COLUMNIST
U N I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
GERRY FEY
Kansas lucky to have Roy
You can't beat the system
Whether it be in a bureaucracy or college basketball, the system always seems to beat individuals.
That was never more obvious than in No. 7 Kansas' 81-75 victory over No. 1 Massachusetts Saturday in the inaugural John Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
And it is Roy's way or the highway.
Everyone in the Kansas program knows this, and when players come to Kansas, they realize that Williams' philosophy is not conducive to superstars or showboat players.
What kind of attitude is that? It's one that Roy would not tolerate.
"I wanted to go out and prove I am one of the premier players in the country also." he said.
Not at Kansas through, Ostertag and the rest of the players know that Jayhawk victories are earned through team unity and a pool of good, but not great. players.
He hustled down the court and blocked the player's shot from behind, cleanly and off the glass.
Williams proved why he is one of the best coaches in the nation on Saturday. The Midwest already knew it, but bit by bit the country is starting to realize this also. At the beginning of the game, the announcers added a side note after introducing Williams. They said he was a Dean Smith disciple.
Now, maybe the country should notice Roy Williams as Roy Williams — or God we as like to call him.
Former players and current ones alike are all on the same page. Former guard Rex Walters, sophomore center Scot Pollard and others say that if they do what Roy says, they will win. And no one can deny the success that this philosophy has reaped.
Kansas did not beat the Minutemen because the Jayhawks had more talent. When Marcus Camby comes out of nowhere for a rebound, almost slamming the ball through the net and into Ostertag's face, it's obvious that Massachusetts has better athletes than Kansas.
When Lou Roe, or Louis Roe, as Roy likes to say, scores 33 points and brings down 10 rebounds, it is clear that his abilities are far superior to any Javahk player.
Gerry Fey is an Omaha, Neb. senior in journalism.
I think the switch that pushed Ostertag to get back on defense was Roy. The Roy Williams philosophy was inside Ostertag, telling him that he better hustle or he would be on the bench. You can bet he didn't have to do that playing high school basketball in Duncanville, Texas.
Sure, it's a toy of the high way. Sure, we would love to have a Louis Roe at Kansas. Roy would love to have a player with that ability on the team, but with the talent comes the attitude. Roe called for the ball in the low post during Saturday's game, and he got it. If he doesn't get the ball, he is pissed and rightfully so. He is the best player on the team.
Ostertag slowly jogged to half court, almost conceding the basket. Then it was like a switch got turned on in his brain to go after the Massachusetts player.
The Jayhawks' system defeated the high-powered Minuteur players throughout the game. Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams had his team under control and prepared for the game.
Never was it more obvious than in one play during the Massachusetts game. Kansas had the ball on the offensive end of the court but then turned the ball over. As the UMASS player took the steal, headed toward a seemingly easy layup, Kansas senior Gret Ostertag trailed.
Is Roy Williams God, as signs during home games prophesize? Maybe he is, at least when looking inside the Kansas program.
The attitude that hurts Massachusetts when playing a team like Kansas is the one Roe had after defeating then-No. 1 Arkansas last week.
Kansas 81 UMass 75
College Scores
It is his team. The fans know it. The coaches know it. And the players know it.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1994
Cristina Salvador / LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM
1. Massachusetts (1-1) lost to No. 7 Kansas 84-75. Next: vs. Pittsburgh, Thursday.
AP Top S Men's Results
Arkansas 94
Missouri 71
Nebraska 98
Idaho St. 72
Oklahoma St. 86
Penn St. 85
Iowa St. 82
Wyoming 63
Oklahoma 93
NE Louis. 68
2. North Carolina (4-0) beat Pittsburgh 90-67, beat South Carolina 95-68, beat No. 10 Cincinnati 86-76. Next; vs. No. 24 Villanova, Thursday.
3. Kentucky (2-1) beat No. 14 Ohio University 79-74, lost to No. 5 UCLA 82-91. Next: vs. Indiana at Louisville, Ky., Wednesday.
4. Arkansas (3-1) beat Jackson State 103-87, beat Missouri 94-71. Next: vs. Centenary, Tuesday.
5. UCLA (2-0) beat No. 3 Kentucky 82-91. Next: vs. Cal State Ful.-Set.
Oklahoma St. 86 Texas A&M 56
'Hawks win shoot-out at The Pond
Sophomore guard Jacque Vaughn attempts to grab the ball over sophomore guard Jerod Haase. The two guards were key in Kansas' 81-75 victory against Massachusetts on Saturday, combining for 30 points, 14 rebounds and 16 assists.
By Chesley Dohl
Kansan sportswriter
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Metaphorically speaking, in Saturday's shoot-out against No. 1-ranked Massachusetts, Kansas found it was better to be a pond full of Jayhawks than a lone Minuteman.
Kansas outshot the Minutemen 81-75 at The Pond in the opening game of the John Wooden Classic. Massachusetts forward Lou Roe's 33-point scoring barrage was not enough against the Jayhawks' balanced scoring attack, which left the Minutemen nothing but sitting ducks.
No.1 Minutemen unable to match Kansas' intensity
"It takes a team with balance to play a team like Kansas. To beat them, you can't do it with just one guy," Massachusetts coach Jim Callipari said. "You have to give Kansas credit. We were outplayed, outhustled, and outcoached."
But in the end, the Jayhawks won out with their intensity, fighting for every loose ball and rebound.
"We were in this game. This was anybody's body with a couple minutes to go. It's just that they made the plays down the stretch," Calipari said. "They played with unbelievable intensity the whole game. I thought at some point they'd back down. But they just didn't."
Throughout the game, Kansas and Massachusetts exchanged leads.
Struggling to maintain a four-point lead with 3:35 left in the game, sophomore Jerod Haase displayed that intensity with a break-away slam-dunk. Haase, who finished with 16 points, later buried a three-pointer with 1:05 on the clock, giving Kansas a 78-72 lead.
The Hawks never looked back.
"The three pointer I hit, Jacquid did a great job of penetrating," said Haase, who had been 0-4 from the three-point range before he hit the key shot. "I was left open and Jacque made a great pass right to my hands. And fortunately it went in for me."
At 7:05 tonight Kansas faces Coppin St. at Allen Field House.
Kansas 81, UMass 75
KANSAS (2-0)
Player fgm/tga ttm/ta tp
LaFrentz 5-7 8-11 18
Haase 5-11 5-9 16
Vaughn 5-8 3-3 14
Pollard 6-9 0-0 12
Ostertag 4-5 1-3 9
Pearson 3-7 1-2 7
Thomas 1-2 0-0 3
Williams 1-4 0-0 2
Gurley 0-1 0-0 0
McGrath 0-0 0-0 0
Totals 30-54 18-28 81
MASSACHUSETTS (1-1)
Roe 13-25 7-11 33
Bright 6-14 1-1 13
Kellogg 4-9 0-0 11
Williams 3-6 0-0 8
Padilla 2-9 0-0 4
Dingle 1-5 1-3 3
Camby 1-7 0-2 2
Meyer 0-0 1-4 1
Burki 0-1 0-0 0
Norville 0-1 0-0 0
Totals 30-77 10-21 75
Helfiim Kansas 38, UMass 39 point goals Kansas 3-11 (Haase 15, Thomas 1, Vaughn 1-1), UMass 5-16 (Kellogg 3, Williams 2-1), Rebounds Kansas 43 (Haese 8), UMass 37 (Roe 10) UMasses Kansas 21 (Vaughn 11, Haese 5), UMass 16 (Padilla 5, Kellogg 4) Total foule Kansas 17, UMass 23 Attendance 18,300
Kansas senior center Greg Oostert, who fouled out with 2:32 left to play, kept Kansas in the game with effective defense against Loe Roe, Kansas coach Roy Williams said. Ostertag rejected six Minuteum shots and turned in nine points.
Massachusetts controlled the tempo of the game early in the first half, but Kansas did not stay behind for long. Williams stressed the Kansas height advantage and a game of backdoor shots led to a string of open lob-passes, which resulted in slams and easy lay-ins.
But Kansas still remained one point behind at the half, 39-38.
See UMASS, Page 2B.
Women's team thrashes tournament foes
By Jenni Carlson
Kennon sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team won the Dial Soap Basketball Classic with two lopsided victories, but the wins were anything but similar.
With two of Kansas' starters out with ankle injuries, the Jayhawks defeated the Eastern Washington Eagles 86-62 Friday to advance to the championship game against Illinois State.
Kansas was back at full speed Saturday and captured the tournament title with a 95-74 victory over Illinois State. Eastern Washington placed third by downing Howard 79-54.
The Redbirds defeated Howard 83-55 in Friday's other game.
"This was a fun tournament for everybody," said senior forward Angela Aycock. "We played really well."
Aycock was named the Dial Classic's Most Valuable Player, with 45 points and 11 rebounds in the two games. She recorded a career-high 31 points in the Jahawks' victory over Illinois State. That total broke Aycock's previous career-high of 30 points, which she set against Virginia last weekend.
"Our defense was really on." Aycock said. "It enabled us to get a lot of easy buckets."
Friday: Kansas 86, E. Washington 62 Saturday: Kansas 95, Illinois St.74
Aycock's MVP performance was almost cut short. An injury to her right ankle with 14:21 remaining in the first half of Friday's game forced Aycock to the bench. Aycock reinjured the ankle that she hurt during a shoot-around in the Wahine Rainbow Classic last week.
Then exactly three minutes later, sophomore point guard Tamecka Dixon reinjured her ankle. Like Aycock, Dixon turned her ankle during a shoot-around in Hawaii.
"It was like, 'Oh Lord, now what?' said junior guard Charisse Sampson. "It was hard to adjust with them both out at the same time."
With two key ball handlers on the bench, Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington thrust the point guard position onto Sampson, a role she had never assumed previously in a game.
With Sampson carrying the load, Washington said Aycock had to prove she could return to the game. Aycock said she had to grit and bear the pain. Washington had her walk on the ankle before she returned to the game.
After an X-ray, medical personnel
revealed Aycock's tendons in her ankle were sliming.
She said that she would continue to ice it and play with some soreness.
Even though Aycock and Dixon both returned to the game, Sampson responded with a game-high 23 points and team-leading seven rebounds against Eastern Washington.
After Friday's performance, Sampson returned with 16 points and seven rebounds in a game that showcased four Jayhawks in double figures. She was named to the All-Tournament Team that included two other Jayhawks. Dixon and fellow sophomore guard Angie Halbleib joined Sampson and Avcock on the team.
"Charisse Sampson is playing right now like an All-American," Washington said.
Halbleib scored 24 points in the victory over Illinois State. She made six of her 13 three-point attempts.
"You feel like everything you put up is going to go in." Hollibble said.
Kansas continues play tomorrow at Northern Iowa. The No. 16 Jayhawks will make the six hour bus trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face the Panthers.
Sean R. Crosier / KANBAN
Sophomore forward Jennifer Trapp scramble for the ball during the Dial Sole Basketball Classic. Kansas won the tournament Saturday night, beating Illinois State 95-74.
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