Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
KANSAS TENNIS
Sports
The Kansas tennis teams prepare to face conference foes Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado this weekend.
SEE PAGE 3B
Friday
April 2, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Austin, Texas is this weekend's destination for the Kansas track teams as competition starts today in the Texas Relays.
College Track
SEE PAGE 4B
College Basketball
Former Kansas men's basketball assistant Kevin Stallings leaves Illinois State for Vanderbilt's head coaching position.
SEE PAGE 2B
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Norm finally decides to sit down
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
sports@kansan.com
Norm Stewart stepped down as coach of the Missouri men's basketball team yesterday after 32 seasons.
Stewart, 64, said he considered his retirement during a game in Lawrence on Jan. 24, when a popular chant from Jayhawk fans, "Sit down, Norm!", rang in his ears.
"I said to myself that day: 'I think I will,'"
Stewart said.
He said he was not forced out as coach and would serve the final four years of his
Stewart: Will serve as special assistant to the chancellor.
contract as a special assistant to the school's chancellor.
Stewart's 731 career wins at Northern Iowa and Missouri rank seventh all-time among NCAA Division I coaches. His record at Missouri is 634-333 with eight conference championships and 16 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Kansas coach Roy Williams, who has a
14-9 record against Stewart, said Stewart would be missed.
"College basketball is losing a great one," Williams said. "I just can't picture Missouri Basketball without Norm Stewart on the sideline."
Duke's assistant coach Quin Snyder is considered the top candidate to replace Stewart, but others mentioned include Washington coach Bob Bender, Los Angeles Lakers assistant Larry Drew and former Iowa coach Tom Davis.
Missouri athletic director Mike Alden, who has been at the school only eight months, said he didn't force Stewart to step down. Alden said that it was Stewart, not him, who brought up the idea of retiring for the first time during a typical end-of-season review on March 15. Alden said that the following day Stewart reiterated his desire to step down.
The announcement of Stewart's retirement came on the heels of a report of a falling-out between the coach and Alden. Apparently, the athletic director wasn't pleased with Stewart's indifferent response last week to junior Albert White's intentions of declaring himself eligible for the NBA Draft, or with his recent run-ins with Missouri players.
Nine players have transferred in the past five years and some current players
"I said to myself that day: 'I think I will.'"
former Missouri basketball coach
reportedly threatened to do the same if Stewart returned next season.
Despite these recent problems, Stewart single-handedly turned the Tigers basketball program around after he took over in 1967. In the two seasons prior to his arrival, Mis-
losses. Under Stewart, the Tigers have averaged 19 victories a season. As a player, assistant coach and coach, Stewart was involved in more than half (1,127) of the 2,151 games in Missouri basketball history.
Stewart, voted by the Associated Press and *The Kansas City Star* as the all-time Big Eight Conference coach, won more Big Eight Conference games (246) and conference tournament titles (six) than any coach in league history. His eight league championships are tied with former Kansas State coach Tex Winter for second in Big Eight history behind Kansas' Phog Allen (24). He was honored as big Eight "Coach of the Year" five times and was named UPI national "Coach of the Year" in 1982. Despite his extensive regular season success, Stewart has never led the Tigers to the Final Four, and Missouri hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since 1995. Even though Stewart never reached the Final Four, Williams said that Stewart's overwhelming desire to win would not be forgotten. "I can think of many characteristics to describe Coach Stewart, but the one that stands out to me is his competitiveness," Williams said. "He was a great competitor — a great coach — and I will miss
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
—Edited by Kelli Roybern
Three backs finding niche with Jayhawks
Bowles, Childs, Winbush bring different styles to the gridiron
By Michael T. Rigg sports@kansan.com
Kansas writerspirit
Just don't call them enemies.
Call it what you want: running back by committee, tag-t team touchdown makers, the fearsome threesome, or anything else that describes the Kansas Jayhawks running back trio of Mitch Bowles, Henri Childs and David Winhush.
Even though Bowles, Winbush, and Childs compete for playing time and rushing opportunities on the field, the three have a complete understanding and respect for one another once practice ends or the game is over.
"We're completely cool with each other," said Winbush, who led the team with 974 yards rushing last season. "We all get along and have a good understanding about things."
The understanding that each back has of each other didn't come easily. They have had to come to terms with the fact that they won't be getting as many carries as they had earlier in their careers. Bowles said.
"It takes some work mentally to get used to rotating out," said Bowles. "In high school you were the man, and then when you get to college things change because everyone has more
talent or just as much talent as you.
You've got to learn to cooperate."
The Jayhawks are counting on this cooperation to bridge each back's differences. There's Bowles, a senior and the elder statesman who returns kicks and is a big fan of Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders.
Winbush, the shortest of the three at 5-7, was the hero of last season's 33-17 upset of Colorado.
Childs, the self-described "power back" saw substantial playing time returning punts and kickoffs but only ran the ball three times last year, his freshman season.
The three even grew up in different environments. Bowles is from the flashy town of Las Vegas, Childs hails from Shawnee Mission West High School in Lenexa and Winbush comes to Lawrence from the high school football hotbed of Texas where he attended Ellison High School in Killeen.
Bowles said that each back's personal approach to the game was what set the three apart.
The differences between the three players' styles leaves plenty of playing time to go around, Winbush said.
"We all have separate jobs." Winbush said. "[The coaches] did a good job of splitting us up."
While Bowles and Winbush each
describe their styles as much more shifty, Childs said that he was much more of a north-south power runner.
"Most times, I try to run over [the defenders]," said Childs, who has gained about 12 pounds in the offseason. Coach Terry Allen said he was excited to see Childs' added weight pay off on the playing field.
"You've got the Winbush and Bowles tandem, but the thing that I'm very anxious to see this spring is Henri Childs at the running back position," Allen said. "You'd love to develop a big back."
The running back rotation is in the forefront of the team's spring practices, which wrap up April 24. But Winbush already has made one request on behalf of the three.
"We don't need a nickname," Winbush said.
The Jayhawks are awaiting word from junior college transfer defensive end Ryan Brock, who still has not returned from spring break, assistant athletics director Doug Vance said. Brock is at home in Riverside, Calif., and has told the Kansas football staff that he is unsure about his return.
■ Kansas does not practice today,
but will hit the fields again at 11:30
a.m. tomorrow for day three of spring
practice.
Spring Football Notes
Edited by Keith Burner
Kansas running back David Winbush evades the grasp of a scout defender during practice yesterday. The football team started spring practice Wednesday. Photo by Matt J. Dougherty/KANSAN
Baseball ready for series with nationally ranked Bears
Bv Matt Tait
sports@kansan.com
By Matt Tan
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas baseball team plans to give Baylor, ranked 12th in the nation, a tough series at Hoglund Ballpark this weekend.
Kansas coach Bobby Randall said the series would be a challenge, but that the Jayhawks were up to it.
"We've got our hands full with Baylor, bu
wen, heasan.
The Bears have won eight straight games.
Despite the high-powered front that Baylor presents, Randall is optimis-
that this could be a good serve to the player.
"This comes at a good time for us," Randall said. "By play
th Baylor, but I hope they have their hands full as well." he said.
The bayhawks have come a long way. After early season struggles, due in part to their difficult schedule and young roster the "Hawks have improved to almost .500.
tic that this could be a good series for the Jayhawks.
Randall said that the early season schedule was too tough but that as a coach he wanted to play that kind of schedule. He said he thought the players agreed.
certain that the Jayhawks are determined.
Randall said that he doesn't know what the second half of the season holds concerning wins and losses, but he's
"I can't tell you what's going to happen," Randall said. "But one thing I can tell you is that our early schedule might have been too tough, and that we're going
work anymore."
to work and work till we can't
To beat Baylor,
the Jayhawks are going to
have to do a lot of that work.
Game-one starting pitcher Chris Williams said that the Jayhawks knew what a win would take and that he was confident they could do it.
Opposing Williams on the mound in game one will be Baylor's Jason Jennings. On the mound, Jennings is 6-0 with a 2.49 earned
winnams, carrying momentum from his best start of the season a week ago against Oklahoma, that he was
run average and has struck out 83 batters. Jennings also leads the Bears offensive attack. He is hitting .336, has seven home runs and 24 RBI.
not rattled by Jennings' overwhelming "I'm going to take it as a challenge," Williams said. "He's going to compete and I'm going to compete just as hard so that we have a chance to win."
Kansas is ninth in the Big 12 race, but Randall insists at the ranking has caused no sense of urgency for the team
"The only urgency is just to get ready to play a game and to improve every day," Randall said.
Game one will begin at 7 p.m. tonight. Game two will be at 2 p.m. tomorrow, and the series will conclude at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Sophomore pitcher Brian Schriner delivers a pitch during the Kansas-Missouri game.
The Jayhawks are set to play three games against Baylor this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark. The first game starts at 7 p.m.
tonight. Photo by Dan Elvakky/KANSAN
Commentary Rivalry will suffer without Stewart
The Kansas basketball program lost someone near and dear to its heart yesterday.
Well, maybe not so near and dear. But one cannot deny that Norm Stewart was closely related to the Kansas basketball program.
But despite his attempt at hair plugs, Stewart could not keep up with the times. Clashes between Stewart and freshman standout Keyon Dooling permeated the media this year. And television reports Wednesday said some players threatened to transfer if Stewart returned.
Norm Stewart was his own institution at Missouri. In his 32 years, he compiled 731 lifetime victories, seventh among major college coaches.
Erin Thompson
sports@kansan.com
But not only was Stewart an institution at Missouri, he carried quite a few traditions at Kansas as well. From the moment he'd walk into Allen Fieldhouse, chants of "Sit down, Norm" would fill the arena.
In the two years of Kansas excellence, prior to this year, nobody in the Big 12 could defeat the Jayhawks — nobody except Norm and his Tigers. And this year, when we finally were able to beat Mizzou at the Hearnes Center, Norm countered and beat the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse.
Nobody can argue with the fact that Norm brought emotion and fire to the traditional border rivalry. And I for one will find the Missouri-Kansas rivalry a little less intense in future years.
Speaking of Norm Stewart, one of the names being tossed about is Duke assistant Quin Snyder. Could the Tigers possibly have found somebody more weseley looking and with worse hair than Stewart? The answer if Snyder is hired — yes.
In the last few days every major story that has come across my desk seems to have some Northern Iowa connection. Northern Iowa seems to be the training ground for coaching. Obviously, our own Terry Allen got his start at the school. The new basketball assistant Ben Miller's father, Eldon, is a former head coach at Northern Iowa. And, yes, Norm Stewart coached six years for the Panthers. Not to mention Wichita North alum and Northern Iowa pitcher Matt Cobb was Missouri Valley Conference player of the week last week.
Michael Jordan's agent yesterday reported "His Airness" was not making plans to play for the Charlotte Hornets. He was merely making plans to buy 50 percent of the team. The NBA constitution prohibits owners from playing. Maybe this will put to rest all the rumors of Roy Williams, Dean Smith and Phil Jackson being possible coaches for the Hornets.
Erin's final thought — If you're Zac Wegner with no pro future, do you come back and put yourself at risk of another concussion when your short term memory already is faltering?
Thompson is on Wichita senior in journalism.