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Tuesday, February 12. 1980
University Dally Kansan
The Pearl's act shines on KU hardwoods
By GRANT OVERSTAKE
Staff Reporter
It was wits against skins at Robinson gym and the shirts led, 14-3. Things were gloomy for the naked fiveed. Pearl the ball and needed only one point to win.
He directed his troops from the top of the key, his stubby fingers dribbling the ball just out of reach of the frenzied defender's press.
Suddenly Pearl's green eyes bulged in cocktails, and he ran out of room. He sent his guard reeling. While his defender stood agape, Pearl spun 360 degrees. "He is doing what you do, chappyn him up, cooking it to his liking."
"Pearl! Pearl! Lighten up!" yelled a voice, as Pearl's teammates slapped his meaty palms.
With a flick of the wrist, he launched the ball through the net and sent the skins on their way to the bleachers.
Kenny Roberts, a.k.a. Pearl, is an Allen Field House fixture.
DURING THE spring, summer or fall, he's one of the PLAYERS—hobnobbing with the so-called basketball elite, KU basketball team. He magnetized Macy Bedoye or Neal John Crawford.
But while the Jayhawks are struggling through the regular season, Robbers must pit his 5-10, 225-pound frame against less talented foes.
Roberts has tried out for the KU team three times without success, but he's not a failure.
"Every year Pearl would get Say those 38's ready cause this year I'm making the team!" said Chris Miller, one of the iden-tifiers who serve as KU's team managers.
"But then, after the tryouts were held and he didn't make it, he'd be up in the stands the next day watching practice. He's never missed a practice."
Magley, Neal or Crawford will say that Pearl may bequilty but he still can dish it off. I wouldn't think of saying that, say that, even though Pearl never made the team, he always kept his pride, his friends
When Roberts was a little boy growing up in a family of eight children in Brooklyn,
N. Y., he had two dreams: growing tall and plaving ball.
BUT DNA DID Pearl wrong. his father, a cat, always loved the tormey's office, is only $8. Instead of growing up, Pearl grew out. He was always the bigest boy in his class. To round for him, he could get $30.
Sill, he never gave up. He kept firing the pill, throwing that rock. The chubby kid would play at all hours in Ozone Park, his long thunk, thunk, thunk on the tarmac course.
"My brothers and I used to go out at night and play during the summertime," Roberts said. "We called it a radar ball. Maybe that's why i can shoot so good."
Pearl can shoot, but Bob Hill KU assistant basketball coach, thinks it was more than shots in the dark that made Pearl a player.
"Pearl is a product of the streets, where heaven is a playground," Hill said. "He's here to teach you how to have. You never know what he's going to next-go between his legs, behind his back, do one of his hesitation moves where he goes out and hangs his mouth wide open."
"Basketball is a game of self-expression and that's how he plays, with his whole heart."
ROBERTS SAID his best shot at making the KU team was during his freshman year when he was packing 255 pounds.
"But there was a freak accident," he said. "Two guys were fighting in the dorm and one of them had a glass and threw it towards me. I got hit with it and it broke on the right of my hand right."
The next year, Darnell Valentine was in the Jayhawk camp as were 15 other tail, scholarship types. Pearl never had a chance. Two years ago, head coach Ted Hockenstein said he decided to limit the squad to a dozen and Pearl was left on the sidelines again.
He suffered a severe cut on the index finger of his gunshot hand. Knowing he couldn't perform in that condition, he failed to retrieve the delay troops. "We're sorry," they said.
Some of the players said Pearl could not beat the system. Coach Hail says Pearl plays
out of control, takes bad shots and can t shoot under pressure.
"He won't like it, but facts are facts." Hill said
BUT ITS ALSO a fact that Pearl is playing with the KU players in pick-up games during the off-season and they say he holds the ball. He also plays
"A bunch of the boys and I were playing around in the grass, freshman year. he said, "I was doing it spinning, turning, going between my legs and filling the hoops. Afterwards the guy who was running from me came to where you from? I told him New York and he. man you say, 'Man you play the Earl Pearl?'
As arrogant he as may sound, Roberts is so brash in that he almost goes overboard because too big for his 38's. It was a showdown between Roberts and 'Karl the Pearl' Mennon three years ago. 'Karl the Pearl'
"Yeah, it was the real Pearl against the fake Pearl," Roberts lamented.
"We were all down there hanging around and he heard the guys calling me Pearl," he said. "He was so into it. Well, he challenged me to a game of one-on-one, we so played. He whipped my butt. We played at 32 by 80's and he won 32-12. I thought I could beat him, but he can still play."
Roberts will get his bachelor's degree in history next December if he can stay out of the gym long enough to get his homework on. He also does not compete, but sometimes a body craves competition.
When I get depressed I just go play ball, "he said." It is a relaxer. You can go and take your frustrations out by shooting jump in someone's eye. Or, if you're a jumper who shoots a jumper in someone's eye and end up feeling great. Basketball is a cure-all."
ROENTES BEARS no grudges toward the coach staff for shirting his dreams. In the spring, he coach Ted Dews's gardner this summer, and he allergic to the weeds. He also worked as a counselor this summer at the Jayhawk Baskell Ballroom. Coach Hill said Pearl was
A lot of people might call Pearl a basketball groupie.
"But that's not the case," said Magley, his one-time roommate. "Pearl's a giant among men. Literally."
Crawford said that if Pearl weren't so big, he'd be a slick point guard.
One thing is certain. When the KU players end their season and take to play picking up games again, Pearl will be there.
JEFF HARRING/Kansan Stall
And when he gets those stubby fingers on the ball it will be his turn to deal. He'll be spinning, turning, going between his legs and filling up the hoop.
KANSAN On Campus
TODAY: THE HIGHER EDUCATION
WEEK CULTURAL REVIEW will be from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hawk's Nest, the
Prairie Room and the Trail Room in
the CREW TEAM will meet at 3:30 p.m. in room 200,
Robinson Gymnasium.
Dressed in a KU basketball practice uniform from last year, Kenny Roberts, better known as Pearl, towerers over the goal in Allen Field House with the help of a ladder. "If I could dunk I'd be a mean customer," Roberts said. The uniform was given to him by a former member of the KU basketball team.
TONIGHT: THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ORGANIZATION will meet at 6:30 in the Donnard Church, the BAPTIST STUDENT CENTER, 128 W. 19th St. The TALGAM SCIENCE ENSEMBLE will meet at 7 in 220 Robinson. There will be a BAHIA FESTIVAL on the campus and the Union. The WESTERN CVILLATION ACADEMIC FESTIVAL will present "Heric Materialism" at 7:30 in Room 3 of Lippincott Hall. A panel on "Religion in the Black History MONTH at 7:30 in the Jayhawk room in the Union. The ACADEMIC COMPUTER CENTER SEMINAR Computer Services Facility Auditorium. Computer Services Facility Auditorium.
TOMORROW: STUDENT SENATE ELECTIONS will be held all day. The KU CREW TEAM will meet at 3:30 p.m. in front of the SAILING CLUB will meet at 7 p.m. in the parlor of the Union. THE HEARTLAND UNITY CHOIR will hold choir rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. in the CLUB will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Regionalist room in the INM. THE ST-LAWER CENTER will hold the final class of Meditation Instruction at 7:30 p.m. in the Attic. There will be an ANTHROPOLOGY Environmental Policies of Government and Industry and the Responsibility of Social Environment of California-Irvine University of California-Irvine to the Union. THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE will present a lecture by architect Charles Moore at 8 p.m. in the Ballroom of Current Projects. It will be "Discuss Current Projects."
Dream dunker
Tomorrow last day for dropping classes
Tomorrow is the last day to withdraw from a University course denied because you crossed dropped before tomorrow will not show up in either the student's grade report or tran-
After tomorrow the drop procedure is different for each school within the University, but all schools will require that "F" or "P" be listed by any course dropped.
Friday is the last day to turn in a credit/no credit card. These may be turned in to the school office under which the course is listed.
SIGN UP TO SAVE A LIFE! Feb.12·13·14
Make an appointment for the Red Cross Blood Drive-Feb. 19-21
appointments taken at:
- Residence Halls & Scholarship Halls (at dinner)
- Fraternities & Sororities (see your rep)
- 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Feb. 14th only
the Kansas Union
4th level-Booth 2
Sponsored by KU Panbellenic Association
- Interfraternity Council - Scholarship Halls - AURH
THE HAWK presents a new glassware special
Introducing the MICHELOB HEIDELBERG GOBLET
A 16 oz. Hollow-Stem Goblet with 2 color Michelob label
TONIGHT, TUESDAY, FEB. 12
- Order a Gobbet Full of Your Favorite Brew for $1.25.
- The Goblet is Yours to Keep
- Starts at 7 p.m.—Come Early to Get a Seat.
IT COULD ONLY HAPPEN AT
THE HAWK
50°
GOBLET
REFILLS:
Michelob 60°
Bud, Busch, Light
50°
Rent it. Call the Kansan. Call 864-4358
As Advertised Nationally in PEOPLE, PLAYBOY, COSMOPOLITAN and GLAMOUR.
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