Section:
B
Those dirty Tigers
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
High school basketball player Travon Bryant, who considered signing with Kansas, committed to Missouri yesterday.
Inside: The Chiefs hired a new director of pro personnel yesterday.
SEE PAGE 2B
Inside: The University of Pittsburgh offered to pay $31 million to settle a former football player's lawsuit after he was paralyzed in a football-related accident.
SEE PAGE 5B
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2000
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Kansas signs Nash as only newcomer
Stevenson announces he will declare for NBA
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The decision wasn't really hard for Bryant Nash.
Nash, a 6-foot-6 forward from Carrollton, Texas, came to Kansas on an official visit last weekend. He said he toured the campus, talked to the Kansas coaches, hung out with the players and enjoyed every minute of it.
So on Monday night, Nash decided to prolong the enjoyment.
Nash officially announced that he had given an oral commitment to play for Kansas next season and that he planned to sign his letter of intent soon.
"I think it's been a long process," said Mark Bishop, Nash's high school coach. "From the fall until now he has been pretty heavily recruited. I'm just glad he's decided. He couldn't have done better than Kansas."
Meanwhile, Kansas' other recruit, DeShawn Stevenson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Fresno, Calif., told ESPN.com yesterday that he intended to declare for the NBA draft, despite his parents' wishes.
Projected as a late first-round pick by most analysts, Stevenson would be the first high school shooting guard to declare for the draft since Kobe Bryant, according to ESPN. And it leaves Kansas with just one recruit — Nash.
Nash, who averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks on game as a senior last season at Turner High School, said Kansas first became interested in him in January.
Nash took a visit to Memphis last month, and received interest at one time from Texas A&M, Florida and a number of other Texas schools.
Bishop said that Nash played mostly in
men's
BASKETBALL
the low post during high school, but he said he projected Nash would play as either a wing player or a small forward in college.
That's a project that Nash concedes will take some work.
"I just need to practice a lot so I can make the move between power forward to the perimeter," Nash said. "The college game is a lot faster, and you have to get bigger and have more coordination."
In terms of athleticism, Bishop compared Nash to Kansas guard Kenny Greory.
"He's very athletic." Bishop said. "He jumps well, he runs the floor well, he shoots the three well, he's got real long arms and he can give the opposition some trouble.
"He's a great kid. People up there are going to love him."
Another plus for Nash - he has qualified academically.
The same cannot be said for Stevenson, who signed a letter of intent with the Jayhawks last fall but has yet to receive a qualifying score on the SAT or ACT standardized tests.
Stevenson is awaiting the results of his most recent attempts for both tests.
He could come to Kansas as a partial-qualifier, meaning he could practice with the team but couldn't play in games. Stevenson, however, has made it known that he does not want to sit out a season at Kansas.
Darius Miles, a 6-foot-9 forward who played with Stevenson in the McDonald's All-American game in March, announced this week that he would forgo college and enter the NBA Draft. Miles originally signed a letter of intent with St. John's.
The deadline to declare for the draft is May 14.
Randy Withers, Shawnee junior, works on building his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame into football playing shape. Withers, listed as a me-backer, is one of 40 walk-ons on the Kansas football team. Photo by Melissa Thornton/KANSAN
For the love of the game
Walk-ons endure pain, exhaustion for team success
By Brandon Krisztal sports@kansan.com
Kansas writerwriter
By the end of the week, Randy Withers' neck hurt from the constant pounding. As a backup linebacker he was playing running back for scholarship players during practice. His bones had been jarred so badly that he felt the pain a little more each morning after full contact drills in spring practice.
"It hurt so much that I couldn't even lean my head back in class," Withers, a Shawnee junior, said.
This is the life of a football walk on. They suffer bruises, endure injuries and fight off exhaustion. The reward? Simply the opportunity, with no guarantees, to suit up for home games.
There are about 40 walk-ons in the Kansas program. Coach Terry Allen's liberal walk-on policy — as long as walk-ons make grades and show up for practice they're on the team — fulfills the dreams of football wannabes.
Junior fullback Ryan Currier decided to walk on as a freshman. After his high school career ended in Sedgwick, Currier just could not give up the game.
"I wanted a chance to play Big 12 football," he said. "I could've gone to some of the other smaller schools and done that. But really, the challenge to come in and try to play Big 12 football is really what drove me here."
Currier said he just enjoyed the competition, regardless of the impact he made on the field during the season.
"Playing is fun," he said. "As far as actual game time, it's been pretty limited for me. I got in a few games last year and that was really fun. As far as the other stuff, I just enjoy playing football.
It's just something to keep me busy."
The Jayhawks held their annual spring game April 15. The players, including walk-ons, are still participating in off-season workouts, and many plan to stay in Lawrence this summer to prepare for the upcoming season.
Following the spring game, Allen talked about how much the walk-ons meant to the program.
"We've had a lot of walk-ons play, and play a significant part in the success of our program," he said. "Bottom line on the numbers, we could not get through practice if we didn't have the walk-ons. So we're just grateful to have them out there."
The walk-ons' value to the team is far greater than the cost to keep them around. Walk-ons get no money for tuition, no travel and no room and board. Their only cost to the team is in time from tutors and wear and tear on equipment.
See WALK-ONS' on page 3B
Chenowith vows to dominate, improve in final season
Center to spend summer trying to revive game from sophomore season
To say Eric Chenowith had a good junior year would be a flat-out lie. His numbers dropped, his playing time shrunk. He couldn't even win a Student Senate election at a school where basketball players are treated like royalty by the student body.
From press row during the Pepperdine game, I could see the angest that was in Eric's demeanor. He didn't look like a guy who would dance around and shout "I love this game!" His expression was closer to Elian Gonzalez's when he had the friendly SWAT gry grab him from the closet.
Eric and I sat down the other day to talk about just what happened to his game this year.
Jones: Eric, the season is over, sum up this year for me.
Chenowith: For me personally, it was really frustrating, really hard at times. I remember my sophomore season and I'd wake up and be excited to play. This season, I would wake up and just not want to have another bad game.
Jones: You had a great sophomore season, leading the team in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Junior year, you looked like a different person. What happened in the off-season?
Chenowith: At the end of last year, I was so burnt out, and I wanted to take some time off. That time I took off caught up with me. When you're 20 years old, you don't make the same decisions Coach Williams would make, and I made a mistake and I'm paying for it. I don't think I'll ever be burnt out like that again, because I have such a great opportunity ahead of me. This will be my last year in the Fieldhouse, and I want to get a national championship.
Jones: It seemed that in the stands, every one thought they knew what you were doing wrong. Did you get coached by every person you know?
day, I was in the weight room lifting with the team. Some little 5-foot-2 Asian guy
Chenowith: Yeah, I sit in class, and people would say stuff to me. I think I've gotten more e-mails this year that anyone else at the University. Unless it was a really harsh one, I wouldn't write back. If it was really harsh, I'd write back and tell them that I hope God doesn't judge them as harshly as they judged me. Just the other
wearing a bucket hat and a tank top was in
Sports Columnist
Seth Jones
sports@kansan.com
there watching us, and no one knew who he was. He walks up to me and goes "Hey Eric, people think you're a wuss." I'm like "What?" He says "You should think about that every time you do a lift. That would motivate me mentally." I said "Who are you?" He said "Nobody" and walked away. The strength coach stopped him and asked him what he was doing and he said "Oh, I'm just trying to give Eric a piece of my mind." Even little guys that have no idea want to give me advice.
Chenwihow: That first article that Derek Prater wrote, I was enraged. I wanted to pull a Manny Dies on him and break down his door. Then the next day you say I'm playing like a Playboy Bunny or whatever.
Jones: What about the stuff the media writes about you?
It's so hard because you work so hard for something, and you just want to have success for the school, then someone rips on you in the paper and it's like they throw it all back in your face. The thing is, I have respect for you because we've talked about it and we can laugh about it now. If you're going to say something about someone, fess up about it and be a man.
Jones: When you got the ball on the low block this year, what was going through your mind? Was it "I'm gonna dunk on this jerk!" or more like "Don't kick the ball out of bounds ...?"
Chenowith: It was "Don't miss this shot, don't miss this shot" more than anything. When I was close enough, I'd try to dunk so I could get a Jonesey Award every once in a while.
Jones: Most commonly asked question about you: Why doesn't Eric Chenowith dunk more?
Chenowith: If I'm close enough, I'll dunk.
Chenwitt: If I'm close enough, I'll dunk.
Jones: There have been times I've seen you where I thought you could throw it down, but you don't, and you put up some floater instead. Wouldn't you agree with that?
Chenwith: No. If I think I can dunk it,
I'm going to dunk it. I think I might miss
a dunk, I'm going to lay it up. I could try to
dunk everything and miss a bunch of
dunks, and embarrass myself even more.
Jones: What are you going to do to come back better next year?
Chenwith: The second week of May, I'm going to go work with my high school coach and team and lift with those guys. I'm coming back for the last two weeks of June. I'll be working Coach's (Williams) camp, and afterward playing pick-up games with a lot of the guys that used to be on the team but are in the NBA now. July, I'll be back with my high school coach again, playing summer league on the weekends. The first week in August, I'm going to work with Tim Grurich, one of the coaches for the Portland Trailblazers. Then I'll go to Hawaii for a week and go to Peter Newell's big-man camp. He's like the guru for big guys. I've been there before, I was actually the first player ever to be invited to the camp while still in high school. It'll be an awesome week.
Jones: So you're coming back next year ready to dominate, right?
Chenowith: This year was a frustrating year, so I'm going to make a lot of sacrifices and come out like gang busters. If I don't have a good year next year, it's not because I didn't work hard in the summer. I'll tell you that much.
Jones is a Mulvane senior in journalism.
Rain postpones 'Hawks' baseball game in Texas
By Amanda Kaschube
Kansan sportswriter
Yesterday's Kansas (22-26) and UT Arlington (21-29) baseball game in Arlington, Texas, was halted in the top of the third inning because of rain.
The 'Hawks led the Mavericks 2-0,
after Brett Kappelmann and Doug Dreher both scored in the third
inning.
Kappelmann reached base on a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced home on pitcher Clint Faught's wild pitch. Dreher went to first on the same pitching error, and he later scored from a single off Jesse Gremminger's hat — the sole Kansas
The two teams face off again today at 1 p.m. for game two of the road series. Sophomore Dan Olson (1-1) is scheduled to take the mound for Kansas.
hit.
Junior Pete Smart allowed five hits, fanned three and walked only one Maverick in the three innings played.
Time and weather permitting, the last six innings of yesterday's game will be played at the conclusion of the first game.
Even before the teams met, coach Bobby Randall said the Mavericks would be a good indicator of the 'Hawks' improvement throughout the season.
"I know they will be fired up to play a Big 12 school," he said.
Kansas City gets past Oakland in extra innings
Dye hits 12th home run leads American League
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Carlos Febles' RBI single capped a three-run 10th inning and boosted Kansas City past the Oakland Athletics 8-7 last night.
Jason Isringhausen, who was 14 for 14 in career save chances, was two outs away from saving the major league record for consecutive saves starting a career. The record is 15 shared by Robb Nen and Greg McMichael.
But Isringhausen (1-1) gave up a game-tying, two-run homer to Mark Quinn. Then with two outs, Rey Sanchez singled and stole second. After Johnny Damon was walked intentionally, Febles lined a clean single into left-center.
It was the seventh walk-off win in 11 home victories for the Royals.
Miguel Tejada and Jeremy Giambi homered
off Ricky Bottalico to open the 10th inning, giving the A's a 7-5 lead. Tejada went three for four with a single, double and three RBI.
Jason Rakers (1-0) got two outs for the win.
for the Royals in the fourth that tied it 5-41
After Dye's 427-foot shot,
Carlos Beltran doubled off
Ron Mahay, and Joe Randa
got a single on a high popup
that shortstop Tejada lost in
the lights.
Quinn and Sanchez followed with RBI singles and Johnny Damon, who home-
red leading off the Royals' first, hit a sacrifice fly off reliever Luis Vizcaino.
Omedo Saenz homered off Miguel Batista leading off a five-run second inning for the A's. After Matt Stairs walked, Ben Grieve lined a single into center, which Beltran let get past
Ramon Hernandez reached on a single, and Frank Menechino walked and both scored on Tejada's double to make it 5-1.
him for an error. Stairs scored, and Grieve wound up on third and scored on Eric Chavez's sacrifice fly.
Batista, in his first start since joining Kansas City from Montreal, gave up five runs and four hits in two innings.
Mahay, in his first start since April 8, allowed five runs and seven hits in more than three innings.
Damon has led off a game with a home run nine times.
Commissioner Bud Selig will participate in pregame ceremonies Sunday honoring David Glass, the new owner of the Royals.
Grieve's hit in the second was originally ruled a triple, but official scorer Sid Bordman changed his mind two innings later and made it a single and a two-base error, without an RBI.