Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY:DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Atlanta Falcon's cornerback Ray Buchanan has guaranteed a Super Bowl victory. Can his game back it up?
Kansas Football
Tuesday
January 26, 1999
Section:
B
Page 1
SEE PAGE 4B
Kansas quarterback Zac Wegner is expected to comment soon on his football career.
SEE PAGE 2B
Olympics
Newspaper editorials around the globe are calling for the resignation of International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
SEE PAGE 3B
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Pugh faces fans, foes at Nebraska
Kansas forward T.J. Pugh defends Missouri forward Jeff Hafer during Sunday's game at Allen Fieldhouse. Pugh will play Nebraska in Lincoln for the last time Wednesday night. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
By Kevin C. Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
T. J. Pugh will be flooded with memories when the Kansas men's basketball team takes the floor tomorrow night in Lincoln, Neb.
Pugh, who is a native of Omaha, Neb., said that the most memorable moment during his basketball career happened in the same Devaney Center where the No. 22 Jayhawks will play Nebraska.
"I won the state championship in that building my junior year," Pugh said. "So that has to be my best one."
The 6-foot-8 senior forward has other ties to the state as well. Pugh was the second-leading scorer in the Nebraska Class A ranks as a senior at Creighton Prep, where he averaged 9.7 rebounds per game and shot 58.6 percent from the field.
He was a two-time, all-state performer and was named Mr. Basketball in Nebraska his senior season.
Despite pressure to attend a Nebraska university. Pugh chose Kansas.
"The reason I came here four years ago was because I understood what role I was getting into," Pugh said. "I knew the quality of basketball players that we would have. I came here to win basketball games."
And win basketball games he has, especially against Nebraska. Pugh has a perfect 7-0 against the Cornhuskers, and the Jayhawks have won the last nine games in this rivalry, its longest streak against Nebraska since the 1950s.
Pugh's locally unpopular choice of choice and the Jayhawks' current win
ning streak against Nebraska have resulted in the fans booing him whenever he takes the floor. Despite the Cornhusker catcalls, Pugh said that he was excited for the game.
"It will be my last trip there, and I have some great memories there." Pugh said. "A lot of my friends and family will be there, so I'm looking forward to it. I know it will be a tough game."
Pugh will head to Lincoln following one of his best performances at Kansas. Pugh, who averages 4.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, was one of the Jayhawks' few bright spots in Sunday's 71-63 loss to Missouri, especially in the first half.
Pugh pulled down seven rebounds and scored 11 of the Jayhawks 30 first-half points, including a fade-away jumper at the buzzer.
"He was just sensational," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "I told him at halftime that if everybody else had invested as much in that half that he had done, it would have been a whole different story in the first half."
Williams said that he had some words of encouragement for Pugh, who tied a career high with 13 points, after the Jav Hawks' loss.
"I told him that I was very thankful for how hard he'd played for us," Williams said. "As a coach, that's one of the things you really appreciate and count on. And T.J. Pugh is going to do that for you every night. He played his tail off."
Pugh said that he would need to play equally as tough in Lincoln if the Jayhawks were going to claim another victory in his home state.
"It's a bit nostalgic, but that's all in the back of my mind because they are going to be a tough team to beat." Pugh
said. "I watched them play the other night, and they played real well. So, we have to understand that we need to go up there and give an all-out effort."
Members of the University of Kansas baseball team do sit-ups during their first practice yesterday. The team, which struggled through last season, hopes to improve with the help of its new freshman class. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
Veterans to push baseball through comeback season
By Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
After a disappointing season, the Kansas baseball team is ready to capitalize on last year's minimal success.
The Jayhawks began their first full week of practice yesterday in Anschutz Sports Pavilion, stocked with what coach Bobby Randall said was a solid group of veterans and a promising core of newcomers.
"This year is a great challenge, and that's what makes it enjoyable," he said. "Our guys are excited and looking forward to getting the season under way."
"The core of returning guys knows what it takes to compete at a high level," junior catcher Shane Wedd said. "Mostly we're just trying to set a good example on how to work hard, and the young guys are following our lead."
The challenge is that more than half the team is new but returning is a strong nucleus of juniors and seniors who are expected to lead the team to a great season.
Competing in the Big 12 is no small task since half of the conference is ranked in preseason polls. Randall said that the high level of competition could benefit the team.
"We need the veterans to step up and take the next step to become better," he said. "The conference schedule is our true test. The competition is one of the toughs."
"As a team, we're a lot stronger and healthier this year and have more depth, particularly with our pitching staff," said junior pitcher Rusty Philbrick. "I'm real happy and confident with the staff we've got. It should make it a lot easier on everyone."
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect for Randall is that the team is going into the season healthy. Injuries plagued the Jayhawks last year and Randall said avoiding them was a key to winning ball games.
est in the country, and if we finish in the top half, we will be a Top 40 team."
Returning offensive leaders include sophomore shortstop John Nelson, who hit .342 last season; Wedd, who was second on the team with seven home runs and junior outfielder Brett Kappelmann, who stole a队 high-22 bases and had 34 RBIs.
Philbrick, one of six returning pitchers, boasts the team's lowest ERA and is expected to anchor the pitching staff.
The 'Hawks open the season Feb. 13 with a three-game weekend series at Texas-Arlington. They then travel to Arizona for a tournament.
"The season looks pretty promising," senior pitcher Chris Williams said. "We've got good leadership and a good group of younger players with lots of talent who want to compete and win at this level."
KU women's basketball team back in top-25 poll this week
The Associated Press
Kansas (14-6) was missing from the top 25 for just one week, but now they're back. The Jayhawks dropped out after a 20-point loss to Nebraska, and they lost at Colorado last week before handing Texas Tech its first Bir 12 loss.
Tennessee remained the overwhelming choice for No.1 in The Associated Press women's basketball poll yesterday and was one of just two teams that held the same position as last week.
The other was Old Dominion, which stayed at No. 12 in the poll that underwent considerable shuffling and featured the return of three teams that were ranked earlier: Boston College, Kansas and UC Santa Barbara.
Purdue (16-1), Louisiana Tech (15-2) and Georgia (18-1) held the next three places, with Purdue and Louisiana Tech getting one firstplace vote apiece. All three moved up one spot after Connecticut (16-3) lost two of three games during the week and fell from second to fifth.
Tennessee (17-1) received 39 of 41 firstplace votes and 1,023 points from a national media panel to lead the poll for the third straight week. The Volunteers beat Old Dominion and Florida last week to run their winning streak to 16 games.
Connecticut, which has four key players sidelined by injuries, lost at Louisiana Tech, beat Miami and lost at Boston College.
Colorado State (20-1) jumped two places to sixth, and was followed by Notre Dame, UCLA, Duke and Texas Tech, which fell four spots after losing at Kansas.
Virginia Tech (18-0), the nation's only undefeated Division I team, climbed two places to 11th. Then it was Old Dominion, Rutgers, North Carolina and Clemson, followed by Iowa State, Auburn and Tulane. Ohio State and Virginia tied for 19th.
The final five were Penn State, Boston College, Alabama, Kansas and UC Santa Barbara.
Boston College (15-3), which gained its first national ranking at No. 25 three weeks ago, moved up to No. 21 the following week and then dropped out after losing two straight. The Eagles beat Providence last week before knocking off
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through January 24, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
WOMEN'S AP TOP 25
rank team rec pts pts
1.Tennessee 17-1 1,023 1
2.Purdue (1) 16-1 979 3
3.Louisiana Tech (1)15-2 943 4
4.Georgia 18-1 893 5
5.Connecticut 16-3 834 2
6.Colorado St. 20-1 766 8
7.Notre Dame 15-2 743 9
8.UCLA 15-4 696 10
9.Duke 15-4 692 11
**10.Texas Tech** 17-2 **654** **6**
11.Virginia Tech 18-0 636 13
12.Old Dominion 13-2 583 14
13.Rutgers 17-3 542 15
14.North Carolina 19-4 528 7
15.Clemson 16-3 470 16
**16.Iowa St.** 13-3 **349** **14**
17.Auburn 15-3 302 20
18.Tulane 17-2 245 24
19.Ohio St. 13-4 228 22
tie.Virginia 13-5 228 19
21.Penn St. 13-5 219 17
22.Boston College 15-3 134 —
22.Alabama 12-6 133 18
24.Kansas 14-6 **89** —
25.UC Santa Barbara 13-3 65 —
Others receiving votes: Fla. Intermediate 55, LSU 15,
Oregon 48, Florida 44, Nebraska 42, Illinois 19, Kentucky 16, Memphis 13, Toltec 13, Colorado 11, Mississippi 1, W. Kentucky 8, St. Mary's, Cal. 7, New Mexico 2, Arizona 1, Georgia Tech 1, Marquette 1, SW Missouri 1, St. Clara 1, Washington 1.
UConn.
UC Santa Barbara (13-3) was ranked the first two weeks of the season, reaching No. 22, then fell out after an overtime loss to Wisconsin. The Gauchos are now on an eight-game winning streak.
Florida, Nebraska and Oregon dropped out. Florida, which had been No. 21, lost to Tennessee and LSU. Nebraska, last week's No. 23 team, lost to Colorado, while Oregon split, losing to Arizona and beating Arizona State.
Oregon was 25th last week, its only appearance in the rankings this season.
Changes made for advertisers as University rents out space
I'll admit that my view on corporate sponsorship has changed. Slightly.
I used to view massive corporate investments into campus, such as those by Nike and Coca-Cola, as the selling out of the University of Kansas.
If a company can keep ticket prices down, or sponsorship by SuperTarget can build a soccer field, then why not let a company shell out money?
Now, I simply see it as renting out.
However, the Athletics Department should not make deals with everyone. There are legitimate concerns about companies exerting too much control over an athletic department once that company starts paying the bills.
The influence advertising and corporate money has on a department is evident in actions the University's Athletics Department has taken at basketball games this season.
It used to be that concessions to advertisers and corporate sponsors were done
behind closed doors:
free tickets to a game,
free autographed memorabilia and occasionally a company official got to go in a locker room. These acts rarely affected fans.
But concessions now made by the department to please advertisers and corporations and make more money for the department, are affecting fans and students.
Spencer Duncan
spots@kansan.com
The Crimson Girls.
who for years sat along the baseline of the basketball court, have been relegated to the stands.
Instead of sitting behind the baskets they must file into the student section when not performing. The reason is that they were blocking courtside advertising boards.
Like them or not, the Crimson Girls dedicate a lot of time to what they do and are a part of the unmatched atmosphere of Allen Fieldhouse. Relegating them to the stands for advertisers, where they take seats away from other students, is disrespectful to the fieldhouse tradition.
One reason: The non-bench side has more advertising billboards along the floor. By focusing cameras on that side, the billboards receive extensive television time and the department can charge more money for businesses to advertise.
Take the television cameras. The department switched the camera angles. Instead of pointing at the side where team benches are, the cameras now focus on the opposite side.
The negative is that the benches are shown less. Instead of seeing Roy Williams react to a play, fans watching on television are more likely to see the reaction of the media who sit behind the billboards.
And how about handing out the game ball.
During Sunday's game, Bob Frederick, athletics director, presented the game ball to... UMB Bank?
That might please my mother who likes seeing me on television, but it is a disservice to fans who watch watching the players on the bench, who are actually part of the game.
Game balls are usually reserved for those who do something special. The ball was given without explanation by the announcer on Sunday, which had more to do with money UMB has given and less with its dedication to the University.
Why not give the to an usher who dedicates time to helping people find their seats? How about giving it to the band, cheerleaders or one of the mascots. They at least fill the fieldhouse with energy and add to the tradition.
If the department wants to give a ball to people who have given money, then Forrest Hoglund, who donated $1.5 million for the baseball stadium, or K.K. and Margaret Amiini, who donated $1.5 million for a Scholarship Hall, are more deserving. They gave private funds for things that will directly benefit students and student athletes.
These people deserve game balls before a corporate sponsor does. At least they are helping Kansas build tradition, instead of trying to buy it.
Duncan is a Topeka senior in journalism and English.