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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2002
Andy Samuelson asamuelson@kansan.com
This mark in history books no triumph
On Sunday, Kansas basketball recorded one of its most famous, yet equally infamous feats at the same time.
When the Jayhawks improved their record to 16-0, an unprecedented mark in the Big 12 Conference, Kansas basketball's winning percentage stayed at a mediocre .500 level of play.
Jayhawk basketball is much like the Levi jeans label, but instead of two horses pulling on denim in different directions, Kansas' men's and women's teams are isolated on opposite ends of the win-loss column, separated by a shopping 32 games.
Not only is it an embarrassment, it's the first time such a thing has ever happened in the history of NCAA basketball.
Today, unless Kansas women's coach Marian Washington can sneak assistant coach Lynette Woodard into a Jayhawk jersey,the women's season will come to a train wreck of an ending as five seniors will be remembered only for their horrific record.
This team won't leave a legacy behind like this season's men already have. Instead, just a bunch of dirty box scores that all end the same way — with the first-ever Kansas team to go winless through a conference season, and the first team to finish 0-for in the Big 12.
While the men were perfect, the women couldn't beat a lowly Texas A&M team in its conference home opener.
At least after that game Kansas still had 14 more opportunities to get things right.
It didn't, and things only got worse — much worse.
There is no way a Kansas team should go winless — not in a conference as competitive as the Big 12, not with the tradition at this school, and surely not with a coach like Washington who has won seven conference titles and qualified for the NCCA tournament 11 times.
This season's squad was bad. There were few players with the ability to score and only a couple of legitimate Division I caliber athletes. The thing is, it couldn't have happened in a worse year for Kansas.
Big 12 women's basketball was awesome this season, as seven teams have consistently been ranked in the Top 25. What makes it even worse is that just down the interstate, Kansas State had one of its most successful seasons.
The Wildcats set a K-State attendance mark, had the Big 12 coach of the year and three all-conference selections from the Sunflower state that Kansas missed out on.
While this team deserves criticism, no one should be overly ruthless because few people were supportive of Kansas when they were good. Fans didn't flock to the Fieldhouse for any of the Sweet 16 teams in the 1990s like Kansas State supporters did for its women this season.
Washington doesn't deserve to be fired either. She has a competitive recruiting class coming in next season and the ability to turn this program around like she did in her early years.
This season most likely will be the toughest in Kansas history and the only thing that's left to be said is that seniors Kristin Geoffroy, KC Hilgenkamp, Katie Hannon, Selena Scott, Nikki White and the rest of the Jayhawks never gave up and they held their heads high, representing the crimson and the blue when seemingly the whole world was against them.
Contact Samuelson at asamuelson@ kansan.com. This story was written by Andy Gassaway.
'Hawks grab new record
By Ryan Malashock Kansan sportswriter
Sunday's victory at Missouri not only clinched an undefeated Big 12 Conference season for the Kansas men's basketball team, but it also solidified the Kansas basketball program's place in the NCAA record books.
With the Jayhawk men finishing 16-0 in the Big 12, and the Jayhawk women finishing 0-16 in the Big 12, Kansas became the first school in NCAA history to conclude conference play with an undefeated men's team and a winless women's team. The NCAA took control of women's sports in the 1981- 82 season and began documenting records in that year.
According to Gary Johnson, NCAA director of men's basketball records and statistics, Gonzaga University's 2000-01 basketball teams came the closest to the distinction of this year's Kansas squads. The Bulldog men went 13-1 in the West Coast Conference last year, and the Bulldog women finished their conference season winless.
The Kansas men last finished a conference season unblemished in 1970-71 when the Jayhawks won the Big Eight Conference at 14-0. The Jayhawks last ended a conference season 16-0 in the 1922-23 season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Kansas junior forward Nick Collison said the team's undefeated Big 12 mark this season took him by surprise.
"We really didn't talk about it as much as everyone else did," Collison said. "We really did do a good job of focusing on each game, and we just ended up getting all of them. Honestly, I wouldn't have believed we could have done it if you asked me before the season."
The Jayhawk men's perfect conference season did not occur without its close calls. Kansas trailed late in four of its Big 12 road games, but some clutch performances led to the Jayhawks prevailing.
Senior guard Jeff Boschee's three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining broke a 81-18 tie in Kansas' 88-81 win at Iowa State on Feb. 4.
Texas stretched Kansas into overtime, but the Jayhawks dominated the extra period and won 108-101 in Austin on Feb. 11.
In the Jayhawks' closest call, Kansas trailed by as much as 12 in the second half at
Nebraska on Feb. 24. But freshman guard-forward Keith Langford's game-winning three-pointer in the last minute gave Kansas an 88-87 victory.
The undefeated Big 12 season then concluded with Sunday's climactic 95-92 victory at Missouri.
Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said the unblemished conference record was a result of taking care of everyday business.
"We do feel good about it.
but it's the same thing said this week, that was not our goal," Williams said. "That was not what we were trying to do. We were trying to win the conference. Once it became 15-0, it did become our goal."
T he Kans s women suffe red through its worst season in hard history.
school history. Before
this season, the fewest amount of conference victories for a Kansas women's team was five, which occurred in the 1988-89 and 2000-01 seasons.
Though competitive in the first half of some Big 12 games, the Jayhawks did not flirt with many conference victories. Kansas lost all but two of its Big 12 contests by double digits, with its 58-51 loss at Texas A&M and 77-70 home loss to Nebraska as exceptions.
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said the winless Big 12 mark was a frustrating end to the season.
"No one wants to have that kind of a record obviously." Washington said. "We have some records and they're very good, but you don't want to be a part of
ILLUSTRATION BY KYLERAMSEY/KANSAN
something that is a 'first' in a negative way."
Despite establishing such a negative record, Washington sees positives for the future. The Kansas women's younger players regularly contributed this season, and the team is anticipating the arrival of seven recruits next season.
Washington commended her players for enduring such a tough season.
"If they handle the rest of their lives the way they handled this season, they're going to see a great deal of success," Washington said.
Contact Malashock at rmalashock@kansan.com. This story was edited by Andy Gassaway.
Kansas has close season, players step up in the end
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
Watching the Kansas men's basketball team play this season has probably left some fans with fraved nerves.
Although the Jayhawks have continued to dominate their competition, finishing the regular season 27-2 overall and 16-0 in the Big 12 Conference, several games this year have been nailbiters.
The Tulsa, Iowa State, Texas and Missouri games came tantalizing close to upsetting Kansas, but somehow the Jayhawks were able to come up with the big shot or the big stop when it mattered most, prevailing in all four contests.
"We've won close games time and time again. It's not like we're cruising through this thing," junior forward Nick Collison said. "We've had to pull out some games where we haven't played our best and where we needed big plays at the end."
Senior guard Jeff Boschee said winning close games on the road, which the Jayhawks have done a lot of recently, is particularly difficult.
Kansas was able to keep its composure and withstand a late charge by Missouri on the road on Sunday. The Tigers took a one-
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SEE COMPOSURE ON PAGE 6B
Freshman Wayne Simien reaches over K-State players for a jump shot. Simien has been a key player in this season's on-the-court heroics.
By Doug Pacey
Kansan sportswriter
Gooden talks up teammates' skills, encourages awards
Drew Gooden lobbied the media hard Sunday evening after Kansas' victory against Missouri. The junior forward tried to convince the voters that Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich deserved to be First Team All-Big 12 Conference.
"All you guys voting for All-Big 12 and everything, Nick Collison deserves to be on that list," Gooden said. "I don't care about politics. Even Kirk, those two guys deserve to be on that list."
Apparently, Gooden isn't much of a politician because the voters weren't swayed entirely.
Drew Gooden
Gooden and Hinrich
were unanimous selections to the Associated Press All-Big 12 team, but Collison was named to the second team and Jeff Boschee the
team and Jeff Boschee the third team.
"If I had a vote myself I'm not so sure I wouldn't have three of our guys on the first team because I think Nick Collison had a great year as well," said Roy Williams.
Gooden and Hinrich were joined by Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, Oklahoma Hellis Price and
home's Hollis Price and Kirk Hinrich
Souri's Kareem Rush on the first team. "I think being named All-Big 12 is a great individual
SEE AWARDS ON PAGE SB