OK, not exactly. But he did write a phrase in Cyrillic letters across the toe box of each shoe.

“It says ‘Fight for your dreams,’” Cohadarevic said. “And below it says ‘Young bull.’ That’s a joke between me and Mike Davis.”

Cohadarevic is Texas Tech’s 6-foot-9 forward with a personality as big as his wingspan. He’s as well known among Tech basketball fans for his emotion in practice as his actions in games. As outspoken as he’s been the past two seasons, the Serbian senior has a lot more to say.

Avalanche-Journal: So tell me the story about “Young Bull.”
Darko Cohadarevic: Coach (Chris) Beard told us a story about young bulls and old bulls. He said we cannot be like young bulls, rushing and stuff. We’ve got to be like old bulls. Calm. Since then I call Mike Davis Young Bull since he’s a freshman, and he liked it enough that he put “Young Bull” on his shoes in English, so I put it on mine in Serbian. But I’m an old bull. I’m about to be 24 on March 7.

A-J: Well, happy birthday.
DC: I’m an old man. I came to college when I was 19 years old. I took a break for a year after high school.

A-J: So what is the secret to really booting the basketball into the balcony?
DC: Is that connected with the word “Punt?”

A-J: Sure, punt.
DC: One day Coach told me, “Darko, OK, let me see how far you can punt the ball.” I was like, “Punt? What is punt?” And since then when I’m in the office everybody’s like, “What is punt, Darko?”

I was a goalie for four years before I started playing basketball. Then one summer I grew like six inches and this guy told me I should switch to basketball instead of soccer. But when you practice soccer your quads get so strong. You can do such things. I think any soccer player can do that, especially if you’re a goalie, because that’s exactly what a goalie does every day.

A-J: Would you still be a soccer player if you hadn’t grown those six inches?
DC: Yeah, a couple years ago I was thinking about going back to soccer. I had people asking me if I wanted to come back, because I’m 6-9 and have a 7-1 wingspan. People thought I could go straight to the pros. But I didn’t want to because I like basketball.

A-J: Do you get more distance kicking it or throwing it?
DC: Kicking it, probably. But I can throw it the whole length of the court.

A-J: Have you ever used that in a game? A full-court alley-oop perhaps?
DC: Not here, but that’s what we did on my team before I came to the States. Coaches were forcing the pass after a defensive rebound, whoever got it we had guards who just ran the sidelines and we just threw full-court passes all day. That’s how we won games.

A-J: Do you and Pat Knight have similar personalities?
DC: You could say that. He’s passionate, he wants it done his way; he’s stubborn, and I am too. It was a problem a couple times, because we do have the same personality, but we solved it.

A-J: About how many people in Lubbock do you think speak Serbian?
DC: I would have to say 10. I know only one girl who goes here, she’s from Dallas, but is a native Serbian. I’ve heard about some other people. But I would say maybe 10 at the most.

A-J: Do you ever feel isolated because there’s no Serbian community here?
DC: Not really, because once you have a goal you just make that your focus. My family, we were talking about it the other day how I come home only once a year. But if I came here for four years and never went home even once, I wouldn’t care because I know I would finish college and become a good basketball player. I’m not homesick.

A-J: Is there anywhere in town to get Serbian food?
DC: There is one place, my apartment, when I make it. Actually, people would be surprised how much American food is really Serbian food. My family in Kansas, they used to make shish kabobs and stuffed peppers, stew, and that’s all Serbian food. There’s not much difference. And I really like the food here in America.

A-J: OK, what are your final words of wisdom? Parting thoughts?
DC: Hmmm…Never let anybody tell you what you can do or cannot do. If you think you can do something, or that you cannot do something, you’re right. Whatever you have in your mind, I believe you can have it in your hand.

A-J: That’s really deep, Darko.
DC: Yep. It is.

To comment on this story:
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com  766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com  766-8700

Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen used a nearly record-setting scoring performance to lead the Wildcats to a 83-64 win in Lubbock on Tuesday.

The senior point guard scored 28 points, just shy of his career-best 32, to lead sixth-ranked Kansas State (23-4, 10-3 Big 12) to its sixth consecutive win. Meanwhile Texas Tech (16-11, 4-9 Big 12) fell for the fourth straight game, including three in a row against Top 25-ranked opponents.

John Roberson rebounded from a 2-point game to lead Tech with 15 points. He continued to struggle with his shooting after bruising his ribs a week ago at Baylor.

Nick Okorie, who had a team-high 21 points on Saturday against Texas, was the Red Raiders second-best scorer with 13 points.

Mike Singletary, who leads Tech with 15.2 points per game, scored just four on Tuesday.

Tech was 2-of-14 from 3-point range. One of its made shots was Okorie’s game-opener. The other was by David Tairu with 9 seconds left.

Okorie continued his shooting success from Saturday well into Tuesday. He came off the bench to score 9 points in the first half, including Tech’s first five points of the game. It was good news for the Raiders, who saw Singletary and Roberson, the team’s two leading scorers, open the game shooting a combined 1-of-8 from the field.

Kansas State got off to a 25-16 lead before Tech went on a 9-2 run to make trail just 27-25 with 7 minutes left in the first half. Then Kansas State went on a 8-0 in the next 2:15, building a 10-point lead it would ride into halftime.

Pullen deserved most of the credit for the Wildcats’ early success. At one point he had scored as many points as the entire Tech team; he finished the first half with 21 points on 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line.

Tech committed nine turnovers in the first 20 minutes, which Kansas State converted into nine points.

Tech slowed things down to start the second, as Darko Cohadarevic found D’walyn Roberts for a layup and Roberts turned a Roberson steal into two more points to cut the Wildcats’ lead to eight.

When Cohadarevic made two free throws — after missing four — Kansas State’s lead slipped to 43-37 with 16:13 to go.

A 3-point play by Tairu cut K-State’s lead to seven points with 12:18 on the clock. But Pullen made two free throws then found Curtis Kelly for a 3-point play and Dominique Sutton made a jumper to make it 54-40 with 10:46 to go.

Tech kept its cool as Okorie made a jump shot and Roberson sank three free throws to make it a 10-point game. Jamar Samuels made two foul shots, but Singletary negated them with a layup. Pullen hit a 3, and Roberson made two free throws and a breakaway layup to get Tech 9 points shy of tying with 7:40 to go.

Cohadarevic’s layup just inside six minutes made it a 9-point game again, but that’s when the Wildcats pulled away. By the time there was a media timeout with 3:18 left, Kansas State led by 16 and Texas Tech’s fans were heading for the doors.

Texas Tech has just one home game remaining, a rematch with Baylor next Wednesday. Before that, though, they have a chance at a much-needed conference road win, when the Raiders travel to bottom-ranked Nebraska on Saturday.

By appearances alone, this is a new era for Texas Tech football.

Tuberville is everything Mike Leach is not, and my best guess is that’s perfectly by design. The powers-that-be in Texas Tech’s coaching search found the antithesis of Mike Leach when they brought the former Coach of the Year to Lubbock.

Leach often appeared at press conferences and in TV interviews like he’d been up watching film all night. His hair needed a good wash. His Tech polo looked like he’d found it in a pile on the laundry room floor.

He was a brilliant football coach and knew it. The pirate didn’t care about impressing people, and that was part of his appeal. He didn’t schmooze. He didn’t need to be dressed up to beat Texas in 2008 or Oklahoma in three consecutive home games.

Tuberville will be, at worst, a lateral move on the field. His record at Auburn and before that at Ole Miss shows what he can accomplish. The two men’s accomplishments stack up quite nicely.

But Tuberville’s approach will be drastically different.

Leach never liked making public appearances, but Tuberville talked about spending six months meeting with fans, alums, students and boosters. Leach rarely had an opening statement at his news conferences and tended to keep those gatherings brief; Tuberville spent 10 minutes Sunday outlining his plan then answered questions for nearly twice times that long.

Really, Tech’s administration had no bad choice with defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill and Tuberville as their options. McNeill, though, likely would have kept the Mike Leach way largely intact.

Tuberville provides a relieving change of pace.

Tech’s fans need to embrace that about their new coach. Mike Leach is not coming back, so I hope the Team Leach business will soon fade. The last thing Tuberville, the staff he hires and the players he recruits need to hear is how awful they are by comparison.

Tuberville did not fire Leach. Neither did the Tech players.

I’ve covered three football coaching changes since 2004, and each one tasted slightly different from the others. Ron Zook came to Illinois with a we’re-gonna-prove-them-all-wrong message, saying it’s easy to play for an established program but really special to be the running back or linebacker who helps build one. Paul Rhoads arrived in Ames with literal tears in his eyes as he talked about proving Iowa kids really can compete in the Big 12.

Their first words were meant specifically for the players and recruits.
Three weeks to signing day, and Tuberville’s only mention of recruiting was to say he’d called many of Tech’s commits Saturday after getting the job. The new Raider coach can’t yet focus on selling his program to the kids on the field; first he’s got to make sure people will be in the stands.

Embrace this guy, at least until he gives you reason not to. Maybe he won’t make you giggle with comments about players’ “fat little girlfriends,” but Tuberville plans to talk to each of his players at every practice, checking in about their personal lives. He won’t have an office full of pirate gear or tell fictional TV football coaches to “swing your sword,” but if you see him at a luncheon I’ll bet he could share a story or two about the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980s.

Tuberville may be compared to a salesman, but I thought he looked more like a politician. He seemed cautious in agreeing that Leach holdovers would be candidates for coordinator positions, likely nervous at backlash from McNeill’s strong fan base. He carefully sidestepped questions about Leach’s controversial firing and the ensuing anger from fans, calling the firing a “bump in the road” and praising Tech fans for their fervor.

Tuberville’s polished shoes and polished message say he takes this seriously. He’s been to the top and had it unexpectedly disappear. He alluded to Tech going to the cliched “next level,” and if that’s not a
Big 12 South championship and even conference or national championships, what else could he mean?

Tuberville may be the anti-Leach, but that’s OK. He wants the best for Texas Tech football; he has no reason not to.

Here’s hoping Tech football fans want the best for him, too.

Courtney Linehan is sports editor of The Avalanche-Journal. She can be contacted at 766-8735.

Ruffin McNeill has assumed the duties of interim head football coach at Texas Tech University and will lead the Red Raiders against the Michigan State Spartans in the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl on January 2.

• Will coach in his 14^th bowl game on Saturday and his first as an acting head coach.  McNeill has been on the Texas Tech staff since 2000 and coached in nine bowl games with the Red Raiders.
• Assumed the role of defensive coordinator during the 2007 season following a loss at Oklahoma State.
• Began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Clemson in 1985 and earned his first job as an assistant at Austin Peay in 1987.  Named defensive coordinator at Appalachian State in 1993 and held that job until 1997. Moved to UNLV as the defensive coordinator in 1997 and then went to Fresno State as the defensive line coach in 1999.
• His 2009 defense at Texas Tech is one of the best in the last 10 years as the Red Raiders have held nine opponents under their average for total offense.  The unit ranks 47^th nationally in total defense as they are allowing just 348.8 yards per-game.
• Texas Tech is currently ranked second nationally in total sacks with 40 and that number ties the school’s single season record.  Senior defensive end Brandon Sharpe ranks second nationally with 15 sacks, which is also a new school record.

Staff Changes For Saturday

There will be some slight changes to the offensive play calling on Saturday when the Red Raiders face Michigan State.  Offensive graduate assistant Sonny Cumbie, who is traditionally on the sidelines, will move to the press box and replace inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley.  Riley will move to the sidelines and will be in charge of play calling.

WR Lanear Sampson 6-0 200 Fr-RS

Willie Jefferson 6-6 210 Fr-HS

IR Kendall Wright 5-11 185 So-1L

Krys Buerck 5-11 180 Jr-2L

LT Danny Watkins 6-4 310 Jr-TR

Chris Griesenbeck 6-6 275 Sr-2L

LG Ivory Wade 6-5 315 Fr-HS

Cameron Kaufhold 6-4 295 Fr-RS

C J.D. Walton 6-3 305 Sr-2L

Jake Jackson 6-3 290 Fr-RS

RG James Barnard 6-4 300 Sr-2L

John Jones 6-4 300 So-1L

RT Philip Blake 6-3 275 So-TR

Joe Korbel 6-6 265 So-1L

TE Justin Akers 6-5 255 Sr-3L

Brad Taylor 6-3 235 Jr-2L

IR Ernest Smith 6-3 200 Sr-3L

Brad Taylor 6-3 235 Jr-2L

WR David Gettis 6-4 215 Sr-3L

Terrance Williams 6-2 190 Fr-RS

QB Nick Florence 6-1 190 Fr-HS

Blake Szymanski 6-4 210 Sr-3L

FB Sam Sledge 6-2 265 Sr-3L

Andrew Judy 6-1 235 Sr-1L

TB Jay Finley 5-11 205 Jr-2L

Jarred Salubi 5-10 200 Fr-RS

HB Terrance Ganaway 6-0 245 So-TR

PK Dary Stone 6-1 175 Sr-SQ

Ben Parks 6-2 200 So-1L

DEFENSE

DE Jason Lamb 6-5 275 Sr-3L

Earl Patin 6-2 225 Jr-2L

DT Phil Taylor 6-4 355 Jr-TR

Jason Lamb 6-5 275 Sr-3L

NG Trey Bryant 6-2 315 Sr-3L

Nicolas Jean-Baptiste 6-1 310 So-1L

DE Zac Scotton 6-7 260 So-1L

Tracy Robertson 6-4 260 So-1L

SLB Antonio Jones 6-2 235 Sr-3L

Chris Francis 6-0 235 Jr-2L

MLB Joe Pawelek 6-2 240 Sr-3L

Earl Patin 6-2 225 Jr-2L

FLB Antonio Johnson 6-0 210 Jr-2L

Elliot Coffey 6-0 220 Sr-1L

RCB Chance Casey 5-11 170 Fr-HS

Clifton Odom 5-11 195 Jr-2L

SS Jeremy Williams 5-11 210 Sr-3L

Byron Landor 6-1 210 Jr-TR

FS Jordan Lake 6-1 215 Sr-3L

Tim Atchison 6-0 205 Jr-2L

LCB Tim Atchison 6-1 205 Jr-2L

Antareis Bryan 6-2 190 Jr-2L

P Derek Epperson 6-3 235 Jr-2L

Ben Parks 6-2 200 So-1L

* – conference game

^ – at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington

Sept. 5, won at Wake Forest, 24-21

Sept. 19, lost vs. Connecticut, 30-22

Sept. 26, won vs. Northwestern State, 68-13

Oct. 3, won vs. Kent State, 31-15

Oct. 10, lost at Oklahoma*, 33-7

Oct. 17, lost at Iowa State*, 24-10

Oct. 24, lost vs. Oklahoma State*, 34-7

Oct. 31, lost vs. Nebraska*, 20-10

Nov. 7, won at Missouri*, 40-32

Nov. 14, lost vs. Texas*, 47-14

Nov. 21, lost at Texas A&M*, 38-3

Nov. 28, vs. Texas Tech*^

• Texas Tech-Baylor series: This is the 68th meeting, with Texas Tech leading 34-32-1. The Red Raiders have won 13 in a row, the longest winning streak in the series, including last year’s 35-28 victory in Lubbock. Under Mike Leach, Tech has beaten Baylor by an average of 32.8 points. Baylor’s last win in the series was a 9-7 victory in Waco in 2005. This will be the teams’ first meeting at a neutral site.

• Head coach: Art Briles (Texas Tech, 1979), 8-15 in second season at Baylor, 42-43 in seventh collegiate season overall.

• Top rushers: RB Jay Finley, 61 carries, 315 yards, 1 touchdown; RB Jarred Salubi, 47-292-2; RB Terrance Ganaway, 65-191-5; IR Kendall Wright, 28-132-1; QB Robert Griffin (injured, will not play), 27-77-2 ;QB Nick Florence, 57-62-3.

• Top passers: QB Nick Florence, 165 completions, 266 attempts, 9 interceptions, 1,786 yards, 6 touchdowns; QB Robert Griffin (injured, will not play), 45-69-0, 481 yards, 4 TDs; QB Blake Szymanski, 33-54-4, 367 yards, TD.

• Top receivers: IR Kendall Wright, 60 catches, 690 yards, 4 touchdowns; WR David Gettis, 49-606-3; IR Ernest Smith, 37-345-0; WR Lanear Sampson, 25-269-2; TE Justin Akers, 25-240-1; RB Jarred Salubi, 19-153-0; TE/IR Brad Taylor, 13-166-1.

• Top defensive players: MLB Joe Pawelek, 97 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 21/2 sacks, 1 interception, 5 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries; FS Jordan Lake, 83 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup, 2 forced fumbles; SLB Antonio Jones, 78 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 quarterback hurries, 1 fumble recovery; FLB Antonio Johnson, 75 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery; CB Tim Atchison, 38 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 5 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble; CB Chance Casey, 33 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 1 quarterback hurry; DE Jason Lamb, 30 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries, 2 blocked kicks.

• Top specialists: PK Dary Stone, 3-of-3 field goals, long 35, 10-of-11 extra points; PK Ben Parks, 4-of-8 field goals, long 41, 17-of-18 extra points, 47 kickoffs, 60.5-yard average, 6 touchbacks; P Derek Epperson, 51 punts, 45.0-yard average, long 56, 12 inside 20; KR Terrance Williams, 27 returns, 24.3-yard average, long 51; PR Krys Buerck, 14 returns, 7.4-yard average, long 30.

• Area players on roster: WR Evan Hearn, Jr., Plainview; FB Sam Sledge, Sr., Midland.

Compiled by Adam Zuvanich

The basket, giving Tech a 20-point lead, sealed Saturday’s win against Lamar even though more than 11 minutes remained in the game.

Texas Tech won 77-54, improving to 5-0 on the season. The Red Raiders used a combination of fast breaks and long-range shots to own the second half after leading by 10 at the break.

“I thought we pressed ourselves a little bit, took some quick shots early on in the game,” coach Pat Knight said. “I told them at halftime to just relax.”

John A. Bowersmith/Avalanche-Journal

Nick Okorie led the Red Raiders with 19 points, including 7-of-9 free throw shooting. D’walyn Roberts narrowly missed his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while John Roberson scored 11 points on 5-of-10 field goal shooting.

Charlie Harper was Lamar’s only double-digit scorer with 12 points and seven rebounds. Justin Nabors added nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Red Raiders shot 45.5 percent from the 3-point line, up from its average of 28 percent this season heading into the game. Knight said he was happy with the team’s ability to find middle- and long-range jumpers.

“I think it was just us reading the defense,” Roberson said. “It was open, so we were taking shots.”

Yet, Tech’s shooting sagged early on, as the Red Raiders missed 12 of their first 17 field goal attempts. Lamar led 8-6 and 10-8 early in the game, and Charlie Harper made back to back shots to give Lamar a 19-16 lead 10 minutes into the game.

The Red Raiders tried to use the fast-break offense that worked through their first four games, causing 11 Cardinal turnovers in the first half.

Brad Reese made a pair of 3-pointers to help Tech to a 23-19 lead with 7:31 left in the half. Tech used a 12-1 run to pull away, leading 28-20 with 4:33 before the break.

Lamar slowed down Tech’s offense, and while the score at half was 36-26, Tech’s lead included three free throws in the last two minutes and a three-quarter-court shot at the buzzer by Nick Okorie.

“Hitting the lucky shot from half-court is always a dagger,” Knight said. “It gives you momentum.”

Texas Tech improved its shooting as the half unfolded, making 40.6 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes; Lamar made just one fewer field goal. The Red Raiders, however, went 7-of-12 from the free throw line, while the Cardinals were just 1-of-6.

Lawrence Nwevo made a jumper to open the second half, but Tech took over the scoring from there with 10 consecutive points to build a 46-28 lead with 16:10 to go.

Tech outscored Lamar 20-8 in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“I was glad our guys, instead of letting them back in, giving them confidence, letting them cut it to four or six, we were able to add to the lead,” Knight said. “That’s always big.”

To comment on this story:
courtney.linehan@lubbockonline.com uE06C 766-8735
terry.greenberg@lubbockonline.com uE06C 766-8700