SOCCER: Team finishes up the spring season SEE PAGE 2B. BOWLING: Bowling team ends season ranked No.8.SEE PAGE 2B.
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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2002
COMMENTARY
Andy Samuelson asamuelson@kansan.com
Gooden's choice is next big step in his life's journey
On June 26, Kansas' Drew Gooden will hear NBA commissioner David Stern call out his name at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
At that time he will learn where his new life will take him. No matter the destination, it is all but certain that Gooden will become a multi-millionaire on that summer evening in the world's grandest city.
The unbelievable amount of money anywhere from $6.8 million to $10.6 million over three years if Gooden should go in the top five of the NBA draft - is obviously the force that motivated the All-American forward to forgo his senior season to fulfill his childhood dreams in the NBA.
But no amount of money can account for the fact that the 6-foot-10 Californian is already living a dream: one that could easily be categorized as a classic American success story.
One that features a protagonist who comes from humble beginnings and overcomes numerous obstacles along the way of a journey that ends with prosperity, wealth and fame.
Yeah, you know the one, where the main character is also dashingly handsome, confidently charismatic and intelligent?
Gooden, the Big 12's Player of the Year, who averaged 19.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season, possesses all those traits and more.
There was plenty that Gooden could do to get better prepared for the NBA. Stay in Lawrence for one more year to bulk up, work on his shooting and dribbling, possibly win a national championship and get that coveted degree.
But there's no way to know whether all those things would happen, and even if they did, whether they could guarantee him a better future.
"This is a dream of mine," Gooden said Friday.
Maybe Gooden isn't ready for the NBA, but he's ready for the next stage in his life's journey and no one should knock that.
Aren't we all waiting for that dream, that next journey?
Gooden's just happened to come at a time when Kansas basketball was phenomenal, barely missing out on the elusive title that legions of fans have desired for so long. In a year, if he would have returned, the Jayhawks would have no doubt been the favorite for the national title.
Someday that trophy will return to Allen Fieldhouse and in some way Gooden will be a part of that championship, just like all those players before him.
But now a new and unsettled journey awaits a young man who is curious to see what is out there.
It's the same intrigue that brought him all the way out to the Kansas plains.
But Gooden will not forget this place.
"On the ride coming here, there was no way that I would plan on living here," Gooden said of his first recruiting trip. "Three years after that drive from the airport, this is my second home."
No matter where this journey takes him, Gooden can never forget part of the ride.
"I will always be a Jayhawk in my heart," he said.
Samuelson is a Wichita senior in journalism.
Gooden prepares for NBA
By Doug Pacey
Kansan sportswriter
When Roy Williams was gathering information from NBA teams to help Drew Gooden make his decision, the coach said he found no question marks about the junior forward. In fact, there was just one thing Williams didn't know about Gooden.
"It's one of those things," he said. "You're either going to be rich or real rich."
Gooden will almost assuredly become the University's newest millionaire after the draft on June 26. Most draft experts predict that the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year will be selected in the first five picks.
Because the NBA has a tiered pay scale for rookies, Gooden would receive a guaranteed contract that pays anywhere from $6.8 million to $10.6 million over three years if he is one of the first five players chosen. Because these contracts are guaranteed, Gooden would not need an agent to negotiate a salary, but said he would discuss the possibility of obtaining an agent with his family and Williams.
Despite declaring for the draft, Gooden can still return to college if he does not sign with an agent, but the
"I made my decision and I am going to stick with it," he said. "I don't feel like I have made a bad decision at all."
junior made it clear that he did not intend to change his mind.
Gooden said he had no preference as to which team he wanted to play for. Because the NBA has not had the lottery to establish where the teams pick, it is hard to predict where the Richmond, Calif., native will play.
He said he thought the biggest adjustment about moving from the college ranks to the professionals would be getting "the first paycheck," but he knew that playing in the NBA would be more difficult than at Kansas, where he led the Big 12 with 19.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season.
Williams said he had no doubts that his first team All-American was ready for the NBA from the way Gooden played after the defeat at UCLA in January. Williams said Gooden's eight 20-point-plus games in a span of 10 contests showed him that the junior was ready for the next level.
"This year, I told him, 'You are ready,'" Williams said. "There is no doubt in my mind. This year he played his tail off. This year there were some
SEE GOODEN ON PAGE 6B
Drew Gooden announces his decision to enter the NBA draft Friday. Gooden is expected to be chosen as one of the first five picks in the draft on June 26.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Officials cancel Relays events in thunderstorms
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Senior runner Pete Prince strides across the water hazard from atop a hurdle while competing in the 3000- meter steeplechase. Prince took fourth in the race with a time of 9:29 at the Kansas Relays Friday.
By Matt Norton
The Kansas Relays can be characterized by inconsistent weather. Heat and cold, wind and rain, all of the elements often show up during the course of Relays week.
Kansan sportswriter
But a thunderstorm on Saturday stopped the 75th edition in its tracks.
After a 90-minute delay during which Tim Weaver, meet director, met with coaches and officials to monitor the weather and discuss whether to cancel the remaining events,the meet was canceled around 4:15 p.m.Saturday with 39 events left to run on the track and seven more on the field,including all the invitational running events.
Maurice Greene was limited to a warmup session beneath the Memorial Stadium bleachers and autograph session for the fans who waited through the weather to see him run.
"That's a heartbreaker for everyone who loves this meet," Weaver said. "There's so many people who put hours and hours of volunteer time into it."
Weaver said the Athletics Department had a policy regarding lightning during outdoor events. Relays officials were monitoring lightning in the area and determined it was too close and too frequent to continue the meet.
Anything within eight miles is deemed too close to hold events. Weaver said.
"We cannot put our fans, coaches, athletes, or KUAC [Kansas University Athletics Corporation] staff in harm's way." Weaver said.
Before Saturday's cancellation, there was plenty of action at the Relays.
kansas won both the men's and women's distance medley relays on Friday.
Sophomore Laura Lavoie led off the women's race for the Jayhawks with a 1200-meter leg, establishing a 10-meter lead that Kansas never relinquished to second-place Missouri.
Lavoie ran successively faster laps of 75, 73 and 67 seconds to open up the lead on Missouri before handing off to sophomore Stacy Keller.
Lavieo said she didn't expect too much competition Friday, and was pushed even less than she had predicted.
"I just went out easy, expecting to follow people and then draft off them," Lavole said. "No one went in front of me, so I took it as easy as I could and then kicked at the end."
By the time senior anchor runner Katy Eisenmenger got the baton from freshman Kim Clark, the race was over.
"I heard some people yelling, 'Missouri,' but I didn't really feel her on me at all," Eisenmenger said.
The Jayhawks' winning time was 11 minutes. 42.21 seconds, well behind their seasonal best, which was set at the Texas Relays two weeks ago. Eisenmenger said that despite the slower time, she was happy with the result.
"It's the first one we've had at the Kansas Relays," Eisenmenger said. "So it was nice to get a win here at home."
Kansas baseball swept in rain
SEE RELAYS ON PAGE 6B
By Ryan Wood
Kansan sportswriter
Missouri's relentless offensive attack proved to be overwhelming for the Kansas baseball team in yesterday's doubleheader at Hoglund Ballpark. The Jayhawks dropped both games, losing the first 16-10 and the second 14-4.
"They had us beat the whole day," sophomore second baseman Ryan Baty said. "They had us beat intensity-wise, they were more disciplined at the plate and in the field. They beat us on all cylinders today."
Rain delayed the start of the Border War series for two days, and only two of the three games scheduled could be salvaged. Missouri's sweep of the series improved the team's record to 19-19 overall and 7-10 in Big 12 Conference play. The Jayhawks dropped to 16-20 and 3-14, pushing themselves further into the Big 12 cellar and weakening their chances of being one of the top eight teams that play in the Big 12 tournament starting May 22.
"We've got to improve the caliber of baseball," coach Bobby Randall said. "That's not the kind of baseball that we should play."
Despite Kansas putting 10 on the board in the first game, Missouri's consistent run-producing
was too much. The Tigers scored at least one run in every inning but the first and third. Missouri right fielder Lee Laskowski went 4-for-4 with two home runs, and left fielder W.T. Hoover homered and drove in five runs to pace Missouri.
Kansas jumped to a 3-0 lead early, but Missouri countered with a seven-run attack in the second inning, highlighted by home runs from Hoover and Laskowski. The Jayhawks never recovered, despite pounding out 14 hits in the contest. Senior Jeff Davis (5-2) suffered the loss, allowing five earned runs and 11 hits in four innings.
Offensively, junior infielder Casey Spanish went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Baty went 2-for-5 with three RBI.
"I think they're a hot-hitting team," Randall said, "but on the other hand, we didn't attack them very well."
The Tigers continued right where they left off in the second game, scoring five runs in the first inning off of senior Jake Wright. They added five more in the fourth, and pounded out 16 hits en route to their third straight victory. They have scored 10 or more runs in five straight games.
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6B
NFL Draft day is kind to two Jayhawks
It took a long day of waiting during Saturday's draft rounds, but former Kansas football players Nate Dwyer
Dwyer starred as a Jayhawk at defensive tackle as he completed his Kansas career with a senior campaign that saw him garner All-Big 12 honors. Yesterday, the Arizona Cardinals made Dwyer the 113th pick in the fourth round and now he is headed to the desert for a chance to make an NFL roster.
names called yesterday in the NFL Draft.
Hartwig joined Dwyer soon after as the second Jayhawk drafted as the Tennessee Titans selected Hartwig with the 187th pick in the sixth round.
The offensive guard was a cornerstone of the Jayhawk offensive line after he took over a starting role at the beginning of his sophomore year.
Nate Dwyer
John Domonev
Justin Hartwig
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