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Tuesday, January 27,1976
University Daily Kansam
Cagers seek consistency
By ALLEN QUAKENBUSH
Sports Editor
Staff Photo by DON PIERCE
Herb Nobles
Ted Owens admits he isn't spending too much time thinking about the Big Eight
With a 1-2 league record, it's going to be very difficult for the Jayhawks to be league champions for the third consecutive year. All Owens cares about now is seeing KU, 8-on the season, play as well as it can for the rest of the year.
"That in itself will take care of whether we win or lose." Owens said, "and that will determine."
The Jayhawks have dropped two league games on the road, 99-6 at Missouri and 63-5 last weekend at Oklahoma State. They won a game in the league encounter, 68-0 over Iowa State.
THE START HAS to be considered disappointing after KU's strong second place finish in the Big Eight Presseason Tournament in Kansas City, KU played well against Nebraska, defeating Nebraska, 69-68, and Colorado, 70-69, before losing to Missouri in the final, 79-69.
Since the tourney, though, the Jayhawks have run into problems. In addition to losing the two league games, KU has also dropped a 73-70 game at Oral Roberts University.
In each of its last three losses, the Jayhawks have been plagued by poor starts. Although they came back strong in both the ORU and Oklahoma State games, they couldn't overcome Leibr early inability to score.
"WE HAVE TO GET off to decent start's," Owens said. "We've been in a position where we haven't been able to dictate any strategy at all.
"I know this is an oversimplification, but we haven't been scoring much early while the team's offense has been strong."
Kansas has showed flashes of being a very good basketball team, particularly in the Big Eight Tournament. But there have been many instances where shawkins have looked very, very mediocre.
"At times, we are doing things better," Owens said, "but our problem has been
inconsistency. We hit spells when we go then or, four minutes without doing anything.
PART OF THAT IS A result of inexperience, Owens said. The Jayhawks start junior Norm Cook, sophomores Milt Gibson, Clint Johnson and Ken Koenigs and freshman Paul Mokesi. Only Cook and Johnson had much variosity experience before this
The return of Mokesi, who missed most of the December schedule with a pulled hamstring, has helped the Jayhawks. But he's still far from being back to 100 per cent.
"His stamina still isn't very good," Owens said, and "his leg is pulling again."
Mokeni has shown a good shooting touch, but Owens said he had been unable to do the other things—rebounding, blocking shots and defenses—that made him a top prospect.
"HE WAS PLAYING super before he got hurt," Owens said. "He hasn't done nearly what I expected, but you can't fault Paul for that. He just isn't back to full strength yet."
Format new for tickets for K-State
Owens admitted that both he and the players were disappointed with their 1-2 start in league play. But they aren't looking forward to the game, because is the 11 conference games remaining.
A new method of buying student tickets for the KU-K-State basketball game Saturday was announced yesterday by Doug Messer, assistant athletic director.
Messer said students could place orders for the 300 tickets available for the game at the Athletic Ticket Office beginning tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. and continuing through Thursday at 5 p.m.
All ticket orders will then be placed in a box and a drawing will determine who gets the tickets, Messer said. The drawing will begin at 3 p.m. Friday in the east bleachers of Allen Field House, second floor, section six. Students must be present to claim their orders when they are drawn.
"We should improve," he said. "If we don't, we're doing a bad job—all of us."
A student may place only one order for a single $2 ticket, and an order doesn't assume a student of getting a ticket, Messer said.
KU women athletes enjoy winning week
Students whose order cards are drawn may go to the ticket window to purchase their ticket. A student must present his validated certificate of registration at the time of purchase.
It's hard to argue with the success of the University of Kansas women's athletic program last weekend. All four women's teams in competition were victorious.
Vette Sanders pierced in 22 points to lead the basketball team to a 66-57 win against Southwest Missouri. The victory raised the team to 7-4. They are 1-4 in conference play.
The swim team traveled to Columbia, Mo., where it won a quadrangular meet, the basketball team stayed at home to defeat Southwest Missouri State, the track team beat Wichita State University at Allen Field House and the gymnastics队 defeated North Carolina. The Hays State College in a triangular meet in Robinson Gymnasium.
"WE'RE BEGINNING OUR conference schedule now, so I am definitely pleased with our win at Columbia," said coach Claire McErioy. "Last year, Missouri, Iowa State and KU were the top teams in the Big Eight."
The swim team will begin a series of meets at 7 p.m. Friday in Hoboken Monday through Friday.
Although the Jayhawk swimmers captured first place in only three events, they balanced scored to win the meet with 406 points. Southern Illinois University was third at 381.5 and Missouri University was third with 381.5 and Missouri University took fourth with 366.5.
Diver Karen Mundy missed last weekend's meet because of illness, but McElloyd said she expected the squad to be at full strength for the rest of the schedule
Marian Washington, KU women's basketball coach, said she was pleased with the attendance at the games and with the play of her squad.
"WE'RE REALLY GETTING support from the crowds," she said. "We are improving with every game with better team performance and seems to be the inexperience of our players."
Ten members of the 16-member team are freshmen.
The team returns to action at 7 p.m. Thursday when it hosts Claremore Junior College of Claremore, Okla. The big game comes Saturday when KU hosts Kansas State in a contest before the men's game. Throff for the women's contest is 15:15 p.m.
Lonnie Lane led the track team to a convincing 71-24 win against Wichita State. Lane set a KU women's and an Allen Field House record with her winning leap of 5-1 in the final. She also won the 60-yard hurdles and was member of the winning mile relay team.
SHERI LANTER DEFEATED KU teammate Cassius Russell by one and a half inches in the long jump and set a KU record in the event. She jumped 16-0%.
Shot patter Jessie Riddle added a third record in last weekend's match with a loss of 7-1.
In all, the KU women seven of 10 events. The gymnastics team, led by Angie Wiley, scored 82.65 points to outshine Emma Prentice in a triangular Saturday in Robinson.
Wagle won the floor exercise with a score of 8.35, the balance beam with 7.8 and the all-round title with 29.2. She was also second in uneven parallel bars and third in vaulting.
Sherry Hassler, who won the vault with a score of 6.95, and Rene Nene, who won the uneven parallel bars with 7.25, were the other KU winners.
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