BASKETBALL: Indiana's Jeffries to skip to the NBA SEE PAGE 2B. TENNIS: Kansas' Bejar named Big 12 Player of the Week. SEE PAGE 2B.
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SPORTS
1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
COMMENTARY
Doug Pacey dpacey@kansan.com
If Gooden goes he will have left mark at Kansas
Drew Gooden has a big decision to make. He knows it, Roy Williams knows it, you know it and even the dizzy nature boy in your Math 002 class who doesn't know the difference between a free throw and a foul ball knows it.
The choice between jumping to the NBA Draft or staying for his senior season at Kansas is the biggest quandary the junior forward has faced in his 20-year life. But wouldn't we all love to be in the All-American's high-tops with a choice between millions of dollars guaranteed or being part of what might be the best Kansas team in school history next year?
Sure beats flipping a coin to decide what history class to take to fulfill your humanities requirement for graduation.
In all seriousness, though, this is a life-altering decision for Gooden and he will surely take the necessary steps before he announces what he will do. He'll meet with Williams, if he already hasn't, and go over the NBA general managers and scouts have sent Kansas' coach about the tantalizingly talented forward and he'll sit down with his two sets of parents for a long talk about his future.
Everybody and their neighbor will give Gooden their two-cents worth this week. Hardcore Jayhawk fans will beg him to stay and lead Kansas to a national championship, while others will tell Gooden to be sensible and take the cash.
Instead of pleading with the superstar to stay or telling him to take the money and run, let Gooden make the decision by himself and, whatever the outcome, remember him for what he did at Kansas.
Whether it was when Gooden said "the whole front of my grill went numb" after he accidentally cut a Texas Tech player's head with his teeth or explaining the finer points of his "Rich-Town Funk Dunk" after the game at Iowa State, the junior always kept it interesting. No Kansas fan will ever be able to cut their toenails again without remembering the wacky comment Gooden made on national television about "clipping his toenails" and needing "new wheels" so he could keep up with Oregon's fast-paced offense in the NCAA Tournament.
It's too bad there wasn't a video camera hovering around him when he showed off his acting skills, or lack thereof, and tried to convince a handful of reporters that he could be the next Denzel Washington when he was done playing basketball. Let's hope Gooden has a long, successful career in the NBA.
He kept it real and never gave the media coach-speak. A "one game at a time" or "we just have to give 110 percent" never slipped through his lips, but Gooden didn't give his opponents any bulletin-board material, either.
When freshman point guard Aaron Miles missed a dunk late in the game against Oregon this season. Gooden saved Miles from becoming "a greasy spot on the floor," when he calmed the coach down before Williams had a chance to eat the freshman point guard for dinner, Williams said.
He praised his teammates and lobbied the media to vote Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team. After he received the Bill Bridges rebounding award at the team awards ceremony Monday, he jokingly thanked his teammates for "missing all those shots" that allowed him to get so many rebounds.
When Gooden came to Lawrence in the fall of his freshman year he was a raw talent that had hardly been coached in high school. One day at practice that season, Williams got upset at the freshman he had nicknamed "Hurricane Drew" and told
SEE PACEY ON PAGE 8B
JILLIAN THORPE/KANSAN
Wichita's Dustin Hawkins steals third base early in the game as Kansas' third baseman Ryan Klocksien tries to tag him out. The game remained scoreless until the Jayhawks went on to take an early lead in the third inning.
Hoglund miracle
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
It's probably safe to say that Chris Jones never had a bigger game.
Facing No. 8 Wichita State, the freshman pitched a masterpiece, allowing just two hits and no earned runs in seven innings of work and leading the Kansas baseball team to a 9-1 victory over the Shockers last night.
"I thought Chris did a marvelous job," Kansas coach Bobby Randall said. "I can't say enough about him. He's been working for this moment for a long time."
In only his second collegiate start, Jones took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Drew Moffitt broke it up with an infield single.
"My last outing was kind of rough," Jones said, "so I had the attitude that I had nothing to lose."
Freshman Tom Gorzelanny relieved Jones, pitching the final two innings, striking out three and allowing two hits.
Despite six Jayhawk errors, the Shockers were only able to put one
run on the board, on an RBI ground out by Joe Muich in the fifth.
"Defensively, it wasn't a pretty game," Randall said. "We did battle some good two-out hits and got some key clutch RBIs so I thought that was good."
Kansas tacked on two more in the fifth, two more in the seventh and two in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
The layhawks (14-15) scored three in the fourth inning with the help of two crucial Shocker errors.
Notes
An unscheduled game between Kansas and Nebraska-Omaha has been added to make up for lost games earlier in the season. The two teams will play at 5 p.m. today at Hoglund Ballpark.
Last night's announced attendance was 1,623, the fifth-largest in Hogland Ballpark history.
Contact Wood at rwood@kansan.com
Stephenson sounds off
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
Following the Kansas baseball team's 9-1 victory over No. 8 Wichita State, Shocker coach Gene Stephenson fired off about the less-than-spectacular effort his squad gave against Jayhawk pitcher Chris Jones.
"We were no-hit for five or six innings by a slow-pitch softball pitcher." Stephenson said. "I mean, my God. No disrespect intended, but he don't throw very hard. If he were that good of a pitcher, he would have been pitching a lot for this team. Lord knows they need it."
Jones didn't allow a hit until
SEE STEPHENSON ON PAGE 3B
Jayhawks beat Bears
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2002
Freshman pitcher leads team to win doubleheader
By Ali Brox Kansan sportswriter
Katie Campbell flashes a smile as she crosses home plate after hitting a second-inning two-run blast that put the Jayhawks up 2-0 over the Southwest Missouri State Bears yesterday.
The softball box scores are becoming all too familiar when Kansas freshman pitcher Serena Settlemier takes the mound.
AARON LERNER/KANSAN
settember threw one inning of relief in game one and went the distance in game two as the Jayhawks took both games from Southwest Missouri State, 3-2 and 3-0. Kansas improved to 25-16 overall.
Settlemier allowed one hit and struck out one in the first game to pick up her fourth save of the season. She then returned for game two and gave up three hits and struck out a career-high 10 to earn the shut-out. She also went 2-for-3 from the plate.
"I'm pretty confident out on the mound," Settlemier said. "Today I was confident in the batter's box because I've been in a slump. I crowded the plate a lot and then I got the inside pitch and that's my favorite pitch. I'm doing better adjusting to the pitching. We usually have a hard time with slower pitchers because we all have quick hands so we adjusted well."
"Settlemier continues to throw
the ball well for us," coach Tracy Bunge said. "I think she continues to learn. She made some adjustments mid-stream during the game, and we haven't seen that all the time."
Settlemier wasn't the only hurler to pitch well. Senior Kelly Campbell went six innings, gave up five hits and two earned-runs while collecting five strike-outs. She earned the victory and improved to 3-2 this season.
Kelly Campbell pitched the first game to her sister, senior catcher Katie Campbell. Katie Campbell got the Jayhawks on the board with a two-run home run in the second
inning that put Kansas up 2-0
"Katie Campbell is starting to come back around," Bunge said. "She had some good at bats, even some loud outs, obviously the home run in the first game. We need Katie to get back in a groove here at the end of the season and hopefully today was a step forward."
Southwest Missouri State fought back in the top of the third with a two-run homer by Amber Curtis to tie the game 2-2.
In the bottom of the fifth with two
SEE SOFTBALL ON PAGE 8B
Boschee drafted by Kansas Cagerz
Jeff Boschee was drafted ninth overall by the Salina Cagerz of the United States Basketball League. Boschee is Kansas' and the Big 12's all-time career three-point leader. Other Big 12 players drafted were
Missouri's Clarence
Jeff Boschee
Missouri Gilbert, Kansas State's Larry Reid, Oklahoma's Darian Selvy and Oklahoma State's Fredrick Jonzen.
Kansan staff report
Heard on the Hill
Students speak out about Gooden and the NBA Compiled by Jessica Scott Kansan sportswriter
Q: Do you think Drew Gooden will stay for his senior year or go to the NBA next season?
"I don't think that he will stay because a lot of players want to get into the NBA quickly, which is unfortunate for us." Matt Unger. St. Louis sophomore
Brandon Henderson,
"If we had won the championship, he would be going definitely but now I think he knows that he has some unfinished business to take care of."
Overland Park senior
"I think he'll go, definitely. We made it to the Final Four, and there's no guarantee that we'll make it again next year. I wish him the best in the NBA."
Eric Longman, Lenexa senior
"I think it would be smarter if he stayed just for the sake of finishing college." Erin Baby, Wilmette, Ill., junior
"He's going to stay because they lost. They're only going to get better next year."
Megan Neal, Plains senior
"He's going to go. I would go. If he gets hurt it would ruin everything. Plus, who could pass up that kind of money?"
Lee Bickerstaff,
Emporia
sophomore
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