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70 HR? That ain't nothing Mark McGwire sat out his third game because of back spasms yesterday. He is now on pace to miss 86 games.
The University Daily Kansan
Inside: The soccer team is shooting for its second undefeated spring when it plays two games in St. Louis.
SEE PAGE 3B
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2000
Inside: Kansas City, Mo., native and UCLA sophomore JaRon Rush will enter the NBA draft, a newspaper report says
SEE PAGE 2B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Bradford receives Phog Allen award
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Mark down Nick Bradford as one of the most shocked people after he was awarded the Forrest C, Phog Allen Most Valuable Player Award at the Kansas Basketball Banquet last night in Allen Fieldhouse.
"To me this is very surprising," Bradford told about 1,000 fans in attendance. "I'm definitely not the most talented player on this team, and that makes it that more special."
Bradford, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, was only seventh on the team in scoring last season and third in rebounding, but he was
one of the team's most emotional leaders.
"He had an impulsive desire to get the ball on defense and score on offense," said presenter Bob Allen, a descendant of Phog Allen. "He did a remarkable job coming from the player that he had been to the player that he is now."
Other award winners among the Kansas players last night were Kenny Gregory, who was awarded the Dick Harp Field Goal Percentage Award, and Kirk Hinrich, who won both the Clyde Lovellette Most Improved Player Award and the Cedric Hunter/Jacque Vaughn Assists Award.
Nick Collison won the Ted Owens Defensive Player Award; Drew Gooden won the Bill Bridges Rebounding Award;
Jeff Boschew won the Dutch Lonborg Free Throw Percentage award; and Jeff Carey won the Ken Koenigis Academic Award. Do not ask nll posts
Kansas coach Roy Williams announced yesterday that Marlon London has decided to transfer at the end of the school year.
London, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who averaged 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season, has yet to decide where he will play next year. He has indicated that it will be somewhere closer to his hometown of Broadview, Ill.
"I have decided to make this move, but it hasn't been an easy decision," London said. "I've thought long and hard about it,
and I just feel it's the best thing for me."
The spring signing period for college basketball began this week, but Williams said that he wasn't sure he was going to sign anybody. Williams cannot comment on specific recruits, but he said he was looking at both the junior college and high school levels.
Williams said he had an idea of who he might sign and added that it was somebody that no one in the media had talked about.
■ Williams said he expected Kansas junior Luke Axtell to return next season. Axtell, who was in attendance at the awards banquet last night, missed the final 14 games last season because of an undisclosed medical condition.
A member of the Kansas baseball team slides into the base. The 'Hawks (20-18, 6-12) beat the Wichita State Shackers 8-7 in an extra-inning game Tuesday. They will take on the Oklahoma State Sooners (24-14, 9-6) at 7 tonight at Hoglund Ballpark. Kansan file photo
Comeback' Hawks prepared for Oklahoma
By Amanda Kaschube
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
"I like the way we came back and won," he said. "Our opponents have done it a lot, but we haven't. Winning an extra-inning game on the road is a sign of improvement. And the best is still in front of us."
Instead, he enjoyed watching the 'Hawks battle back from a seventh-inning deficit for the first time this season.
The best part of Tuesday night's 8-7 extra-inning thriller against Wichita State for coach Bobby Randall wasn't the fastballs pitcher Rusty Philbrick threw or John Nelson's perfect showing at the plate.
What is in front of Kansas (20-18 overall, 6-12 in the Big 12) is a three-game series with Oklahoma (24-14, 9-6) this weekend at Hogland Ballpark. The Sooners will bring their six-game winning streak to the ballpark, along with undefeated pitcher Michael Bradbury.
But the 'Hawks' confidence is running high after bouncing back from a series sweep at the hands of Nebraska last weekend. Couple that with clutch hitting from first baseman Shane Wedd, shortstop Nelson and outfielder Brett Kappelmann, and Kansas is in good shape to win a few games this weekend.
"It's funny how shaken we were after Nebraska, and how we are confident — but that's baseball." Randall said. "Our team is a resilient bunch, but we're at the point where we need to win two or three games."
Taking more than one game from the Sooners could be difficult — they average 10 runs a game and recently swept Texas A&M on the Aggies' home turf last weekend, a team that Kansas has only beaten once this season.
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA
**Kansas** (20-18, 6-12) vs. Oklahoma (24-
14, 9-6) at Hogan Lake Ballpark
7. tonight — starting pitcher Brandon
Noyal (12-1) "Quarter-dawn"
(N)
2 p.m. tomorrow—starting pitcher Pete Smart (6-6)
1. p.m. Sunday — starting pitcher Rusty Philbrick (3-4) or Jeff Davis (4-2)
Not to worry — Kansas has a game plan.
Not to worry — Kansas has a game plan. "We're going to hit hard, run fast and win with pitching," Nelson said. "I have confidence in all the pitchers. They've been great on the mound and have given us a better shot at winning the games."
With the pitching and overall performance, the 'Hawks already have improved upon last year's results with six more wins, a two-point lower overall ERA and
more overall runs per game.
And with 18 games left in the regular season, Kansas will use its added confidence to play hard-nosed ball against tough conference opponents starting this weekend.
"We're going to go out and play confident baseball," Randall said. "Last year means nothing — we just need to execute."
Kansas Baseball Notes
Second baseman Ryan Baty, who separated his shoulder before the season began, might be out of the starting lineup again. He didn't see action in Tuesday's win against the Shockers because his shoulder was sore, Randall said. Baty is listed as day to day.
Sports Columnist
Derek Prater
The baseball article on Wednesday incorrectly stated 1993 as the last time Kansas swept Wichita State. The last time the 'Hawks took two from the Shockers was in 1994 when they won both match-ups 6-3.
Bobby Knight's scare tactics not acceptable
A player walks down court during a scrimmage when suddenly play is stopped.
The instant he reaches the midcourt stripe, the young man is met by his coach — specifically, the coach's open hand thrust at the player's neck.
His head whips back, and his hands instinctively grab for the elbow of his coach's arm. The coach keeps his hand on the player's neck and pushes him back about four feet before letting go.
That's how Bobby Knight gets your attention.
That's the way he sometimes gets the attention of his players, and that's the way he has once again gotten the attention of the sports world. CNN/SI earlier this week aired video of a 1997 confrontation between Knight and former player Neil Reed — at least, who Reed says is him — that could constitute assault and battery if it happened on the street (the video clip is still posted at www.cnnsi.com). This latest evidence of Knight's violent tendencies again forces us to confront the coaching conundrum that is Bobby Knight.
Knight comes from the old school, drill sergeant method of coaching, the main tenet of which is that intimidation should be the basis of all human interaction. Whether you're a player or the press, Knight thinks that if he can scare you, he can control you. He's arrogant, combative, obstreouser, profane and stubborn.
But he's also admired and even revered by legions of fans, former players and colleagues (including Roy Williams). When Reed first made allegations of physical abuse last month, many former and current players came out in defense of Knight, refuting the allegations.
"Guys that have transferred from here and had reasons for transferring from here and from reasons for Coach verbally abusing them, I mean that just shows that you have not developed into a man," said A.J. Guyton, senior guard from the 1999-2000 team, "and I think that is the main reason why this guy, Neil Reed, is coming out with these statements."
Not being tough enough or man enough is the characterization that Knight-defenders use to brand the many Hoosier defectors and deflect criticism of their idol.
sports@kansan.com
See KNIGHT on page 2B
Jayhawks drafted for spring gridiron game
Bv Allan Davis
Quarterback Dylen Smith prepares to pass during a game against San Diego State last fall. Smith, who is a team co-captain, will be on the blue team during the spring football game tomorrow. Kansan file photo
Kansan sportswriter
The draft went off with no surprises — the Kansas football draft, that is.
The teams for tomorrow's spring game in Memorial Stadium are set. The coaches and co-captains drafted players yesterday for the blue and white team.
"I'm the executive commissioner," Allen said. "We initially set up the draft this morning, and then I had a previous engagement that I had to get to, so I was kind of looking at the teams afterward myself."
Coach Terry Allen will not coach or call plays for either squad.
"You've got Dylan Smith on one side." Allen said, "and I noticed, as the draft turned out, the majority of the starting offensive linemen are on the other side of the field, and that can be a real difference maker if you are in a protected quarterback situation and somebody just continually beats one of those backup offensive linemen, and Dylan can't throw the football."
First-team players are evenly split between the two teams.
The defensive backs will be under the most scrutiny.
"We still have a question mark in the secondary."
Allen said. Several Jayhawks are competing for a starting cornerback slot.
SPRING GAME
“[Andrew] Davison would
- Tomorrow's spring football game will start at 1 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.
The game will be the blue team vs. the white team.
**Lead vs. the White team**
Rules: The coaches and co-captains drafted players to fill out the teams. The team with the second pick also got the third pick.
Admission is free.
Strong safety Carl Nesmith, fullback Moran Norris and left tackle John Oddonetto are co-captains for the white team.
Quarterback Dylen Smith and linebacker Tim Bowers are co-captains for the blue team.
The two squads will play four 12-minute quarters. There will be no punt returns — the punts must be fair catches. Kickoffs and kickoff returns will be live.
be the clear-corner, where [Quincy] Roe, [Matt] Jordan and [Carl] Ivey are competing for the other spot." Allen said.
Allen also said that junior college transfer Jamarel Bryant, who will arrive in August, also would be competing for the cornerback spot.
See FOOTBALL on page 2B
The Jayhawks will row in their home opener and their home finale — and christen their new boat this weekend.
Kansas, which is competing in its first races since winning the Knecht Cup last Saturday, takes on Kansas State University tomorrow morning near Burcham Park on the Kansas River. The race tomorrow, the Kansas Cup, is the season's first home race. The Jayhawks won last year's cup in Manhattan.
By Shawn Linenberger
The home schedule comes to an abrupt end Sunday when the team races the Longhorns that morning. Races begin at 10 a.m, both days.
Kansan sportswriter
This will be the Jayhawks' personal Big 12 Conference championship, Kansas, K-State and Texas are the only conference schools with varsity teams.
"This is the equivalent of an unofficial Big 12 Championship," assistant coach Heather Galvin said. "We pulled off wins against both of these schools last year, so hopefully we can repeat that feat again this year."
Galvin also said the team was excited about rowing in its only home events this season.
The team will have a ceremony following competition against K-State to christen its new boat, the Washoe Zephyr, between noon and 12:30 tomorrow. The boat, which was donated by the parents of junior coxswain Jennifer Page, will be christened with water from Truckee River near Reno, Nev. The traditional christening of breaking champagne bottles won't happen because it would damage the boat, Galvin
ROWING DIRECTIONS
Directions to rowing regattas near Burcham Park on the Kansas River, at Second and Indiana streets;
From Memorial Stadium:
Toward the Metropolitan Street
Travel north on Maine Street.
Continue north through Sixth Street on Maine
Pass Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Turn right (east) onto Second Street.
Travel three blocks to Indiana Street.
Burrough Park will be straight ahead.
Pass Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
Burcham Park will be straight ahead.
Races begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow against Kansas State and Sunday against Texas. Races will and about noon. The first varsity eight race will be at 10:45 tomorrow morning and 11:15 a.m. Sunday.
Parking at Burcham is limited. Be prepared to park on the street.
said.
Page said her parents, who live in Reno, Nev., were bringing the water tomorrow. The boat is named after the Washoe Indian tribe in Nevada. Washoe Zephyr means "westerly wind."
"Reno always has strong winds," Page said. "People say 'watch out for the Washoe Zenhers' when the winds get really strong."
Page also said that the name was fitting because wind usually was a factor during races, and it also reflected where her parents lived.
The weekend competition at home is something Page said she was ready for.
"I'm really looking forward to racing." Page said. "We can't overlook either team, but we're confident. They're our rivals. There's a lot of excitement."