Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Friday
November 12, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Kansas volleyball enters a crucial weekend that could make or break its NCAA tournament hopes.
Kansas state will test its undefeated record at Nebraska tomorrow in a game that could decide the Big 12's North division.
SEE PAGE 4B
Big 12 Football
SEE PAGE 3B
Men's Basketball
The Jayhawks are hoping a Hoosiers-like drill will inspire them to get to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
SEE PAGE 3B
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Kansas wary of Cowboys' defensive set
Chicago Bears made strategy famous in'85
By Mike Miller
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
It's not just the opposing crowd that worries coach Terry Allen this weekend; it's the unpredictability of the Oklahoma State defense
The Cowboys play the '46 defense, a scheme made famous by the Chicago Bears when they won the Super Bowl in the 1985 season. The defense relies on pressuring the quarterback by rushing as many as eight players while relying on the secondary to play tight man-to-man coverage.
It's a defense that can create a lot of turnovers but also can take a beating if the offense recognizes coverages and blitzes.
GAME TIME
Time: 1:30 p.m. tomorrow
Place: Stillwater, Okla.
TV: none. Radio: Jayhawk
Radio Network.
being difficult to rush against and it's difficult to protect the quarterback with. But it is also a defense, because of that nature, that has shown a tendency to give up big plays."
Of course, it's a lot easier to have success with the defense if a team has the players Chicago did.
But that's not to say the Cowboys, 3-5 overall, 1-4 in the Big 12 Conference, aren't loaded with talent. Senior Kenyatta Wright is an All-Big 12 linebacker, and the Cowboys rank 28th in the NCAA in total defense.
So how does Kansas, 4-6 overall, 2-4 in the Big 12, prepare for a defense that seldom positions a linebacker in the same place twice?
See TURNOVER on page 2B
Kansas running back Henri Childs tries to escape the grasp of Oklahoma State cornerback Evan Howell in lost year's game. The Jayhawks take to the road tomorrow when they play the Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. Kansan file photo
Kansas forward
Kenny Gregory
grabs a rebound
against the
California All-Stars
last week. The
Jayhawks face off
against Australia at
7:05 p.m. tomorrow
in Allen Fieldhouse.
Photo by Christina
Neff/KANSAN
Australia's best to take on Kansas
By Matt Tait
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
This time things are going to be different.
In its second exhibition at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow against Australia's Geelong Supercats at Allen Fieldhouse, Coach Roy Williams, as well as members of the team, will hope to change those facts.
In Kansas' first preseason game last Saturday, the Jayhawks scored 124 points without even running its new offense. To go along with those 124 points, however, were 24 turnovers.
get to set any of our offense and I've always said that to beat the good teams you've got to play good half-court offense and half-court defense and we don't know if we can do that yet."
Very little is known about what the Supercats will plan defensively. What is known, however, is that the Supercats won the 1999 Australian Basketball Association championship, making them Australia's best.
"I hope it will be a somewhat different type of game, because we need to work on some of our offensive stuff," Williams said. "The other night was such a helter-skeler game that we didn't
This year's team promises to offer Kansas a much tougher test than the 140-78 beating they suffered last year at Allen Fieldhouse, saying that they are a tenacious team with fighting spirit and potential to beat anyone.
See SUPERCATS on page 2B
The Starting Lineup
Starting Lineup KANSAS JAYHAWKS
G KIRK HURICH 6-3 Fr.
G KENNY GREGORY 6-5 Jr.
F NICK BRADPORD 6-7 Sr.
F NICK COLLISON 6-9 Fr.
F AWNERD GOODEN 6-9 Fr.
Australia's GEELONG SUPERCATS
G ADAM LAMONT 6-0
G CHARLES TERRELL 6-4
F HENRY MADDEN 6-6
F MATT WITKOWSNI 6-8
SEBASTION LOADER
SEBASTION LOADER
Allen Fleindouse • Lawrence
7:05 p.m.
TV: Cable channel 6
Radio: KLZR, 10.5 F.M.
Women find strengths from mediocre performance
By Melinda Weaver
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
In Tuesday night's 80-67 victory against Club Gija Mirajampole, the Kansas women's basketball team did not look like a Final Four-caliber team.
"I was much more optimistic after watching the game film," Washington said. "I have a group of girls who listen well and work hard to try to improve any way they can."
But after reviewing the game film, coach Marian Washington says her team is closer to its preseason goal than she thought after the game.
The Jayhawks could not stop a mediocre Club Gija team from scoring 67 points Tuesday night, and the offense made several mistakes against Club Gija's zone defense.
During Wednesday's practice, the team had a long film session to discuss the positive and negative aspects of the first exhibition game of the season.
"We talked a lot about the game," Washington said. "I wanted to make sure they were aware of the positives. We watched the film to watch the areas where we did do well and the areas we could improve on. They put forth a good effort, but they didn't always make good decisions."
Against Club Gia, the defense did not perform to its expectations and was not effective against the team's inside players. Center Zane Rozite scored 24 points in 6-of-9 shooting. She also was 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.
After watching the game film, the team spent the majority of practice focusing on defense.
The Jayhawks allowed 27 points from
"We had a lot of defensive breakdowns," said guard Jennifer Jackson. "We just need to focus on communication and learn when to come in and help each other."
the free-throw line, another sign that showed they could not stop Club Gija in the paint.
Jackson said that the best way to improve defense was to work through drills in practice and play with more intensity during the scriffimages.
Washington said she was not worried about the defense.
"Year in and year out, we have been known for our defense," Washington said. "We are able to keep most of our opposition under their point average. It just takes hard work and discipline. Everyone has to be on the same page, and that should improve as the season goes along."
Kansas offense also struggled as it tried to run the tripost nort for the first time. The
women's BASKETBALL
b biggest problem was that Club Gija ran a zone defense, and the Jayhawks had been practicing against a man-to-man defense.
"We had a lot of people scoring, which was a big plus." Washington said. "We weren't always patient with our offense, but we found ways to score. Last season, we averaged 63 points, so I hope that this indicates we can put more points on the board this season."
However, there were several positives in the Kansas offensive performance. The team had five players in double figures and scored 17 points more than last season's average.
— Edited by John Audloheim
Star player, supporting cast will see Kansas to Final Four
The Kansas basketball team is good.
Strike that. It's great.
The Jayhawks return an impact player who was hampered last season with a knee injury. They also entered the exhibition season in the AP Top 25 for the eighth consecutive year.
Enough talk. How far will this team go? Anything but a NCAA Tournament run all the way to Philadelphia in March might be labeled as a disappointing sea- son.
It returns a majority of the starters and nearly all of the talent base from a team that fought to the wire with one of the nation's elite in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Philadelphia? But isn't the men's Final Four in Indianapolis? Oh, but we're not discussing the men's team.
You've read this far, so you might as well stick with me. Because the women's team has the most legitimate shot at making an extended March run.
Matt
James
sports columnist
sports @ kanan.com
Let's look at the facts. Championship
teams have a star player. For every team men or women, there will come a time in the NCAA Tournament when it will be tied late in the game and the coach will have to say to one player, "Here is the ball. Win the game for us."
Lynn Pride is that player.
Who would coach Roy Williams turn to? Nick Bradford could win an ESPY one time down the floor and dribble off his leg the next. Kenny Gregory will have to prove he can shake his nerves in the big games. And despite his preseason accolades, Eric Chenowith actually seems to have lost inches off his vertical leap — all three of them.
Jeff Boschee is probably the best bet, but a three-pointer is still at best a 40 percent shot.
Back-up point guard Casey Pruittt ruck an ACL her senior year in high school, came to Kansas early the next summer to rehabilitate, hurt the knee again that summer, and then retore it that fall. Three years later, she is now a back-up but still hustling for playing time. Pruitt embodies what the Jayhawks' supporting players represent.
Pride can score whenever she wants. With more aggressiveness she could seriously challenge for the National Player of the Year title,
They bang and bump. Pride glides and soars.
But no player has ever won a championship individually. It takes a supporting cast of members who know their roles.
Coach Marian Washington's cast, simply put, is made up of warriors. And the players have the scars to prove it. The team is nearing double-digits in knee surgeries. Suzi Rayman's return after last year's early-season ACL tear has been well-documented, but few know that center Nikki White has had more knee surgeries than she cares to remember and is playing without braces for the first time in her college career.
They do whatever it takes to win
When reporters ask Pride the goals of this season, she doesn't hesitate. "The Final Four." Nothing else will do, and the team agrees.
And as if a team of such focused athletes needed more motivation, this year's Final
Four is in Philadelphia. Coach Washington's hometown, West Chester, Pa., is a suburb of the city of brotherly love.
The Jayhawks are older and healthier now and ready to meet expectations.
Be sure to tell your relatives "hi" for me, Coach.
James is a Hugoton senior in journalism.