SOFTBALL: Kansas hammers Emporia State, 8-1. SEE PAGE 3B. BASEBALL: The Jayhawks take on No. 13 Texas A&M today. SEE PAGE 3B.
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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
1B
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2002
COMMENTARY
Chris Wristen
cwristen@kansan.com
New attitudes key for athletics department
Sometimes I wonder if Al Bohl realizes exactly what he's gotten himself into.
Bohl took over as athletics director at the University of Kansas nine months ago with the charge of turning the fledgling athletics department into a winner.
He's going to have to inspire an attitude-adjustment among mostly conservative, mid-America Kansans, and get them to kick the "basketball school" mentality and adopt an "every sport" mindset if they're going to help him succeed at Kansas.
When Bohl announced Tuesday that Marian Washington would return for her 30th year as women's basketball coach, he made it clear that he has lofty but necessary and attainable goals that must be met or jobs will be lost. Those goals are having every Kansas team in the Top 25 and having the big three — football, men's basketball and, yes, women's basketball — generating revenue.
"Women's basketball has clearly demonstrated across the nation that it can be one of the sports that can generate revenue," Bohl said. "If it's generating another $100,000 or $200,000, then that's $200,000 that the football or men's basketball program does not have to generate."
Bohl will be criticized for statements like that, but he understands exactly how the economic side of college athletics works. He doesn't carry the ignorance of others who dismiss the possibility of profiting off of women's sports. Texas profited from its Top 25 women's soccer team this year. Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma are all profiting from Top 25 women's basketball teams. Bohl rightfully expects to make it happen here. He just has to find a way.
"It's a fact that if you start winning more, then that's the highest probability to help you," Bohl said.
Attendance figures prove that winning has never equated into much backing for any Kansas team besides men's basketball. There have been a lot of missed opportunities to make a few bucks.
The 1995 football team won the Aloha Bowl, went 10-2 and finished No. 9 in the nation but didn't draw more than 37,500 for a game until it was 5-0. Low turnouts like that don't inspire big-money TV deals.
The women's soccer team went to the NCAA Tournament, but it had the thirdlowest attendance in the Big 12 Conference. The softball team tied for third in the nation's toughest conference last year, yet it was last in attendance. Bohl boosted softball attendance at Fresno State to more than 1,500 people per game.
Kansas women's basketball posted a decade of straight Top 25 basketball in the 1990s, but its highest single-season attendance average ever was 2,835 in 1999-2000. In contrast, K-State's women went 2-14 in the Big 12 last year, before it had in-staters Laurie Koehn and Kendra Wecker, and the Wildcats drew 3,424 per game for the losing squad. This year's 24-6 team drew more than 7,000 game
The biggest bubble that Bohl must burst if he wants to get people on the Kansas bandwagon, starts with changing attitudes and eliminating the idea that Kansas can't succeed at any other sport because it's a "men's basketball school."
Bohl sees that the way I do — as an excuse rather than a solution. Winning helps turn things around, but so does a winning attitude. Bohl has that attitude, but many Kansans seem to lack it. Changing their mentality is the first step to improvement.
Wristen is a Leawood senior in journalism.
'Hawks focus on Big 12
Team concentrates on familiar faces in this weekend's tournament
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
With a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament pretty much locked up, one might assume the Kansas men's basketball team would be looking ahead, past this weekend's Big 12 Tournament.
but junior forward Nick Collison claims that isn't the case. He said playing and winning in the Big 12 Tournament could prove beneficial later down the road for the Jayhawks.
"I think you can definitely gain a lot if you go in and play really well," Collison said. "I think that winning three games in a row can prepare you for the NCAA Tournament in itself."
No. 1 Kansas, which is 27-2 overall and 16-0 in the Big 12, will play its first game of the Big 12 Tournament at noon today against Colorado, the No. 9 seed, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
Colorado, which is 14-13 overall and 5-11 in the Big 12, advanced to the second round with a 67-60 victory against No. 8 seed Nebraska. Sophomore guard Blair Wilson led the way for the Buffaloes, pumping in 24 points.
The Jayhawks have already beaten the Buffaloes twice this season. In their last meeting, Kansas stamped Colorado 103-73 on Feb.2 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said, although his team has had success against Colorado, playing it or any other team in the Big 12 Tournament presented new challenges.
Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, second round
No. 1 seed Kansas
Juvenile weevil No. 9 seed
Jayhawks vs. No. 9 seed Colorado Buffaloes
Time: Today at noon.
Colorado Buffaloes.
Place: Kemper Arena;
Place: Kemper Arena; Kansas City, Mo.
On TV: Channel 4 WDAF and 13 WIBW
On Radio: 105.9 FM KLZR and 1320 AM KLWN
"You know a lot of things they are going to do, so being more meticulous, more disciplined in doing things the right way is really important," Williams said. "You have to be precise in everything you are doing. The execution part is more apparent in a tournament with your neighbors."
If Kansas defeats Colorado, the Jayhawks will face either No. 5-seeded Texas Tech or No. 4-seeded Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. tomorrow. The Big 12 championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.
Kansas hasn't hoisted up a Big 12 Tournament championship trophy since 1999. Junior guard Kirk Hinrich said that should be motivation enough for the Jayhawks this go-around.
"I think we are very confident and hopefully still hungry," Hinrich said. "Something that we have not been able to do is win three games in a row in one of the tougher league tournaments in the country."
The Jayhawks are riding a 14-game winning streak and have become the first-ever Big 12 team to finish with an undefeated regular-season conference record.
Williams said he hoped that no matter what happened the rest of the season he wanted his players enjoyed the ride.
Contact Wasko at
bwasko@kansan.com
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
In a game earlier this season, junior guard Kirk Hinrich takes the ball past Iowa State sophomore swingman Marcus Jefferson. Hinrich said the team was "hungry" for the Big 12 Championship, which Kansas has not one since 1999.
Colorado is first foe for Kansas in tourney
By Doug Pacey
Kansan sportswriter
Someone asked Nick Collison on Wednesday if he'd rather play Colorado or Nebraska for Kansas' first tournament opponent. Not wanting to give a team bulletin-board material, the junior forward said it didn't matter which team the Jayhawks faced Friday.
Then a sly grin spread across his face.
"Aw, I'd like to play Colorado," Collison admitted. "I always get hyped to play them."
When the No. 8 seed Buffaloes
Junior forward Nick Collison goes to the hoop during the Kansas-Colorado game last February. Collison said he was looking forward to facing the Buffaloes today in the Big 12 Tournament.
topped No. 9 seed Cornhuskers 67-60 yesterday afternoon in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament at Kemper Arena and set a noon showdown today with the Jayhawks, Collison's wish was granted.
That desire isn't because No. 1 Kansas (27-2 overall, 16-0 Big 12) has beaten Colorado (15-13, 5-11) 26 consecutive times and the last six times the teams have met in the conference tournament — it runs deeper than simple winning streaks.
One year later, after the Jayhawks 97-85 victory at Colorado in early January, Buffaloes freshman center David Harrison said, "Kansas will get theirs."
Go back to last season when Collison fouled Colorado guard Jose Winston in Boulder, Colo., which gave Winston a concussion. Roy Williams called it a hard foul, but Buffalooes coach Ricardo Patton acted like Collison had made an open-field tackle on the diminutive senior.
The next time the two teams met, Harrison taunted the Jayhawks throughout Kansas' 100-73 victory in Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 2, and his brother, senior guard D.J., refused to shake hands with the Jayhawks after the contest.
Those actions drew the ire of Gooden.
"The game is to be sold, not to be told," the Big 12's Player of the Year said that game. "You can show someone better than you can tell them."
SEE BUFFALOES ON PAGE 6B
SARA SHEPHERD/KANSAN
Five Kansas track and field athletes qualified to compete at this year's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, to be held March 8-9 in Fayetteville, Ark. Are (left to right) junior Vadim Gvozdetskiy in pole vault, senior Katy Eisenmenger in the mile, senior Scott Russell in the 35-pound weight throw, freshman Brooklyn Hann in triple jump and sophomore Leo Bookman in the 200 meter dash.
Track team members go to championships
By Matt Norton Kansan sportswriter
For five members of the Kansas track and field team, this weekend is their Sweet Sixteen and Final Four all rolled up into one.
With only Russell earning an automatic berth to the
Seniors Scott Russell and Katy Eisenmenger, junior Vadim Gvozdzetsky, sophomore Leo Bookman and freshman Brooklyn Hann will compete today and tomorrow at the NCAA indoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Eisenmenger's spot in particular was in jeopardy, as she ranked 20th coming out of the last weekend's final qualifying period. Typically about 16 athletes make it in each event.
After being told that the final qualifying lists were to be published on the Internet at 6 p.m. Monday, it wasn't until more than an hour later that the good news arrived.
meet by virtue of his collegiate-record throw at Iowa State earlier this month, the other four had to wait until Monday evening to see if they had made it.
Eisenmenger, Gvozdetskiy,
Bookman and Hann were
going to Fayetteville.
"There was definitely some anxiety in waiting, because that's an emotional time for the athletes," coach Stanley Redwine said. "The hard work they put in comes down to a decision and a look at the computer."
Not all the Jayhawks were lucky, however. Senior Jennie Wonder stood in 22nd position in the 60-meter hurdles, and just missed the cut.
"As a coach, I feel bad for
SEE TRACK ON PAGE 6B
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