Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Plenty of tickets remain for the men's NCAA tournament games in New Orleans.
Sports
College athletics
SEE PAGE 4B
The NCAA prepares to move its headquarters to Indianapolis.
Wednesday
March 10, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
SEE PAGE 5B
NCAA basketball
The NIT Tournament field is set and includes Kansas State.
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Commentary
Worst basketball annoyances given special honors
Last Wednesday, I asked readers to help me with this week's column.
In last week's column, I awarded the Jon-zees, an award of merit named after myself given to Kansas basketball players.
Kansas basketball
This week, I'm giving out the Woio awards.
Named after annoying former Duke point guard Steve Wojciechowski, these awards are given to those things that represent the least likable
things in college basketball.
college basketball.
Readers e-mailed me their votes on who should receive a Wojo award, and the votes have been tabulated.
I'll start off with who the big winners were via email, then I'll share some of my own picks for the Wojo winners.
The Worst College Basketball Announcer Wojo goes to George Ravelling. This was a stunning upset
Seth Jones
sports@kansan.com
This was a stunning opportunity against my personal choice of Dick Vitale. As Derek Prater wrote via e-mail, "Hearing Ravelling call a Pac-10 game is like listening to Grandpa Simpson." Another reply came from Carol Hoffman, who wrote, "The man only knows how to yell, and he's not even yelling anything coherent."
Most Annying Coach Wojo goes to Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins, Wrote Ron Shaver, Lawrence sophomore, "Somehow, Huggins seems to recruit all of the hoodlums and thugs Norm seems to miss out on."
Other coaches receiving several votes were Bruiser Flint of Massachusetts, Tom Asbury of Kansas State, Norm Stewart of Missouri and our very own Roy Williams. These were KU students voting, mind you.
Most Annoying Player Wojo goes to Kansas State's Manny Dies. Wrote Matthew Rehder, "He's the only player who talks trash while his team is losing by 30 points."
Now, some of my own choices for people who I feel deserve Wolo awards.
The Fashion Police Wojo goes to the lady that called the Jayhawks postgame show on KMBZ to complain about the Jayhawks wearing their Big 12 Tournament champions hats on backwards. Lady, this is a country where you can wear your shorts backwards if you want.
It's called a life. Get one.
It's a fun line. Get one.
At Least We're Not the Wildcats Wojo or maybe the Try A Fictional Bird Wojo goes to two teams with really dumb mascots. The Stanford Cardinal, for what appears to be a Christmas tree for a mascot, and the Jayhawks first round opponent Evansville, for being the Purple Aces.
Jones is a Mulvane junior in magazine journalism.
Biggest Rip-Off of All Time Wojo goes to the concessionaire at Allen Fieldhouse for refusing to give me a cheap cup of water. Instead they wanted to sell me a $2 special bottle of water from some bubbling brook in Canada that was personally endorsed by Bigfoot. Water is water, folks. Unless it comes from the Fountain of Youth, I think it should cost no more than 25 cents.
The Bram Stoker's Cornhuskers Wojo goes to Nebraska head coach Danny Nee. The guy just flat out looks like Dracula. I'm just a little spooked every time we go there because I'm afraid one of the Jayhawks might not come back.
The Boschee-esque Hair-do Jojo goes to my roommate Matt Dunn, who said he'd shave his head if the Jayhawks won the Big 12 Tournament. "But I thought they'd have to play Missouri," he said. We would have beat them, too, Matt. And nice haircut by the way.
The Dumb Advertising Campaign Wojo goes to Nike and Wojo himself for the "March Madness — it's spreading" commercials. These commercials don't make me want to watch college basketball. They make me want to go Watkins to make sure I have received all of my shots. The commercial is about a huge rat that looks just like Wojo himself. The rat gets some bluegoo sucked out of his arm, and it is then injected into a smaller lab rat. They throw the Wojo rat in a box with a rat that is injected with the North Carolina disease. Then, they kill each other, I assume.
So the point is that Nike owner Phil Knight has gone crazy with all the money he's made and is performing sick experiments on harmless animals. I don't know about you, but that really makes me want to wear Nike shoes.
'Hawks want to slide into 'glass slippers'
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
This year, there will be no bull's eye on the Kansas Javhawks.
After entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed the past two years and dealing with the pressure of advancing, the Jayhawks have adopted a different attitude this season as a No. 6 seed.
"I've enjoyed being top-trained team the past few years," said Kansas senior T.J. Pugh. "But I think this team is very comfortable with sliding into a pair of glass slimpers, and we wouldn't mind playing that role at all."
Kansas senior guard Ryan Robertson agreed with his teammate about the advantages and disadvantages of being the hunted.
"Being a No.1 seed is nice because everybody gets to talk about it, but at the same time there is that added pressure," Robertson said. "There's a feeling around campus and the community that it automatically means you have to go the Final Four.
you're a team player.
"This year, being a No. 6 and having some of the ups and downs that this team has had, we don't feel that much pressure, and the expectations aren't that high. The most pressure put on this team is put on by ourselves, and I think that will help us."
Senior guard Ryan Robertson, center, and junior forward Nick Bradford, right, apply tight defense on Chris Griffin of Kansas State. Kansas' defense held Kansas State to 58 points during last weekend's Big 12 Tournament. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
serves, and they begin play about 6:50 p.m. Friday against No.11 seed Evansville in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Regional in New Orleans.
See MIDWEST on page 4B
Holdsclaw tops All-America list
The Associated Press
Chamique Holdswclaw, the smooth operator who has led Tennessee to three consecutive national championships, broke new ground as the leader of The Associated Press women's All-America basketball team.
Holdsclaw became the first player named to the first team three times and the first to earn All-America honors all four years of her college career. She made the third team as a freshman.
The Tennessee ace and Purdue's Stephanie White McCarty were voted to the first team on all 42 ballots from a national media panel, the only unanimous selections. They were joined on that unit by Tennessee's Tamika Catchings, Alabama's Dominique Canty and Colorado State's Becky Hammon.
The only other time one school had two first-team picks was 1996, when Connecticut's Kara Wolters and Jennifer Rizzotti made the top five. The AP began picking a women's All-America team in 1995.
Catchings was named to the first, second or third team on 40 ballots, Canty appeared on 39 and Hammon on 37.
appeared Tennessee's Semeka Randall was named to the second team, along with Amanda Wilson of Louisiana Tech, Svetlana Abrosimova of Connecticut, Angie Braziliel of Texas Tech and Tamla Whit
more of Memphis.
more of Memphis.
The third team had Maylaana Martin of UCLA, Jackie Stiles of Southwest Missouri State, Ruth Riley of Notre Dame, Dalma Ivanyi of Florida International and Duke's Michele Van Gorp.
Kansas' Lynn Pride, who had preseason hopes of being an All American, was selected Honorable Mention Aimer-Amer-
ica. She averaged 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Jayhawks.
Holdcslw, so versatile at 6-foot-2 that she can play any position on the floor, has averaged 20.9 points and eight rebounds
With Tennessee getting more production from other positions, Holdswclaw's scoring average is down a little this season. But she has improved in other ways and is still the player the Lady Vols turn to when things get tight.
in leading Tennessee to a 28-2 record.
"Chamique has been able to get a lot better opportunities off the offensive glass and physically be even more of a presence on defense."
"Physically, she's more imposing now," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. "She's much stronger, which I think has helped her around the basket.
Holdsclaw was the national player of the year last season and is a candidate for that honor again.
"She is going to be remembered as a player of impact." Summitt said.
White-McCarty made the jump from honorable mention last year to unanimous first-team pick, while leading Purdue to its first-ever No.1 ranking. She's averaging 21 points and 4.6 assists and has helped the Boilermakers win several close games with key plays down the stretch.
"It's a tremendous honor to be included among the top five players in the country," White McCarty said. "It's almost a dream come true.
"Certainly I have to thank all my coaches and of course my teammates because we're all in this together."
Canny, a second-team pick last year, has been a do-everything player for Alabama. Her 20-point scoring average is nearly twice that of anyone else on the team, and she also is averaging 7.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
"The day she walked on our campus, she had an impact," said Alabama coach Rick Moody. "Her demeanor on the floor has been just incredible because she's such a cool player, and never once has he given any indication of a primadonna attitude. That's just a joy to coach."
Pierce injures ankle in game
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NBA rookie scoring and steals leader Paul Pierce had to be helped off the court after rolling his right ankle in the first quarter of the Celtics' game against Charlotte last night. He did not return.
Pierce was battling for a rebound with three minutes left in the quarter when he landed awkwardly on his right ankle, and it gave way. Pierce needed assistance from two members of the Celtics' staff to make it to the locker room.
X-rays were negative, and the Celtics originally said he would return to the game. But Pierce walked gingerly back to the Boston bench early in the second quarter and stayed there the rest of the period. He remained in the locker room for the second half. The team said the ankle stiffened up during halftime.
Pierce, the 10th overall selection in the 1998 draft, went into last night's game leading all NBA rookies with averages of 18 points and 2.67 steals.
Lawyer splits time between courtroom and ballpark
Kansas shortstop John Nelson slides back into first base after an attempted pick-off from a Texas pitcher. Nelson collected two hits on four at bats against the Longhorns Sunday. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
By Matt Tait
mail@kansas.com
Kansan sportswriter
For players and coaches alike, it is something that happens everyday. They suit up in their uniforms, strap on their cleats and warm up their bodies long beforehand to get ready for practice.
With the Kansas baseball team the scene is the same, with the exception of one member of the club who isn't always able to prepare in advance. The reason for the delay is because this Jayhawk is also a mediating attorney who works in Chicago.
and Denver University. At Denver he played third base for two years and after graduating stayed involved with the game by coaching at a high school in Denver.
Volunteer assistant coach Jim Toscano, 41, joined the Jayhawks at the first of the year. Toscano, out of collegiate baseball for nearly 15 years, said that he had missed the game he had coached and played for so long and that he had heard there was an opportunity to volunteer his services at Kansas.
o volunteered head coach Bobby Randall and has been practicing and traveling with the team the entire season.
A native of Denver, Toscano attended both the University of Northern Colorado
In 1985, Toscano stopped coaching college baseball and went to law school at Denver University. He has been practicing law for 11 years and has worked in Denver.
After coaching high school for five years, Toscano worked as an assistant at the University of California at San Diego. He stayed at UCSD for two years, then coached the Athletes in Action team overseas.
In 1994, realizing he missed the game, Toscano went back to coaching at the high school level in Denver.
"I was looking for a way to get back involved with baseball," "Oscano said, "I regretted getting out of college baseball and wanted to coach again."
Coach again he did. While maintaining his law practice in Denver, Toscano coached high school baseball until 1988. Happy to be back in coaching but unsatisfied with the level, Toscano heard of the opportunity at
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