Inside Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Sports Thursday December 2,1999 Section: B Page 1 Texas quarterback Major Applewhite and Kansas State linebacker Mark Simoneau were named the Big 1.2's players of the year by the AP yesterday. SEE PAGE 3B Pro football Chicago quarterback Jim Miller was suspended by the NFL yesterday for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. SEE PAGE 5B Baseball Chili Davis ended his 19-year career in the major leagues yesterday when he retired from the New York Yankees. SEE PAGE 2B Contact the Kansan WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS Sports Desk: (785) 864-4810 Sports Fax: (785) 864-0391 Sports e-mail: sports@ansan.com Jayhawks ready to catch Waves Pepperdine press to plague Kansas Bv Matt Tait The Beach Boys sing that catching a wave is like sitting on top of the world. Kansas coach Roy Williams said that he was pleased with the way the Jayhawks played in Anchorage, especially with regard to poise, but that he hoped that his team was not too content. Although the No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks are not quite on top of the world, they will get an opportunity to catch a wave tonight when they play the Pepperdine Waves at 7:05 in Allen Fieldhouse. "We have to make sure our guys aren't too fat and happy after Alaska," Williams said, referring to the tournament win and the massive amounts of food his wife, Wanda, cooked for the team's Thanksgiving feast — 40 pounds of turkey, six pies and 233 homemade rolls, to name a few of the delights. Junior forward Kenny Gregory said that the trip to Alaska was something the team had to do when it came to building team unity and chemistry. "I think off the court the trip to Alaska helped us a lot as far as bringing us closer together since we were together for a whole week," Gregory said. "There's not much to do in Alaska. But I think we're back to business right now, and we're looking forward to our next game." The Jayhawks lofty feeling results from their tournament-winning performance last week at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage. Kansas swept three games, winning by an average margin of 22 points, and won its first ever shootout title. The Starting Lineup sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter KANSAS JAYHAWKS 4-0 overall SG KENNY GREGORY 6-5 JR. PG JEFF BOSCHEE 6-1 Sg. SF NICK BRAPDOR 6-7 Sr. PF NICK COLLISON 6-9 FR. C ERIC CHENOWITH 7-1 JR. PEPPERDINE WAVES 3-1 overall SG TEZALE ARCHIE 6-6 Sr. PG BRANDON STRONG 6-4 So. SF TOMMINE PRINCE 6-5 Sr. PF KELVIN GIBBS 6-6 Jr. C NICK SHEPARD 6-11 Sr. Allen Field House 7:05 tonight • TV: Jayhawk TV network • Ch. 3 and 13 Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network *980 and 1320 AM, 105.9 FM* That next game is against a 3-1 Pepperdine team under the direction of a new coach, Jan van Breda Kolff. While the Waves have not been challenged with the level of competition that Kansas has, Williams said that he respected them a See WAVE on page 2B As the millennium draws to a close, the Kansan will feature the lives and achievements of the 10 greatest athletes at the University of Kansas, as selected by former and current players, coaches, administrators and fans. Top athletes from the University of Kansas: 10. Lynette Woodard women's basketball,'78-'81 9. Jim Ryun track,'66-'69 8. Danny Manning men's basketball,'85-'88 7. Ralph Miller men's basketball, football, '38-'40,'41 6. Jim Bausch track, football and basketball, '29-32 5. Al Oerter track and field, 56-58 3. Ray Evans football and basketbal,41- 43,'46-'48 4. Nolan Cromwell football, track and field, 73-77 1. Wilt Chamberlain basketball, track and field '56-'58 kansas millennium athlete No.1 wilt chamberlain Wilt the Stilt's abilities performance make him Jayhawks' greatest ever Words cannot describe him. His records cannot justify his contribution to the game of basketball. Only those who knew him or saw him play can truly do him justice. But for those who did not know him or were too young to have seen him play, all that exist are the stories and records. And even then, somehow those distant narratives and typewritten numbers get the point across that Wilt Chamberlain was basketball. Chamberlain's story is one of unique proportions, as he not only dominated the game he played — he changed it. At 63, Chamberlain died suddenly Oct. 12 at his Bel Air, Calif., home. While his death brought memories of all sorts, from his high school, collegiate and professional careers, to the forefront, his place on the list of Kansas' greatest athletes has been set in stone for several years. Born on Aug. 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Chamberlain showed signs of his future dominance at an early age. As a high school senior in Philadelphia, Wilt averaged nearly 40 points per game and twice scoring 90 points in a game. The Young Stilt Millennium archives Go online for archived stories on all 10 of the Kanson's athletes of the millennium. See www.kansan.com Then-Kansas coach Forrest "Phog" Allen made the journey to Philadelphia to meet with Chamberlain. This was a shocking move to some, as not many black athletes were recruited to play college basketball in 1955. "He was a giant in the game, even at that time," said Jerry Waugh, a Kansas assistant coach at the time. "There is no telling how great he could have been with the training the basketball players receive today." His mystique began immediately upon his arrival at Kansas. In 1955, Chamberlain made his Kansas debut. At that time, freshmen were not allowed to compete on the varsity squads, but he did play on the freshman team, Chamberlain's first scrimmage as a Jayhawk, against the varsity, was a major success. He led the freshmen to victory, The success Chamberlain enjoyed in high school continued in college and increased with each year. scoring 42 points and grabbing 29 rebounds. That scrimmage occurred on Allen's 70th birthday, and it convinced Allen that getting Chamberlain to Kansas was a great move. As Chamberlain's college career progressed, everything he did, every time he scored 50 points or every time Kansas won, Allen's recruitment of Chamberlain became more and more genius. And although Allen never coached Chamberlain, Dick Harp, the man who replaced Allen prior to the 1956-57 season, certainly understood that Wilt was a special player. "Dick just wanted what was best for Wilt," Waugh said. "I think he just went with the graces of Dick Harp." see CHAMBERLAIN page 4B photo courtesy of University Archives Junior safety Nesmith wins defensive award By Mike Miller Kansas junior safety Carl Nesmith, named to the coaches' first team All-Big 12 Conference defense last week, was honored yesterday as The Associated Press' Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year. It was the first time a Kansas player has won the award since linebacker Steve Harvey captured it in 1991 and only the fourth time in Jayhawk history. "The Butcher" keeps racking up the awards. sports @ kansan.com Kansan sportswriter Kansan sportswriter By Mike Miller port@kenson.com tackles, second on the team. Nicknamed "The Butcher" by his teammates because of his hard-hitting style, the 6-foot-3-inch, 215-pound Nesmith played in all 12 games for the Jayhawks this season but started only the last five games. During those five games Nesmith posted most of his 69 total "I just try to play as hard as I can and make some big plays happen," Nesmith said. But it was the bone-crushing tackles replayed again and again on the MegaVision screen at Memorial Stadium and on television that garnered the most attention for Nesmith. Nesmith, a transfer from Butler County Community College, got a late start on the season, joining the 'Hawks in August. A wide receiver at Butler Nesmith: Switched positions at the start of the year County, he was switched to the defensive sackheld once the Kansas coaching staff recognized his potential. "He's a guy who came with lots of size and speed and athletic ability and motor skills," secondary coach Dick Moseley said. "Him coming into two a-days trying to learn a new position — and getting this award — that's pretty good. It's a result of a season that needed a lot of learning." Nesmit led the Jayhawks with three interceptions and was credited with five pass deflections, a blocked field goal — that preserved a 31-28 victory against Iowa State — two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. In Kansas' defensive scheme, safeties often were used as another linebacker, usually to help against the run. Nesmit gave the Jayhawks another linebacker-size presence similar to what several college and professional teams have begun to use. He also played a valuable role on the Kansas special teams, leading the Jayhawks with 23 The AP selected the Big 12's offensive and defensive layers of the year yesterday as well. See page 3B Other selections yards per kickoff return, which ranked third in the Big 12. But he said that for all of Nesmith's success this season, he still had lots to learn as a safety and a football player — but that the sky was the limit. "He gives a team a dimension as a special teams' talent that gave us an opportunity to use him on multiple occasions," Moseley said. "It's going to be interesting to see how far he can raise his level of play," Moseley said. "The growth and development of Carl will determine if he plays on another level." — Edited by Allan Davis Commentary Fall athletic teams given passing grade Because I have to get grades in all my classes, I think for once I should be able to pass out some grades of my own. The fall sports season at Kansas began with lots of promise but little else. There was some excitement, including watching Amanda Reves become the greatest killer in Kansas volleyball history and Carl Nesmith's blocked field goal to preserve a victory against Iowa State, but on the whole, it was a slightly disappointing fall. Here are my grades for the four fall sports teams: Brad Hallier associates sports editor sports@kansan.com Football: C. A 5-7 record is no reason to start calling for Coach Terry Allen's head on a platter, especially considering that one of those losses was in a game that the Jayhawks originally weren't scheduled to play in — the 41-13 pounding by Notre Dame. But that game, along with losses at Colorado and Oklahoma State and the infamous smashing at the hands of San Diego State, made many sick to their stomachs. But there were plenty of positives. Shutting out the hapless Missouri Tigers was great, and nearly beating Nebraska was the highlight of the year. With quarterback Dylen Smith returning, along with running backs Moran Norris and David Winbush, and wide receivers Harrison Hill, Termaine Fulton and Byron Gasaway, next year's Jayhawks will be exciting to watch and possibly could go to a bowl game. Volleyball: B-. The season that could have been. The Jayhawks needed to beat Iowa State at Ames, Iowa, Nov. 24, and Colorado at home on Saturday to have a good shot at a berth in the NCAA tournament. But the Jayhawks somehow lost to the hapless Cyclones, which was the team's only conference win. But the fact that the Jayhawks were close to making their inaugural NCAA appearance, and the fact that they had their first winning record since 1993, makes it a good year. And watching players like Reves, a first team All-Big 12 performer, Mary Beth Albrecht and Anné Kreimer was a real treat. Soccer: C. Yes, the Jayhawks missed the Big 12 tournament, even though eight of the 11 teams (Kansas State does not have a soccer team) in the Big 12 made it. Yes, they had an 8-10-1 record. Yes, Nebraska pounded Kansas 8-1. But in all fairness, the Finnish sensation, Hilla Rantala, missed a crucial game against Colorado, a game the Jayhawks would have won if she had played, thus placing them in the Big 12 tournament. Plus, sophomore Natalie Hoegveld had a fine season, tying the team record for goals in a single season with six, and junior Meghann Haven played like Colombian star Carlos Valderrama by dishing out a team record nine assists. Defender Kylie Watts, who should walk-on the football team as place-kicker next year — not only because she could do better than Joe Garcia, but because she likely would place a Nesmith-like stick on someone — continued her solid, tough play. Cross country: D-. Not a good season. Nobody qualified for the NCAA Championships this year, the women placed very low at the regional meet and the men were missing 1998 NCAA qualifier Brian Jensen most of the season with an injury. Not a good year for a program with a rich tradition. A final special tip-of-the-hat to the men's golf team and Coach Ross Randall. The men were the only Big 12 champions the University had last year, and they at one time were ranked No. 1 in the country this fall. And I am serious when I tell you to watch them in the spring to see if they can repeat. Hallier is a Mission senior in journalism.