THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Inside Sports
Sports
Quin Snyder, former Duke assistant basketball coach will be named as coach of the Missouri Tigers today.
SEE PAGE 3B
NCAA basketball
Wednesday
April 7, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Oklahoma basketball play Ryan Humphrey has been granted a release that will allow him to play elsewhere.
SEE PAGE 5B
Kansas Football
Kansas football player Ryan Brock does not plan to return from California after spring break.
SEE PAGE 3B
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Team prepared to hit Bears out of the ballpark
Freshman Ryan Kluckstein resists to his foul ball. The Joykhrives are scheduled to play SW Missouri State tonight at home. Photo by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
By Matt Tait
sports@Kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team will be welcoming a team from the Missouri Valley Conference to town today for a doubleheader. Fortunately for the Jayhawks, 10-22 overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play, that team is Southwest Missouri State.
The first game will begin at 2 p.m. and is scheduled to last nine innings. The second game will begin shortly after the first game is finished and is scheduled to last seven innings.
The Bears currently are ranked in the top 30, own a 19-7 record and have won five straight games.
Kansas coach Bobby Randall
said he was aware that the Bears were a good hitting team and that they would be well prepared.
"They're a team that can really score some runs," Randall said. "They hit the ball well and are always fighting for the Missouri Valley Conference crown."
Fighting for the Jayhawks today will be senior Chris Williams. Williams has been erratic on the mound for the Jayhawks this season. His record stands at 0-6, but this does not indicate how well he has pitched.
Senior leftfielder Chad King said that the seniors needed to step up during this game.
Despite Williams' struggles, his start this afternoon will be his 65th career appearance. This ranks him fifth in Kansas
history as a starting pitcher. Today's game will move him within two appearances of fourth place.
The doubleheader comes as a result of poor weather early in the year. The teams had originally scheduled a home and home series, but when it was the Jayhawks' turn to travel to Springfield, Mo., inclement weather caused the game to be canceled.
Randall said the team needed to play well in all aspects to win.
"There's been times when we've played well and lost and there have been times where we played poor and lost," he said. "We're so young that we have to play well in all facets of the game to win."
— Edited by Liz Wristen
'Since I was born, I have been on a tennis court.'
Tennis love spurs recognition, wins
Senior player Uribe prospers for Kansas
By Melinda Weaver
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Luis Uribe's powerful serve and strong return have launched him into elite status this season — as he climbs to the top of the Kansas tennis record books.
After starting the 1998 fall season unranked, Uribe had 16 wins to propel him toward a Kansas record.
No. 21 Uribe, Queretaro, Mexico,
senior, has 102 singles victories,
which is fourth in Kansas history.
He also has 91 doubles victories,
which is fifth in Kansas history.
Ortege, who is now 23-9, was one of four players nationwide to advance to round 16 in the two Fall 1998 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Grand Slam Tournaments. He won the Region V singles championship and took the Region V doubles championship with sophomore Ed Dus.
a seven-game win streak at the end of the fall season improved his ranking to No. 9 in the country.
"He's very talented," said Coach Mark Riley. "He's got all the shots. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. He can play with power and finesse. If he's ready to play, he can be outstanding. He's proven that."
As one of two seniors on a young Kansas team, Uribe has had to step into a leadership position.
nie's a good friend and a good leader at the same time," said Rodrigo Echagaray, fellow teammate and freshman. "He doesn't confuse the two roles. He is a good friend, but if he thinks you are doing something wrong, he will tell you and try to help you."
Uribe said his advice comes from experience, acknowledging that his game has changed since his first year on the team.
"My game has improved a lot since I was a freshman," Uribe said. "I'm a completely different player. I'm more mature, and I'm stronger — mentally and physically."
Uribe began playing tennis with his parents in the mornings when he was 4 years old. His grandfather played tennis and encouraged the whole family to become involved.
"Since I was born, I have been on a tennis court," he said. "My family never pressured me to compete, but I liked it. I loved the competition."
Uribe did not take his first formal lesson until he was 6 years old, but by age 7, he had qualified for his first national juniors tournament.
He competed in these tournaments until he was 16 years old and had became one of the top three players in Mexico. He earned the right to represent his country in the World Junior Tournaments.
While his peers attended high school, Uribe traveled to Europe, South America, Asia and the United States, studying through correspondence.
"I got a lot of experience and the chance to be with professional players every day and see them compete in tournaments," Uribe said.
See URIBE on page 3B
Kansas 'Luis Uribe to the top collegiate tennis players in the country. He finished the fall season ranked 9th and hopes to earn All-American honors this season. Photo by Eric Sahmman / KANSAN
Hancock rolls with position changes
Football player has filled many roles for Hawks
By Michael T. Riggs sports@kansan.com
Kansan writerwriter
Who says normal is better?
Tanner Hancock certainly doesn't think so after his football career has taken so many strange turns.
Hancock originally joined the Kansas football team in 1996 as one of the hyped high school players in the state of Kansas. As a senior at Salina Central High School, Hancock became the first running back in the 6A or 5A classification to break the 2,000 yard barrier and was named The Associated Press High School Player of the Year in Kansas.
So where is Hancock this spring? Lining up at wide receiver, ready to make an impact as Kansas' next breakout receiver? Actually, Hancock can be found in the defensive backfield, trying to break through at a position that Coach Terry Allen calls one of the most competitive on the team.
After walking onto the Kansas football team and redshirting his freshman year. Hancock immediately was switched to wide receiver where he caught passes in each of the last two seasons.
But don't think Hancock is down on himself after the switch. In fact, he's enjoying himself on the other side of the ball.
The switch was not the doing of Allen or a member of his staff, it was Hancock who originally thought of the change.
"It was more Tanner's idea than ours." Allen said. "He wanted to give it a try."
Hancock originally was drawn to the
"I played in the defensive backfield a little bit in high school, so it's not completely new to me," Hancock said.
position in high school, where he played free safety when he wasn't carrying Salina Central to victory.
Although he played free safety in Salina, he will be switched to cornerback for the Javhaws.
"There are just a lot of techniques that I need to work on," Hancock said. "I've never played cornerback."
Allen said Hancock was learning the ropes quickly.
"He's doing a good enough job that he's competing to play over there," Allen said. "We'll continue with it and see."
Hancock brings more depth to an area that lost standout performers Michael Allen and Jamie Harris to graduation.
See HANCOCK on page 3B
Defensive back Tanner Hancock lines up during drills against a runner in yesterday's practice. Hancock changed position from playing wide receiver last year. Photo by Jay Shepard/KANSAN
Commentary
Bowling team helps student with difficulty
Before we get started this week, I would like to give thanks to some great people out there.
To begin, I would like to thank the Kansas men's bowling team for helping out a sports columnist in trouble.
The guys, whose team is ranked among the top 16 bowling teams in the nation, gave me a ride to the nearest gas station.
I'm really thankful to the guys who stopped to help me out on the Kansas turnpike Saturday morning after my Camaro started hydroplaning on the slippery asphalt. I ended up slamming into a concrete median going backwards at 70 miles per hour.
The bowling team competes for the national championship April 21-24 in
Wichita. Coach
Mike Fine said the
team had a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing.
This is the first time the team has made the championship tournament since 1963. They're practicing every day to bring a championship trophy back to Lawrence.
Seth
Jones
sports@kansan.com
Good luck guys.
and when you're coming up on the 139- mile marker on the turnip, slow it down a little bit. It gets slippery when wet.
The other word of thanks goes out to my Dad, who lent me his 1999 Dodge Ram truck, while the Camaro is in the body shop. I promise I'll take care of your baby, Dad.
Now I'll finish this column in blurbs, but give me a break. I've got whiplash.
John Calipari, former Kansas assistant coach, Massachusetts head coach and New Jersey Nets head coach took his name out of the running for the vacancy left by Borm Stewart at Missouri. Too bad for us. A Calipari vs. Roy Williams game could have become a great rivalry.
Now former Duke assistant Quin Snyder has the job. This may mean that Mizzou will get some better players to sign to the Tiger bandwagon. Kareem Rush and Jason Kopono, who are both considering Missouri and are among the top 50 recruits in the nation, may see Missouri as a better choice now that Stewart is gone.
6.
But will Kansas fans shout "Sit down, Quin"? I sense a new cheer coming.
But there's one word that would describe Humphrey: mean.
Here's a guy that could play on my team any day. The question here is, how could anyone not get along with Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson?
Ryan Humphrey asked to be released from his scholarship at Oklahoma. Humphrey, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, averaged 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this past season. He averaged 2 blocks per game and compiled 119 blocks in his 63 games.
No one found the ball after he swatted it away from T.J. Pugh in Oklahoma. Rumor has it they're going to make an X-Files episode about where the ball eventually landed.
Maurice Evans asked to be released from his scholarship at Wichita State. Officials from WSU were said to have been acting very selectively to what colleges Evans may be released. In the future could we possibly be seeing Evans display his talent in the Big 12? I know they have an opening in Oklahoma.
Wanted: Spare Camaro parts. Send them to the sports desk addressed to me.
Jones is a Mulvane senior in journalism.