SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 15, 1994
SECTION E
Kansas faces repairs to aging facilities
Renovations wreak havoc on practices
By Chesley Dohl
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's basketball team has remained somewhat stagnant in its progress in practice — thanks to a $1.9 million renovation project in Allen Field House, now two weeks behind schedule.
Since the first day of practice on Oct. 15, the noise and commotion created by construction crews completing walkways and aisles in the field house have made practice conditions a circus atmosphere for players and coaches.
"It's the most ridiculous preseason I've ever had to go through," Roy Williams said. "There were a couple times there when I actually had to look up to see if a trapeze was going to come down."
"Nine-thirty at night you've got welding going on and sledge hammers clanging against sheet metal. There's no other college team in America that's had to put up with that kind of junk."
In early June, construction crews began installing a $600,000 sprinkler system in the ceiling of the field
house. That project was completed in early September.
The major hold-up, however, has been the lack of materials needed to compete the construction of 500 additional seats, stairways and handrails, said Darren Cook, director of facilities operations.
"They've been welding and grating at a frantic pace to get the job done," Cook said. "It's made for some real inconvenience at practices. Players can't hear the coaches, and the coaches can't hear the players."
Yesterday, Cook said the construction crews were to discontinue work during scheduled basketball practice hours, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The original construction work was scheduled from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then resumed after 7 p.m. But when crews got behind, they worked overtime to compensate.
"The project is close to completion, and we are into the basketball season," Cook said. "It's late, but other than that, things are getting done. We're really seeing light at the end of the tunnel with this project."
Kansas sophomore Scot Pollard said the construction made practices difficult at times.
"It's very distracting," Dollard said. "You'll be trying to listen to what the coach is trying to say, and just at that exact moment he's telling us something, they start hammering. It's funny sometimes — and sometimes it isn't so funny."
house that the Jayhawks held practice at Lawrence High School last Sunday before the Australian All-Star exhibition.
The noise was so bad in the field
Williams said it was one of the best practices of the year.
"It wasn't because the court was ten feet shorter. It was the first time I felt like they could hear what I was saving." Williams said.
Despite the four weeks of less-than-tolerable practice conditions, Williams still has kept his sense of humor.
At times during a recent news conference, Williams joked with reporters, asking them to repeat their questions and telling them he couldn't hear what they were saying.
"We'll check everybody's ears and see who's ears haven't been damaged by all the nonsense we've had to put up in In Allen Field House" he said of his players.
The construction company is being fined a fee for each additional day it takes them to finish the renovations. But fine or no fine, Williams said, the construction work hasn't helped his practices.
The players who can hear him best without the need for sign language will be the ones to start, he said.
"If we win this early in the season, it'll be totally because the kids are good players and they know some things on their own, because they haven't heard half the stuff I've been telling them, "Williams said. "Maybe we'll find out how valuable I am."
AP men's basketball poll
rank team record pta. pr
1. Arkansas (63) 31-3 1,646 2
2. UNC(1) 28-7 1,490 1
3. UMass 28-7 1,391 8
4. Kentucky(1) 27-7 1,361 7
5. Arizona 29-6 1,270 9
6. UCLA 21-7 1,239 17
7. Maryland(1) 18-12 1,126 —
8. Duke 28-6 1,120 6
9. Indiana 21-9 971 18
10. Florida 29-8 960 14
11. Kansas 27-8 958 13
12. Syracuse 23-7 951 15
13. Cincinnati 22-10 882 25
14. Virginia 18-13 865 —
15. Georgetown 19-12 620 —
16. Michigan 24-8 613 11
17. Wisconsin 18-11 539 —
18. Alabama 20-10 403 —
19. Connecticut 29-5 351 4
20. Michigan St. 20-12 345 —
21. Oklah. St. 24-10 329 19
22. Villanova 20-12 282 —
23. Georgia Tech 16-13 239 —
24. Wake Forest 21-12 231 —
25. Illinois 17-11 178 —
Iowa State
152, Penn 111, Memphis 94,
Louisville 84, Mississippi State 75,
Tulane 75, Gonzaga 64, Texas Tech 53,
Temple 45, Texas 39, Minnesota 34,
California 29, Brigham Young 28,
St. John's 26, Oklahoma 22, Florida
State 19, Arizona State 17, Ohio U.
17, St. Louis 17, Western Kentucky
15, LU 14, Marquette 11, North Carolina
Charlotte 11.
Source: The Associated Press
KANSAN
Club seating, plush suites in the future
By Matt Irwin
Kansan sportswriter
If Bob Frederick, Kansas athletic director, has his way, there will be plush seats to sit in for Kansas football fans in the next couple years.
Frederick has brought in a Lawrence architectural firm to help generate ideas and estimate costs of improvements to Memorial Stadium, which was built in 1921.
Frederick's list of improvements includes improving the restrooms and concessions and adding club level seating and suites with plush seating.
As the oldest stadium west of the Mississippi, Memorial Stadium is inadequate in many areas, Frederick said.
"If you go into our stadium and you go into a new stadium there is a considerable difference," Frederick said.
Frederick said that the improvements would pay for themselves because of the high renting price of suites and the current interest in acquiring them.
Right now, the project is in the
planning stage. Frederick said that Kansas hoped to have estimates of the construction costs by the Thanksgiving holiday.
He said the cost estimates and ideas must receive approvals from the chancellor and from the Board of Regents before the construction schedule could be put into place.
Kansas wants to triple the length of the press box, place it higher and add two levels of suites below it. Improvements would be made in the press box, and club-level seats would be added below the suites.
Frederick said that suites usually were rented for $20,000 to $250,000 a year but that most colleges' suites were rented for between $25,000 and $50,000 a year.
The club seats and suites may eventually pay for the project, but several improvements need to be made to the restrooms and concessions areas.
Frederick said that although there were an equal number of men's and women's restrooms at the stadium, improvements would create more women's restrooms.
He also said that the restrooms lacked proper accessibility for disabled people.
Renovations would include improving electricity, water and sanitary sewer service,he said.
Frederick said that the city of Lawrence might be responsible for these three improvements, but that improvements were necessary.
Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart cuts to the outside as Kansas senior outside linebacker Don Davis chases him in the Buffaloes 51-26 victory. Although Stewart passed for 202 yards and rushed for 47 yards, he did not win Big Eight offensive player of the week. He is still in contention for the Heisman Trophy.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
Cyclone coach's career ends before his final game
Off-field controversies mark Big Eight's final football days
By DOUG TUCKER The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What rotten times these are for Big Eight football coaches.
At Iowa State, lame-duck Jim Walden has been fineed $5,000 for criticizing officials and told he cannot coach his last game Saturday at No. 7 Colorado. And at Oldahoma, a tight-lipped Gary Gibbs said he didn't plan on resigning this week.
Most coaches at the Big Eight's final football teleconference of the season yesterday were reluctant to comment on Walden's plight.
"If I say anything, I could be under scrutiny, too," said Missouri coach Larry Smith. "It's really bad to me, overall, that a coach can't say anything about officiating. Jim Walden's a fine person, an excellent football coach. I'm saddened to see that happen to him."
Walden apparently isn't in very close communication with the Big Eight office. He said he had planned on coaching the Cyclones all week and then watching the game from the Colorado radio booth. But a Big Eight representative said that the rules called for a suspended coach to keep out of the facility the game would be plaved in.
"It's a tough way to go out after 17 years of being a head football coach. But that's their decision." Walden said.
Walden already had said he would quit after
the season.
"I think it's probably not right that he cannot coach his last game," said Tom Osborne, coach of No. 1 Nebraska. "And I've mentioned that to the appropriate people. I think if you fine a guy $5,000 to make a point, that will make enough of a point, especially when a guy's already been let go.
There were published reports in Oklahoma during the weekend that state authorities were trying to get Gibbs to resign before this Thursday, when former Sen. David Boren takes over as the school's president.
"To say he can't coach his last game, that's a little too much."
Colorado's 25-point victory over Kansas on Saturday seemed to signal the Buffs were back on top of their game. They still aren't shut out of the Orange Bowl and a shot at a national championship. If Oklahoma beats Nebraska on Nov. 25 and Colorado beats Iowa State on Saturday, they'd tie for the Big Eight title.
"I'm focusing on Nebraska right now," Gibbs said. "That's my sole focus."
Gibbs, asked if there was any truth to the reports, said. "No."
At that point, the Orange Bowl gets to choose.
* Might it be the Buffs?
"I would think we would have a good chance depending on how the Oklahoma-Nebraska game would go," said Colorado coach Bill McCartney. "We did beat Oklahoma decisively. They may be looking at several decisions. Nebraska's been there several years."
Likely bowl matchups
Likely bowl matchups
Coalition bowls Opponents Date
Orange Nebraska vs. Miami Jan. 1
Sugar Florida vs. Notre Dame Jan. 2
Cotton Texas Tech vs. Florida St. Jan. 2
Flesta Colorado vs. Syracuse Jan. 2
Gator Mississippi St. vs. Duke Dec. 30
Sun Baylor vs. Arizona Dec. 30
Other bowls Opponents Date
Rose Penn St. vs. Oregon Jan. 2
Citrus Ohio St. vs. Alabama Jan. 2
Holiday Utah vs. Michigan Dec. 30
Hall of Fame Wisconsin or Illinois vs. N. Carolina Jan. 2
Peach Tennessee vs. Virginia Jan. 1
Alamo Rice vs. Southern California Dec. 31
Freedom Washington St. vs. Brigham Young Dec. 29
Aloha Kansas St. vs. Boston College Dec. 25
Copper Oklahoma vs. Colorado St. Dec. 29
Carquest Virginia Tech vs. S. Carolina Jan. 2
Liberty Illinois, Wis., or Indiana vs. Memphis Dec. 31
Independence Purdue vs. Georgia or N. Carolina St. Dec. 28
Las Vegas Nevada vs. Bowling Green Dec. 15
Source: Chicago Tribune
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Successful fall readies rugby for the spring
Ry Kent Hohlfeld
Kansan sportswriter
"It's really been better than I could've hoped," Delargy said. "We got a lot more people competing for the A-side of our collegiate team."
The team used that depth to compile a 10-14 overall record this season. That record included a 17-14 victory at Northeast Missouri State in Kirksville, Mo., followed by a 56-12 nounding of Kansas State here in Lawrence.
The Kansas rugby team completed its fall season at the Ozark Invitational tournament this weekend, where it finished with a record of 2-1. The tournament ended what has been a very successful fall season for the team, said Matt Delargy, club captain.
Those two victories are crucial to the team's hope of making it to the playoffs next spring. Both teams are in the Heart of America Union. The winner of the Union goes on to the Western Territorial Championships. Kansas will play both teams again in the spring.
Provided that both teams beat K-State next spring, Northeast Missouri State would have to defeat Kansas by three points to keep Kansas from winning a playoff spot.
A berth in the territorial championships would help erase the memory of a 10-8 loss to Northeast Missouri last season, which gave that team the bid for the territorial championships.
"This fall really helped us get back on track," said Delargy.
The fall season helped the Kansas team off and on the field. Delargy said that the team had been successful in recruiting members to the team.
Delargy said that if Kansas could reach the territorial competition, the team would have a good chance to advance to the final four teams.
"The competition in some of the other unions isn't really as good as ours is," Delargy said.
"It helps depth-wise when you have a lot of people coming out for the team," he said.
Senior Collin Gotham said that the fall season had been important in helping the team gain confidence and cohesiveness.
"It takes time to develop cohesiveness," Gotham said. "It also helps us develop more of a team philosophy."
So far, the philosophy has been to run the ball. Players can only advance the ball by running or kicking the ball, and only lateral passes are allowed in rugby.
In previous seasons, the team had used a mixture of running and kicking the ball. This fall the team has stuck almost exclusively to the run.
"We knew we'd be good," said junior John Wiley. "But we were using a new strategy, and you never know for sure how it will work."
He said that the run-only strategy had some drawbacks.
"We don't kick it, so we don't risk losing possession," Wiley said. "But when you make a mistake, the other team can capitalize easier."
Rugby coach Domine Barnao said that some changes would be made for the spring semester.
"We wanted to develop the players ball-handling skills this fall," Barnao said. "We'll alter the style some in the spring, but we want to avoid the aimless kicking that you see a lot."
Kansas will now be able to relax until January, when the team focuses on its competitive spring season.
"The fall is more developmental with trying to get the new people into the game," Barnao said. "I think the fall definitely gave us something to build on."