Section B
The University Daily Kansan
Today in sports history
1990 — John McEnroe became the first player in history to be thrown out of the Australian Open. Who says tennis is boring?
Sports
Who says tennis is boring?
Inside: Feedback — A KU student reacts to a negative column about Kansas forward Lester Earl.
SEE PAGE 2B
Inside: We said, they said... The Kansan and the University of Missouri Maneater do battle with the written word.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2000
SEE PAGE 5B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Border rivalry to continue without Norm
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
There will be a familiar face missing from the sidelines when No. 7 Kansas takes on Missouri tomorrow at noon in Columbia, Mo.
Norm Stewart, who has a 634-333 career record as the coach of Missouri, retired last season after 32 years of coaching the Titers.
Enter Quin Snyder, the 33-year-old former Duke assistant who was hired as Stewart's replacement last spring and who will be coaching against the Jayhawks for the first time on Saturday
"It really will be different," said Kansas coach Roy Williams, who was 13-10 all-time against Stewart-coached teams." "Coach Stewart is the only coach that I've ever associated with Missouri basketball. It's a different program now, and Quin is putting his identity all over it."
This season, Missouri's identity revolves around its explosive three-guard offense. The Tigers will pit that offense against a Kansas team that leads the Big 12
Conference in rebounding.
That is enough to keep the Kansas-Missouri rivalry burning for years to come.
"I think they prepare a great deal for us," Williams said. "We've had some great games. Even some of the games we lost were games that went right down to the wire in their building."
Their building is the Hearnes Center, site of some of Kansas' most disappointing losses in recent years.
TOMORROW'S GAME
Where: The Heaines Center in Columbia, Mo.
When: Tomorrow at noon.
Probable Starters No. 7 Kansas (15-2,4-0)
No. 14. Fickson (192, 4-0)
HL. PPG.
F Nick Collison 6-9 9.9
F Nick Bradford 6-7 7.9
C Eric Chenowith 7-1 10.3
G Kenny Gregory 6-5 14.4
G Jeff Boschee 6-1 10.6
**Missouri (10-6, 3-1)**
F Jeff Hafer 6-5 7.2
G Brian Grawer 6-0 6.9
C Tajdee Soyoye 6-9 10.4
G Clarence Gilbert 6-2 13.1
G Keyon Dooling 6-2 13.1
See 'HAWKS on page 2B
Kansas guard Kenny Gregory dribbles around a defender during last year's game at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks will play Missouri tomorrow in Columbia, Mo. Kansan file photo
Jacyln Johnson guards a Texas player at a game last year. Johnson nearly earned a triple-double in the Jayhawks' Wednesday night game against Baylor. KANSAN file photo
Patience a must for victory at Tech
By Chris Fickett
By Chris Fickett sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Marian Washington thinks all Kansas needs is a little patience.
Washington, the Jayhawks' women's basketball coach, liked the way her team took its time during its victory at Baylor on Wednesday night.
At Waco, the Jayhawks opened up like flat Dr Pepper, shooting 34 percent and finding themselves trailing 24-23 at halftime. But Kansas stayed cool, adjusted to the Ferrell Center's rims, and shot 55 percent in the second half en route to an 81-67 victory.
Washington wouldn't mind seeing a repeat performance at 3 p.m. tomorrow when the No. 23 Jayhaws wrap up a two-game road trip against the No. 15 Texas Tech Raiders in Lubbock, Texas.
Washington also would like Kansas (12.4, Big 12 Conference) to play well within the triple-post offense, which she says is a pass-first offense. She said that the 'Hawks did a good job against Baylor of finding open teammates before thinking about shooting.
"I told them that we don't have a chance to even the score."
Marian Washington Women's Basketball Coach
"It was probably some of the best patient basketball we've played so far," Washington said.
"I don't think we can worry about anything but the opposing team we are
The Raiders (14-2, 3-2 Big 12 Conference)
currently hold a 22-game home-court winning streak and a 25-game home-conference winning streak. Tech's last defeat to a Big 12 team in Lubbock was a 78-66 loss to Oklahoma State on Jan. 8, 1997.
Washington and the Jayhawks definitely are concerned about how the Raiders play. She said that offensive rebounding — a category in which the 'Hawks were outdone 21-11 in an 81-69 defeat to Nebraska on Jan. 11 — would be important to her team's success.
about to face." she said.
Kansas junior forward Jaclyn Johnson and center Nikki White will have their hands busy trying to guard the Raiders' front court tandem of senior Keitha Dickerson (12.1 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game) and team scoring leader Plenette Pierson. Pierson, a freshman center, is averaging 13.8 points and 6.8 boards.
Johnson nearly missed a triple-double (17 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists) after fouling out against Baylor. But White, whose play has been limited because of chronic pain in her knees, is not quite 100 percent. She will make her third straight start at center tomorrow, however.
Wednesday night, White scored six points and recorded two blocked shots. She played 13 minutes, forcing the Jayhawks to use junior guard Brooke Reves in a three-guard lineup. Reves still is averaging double figures (12.1 ppg) despite having played fewer minutes in the 'Hawks' last two games.
Countering the Jayhawks backcourt is Raider senior guard Melinda Schmuck-Pharies, who has dished a team-high 77 assists this season.
["She] has been the glue that has held us together," said Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp.
After reviewing game film with the team yesterday, Washington reminded the Jayhawks that they only have one shot against Texas Tech. Kansas plays Southern Division opponents once in the regular season.
"I told them that we don't have a chance to even the score," Washington said. "They've got to understand that this is it."
TOMORROW/S GAME
Who: No. 23 Kansas women at No. 15 Texas Tech.
When/Where: 3 p.m. tomorrow at United Spirit Arena (15, 050) in Lubbock, Texas
Radio CTV: 1320.AM - FOX.Sports Net (Channel 45)
Probable starters Kansas (12-4, 3-1)
Ht. PPG
F 34 Lynn Pride 6-2 18.8
F 42 Jaclyn Johnson 6-1 10.3
C 33 Nicky White 6-4 3.9
G 11 Suzi Raymant 5-11 14.4
G 15 Jennifer Jackson 6-1 8.6
Texas Tech (14-2, 3-2)
15 Bear White II 6-1 12.7
2 F. Kearney Dickerson 6-1 12.7
C. Plaireten Pierson 6-1 13.8
D. Kearney Dickerson-Pharies 6-9 16.8
G. 24 Katrina O'Neal 5-6 12.7
Track team to take on Missouri
Shot putter has chance to qualify for nationals
By Sarah Warren
sporst@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Roy's boys aren't the only Kansas sports team traveling to the Show Me State this weekend. The track team heads across the border for the Missouri Invitational in Columbia today.
Sabetha sophomore Ryan Speers is prepared for his role in the border war. On Wednesday afternoon, the 280-pound shot putter launched himself down the field for a series of 90-yard sprints. After each one, he found himself in a heap on the astroturf, waiting to
"A lot more people are competing this weekend," said Lorri LaRowe, throwing events coach. "This meet gives us a good idea of how prepared our team is and how we are doing."
That big throw could come today, possibly big enough to qualify Speers for the NCAA nationals, for which he already is provisionally qualified. A heave of 62 feet, 6 inches automatically would qualify Speers, but, for now, he is just looking to improve upon his personal record of 59-8 set at the Kansas Invitational Jan. 8.
"The mark I had at Nebraska was 56 feet, but I had two fouls over 59 feet," Speers said, of his shot put attempts last weekend. "So I'm expecting a big throw sometime soon."
send himself for another sprint. At this point, he'd do anything for the upper hand, even sprint.
Speers, however, isn't the only one with high hopes of today's contest. In fact, after a strong overall showing at Nebraska the entire
team is ready to find out just how good they can be. Also for the men, junior sprinter Jabari Wamble, KU's new indoor 200 meter record holder, junior All-American distance runner Charlie Gruber and senior middle distance runner R.J. VonMerveldt, among others, are expected to repeat their strong performances from Nebraska.
For the women, juniors Eniola Ajaiyil, sprints, and Ashley Feinberg, pole vault, as well as sophomore Jennifer Wonder, hurdles, are expected to fare well in a field that includes Southwest Missouri State, Indiana State and host Missouri.
"At this point, this is our third meet, and everything is a building block," head coach Gary Schwartz said. "We have a number of people who haven't competed yet because of illness and injury, but you hope that with success comes confidence."
The team will need confidence when it plays host to the KU/KSU/MU Triangular on Jan. 29 at Anschutz Sports Pavilion
Swimmers ready for ranked Aggies
By Brandon Krisztal
By Brandon Krisztai sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas swimming and diving team has a tall task ahead of it in College Station, Texas.
The Jayhawks square off tomorrow with the nationally ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggie men rank 15th with a 4-1 record, and the women have a 5-1 mark and are ranked 22nd.
On paper this seems like a bit of a mismatch for the Jayhawks, whose women are 4.3, 1-0 in conference, and those men
KU SWIMMING
are 0-4, 0-1. However, some swimmers said they were optimistic about their chances against the Aggies.
"I expect to give them a run for their money," said men's senior captain Andy Kyser. "I think they plan to take us lightly, but I think that's going to be a mistake. The biggest thing that we need to do is get started right away and not wait until the second half of the meet, which has been our practice so far through the year."
"I think we can win conference," she said. "At first we probably didn't think we could beat a team like Texas or A&M, but now I think with a lot of hard work we can."
Freshman Lyndsay DeVaney admitted that beating A&M would have been unrealistic earlier in the year, but her sentiments have changed.
The Jayhawk women are coming off a big win against Southern Illinois last weekend. They downed the Salukis 174-114 to break the .500 mark.
Like the Kansas women, the Aggie women won their last meet, sweeping Nebraska, Florida Atlantic and UNLV in Boca Raton, Fla. The Jayhawks may have an uptage because the
More information
For audio clips from the
Kempf and Kyser inter-
views, go to:
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meet was held Jan. 8, and A&M could be a bit rusty. For the second time this season, the Kansas men lost to Southern Illinois by a slim margin, falling 150.5-144.5, last Saturday in Carbondale, Ill. The A&M men took third last weekend at the Dallas Morning News Invitational in Dallas. The week before, like the Agie women, they swent the invitational in Florida.
Kansas head swimming and diving coach Gary Kempf acknowledged how good A&M is but said he felt his team might have some advantages.
"On the women's side, A&M has been the surprising team this year," he said. "They have beaten Nebraska in a dual meet. They have beaten Texas in a dual meet. They have really established themselves as the top team in the country. We're going to have our work cut out for us. The advantage we might have is our depth is a little bit better."
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