8B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2005
New coach sets to whip lagging Nuggets into shape
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — George Karl had been involved with basketball since the seventh grade, so not having it in his life for nearly two years left him feeling empty.
Now that he's headed back to the NBA, Karl has a greater appreciation for what the game has meant to him.
Out of the NBA since the Bucks fired him in 2003, Karl headed back to Milwaukee yesterday to take over as coach of the underachieving Denver Nuggets. He's expected to be on the bench tonight, making his debut with the Nuggets against his former team.
One of the favorites in the Western Conference at the start of the season, Denver hasn't lived up to the expectations that came with adding All-Star power forward Kenyon Martin to a team that had reached the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
Plagued by injuries and inconsistencies, the Nuggets got off to a horrible start and haven't really recovered. Coach Jeff Bzdelik lost his job Dec. 28, and Denver has been only marginally better under interim coach Michael Cooper, entering tonight's game
17-25 and 12 1/2 games out of first place in the Northwest Division.
Karl brings plenty of credibility, ranking 13th all-time with 708 victories and leading his teams to five division titles and 13 playoff appearances in 16 seasons. He has also had experience turning around underachieving teams.
Karl helped Seattle reach the playoffs in 1991-92 and led the Sonics to three 60-victory seasons in five years, including a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals.
"He's clearly one of the best coaches in the NBA, has always been so and his record exhibits that," Nuggets GM Kiki Vandwehe said.
Karl can be feisty and confrontational, but it might be just what the Nuggets need.
With a lineup that includes Martin, Carmelo Anthony, Andre Miller and Marcus Camby, Denver certainly doesn't lack talent. What the Nuggets seem to need is motivation.
Things got better under Cooper, who will stay on as an assistant, but Denver still only won four of 14 games and had trouble closing out the close ones. Injuries have taken a toll,
but there were too many times when players stood around on defense or failed to run hard on the break.
Karl isn't likely to stand for lackadaisical effort. He's had clashes with players at just about every stop in his coaching career, but always seems to get the best out of them. Besides, the time off has allowed him to take a book at his approach to coaching.
"I feel pretty confident that I'm going to be better because of what happened in Milwaukee," said Karl.
Given that, Karl already has set his sights on getting Anthony to shape up.
A star as a rookie last season, Anthony has had some growing pains this year. He had a difficult summer that included a clash with coach Larry Brown at the Olympics, a fight at a New York nightclub, then was caught with marijuana in his backpack during the preseason. The charge was dropped after a friend said the pot was his.
Anthony has had plenty of troubles on the court as well, struggling with shooting woes and ankle injuries. If the Nuggets are going to have success, Karl knows it will start with Anthony.
AP Photo/Morry Gash
New Denver Nuggets coach George Karl talks to player Andre Miller during practice yesterday in the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Karl was named the coach of the Nuggets earlier in the day.
Intramural basketball in high demand
By Michael Phillips
mphillips@kansan.com
KANAN SPORTWRITER
Intramural basketball registrations closed early on Wednesday, which resulted in a waiting list for some teams.
Organizers placed 65 teams on the waiting list, including 45 mens teams, 17 corec teams, and three womens teams.
on the list if they receive a spot.
Organizers will contact teams
Registered teams that failed to attend the managers meeting last night will lose their spots to teams on the wait list.
The program already increased the number of available slots this season because the pre-holiday tournament had above-capacity registration.
Kitley Jewell. Lawrence freshman, was on a team that was cut from that tournament.
He made sure his team registered early this time around. It signed up on Tuesday morning and received a slot.
This year marks the first time that a waiting list has been implemented for intramural basketball, said Kurt Schooley.
assistant director of sports programs.
Jewell said he would not be opposed to lengthening the season to accommodate more teams.
The season has expanded once already this year. Sunday play begins earlier in the afternoon this year to avoid taking up all available courts at any given time.
The shortage of spots will not affect the Rock Chalk Classic basketball tournament, which will be held on campus from March 18 to 20.
Teams will pay a $250 registration fee for the tournament. The winning team will receive free entry into the National Intramural Basketball Championships in Atlanta.
This is the first time the University of Kansas has hosted the tournament, which will attract top intramural teams from across the Midwest.
That tournament will be "soft-capped" at 36 entries, meaning it can expand if there is high demand, Schooloy said.
- Edited by Austin Caster
TENNIS: Cyclones, Wildcats start new season with fresh players
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Senior Judith Diaz is coming off a tough 2004 season, winning only two out of 12 matches.
Coach Steve Bietau has a unique combination of young and veteran talent. Senior Maria Rosenberg, an all-conference selection in both singles and doubles, returns for Kansas State. Rosenberg enters the 2005 season with a national ranking in singles.
ROSENBERG
Three freshmen will be making their regular-season debuts for
Juniors Jessica Simosa and Aveen Alkhatib each experienced an up-and-down year last spring. Simosa capped off the year at .500 (6-6) whereas Alkhatib failed to register a victory in 10 matches.
Kansas State in 2005. Olga Klimova and T er e z a Prochazkova, both of whom hail from Brno, C z e c h Republic, are talented prospects. T a m a r
Kvaratskhelia, who was formerly ranked the No. 1 player overseas in Tbilisi, Georgia, will have to make the transition into playing collegiate tennis.
Iowa State
The best news for the Iowa State women's tennis team is that it's a brand new season.
Having failed to register a victory in the conference since 2002, the Cyclones have been living at
the bottom of the conference for the past two seasons.
To make matters even worse, Iowa State must find a way to replace all-conference performer Sabrina Evers.
Freshman Caitlin Loprinzi is a prospect with a great upside. She was formerly ranked the number one player in the USTA Northern section 18-and-under age division, according to the Iowa State athletics department.
Elizabeth Chermal going to have to lead the Cyclones with veteran leader shi p. Soriano competed last season at the number two singles slot.
Juniors Eve Soriano and
Junior Charlotte Ljungkrantz posted a team-high 15 singles victories for the struggling Cyclones. Iowa State will need more production out of Ljungkrantz if the Cyclones want to compete in a competitive conference.
- Edited by Lori Bettes
COLUMN: Water skiing a way of life for club members
Bing started when she was 10, learning to ski from her family, and still competes occasionally with her dad. She said she remembered seeing Kansas alumni mingling around her state meets, and she knew at that point that she wanted to be a lawhawk.
"When I was a kid, I knew I was going to go to KU and be on
The Kansas water ski club has a potent tradition that seems almost out of place in such a land-locked state. But the core group is composed of two housefels of steadfast friends, and they even have a team song — "Dixieland Delight" by Alabama — that they sing at the top of their lungs every time their caravan cruises into a town hosting a meet, usually in
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
the ski team." Bing said.
And really, that's what it's all about. Friendship and camaraderie. Because what's life if you can't cram five-deep into a Motel 6 bed, ride 36 hours straight across the country in a blazing minivan or crash a free continental breakfast or fix a blowout in the Nevada desert?
the wee hours of the morning.
"There wouldn't be as much passion or as much spark to get
For now the lakes are icy, the sky is thin with cold and the water skis hang lonely in storage closets. But soon, the skis will be tracing the water again, and the Jayhawk club team will be trying to replicate and expand on last season's success.
up in the morning." Bing said.
■ Bant is a Colorado Springs, Colo.,
senior in journalism.
BASKETBALL: Good start key
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
He was serious.
Giddens said that shouldn't be a problem. He said the team understands the importance of this game.
After giving a 20-point whooping to Baylor, Self said he thought his team was refocused. The last thing he wants is for the players to get distracted by all of the hoopla surrounding the game.
Right now, it does seem like the beginning of the season within the Jayhawks' program because Self is unsure of his rotation on Saturday. The starting lineup will remain the same, but because of the elevated play of junior guard Jeff Hawkins and a recent injury to freshman forward C.J. Giles, there has been some shuffling further down the depth chart.
"We need to win this game to win the Big 12," he said. "The Big 12 is like a second season, you got to start over."
Right now there are 11 players who could see minutes in Saturday's game.
"We need to get it down to nine." Self said. "It's hard to play 11 guys. We would be better off playing with nine."
Self said he preferred playing nine players, because with the quality of his starting lineup, it's difficult to distribute the remaining minutes among four players instead of six. A smaller lineup, Self said, means players will practice harder to earn more minutes.
Having 11 men on the lineup means that one of the perimeter bench players—freshman guard Russell Robinson, Hawkins or senior Mike Lee—will probably not play. The same goes for freshman forwards Alex Galindo and Darnell Jackson in the post. Self said freshman forward Sasha Kaun would play for sure.
"We are not set on who is going to play every game," Self said. "Game situations and practice situations will determine that."
Yesterday was Kansas' first practice since its game against Baylor, leaving significant time for minutes to be earned or lost.
However, before practice, Robinson, said he didn't expect to play in Saturday's game.
"This is a big game," Robinson said. "I really don't expect to be playing, but if my name is called, I have to be ready."
Robinson's name was called on Tuesday against Baylor, but he chose not to go into the game, which raised a few eyebrows.
Self said it was no big deal, but does think that Robinson is disappointed with his lack of minutes.
"He's probably a bit frustrated, not belligerently frustrated, but frustrated," Self said. "I can see where he is coming from. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see it."
Robinson averaged almost 17 minutes per game in the Jayhawks' first 10 contests of the season, but in the last six games, his minutes have fallen to just 6 minutes per game.
One of the reasons for the decrease is because of the inspired play of Hawkins, who has moved up past Robinson in the pecking order. But Robinson also has an ugly 19-27 assist-to-turnover ratio, causing Self to hesitate before inserting the freshman into critical game situations.
"You always hear about the freshman wall," Robinson said. "You never think that it will happen to you, but it happened to me. I just have to revert back to the things that got me off to a good start."
Getting off to a good start will be the key for the Jayhawks tomorrow. With the exception of Tuesday's victory, Kansas hasn't come out with first-half energy since its Jan. 9 game against Kentucky.
In their 20-point rout of Baylor, Kansas showed energy for 40 minutes.
Junior forward Christian Moody said the Jawhaws need to do the same thing tomorrow in order to compete with Texas.
"They're going to want to come here and win," Moody said. "We are going to have to be intense and focused for the whole game."
AUDITIONS!
— Edited by Jesse Truesdale
- Singers - Dancers - Instrumentalists
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Registration: 9 - 12
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Monday, Feb. 7
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KS Room
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AUDITION LOCATIONS
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Registration: 3 - 5
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