Section B·Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
'Screwy' starting lineup not set for season opener
Nick Bradford moves in for a basket during Late Night with Roy Williams. The first regular-season game is at 7p Friday in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansan file photo.
Bv Matt Tait
By Matt Tall
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Unlike any year of Kansas basketball in recent memory, this season has started, kind of "screwy."
That was what Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams vowed to do with his starting lineups in the two exhibition games — something screwy.
But in the context of Kansas basketball, being screwy is not necessarily a bad thing.
The team's new pregame shuffle-and dive drill is something Williams wanted to do to get fans more involved and to pump up the team. Senior Nick Bradford said that Williams' lenient attitude was a sign of him changing with the times, but Williams disagreed.
"I want the kids to have fun, as long as they play their butts off on the court," he said. "You can go behind your back, between your legs or between your ears as long as it's successful, that's all I care about."
Williams said that he didn't plan to add any more flare to his sideline coaching.
"I can guarantee you, nothing I do on the sideline is choreographed." Williams said.
So far Williams has started a different five at the start of all four halves of the two exhibition games. He also has substituted in waves of five. The shuffling of players was designed to give the
14 players on the Kansas roster equal time to prove their skills.
With the season opener this Friday night, Williams said that he still did not know which five would start, but two of the spots do seem sewn up
Most likely, junior Kenny Gregory will play the off-guard position and senior Nick Bradford will be Kansas' small forward. The other three positions are being battled for daily, Williams said.
"It's strange because on media day I said that Jeff (Boschee) and Eric (Chenowith) were probably the starting points," Williams said. "But I think that Kenny and Nick have played better in practices than anybody at their spots. Their's more clear cut, and it still could be Eric and Jeff, but it also may not be."
There are several possibilities of player combinations that could complement Bradford and Gregory, including Kansas' group of freshmen, Nick Collison, Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich. Those five started in Saturday's 119-44 victory against the Geelong Supercats, but none of the five played more than 19 minutes.
Williams said that while there had been battles at the other three spots, none of the individual competitions had stood out more than others. But Bradford disagreed.
"I'd say the most competitive sport has been the four (power forward)," Bradford said. "We have so many inside guys who can do so many things. That has definitely been the most competitive
"I want the kids to have fun, as long as they play their butts off on the court."
Roy Williams
Kansas men's basketball coach
spot."
Sophomore Jeff Carey, Collison, Gooden and Earl are vying for the position.
While the power forward spot is competitive, Earl has been at a distinct disadvantage because of knee injuries.
("My health's questionable right now," Earl said. "The tendinitis prohibits me from doing some things. I could go out and get my vertical to 37-38 inches easy, but as far as running and cutting, I'm limited."
At 7 Friday night, some stability and certainty may be provided in the first regular-season contest against Fairfield in Allen Fieldhouse.
However, what the fans see might not be what they will get all season long. Williams said.
Bryant still weighing pros, cons as deadline approaches
"I usually like to start five guys and go with them all year," he said. "But I may not be able to do that with this team. That may not be the way to do it."
Edited by Jamie Knodel
By Matt Tait
by man tan
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Today is the last day of the early signing period for high school seniors, and a lot remains up in the air about the status of Kansas's biggest recruit, 6-foot-8 forward Travon Bryant from Long Beach, Calif.
Bryant said Monday night that he was deciding between California and Kansas but that he was still unsure if he would sign early or wait until the spring.
"Right now it's 50-50." Bryant said. "Anything can happen, I just want to make sure I have a clear mind and make the right decision."
Recently, playing time has become a concern for Bryant. He said that he was not looking for 40 minutes a game but that he just wanted to be certain
that he would play.
Bryant could verbally commit to Kansas now and wait until Spring to sign a letter of intent, which would allow Bryant to monitor the Jayhawks' season and substitution patterns.
"IIf I would 20 minutes a game, that would be fine," Bryant said. "I know I'll have to work for playing time wherever I go, nothing's going to be guaranteed."
Bryant said that he looked at the national letters of intent from the schools arriving every day. The letter began arriving last Wednesday, which was the first day of the early signing period. While he has sat down with his high school coach and his friends to look at the pros and cons of each school, he said his most helpful ally has been his mother.
"She tells the truth," Bryant said. "She'll feel comfortable wherever I go, but she wants me to be smart about my decision, and she's been great. It's been crazy at times, but she's been great."
Bryant explains his decision-making process this way: "Say in a game, I go out and have 25 points, 12 boards and six blocks, I may think to myself, 'That was a perfect game,'" Bryant said. "But then when I watch films I
see a lot of mistakes I made and a lot of things I could've done better. That's how it has been with the schools. One week I'll think that one is the perfect school, but then the next I may see some things in the other that I didn't see before."
That is the case for Bryant and the Jayhawks.
"A lot of kids make emotional decisions," Bryant said. "That's how I felt after my visit to Kansas, like this is the school for me. But then I got home and told myself that I've got to think about this and make sure I make the right decision. I just can't go with my first feeling."
When Bryant does decide, he said that he would be more than willing to contact everybody. First he will tell his mother, then his high school coach and then the college coaches.
Bryant said that distance from home, a starting position and outside influences were not factors in his decision. Instead, he said that it was an overall comfort level that would decide it.
Sought-after California recruit signs letter of intent with Kansas
— Edited by Chris Hopkins
By Matt Tait
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
For months, the Kansas Jayhawks waited. They waited for an 18-year-old high school basketball player to make a decision about where he would go to college.
That player was 6-foot-5 swingman DeShawn Stevenson from Fresno, Calif. And that decision finally arrived last Friday. Kansas coach Roy Williams announced Saturday night that Stevenson's national letter of intent arrived Friday morning. Needless to say, Williams has been pleased since.
"It's very pleasing to say the least," Williams said. "DeShawn is an outstanding prospect. He's very athletic, and he has a great feel for defense. People talk about how he jumps or how he shoots, but the thing I like more than anything is his defensive potential."
Williams likened his newest California prize to Washington Wizards guard Mitch Richmond, who graduated from Kansas State in 1988. Williams said that although Stevenson was built like Richmond and could shoot like him, Stevenson might be more athletic.
Stevenson is the type of athletic wingman Kansas has been coveting since the departure of Paul Pierce to the NBA's Boston Celtics in 1998.
"I thought he was the best wing player who was out there," Williams said.
And so did several recruiting analysts such as Bob Gibbons of All-Star Report and Mike Sulivan of
"DeShawn is an outstanding prospect. He's very athletic, and he has a great feel for defense."
Roy Williams Kansas men's basketball coach
Insiders Report. Both named Stevenson in their personal top-five lists of high school seniors, with Gibbons tabbing Stevenson as the third-best player in the country.
Stevenson's high school coach, Larry Triguiero, agreed and said that people in the Fresno area were going to be sad to see him go but were excited for Stevenson.
"He's the best player to ever play at Washington-Union High School." Triguiero said. "And people are really supportive of his decision. They're sad to see him leave the valley, but I think he picked an excellent school in Kansas."
"He's a big-time prospect," Williams said. "But remember I said 'prospect.' That means he hasn't done it yet. He has a completeness to his game. He can score, he can defend, he can handle and he can rebound. He's physically able to compete at this level."
—Edited by Katie Holman
In the world of recruiting much is based on rumors and potential. Williams emphasized that he had not forgotten that in his joy of signing Stevenson.
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