SportsJanuary 25, 1996

MOSCOW Example 872-B of a Big Sky Conference coach bending over backwards to compliment a forthcoming opponent: Weber State's Ron Abegglen says the Idaho Vandals "have the biggest front line in the Big Sky when Harrison, Jackman and Gardner are in there together.''

True enough, but they never are.

It might solve some of Idaho's head problems if posts Harry Harrison, Jason Jackman and Nate Gardner took the court at the same time, but "that's not an efficient lineup,'' coach Joe Cravens said.

It would be especially futile tonight in defending Weber State, four of whose starters like to fire from 3-point range.

Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. at the Kibbie Dome as the Vandals, 1-2, in league, try to ride the momentum they generated last week in wins over Cal Poly-SLO and Eastern Washington.

The Vandals, so devoid of bench strength in recent years, are still puzzling over the happy dilemma of having three competent posts with diverse skills: Jackman the scorer, Gardner the defender and Harrison the rebounder.

Cravens did briefly try playing the three at the same time, filling the No. 3 spot with Gardner on offense and Harrison on defense. But he scrapped the idea and has left the 3 to Eddie Turner or James Jones.

Meanwhile, since ushering Jackman into the starting lineup on an experimental basis this month, Cravens has boosted his team's offensive punch (Jackman ranks seventh in the country in floor shooting percentage at 65.1) but watched its intensity flag.

Harrison, while not complaining, has suggested that his recent two-game stint as a non-starter tampered with his confidence.

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And Gardner played tentatively Friday at EWU after being held from the starting lineup for the first time in 41 games. He even missed two free throws, slipping from first to third in Big Sky foul-shooting percentage (30-for-36).

So Cravens has tentatively decided to rotate the three players as starters. "I hope I'm not, instead of screwing one player up, screwing three players up,'' he said. "But I really think all three deserve a chance to start. And it makes virtually no difference in minutes played.''

According to that rotation, it's Jackman's turn to come off the bench tonight. From a defensive standpoint, it's just as well. Although Jackman submitted his strongest defensive game of the season against EWU, Harrison and Gardner might be best-equipped to guard Weber State posts Andy Smith and Jimmy DeGraffenried.

DeGraffenried in particular poses matchup problems a 6-foot-6 power forward who leads the Big Sky in scoring at 20.5 points per game and has nailed 24 three-pointers. The senior has converted 44 of his last 46 free throws.

This is a different Wildcat team than the one that made a minor splash in the NCAA tournament last year. In fact, Abegglen, known for his far-flung recruiting, now has a roster whose top six scorers are from Utah. The Wildcats are 2-2 in league and 10-7 overall.

Outside shooting is the club's strength. Ryan Cuff, a 6-foot-5 guard, is shooting 47 percent from 3-point territory, and the team is hitting 38 percent. The Cats rank second in the country in foul shooting at 76.2 percent.

Revenge may play into tonight's mix. The Wildcats have won three straight games at the Kibbie Dome but last year were forced by the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival to play at old Memorial Gym, where Idaho pulled off a 71-70 upset.

MAGNUSSEN UPDATE Idaho post Bjorn Magnussen, suspended indefinitely last month for violating probation, has returned to his home at Issaquah, Wash., and apparently isn't enrolled for the spring semester.

The little-used reserve served an 11-day jail sentence in December, then temporarily returned to Vandal practices in an unofficial capacity during the semester break.

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