Many outstanding athletes boys and girls have crossed my path a like olympic 400 Champion Alonzo Babers basketball Star Shaquille of Neal football luminaries Eric Zeier and Ron George track Star Doug Henderson and distance runners Sabrina dorhofer and Traci Losi and the list goes on. The program grew from 28 schools scattered from England to Turkey from Spain to Belgium to where at one Point 52 schools were participating in department of defense dependent schools formerly United states dependent schools european area us dese and before that several oth for acronyms. Now because of the military draw Down the number of schools is dwindling steadily. The program reached maturity when girls athletic association activities were upgraded to interscholastic status. Girls basketball was atrocious in its first year on the varsity Tevel. Games took sons to play because the girls  Bounce a basketball twice a million fouls were called and teamwork and sportsmanship were completely lacking. The girls game has improved a thousand fold Over the years. And Here in Dodds so has the entire girls program. Eight girls sports a volleyball Cross country Tennis basketball soccer track and Field Golf and gymnastics a Are offered. And the Caliper of play has improved every year. It has been fun writing almost 1,000 columns for stars and stripes this one is actually no. 919, so a thousand is still a Way off in the future. I Learned almost immediately i could write practically whatever i wanted a As Long As everything written was non critical of the system or its people. The controversial ones brought phone Calls and letters some Nasty letters. The european forces swim league people really got upset Over some columns concerning the awarding of varsity letters to non school sports athletes. Prep Pickin s Ben Abrams Jjo la a. There have been letters blasting All Europe selections in football and basketball letters from parents who were irate because other athletes were getting More recognition than their children Etc Etera. Some of the worst people involved in High school athletics i have found Over the years Are parents who were either outstanding athletes and put pressure on the kids to be just As Good or frustrated athletes who want their offspring to be spectacular. In be been accused or being biased for Heidelberg As late As last week s big schools tournament Frankfurt Kaiserslautern Vicenza Munich Pitburg Wei Brincken shape Bonn wet Ryburg and the list covers practically every High school. I also have been accused of being biased against Heidelberg Frankfurt Kaiserslautern Vicenza Munich Pitburg Wei Brincken shape Bonn Wurzburg and that list somehow covers practically every High school. Some people Over the years have even suggested that i show them prep pickings before it appeared in the paper. They generally demurred when the word censorship was brought into conversations. However every once in a while there comes across the desk a note from a coach or a Parent saying a Good Job Ben. Keep up the Good  that makes everything much better. That Means striding through that Quarter Century year towards the Silver anniversary might continue to be fun. A. A a. The mifa of both the big schools and Small schools basketball tournaments International school of Brussels Georgia Bottoms and Bonne a Liat Ofir respectively head the cast of All stars selected by the coaching staff for the girls team which will travel to former East Germany for a series of games with teams from Potsdam and Magdeburg april 6-12. Head coach Karen Snyder of Frankfurt and assistants Tom Richards of Hahn and Janis ready of Vil suck put 21 Dodds Germany bin nor All conference or honorable mention athletes through several stiff workouts before making final determinations late saturday. Several other outstanding performers had to pass on the tryouts because of other non changeable prior commitments. Also named to the 12-girl squad were Isbos Jessi Meyer and Anna Kaisa Paananen Frankfurt Saun Dria Sparrow and Karlowa Adams Hahn Saine Akeley and Krisana Mcdaniel shapes Jacki Banks Heidelberg a Carolyn Kirsch Vilsick a a Sharon Colon and Giessen a Tanisha Walker. A the Dodds Germany bin nor boy sgt in their tryout licks in this weekend when they make their bids for the two . Slots open to Dodds performers for the Albert Schweitzer tournament april ib-17, and for the team which will represent Dodds in a cadets tourney at Chat Auroux France april 30-May 2. The drills run Friday through sunday at Frankfurt High school and All aspirants a born on or after Jan. 1,1975 a must report at the school by 4 . A a a that there will be All Europe basketball teams this year has been guaranteed. Nominations of eight boys and six girls already have been received. But while eve Chiyone knows that it takes Only five players to Field a team it takes Many More than five to select a cast of All Europe performers that includes players and coaches of the year. This will be the 21st year that boy coaches of the year have been selected and the 18th year for the girls. Only one boys coach and one girls coach have been selected As Many As three times so Tough is the Competition. Charlie Toth won the accolades in 1986, 1987 and 1988 when he guided Giessen to three straight Small schools championships and 42 straight victories. Wiesbaden girls Mentor Jim Elliott won the recognition in 1977,1981 and 1983. This will be the 10th year for recognizing players of the year and Deon Moyd who led Ramstein to the big schools boys title in 1990, and was even More impressive on a not so Good royals team the next year is the Only player honoured More than once. The stars and stripes l Vandy Xavier sew up league title shares by United press International Vanderbilt and Xavier each clinched at least a share of a championship tuesday night and Michigan kept alive its Hopes for one. The however College basketball Ste St. Francis a91-80. Neither the blackbirds of Liu Brook Lin nor the Hawks of Monmouth figure to title tie in the midwestern collegiate conference with a 73-58 Victory Over Lasalle. It was the ninth straight win for the 18th-ranked musketeers. And in Ann Arbor mich., the fifth rated Michigan wolverines produced one elsewhere on tuesday a tvo teams Quot on the Bubble a for the Mcaa tournament posted close wins in the big East conference. Providence nipped Connecticut 74-71. With Tony Turner pacing the friars with 28  around much longer since they com rated Michigan wolverines p _ _ _ chief significance of the evening.  it a games during the regular of their most solid games of the season in and Pittsburgh Defeated Villanova 77 n a came in the gymnasiums of two Ned Tolose 33games during a descaling no l4 ,0wa? 82.73. With three a Pennsylvania colleges where March mad Success than a lot of teams will have this games to play in the big ten race Michi defeating no. 14 Iowa 82-73. With three 76, behind the 22 Points and eight re.  a. Bounds of Chris Mcneal. Can remains two games behind league leading Indiana. Forward Ray Jackson collected a career High 14 rebounds and scored 13 Points to key the Victory. Vanderbilt a Victory was a thriller in a Kansas state helped its cause for a Mcaa bid by Downing Missouri 78-67. The wildcats improved to 47-8 and climbed above 300 in the parity filled big eight conference. / wednesday night s action was to Fca Ness officially began.  net Ween now and april 5, there will be Vanderbilt and Xavier however had More than 250 games played in which the p Enty of Success tuesday night loser faces the end of its season. Those seventh ranked commodores games will come in the various Confer came from behind to Force an overtime ence tourneys around the country and period and then beat rival Tennessee 90 then in the Mcaa tournament itself. 82, to Clinch at least a share of the South the first of those games were played Eastern conferences Eastern division. Tuesday night although Kentucky has been ranked nobody could score in the final 82 Sec no. 1 spot in the National rankings. In my it a t m Nanna the Tod few teams in the county ones of regulation leaving the score tied North Carolina was to Host Wake Forest co fix p ? flu s Alt ear the wild to jul Likely finish be 72-72. Vanderbilt scored the first eight while leu and Arkansas will play a Crit s a up East a t0ltn? Hind Vanderbilt in the dec East. Points of overtime with Billy Mccaffery ical Southeastern conference game a Awer meanwhile clinched at Leas a producing 6 of his 24 in he  period. Faye Evoile. Which the Lead changed hands eight times Ture the first appearance by North Caro in the final 13 minutes. Lina since the tar heels moved into the nobody could score in the final 82 Sec in