Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
The Kansas softball team lost two games yesterday at home to NAIA opponent Oklahoma City.
Wednesday
March 31, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
KU football
Zac Wegner will decide his future in football today.
SEE PAGE 4B
Pro Football
SEE PAGE 3B
The Kansas City Chiefs begin talks with former Seattle quarterback Warren Moon.
SEE PAGE 6B
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Doherty to head Fighting Irish team
Kansas assistant noted for coaching, recruiting
By Kevin C. Wilson Kansan sportswriter
Matt Doherty, a highly sought-after Kansas assistant coach, was named the new men's basketball coach at Notre Dame yesterday.
“This is a very proud moment in my life. Everything that Notre Dame stands for, represents, is how I try to live my life,” Doherty said. “I’ve been planning for this for the last 10 years, and I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Kansas coach Roy Williams, who recruited and coached Doherty when Williams was an assistant at the University of North Carolina, said that the Notre Dame job was a great opportunity for him.
"We're thrilled for Matt and his family, but we have mixed emotions ourselves," Williams said. "It says great things about our basketball program, but at the same time we're losing someone that's been extremely important to us and somebody that goes back a long,
long way with me. All of that is overwhelmed by how thrilled we are for him and his family."
Although Doherty does not have any experience as a head coach, Williams said he thought that it was the perfect job for his assistant and that he was pleased that Notre Dame was giving him a chance.
"I think that he fit what they were looking for, and Notre Dame fit what he was looking for," Williams said. "They are getting a guy who has no holes in his game. He can coach, he can recruit, he can deal with the alumni, he can deal with the media, he can deal with players on and off the court, he cares about the kids, and it's not just a nine-to-five job with him. He's got the whole package."
Doherty, 37, is best known as a master recruiter and has helped the Jayhawks sign nine McDonald's All-Americans. During his seven seasons, Doherty's duties included recruiting, scouting coordination and assisting in the day-to-day operations of the Kansas basketball program. Since arriving at Kansas in May 1993, Doherty has been a part of five conference championships, six NCAA tournament appearances and a Final Four in 1993.
Doherty replaces veteran coach John MacLeod, who posted a 106-124 (.461) record in eight seasons with the Fighting Irish and has had only three winning seasons since he took over. Notre Dame finished 14-16 last season and has not been invited to the NCAA tournament since 1990, but Doherty said he thought that he could help turn the program around.
"It is my job now to convince young men all over the country and all over the world that this is a great decision, to play basketball and attend the University of Notre Dame." Doherty said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe this could be one of the top programs in the country."
Notre Dame Athletic Director Mike Wadsworth said that Doherty became a candidate for the job March 9, the same day MacLeod resigned and that he rep resented everything they were looking for in a new head coach.
"Matt brings to Notre Dame a tremendous basketball background based on his involvement with Dean Smith as a player at North Carolina and with Roy Williams as an assistant at Kansas," Wadsworth said. "He's extremely mature, he's very knowledgeable as far
as the game is concerned, and he has a proven track record as a recruiter. He's tremendously excited about the opportunity ahead of him here at Notre Dame. We talked to a long list of people involved in basketball, and we didn't find anyone who didn't think Matt Doherty possesses all the qualities you look for in a head basketball coach."
Doherty already has named one assistant, Doug Wojcik, a long-time friend who has been an assistant at Navy for the past nine years, and said he planned to round out his staff after the recruiting period was finished.
Doherty's departure means that Williams must find a replacement to add to his coaching staff that includes Neil Dougherty and Joe Hollady. He said he would like to promote from within but had to wait and see what the University wanted to do. According to Doherty, Williams should have no problem filling the vacancy.
"I had a job at KU that was better than 90 percent of the head coaching jobs in the country," Doherty said. "I'm sure his phone is ringing off the hook right now with coaches who want to come work for him."
Edited by Steph Brewer
Assistant men's basketball coach Matt Doherty watches the action during the team's tournament loss to Kentucky. Doherty will be taking over as coach of the Notre Dame basketball program next year. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
Jayhawks rally, top Tigers 3-2
By Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
By Matt Tait
mailt@kansan.com
...
Last night was $ .25 hot dog night at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium. By the third inning the hot dogs were gone, and so appeared to be Kansas' chances of beating Missouri.
But the Jayhawks rallied for a 3-2 victory.
Kansas outfielder Doug Dreher slides back into first, stopping an attempted pick-off. The Jayhawks came back from a two-run deficit in the eighth inning and beat the Tigers 3-2. The two teams match up again at 3 p.m. today at Hogunlund Ballpark. Photo by Matj. I. Daugherty/KANSAN
Missouri jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the 'Hawks as the Tigers scored two runs in the third inning.
The two runs appeared to be too much as Kansas only managed three hits in the first seven innings. After Philbrick left, sophomore Pete Smart came in and held the Tiger bats down.
Kansas starter Rusty Philbrick pitched six innings and struck out six but surrendered two runs, one on a Missouri double and one on a wild pitch.
"I like to be a part of a pitching duel," Smart said. "Russ pitched a great game, and our pitching staff really showed what it should be tonight."
Kansas' eighth inning started with a whimper. Freshman Jason Appuhn grounded out to the pitcher, and the Jayhawks appeared to be headed for a quick inning.
Sophomore second baseman Brandon O'Neal came up next and doubled down the left-field line, his second hit. Sophomore Doug Dreher followed O'Neal with a putt, putting the tying run on base.
Junior Brett Kappelmann, who was moved to third in the batting order in hopes of putting him in more RBI situations, stepped up to the plate next.
kappelmann made Coach Bobby Randall's shifting of the lineup look brilliant.
He tripled to right center, delivered two RBI and extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
Shortstop John Nelson came up next, still with one out, and pounded a single through the left side that scored Kappelmann.
"Kappelmann led the way right there and showed us how to do it," Nelson said. "He took the pressure off me, and with one out and the infield in, I knew I had to get him home."
Amost lost in the excitement of the eighth inning rally was the performance of Smart. In fact, the excitement was so much that it even confused Smart himself.
"I didn't even know it was the ninth inning; I thought it was the eighth." Smart said. "So I wasn't sweating it, but I asked Coach, and he said it was the ninth, so I went out there and tried to throw like I do every inning."
In the final inning he retired the Missouri hitters in order, including a strikeout that ended the game.
The two teams will hook up again this afternoon at 3 p.m. and conclude the twogame series.
The win marked the Jayhawks' second in a row and improved their record to 10-18, while Missouri fell to 14-13.
Edited by Duane Wagler
By Michael T. Rigg sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
At his press conference to mark the start of spring practice yesterday, Kansas football coach Terry Allen spoke about "the little things" his team would need to do next season to avoid losing football games in the third and fourth quarters.
Those little things are what Allen and the rest of the Jayhawks will start focusing on today as the team begins its third spring practice with Allen.
"We had a very good off-season program with the things that we needed as far as strength improvements, but more so than that is the commitment standpoint." Allen said. "We are pleased and excited with that, and we have to just continue to grow with that."
As is the case with many college football teams embarking on a season full of expectations, the Jayhawks have many questions to be answered and many holes to be filled. However, Allen and the rest of his Jayhawks are confident that they can leave the spring as a better football team.
Kansas is intent on becoming one of the premier teams in the Big 12 Conference, but accomplishing this goal means knocking off power teams such as Nebraska, Kansas State and defending conference champion Texas A&M.
"We can beat Nebraska and Kansas State," cornerback Andrew Davison said.
"We can beat Nebraska and Kansas State," cornerback Andrew Davison said. Beating the top two teams in the Northern Division of the Big 12 may seem like a big step for a team that finished 4-7 overall and 1-7 In the conference, but the Jayhawks are confident that their rise to
power could be now.
power come be now.
"Look at who the other teams lost to graduation," linebacker Dariss Lomax said. "Texas doesn't have Ricky Williams anymore, and Nebraska — not to knock them — aren't as good as they used to be. To us, this conference is up in the air."
If Kansas is to achieve these goals, it will have to fill the holes left by nine starters lost to graduation. The Jayhawks were hit hardest on the offensive
line and on the linebacker corps, where they lost a total of seven starters.
"I think we actually might be better at linebacker this season." Allen said.
Allen's statement is partially based on the assumption that some team members will do better in the classroom. Lomax was academically ineligible last season after failing to achieve
Allen: Plans to focus team on the little things. '
after taking touchscreen the necessary academic standards. The inactivity, however, gave Lomax some time to think and prioritize academics.
"What I went through last year was definitely some tough times," Lomax said. "Not being out there with my team, I really learned who my friends were."
Lomax said he has rededicated himself in the classroom and is listed as one of four new starters at the position in addition to Tim Bowers, Andrew LeClair, and Algie Atkinson, who received substantial playing time last season as a freshman.
See ALLEN on page 3B
Commentary
Money-smart match-up gains Kansas experience, exposure
Spencer Duncan
sorts@kansan.com
It's funny what a difference a little thing like money can make.
It's true that this matchup seems a little lopsided and could have disastrous results. Think: Kansas vs. Florida State in 1993 (a 42-0 whooping), Kansas vs. Kansas State in 1995 (a 42-7 debacle) and the Titanic.
After weeks of talks, the Kansas football team inked a deal to play Notre Dame on Aug. 28 at the Eddie Robinson Classic in South Bend, Ind.
OK, stop laughing.
But the television exposure and experience Kansas will gain from will be invaluable, and give Kansas coach Terry Allen and his players credit for doing something that a dominant Kansas State refuses to do: schedule a non-conference opponent people have heard of.
More interesting among all this is that in the early 1990s there was no chance this match-up would have occurred.
Yet now, a few years later, with the promise of
You see, about nine years ago, Notre Dame thumbed its bible at the rest of college athletics and signed an exclusive five-year television contract with NBC. That deal led to a renewal years later and is now the reason why we must all suffer through every single Notre Dame game on NBC instead of the old Godzilla movies local affiliates once carried on Saturday afternoons.
a $600,000 payout, things have dramatically changed.
The deal Notre Dame signed angered college athletic directors around the country. You see, by signing an exclusive contract, Notre Dame, among other things, guaranteed a big paycheck for itself but shut out other schools from making money that could have been shared in an inclusive deal.
But I digress.
So the athletic directors grumbled. But the only director who did more than talk was Kansas'own Bob Frederick, athletics director.
In protest, Frederick canceled a home-and home basketball series that had been scheduled with the Fighting Irish.
All it really did was create tension between the schools...
with the Fighting in.
Obviously, the protest did little.
But what a difference that money makes
Now Kansas can make money from Notre Dame and so the teams will square off. Walking away from a game with at least $600,000 in the Jayhawk nocket is worth it, despite the score.
And who can blame Frederick for pushing the deal?
Notre Dame just wants to play a school it is pretty sure it can defeat and Kansas wants money, exposure and experience. Both teams
After all, Notre Dame's exclusive deal has not had many of the adverse long-term effects many thought it might. And time heals many wounds. Representatives at both schools say what happened nine years ago is mostly forgotten.
are winners.
But as much as the Athletics Department will say this game is about exposure and continuing the Kansas football tradition, it is also about money, and not just the $600,000 Kansas will get for traveling to South Bend.
There is hope that a game like this will renew interest in a football program that has had three consecutive losing seasons.
Kansas also has the lowest attendance of any team in the Big 12 Conference (yes, even worse than Baylor and Iowa State). Renewing interest in the team could help ticket sales, which would fill an empty stadium that the Athletics Department recently spent millions of dollars to renovate.
Now, isn't this match-up starting to make some sense?
Duncan is an Topeka senior in journalism and English.