Wednesday, March 8, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 2
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Seniors hope to leave with a perfect record
Seniors look to end basketball season on wave of victory
By Matt Tait
sports@kansas.com
Kansas sportswriter
Don't blame the Jayhawks four seniors for expecting to win this year's Big 12 Tournament—none of them have ever lost it.
Since Nick Bradford and Terry Nooner's freshman year — the same year as the birth of the Big 12 — Kansas has cruised through the post-season conference tournament with a 9-0 record. After three straight tournament championships in a row, they don't expect to lose this year.
Winning the conference tournament, however, is not the only thing for which this class will be remembered. In Bradford's and Nooner's four years and Lester Earl's and Ashante Johnson's transfer years, the four seniors have done so much more.
"We are expecting to play four games, four days in a row," Bradford said. "And I think we have a chance to win it."
Their four-year record is 104-24, including 52-12 in the Big 12. They also have won two regular season Big 12 championships, along with three tournament titles.
Their winning ways in tournaments have not been restricted to Big 12 play. The four seniors also have been a part of a Maui Invitational Tournament championship team in 1996-97, a Preseason NIT championship and this season's Great Alaska Shootout crown. Add three NCAA Tournament appearances, with a fourth most likely on the way, and that's an impressive list of accomplishments.
None of the four is an All-American, none of the four leaves Kansas atop the all-time scoring or rebounding list or is a certain NBA draft pick. But Kansas coach Roy Williams said that, in a way, they would be remembered as if they were.
"Individually they have not done what Jacque (Vaughn) and Jerod (Haase) and Scot (Pollard) and Raeaf (Frentz) and Billy (Thomas) had done," Williams said. "But, in some ways, through more adversity, more turbulent times and more problems, you grow closer to those guys than the guys where everything's peaches and cream."
And that is perhaps what this class will most be remembered for - fighting through the tough, un-Kansas-like times.
"I want to be remembered as a hard working person who never gave up." Earl said. "And I think that could be the trademark for Nick and Terry and Ashante and me. We came out every day and busted our butts. We tried to dictate how practice went through our intensity and work ethic."
As the seniors near the end of their careers, they want to go out fighting with the same hard work and effort that defined their careers. The first step of the rest of their collegiate careers comes in the Big 12 tournament where they've never lost — not a bad place to start.
"I'm hoping that the seniors tell the other guys that they've never lost in the tournament and they don't want to start now." Williams said.
And, that is exactly what they're doing.
"It's my senior year," Bradford said. "And if I'm going to go down, I'm not going quiet."
In his final game at Allen Fieldhouse, with his final words to the 16,300 fans that cheered for him for four years Bradford vowed, "I'm not going to guarantee any victories, but I can guarantee you that these 14 guys will come out and compete and play as hard as we can for these last games in March."
That is how this senior class will be remembered.
Men's basketball team seniors
Nick Bradford,
Lester Earl,
Ashante Johnson and Terry
Nooner gather at center court
Sunday before their last home game in Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Axtell out for season
Kansas junior Luke Axtell, who has sat out the last 10 games because of an undisclosed medical condition, will not return to action this season.
"He came in, and we talked and decided that he is not going to play for the rest of the season," K an s a s coach Roy Will i am s said yesterday "I fully expect that he will be back playing next year."
Axtell: expected to return to the court next season
After suffering a broken hand early in the season and missing the Jayhawks first exhibition game,
Axtell joined the lineup and averaged 8.7 points and 2.8 rebound in 20 games. Axtell also connected on 31 three-pointers.
"The toughest thing for Lukie is that he played this season as an effective force that helped us but was never healthy," Williams said. "Be it a broken hand or foot, he really struggled to come back around all the way. But, even with a sub-par Luke, he was extremely helpful to us and did some great things to help us win."
■ Williams said that if freshman forward Drew Gooden performed well in practice today, he would be back in the starting lineup for tomorrow's Big 12 Tournament opener against Kansas State. Gooden was bounced from the line-up five games ago and replaced by senior Ashante Johnson.
"All (Drew) has to do is have one good practice in a row and he'll start." Williams said.
-Shawn Hutchinson
Lester Earl
Maggie Curry /KANSAN
College basketball has been an interesting ride for Lester Earl.
the forward from Baton Rouge, La., arrived at Kansas four years ago during the second semester of his freshman season at Louisiana State. Kansas originally had recruited Earl, but he instead chose to stay close to home and attend Louisiana State. Midway through his first year, Earl was not happy with the situation. He asked the school to grant him a release from his scholarship so he could transfer to Kansas.
Once in Lawrence, Earl was greeted with the expectations that he would be the missing piece to the puzzle — the tough, dominant inside force that Kansas needed. Three knee surgeries later, Earl could barely run the court at times, and he was nowhere near the athlete he once was.
"I'd go home sometimes and be in tears and say to myself that I was never going to be the same," Earl said. "But I want to be remembered as a hard-working person who never gave up. There were times I wanted to give up, but I never did."
In three full years at Kansas he never played an entire season, whether it was because of injuries and surgeries or off-the-court incidents — and he was often criticized. But Williams said that for the most part, the criticisms were unfair.
"No one has had a more difficult time off the court and been criticized or be under scrutiny more than Lester Earl." Williams said. "And yet my association with Lester is something that will always be special.
Ashante Johnson
"I say for my mom and I that we love you coach for everything you've done for me an everything you've stood by me for, and I apologize for all the distractions and all the problems that I've caused Kansas."
And on senior day, Earl said the same to his coach.
- Matt Tait
interesting story to tell.
Kansas forward Ashante Johnson spent the least amount of time holding the microphone during Senior Day speeches Sunday after the Jayhawks defeated Missouri in Allen Fieldhouse. But Johnson might have had the most
The San Diego native was a late addition to the 1998 recruiting class as a transfer from Canada Junior College in California. Before playing at Canada, Johnson played behind future NBA lottery pick Keith Vorn at the
University of Utah.
Johnson shot 39 percent from three-point range at Cañada and had the ability to become a post threat for the Jayhawks. But he fractured his right patella before the start of last season and was limited to 15 games.
This season, Johnson has stayed injury free and is averaging 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. His numbers aren't eye-popping, but Johnson did score a career-high 16 points against Princeton in December. He has started the last five games during the heart of the Big 12 Conference season.
After two seasons as a dayhawk, Johnson said that it wouldn't be the big wins or the big expectations that he would remember most.
What will he remember? The big road trips.
what will he remember? The big road trips. "Kansas is always the big game wherever you go." Johnson said. "It's strange coming from a junior college. Everywhere you go people want to see Kansas play."
-Shawn Hutchinson
In an 83-82 victory against Missouri on Senior Day, Bradford scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. For the season he is averaging 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Nick Bradford
"This year has been fun," said Bradford, a senior forward from Fayetteville, Ark. "We have struggled a little bit, but we're still a good team. People can say whatever (they) want. But we're having fun."
Despite Kansas rough losses and fifth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference standings, Nick Bradford is enjoying the ride in his final year as a Javahawk.
Bradford was a freshman on that 1996-97 Kansas team that went 34-2 and blitzed through the regular season before coming to a dead halt in an NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona. He's been a part of two Big 12 Conference regular season championships, three
Big 12 Tournament
championships, and
114 wins overall.
"It has been a good ride," Bradford said. "I've played a lot of games here, and we've done a lot of great things. It is crazy that it's coming to an end. We just need to take it in stride, and hopefully we can make a good run and do some things that don't expect us to do."
Shawn Hutchinson
Terry Nooner
A guy could get used to hearing 16,300 people chant his name in a heartbeat—Terry Nooner has.
in four seasons the Auer Fieldhouse faithful and Nooner built a special bond. Every time the game was in hand—and even some times when it was not—the fans would collectively chant Nooner's name hoping that coach Roy Williams would insert him into the game.
Usually it worked, but once Nooner entered the game, the cheers got louder. Every time Nooner got the ball the fans urged him to shoot it — open or not.
Nooner enjoyed a special connection with Fieldhouse fans
Nooner passed the ball because he was content playing what he called "Kansas-type, suburban-type basketball."
Sure, Nooner's had dreams of getting in the game and scoring 30 points or hitting a last second shot. But for him, the real "dream come true" was hearing the fans chant his name.
"I'd like to thank the fans." Nooner said during his Senior Day speech. "Ever since I've been here you guys were yelling 'Terry Nooner.' Without you guys, Kansas basketball wouldn't be what it is."
Nooner, a guard from Raytown, Mo., arrived at Kansas in 1996 as a walk-on. A year later Nooner had his Kansas basketball experience super-sized when he was given a scholarship — on his mother's birthday.
A high school standout, he saw limited playing time at Kansas. His contributions, however, have been anything but limited.
"From the first day until right now, every time a player comes off the court Terry's up to meet them when they come off the court on every occasion because he's only concerned about what's best for Kansas," coach Roy Williams said.
Matt Tail
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