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Section:
B
The University Daily Kansan
Sports
The Ford Taurus swept the top five spots at the Daytona 500 Sunday, leaving consumers to wonder—"what's wrong with my gas-guzzling heap?"
Inside: Baylor women's basketball coach, legend Sonja Hogg, is retiring at the end of the season after six years as coach.
SEE PAGE 4B
Inside: The men's basketball team moved up one spot to No.23 in the AP Poll, while the women jumped back in at No.25.
SEE PAGE 4B
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2000
'Hawks regain competitiveness
Kansas forward Kenny Gregory dunked the ball against Oklahoma Saturday. The Jayhawks moved up one spot in the AP poll to No. 23. Photo by Brad Dreier / KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
quick, name one thing that the Jayhawks found in their 53-50 victory against Oklahoma on Sunday in Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said the answer was simple. His team found its competitiveness.
"The biggest thing is that we competed." Williams said after Kansas improved to 19-7 overall and 8-4 in the Big 12. "We were fighting like crazy on the offensive backboards.
There was no cheating going on in the Jayhawk ranks on Sunday. Kansas competed so well, in fact, that Williams said he didn't have to yell at the team once for not getting back on defense or not fighting through screens.
That was a stark contrast to last Wednesday's game against Iowa State, when the Jayhawks lost their composure
I told the players) that they better not risk one possession. If they rested on one play, I told them that they were cheating everybody on the team and me."
down the stretch in a 64-62 home loss. Williams said after that defeat, he showed his players 10 or 15 plays from the game film where they needed more effort.
"We competed about 85 percent of the time against Iowa State," Williams said. "But we'll learn how hard you can play, and how you'll be rewarded by doing so."
Kansas was rewarded yesterday in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Despite losing one of two games last week, the Jayhawks moved up one spot to No. 23.
Moving up is also something that the Jayhawks want to do in the Big 12 Conference standings. Although the Jayhawks still are mathematically in the race for the conference crown, Williams concedes that it is going to be difficult to capture the title.
capture the title
The Jayhawks are tied for fifth place with Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings and are two games out of first with four games remaining. Iowa State, Texas, Oklahoma State and Missouri currently are in the top four spots.
Kansas' remaining schedule includes a game tomorrow at Nebraska, a home game on Saturday against Baylor, a road game against Texas and a home game against
Missouri.
Kansas notes
"We've got some teams coming up that we're going to play that are ahead of us," said Kansas guard Kirk Hinrich. "If we take care of business, we might have a shot."
Kansas notes
■ Freshman forward Drew Gooden said that Kansas' free-throw woes down the stretch against Oklahoma could be contributed to nervousness. The Jayhawks missed seven-of-eight free throws in the last three minutes of the game.
"We had been losing so many games that everybody was so anxious to put the free throws in," Gooden said. "It was just mental. We were about to beat Oklahoma and it gets in your mind at the line."
■ Williams said that yesterday's practice and today's practice would help decide who would start against Nebraska tomorrow. Against Oklahoma, Williams took Gooden out of the starting lineup and replaced him with senior forward Ashante Johnson.
Williams said that the change wasn't necessarily a ringing endorsement of Johnson. It was based more on the fact that Gooden wasn't performing well in practice.
NO LOOKING BACK
Crider struggles with limited play
By Matt James sports@kansan.com associate sports editor
High school star John Crider has played only 53 minutes while at Kansas. Despite limited playing time, Crider plans to stay at Kansas. Photo by Jay Sheperd/KANSAN
"We just weren't clicking like we should have been." he said.
Hostile fans don't ruffle Jayhawks
Rod Kirschner still talks about the Kansas state basketball tournament in the spring of 1998.
But Kirschner didn't look back in anger at the storm that might have cost his team and current Kansas Javahawk John Crider the state title.
A big snow storm hit the day after his Horton High team had won the sub-state championship. His team didn't get to practice for four days, and eventually, it lost in the state tournament.
game in high school, has played only 53 total minutes in a college career that is nearly half finished. He has yet to make a bucket this season and has only scored two free throws in an early-season blowout.
"All of Northeast Kansas is discouraged,
Kirschner says. "Not just in
Horton — administrators from other towns that have an emotional investment in John. The thing that goes through some people's minds if he's not playing — 'why did they recruit him in the first place.'
"We just look back and say it just wasn't meant to be," he said.
The 6-foot-4-inch guard, who averaged 31.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per
“It's the same thing with his recruiting,” he says. “We said all along that if he was meant to go down [to Kansas], then that's going to happen. And if he wasn't, then he wasn't going to get an offer and he'd have several other places to choose from. That's the way we've approached the whole thing.”
The coach of the 1998 Kansas high school player of the year is a big believer in fate. And he believes fate is exactly what brought his star player to Kansas two years ago.
To say Crider's recruitment was a
See CRIDER on page 2B
point of interest to the 1,500 people in Horton, just 70 miles northeast of Lawrence, would be an understatement. More than 500 people were there April 8, 1998, at the Horton gymnasium to see Crider sign his letter of intent to
When Pride tried, although unsuccessfully, to lead the Javahaws from double-figure deficits against the Red Raiders, each time she dribbled the ball the crowd pleaded with officials to call her for traveling and shouted "ball hog" while she directed the Javahaws' offense.
Some are beginning to feel fate has dealt Crider a bad hand now, two years later in his sophomore year at Kansas.
During the Kansas women's basketball team's trip in January to Texas, senior forward Lymr Pride was the target. Baylor and Texas Tech fans booed Pride, an Arlington, Texas, native, during introductions because of her decision to leave the state for college.
Chris Fickett sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Considering the Jayhaws' road experiences this season, sticks and stones may break their bones, but names will never hurt them.
And that's just a sample of what Kansas hears, or tries not to, when it plays on the road.
Tomorrow night the 'Hawks will travel to Missouri's Hearnes Center, a place known by most Kansas students for emotional, physical battles between the Jayhawks and Tigers' men's basketball teams.
Ask Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington if the Border War is as intense for her team as it is for the men's team, and she'll give a quick answer
"Yes. Maybe not for as many people, but yes," she said.
And although her team was rattled by Texas Tech's fans and lost 76-56 on Jan. 22, it has learned how to deal with similar adversities.
Last Wednesday, unranked Kansas stormed into Ames, Iowa, and shocked No. 10 Iowa State 79-71, ending its 26-game home winning streak. A crowd of 9,370 fans at the Cyclones' Hilton Coliseum tried its best to ruffle the Jayhawks' feathers, but to no avail.
Ask junior point guard Jennifer Jackson, who was called "spaz" by the Iowa State student section. Jackson dished four assists and made four steals in comparison to only three turnovers in that game.
"I think one of the hardest places to play in is where there's not necessarily a hostile crowd but a place where there's no people at all. You get no energy."
"I think this team showed a lot going into Iowa State and playing the way that we did," she said. "It's fun to go into a place where the fans are in it and there's a big crowd.
Junior forward Jaclyn Johnson revealed the team's strategy that helps it perform against rude and hostile crowds on the road.
"Before the game Coach [Lynette] Woodard was like, 'Think of them as cheering for you,' so when they got up we said, 'Thank you. We've got 9,000 people cheering for us.' Their crowd was no factor," Johnson said.
So if the Tigers fans get nasty tomorrow night, it will be nothing new for Kansas, which returned to the Associated Press poll at No. 25 this week.
"Anybody who's been to Iowa State and has played there, with their fans, who were really rude to us, can overcome anything — any type of crowd," Pride said.
One talented go-to guy wanted for rest of season
Commentary Sports Editor Mike Miller
sports@kansan.com
This ad is for circulation in the Lawrence, Kansas City and Topeka areas.
WANTED.
ASAP, one go-to guy for the Kansas men's basketball team.
Apply during the final four games of the season: at Nebraska Wednesday, against Baylor Saturday, at Texas Monday or against Missouri on March 5. Will accept applications after those games, but may be too late.
POSITION MUST BE FILLED
BEFORE BIG 12 CONFERENCE
TOURNAMENT IN TWO WEEKS!
QUALIFICATIONS:
on the roster, starting experience not necessary. Willingness to take big shot, desire to have ball in hands late in games a must. Winning swagger and confidence preferred. (See Marcus Fizer, Iowa State forward; Desmond Mason, Oklahoma State forward.)
Can be any one of the 14 players
Needs to know when to shoot,
when to pass and when to foul.
Must be able to create own shot.
Previous Kansas go-to guys
would include Raef LaFrentz,
Paul Pierce, Rex Walters and
Danny Manning.
Should not be intimidated by tradition at school or the pressure from fans, alumni and media to win basketball games — though failure will not be tolerated.
Will provide competition for the rest of the season, including games in NCAA Tournament, against best teams in the NCAA. (Attention NBA hopefuls, Pro scouts will be watching!)
BENEFITS:
Also will provide top-notch coaching staff that offers encouragement, basketball knowledge and guidance. Staff includes coach with best winning percentage in the 1990s and two Final Four appearances.
Will exchange scholarship for services. Includes room, board and certain fringe benefits. (Ask previous go-to guys about those.) BONUS:
If filled before end of regular season, can use first-rate building to practice and play in. During home games, the building comes with 16,300 raucous, loyal and adoring fans.
This means any so-called preseason All-Americans who haven't fulfilled their potential.
If interested, contact coaching staff at University of Kansas for more information.
NO PRETENDERS!
Miller is a Cheyenne, Wyo., senior in journalism.
Coach nearing 100-win milestone
Rhythm, momentum necessary for victory
By Amanda Kashube
sports@kansan.com
Kansas swimmer
Baseball coach Bobby Randall is one triumph shy of hitting the 100-win milestone at Kansas -- but to reach the plateau, consistency will be key.
The Jayhawks, 6-1, have struggled to find their rhythm in most of the games. The 'Hawks racked up 20 hits and 20 runs one day and produced only one run the next.
However, there are a few players who have found their tempos amidst the inconsistencies.
"We're getting there, but there are some missing links," he said. "We're not playing to our
Senior designate hitter and team captain Shane Wedd is one. In his 19 at bats, he has reached base seven times, and has recorded five RBIs. Overall, he said the team still was trying to achieve its pace.
Last season, Kappelmann had 59 hits in 183 at bats, leading the Hawks in batting average and doubles. But in five games this year, he has connected only five times.
The newcomers, including junior Doug Breher, have filled in for the many injured 'Hawks, most notably, senior Brett Kappelmann, who missed two games against Southwest Missouri State last weekend because of a sprained ankle. Kansas lost one of those games.
Fortunately, utility-man Dreher has stepped up in a big way. He was named Big 12 Conference player of the week earlier this month for his performance against UT-San Antonio, highlighted by 10 hits
potential. It's encouraging, though, that we are able to put up numbers without the key guys stepping up."
"We need to get up and get ready early," Dreher said. "We need to go on a roll."
Sophomore Ryan Klocksien has been one of the go-to-players for Kansas — he's reached base nine times in 24 at bats, the third highest on the team. He said the 'Hawks needed to think positive to regain their consistency.
in three games. He said the 'Hawks had to keep their swinging momentum up to become consistent.
But the only way the 'Hawks can go on a hitting spree is to keep hitting away.
"We need to at least give ourselves a chance to win every game," he said. "We're capable of being a winning team."
One way to keep the players on their toes is to have a merit-based lineup — Randall has said that the starting lineup would change, depending on day-to-day performances.
"The good news is depth has been our key," he said. "We're trying to find ourselves offensively. We need to come out and establish a good brand of baseball. We got to hit well."