SOFTBALL: Team heads to sunny Florida for the weekend. SEE PAGE 7A. BASEBALL: Weather cancels this weekend's games. SEE PAGE 7A.
TALK TO US:
Contact Sarah Warren or
Levi Chonister at (785) 864-
4858 or sports@kansan.com
SPORTS
10A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2002
Chris Wristen
cwristen@kansan.com
Unsung heroes did their part for men's team
They are called the red team.
They call 'em that because they're the men's basketball backups who know a lot about red — red bruises from hard falls, red strawberries on their hips and knees from diving for loose balls and red blood from every other alteration imaginable.
They are the walk-ons; seniors Brett Ballard, Lewis Harrison, Todd Kappelmann and Chris Zerbe.
All four were junior college transfers last year and joined four-year players Jeff Boschee and Jeff Carey in the senior class. They are some of my idols, and it's a safe bet that there are thousands of kids across Kansas who feel the same way because these guys are living their dream of playing for the Kansas Jayhawks. All four are from in-state — Ballard is from Hutchinson, Zerbe is from Andover, Kappelmann is from Augusta and Harrison hails from Kansas City, Kan. — and all grew up wanting to be Jayhawks.
They worked hard, made it happen and reaped the rewards for their efforts. If people ever wondered just why these guys play for Kansas, they got a pretty good idea on Wednesday what these seniors have meant to this team. It goes far beyond basketball talent, although these guys did subdue K-State's regular starters for an early 7-0 lead.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Kappelmann heard the crowd chant his name with more than 10 minutes remaining in the game, and coach Roy Williams responded by playing him. Williams even let it slide when the 6-foot-9 senior launched a 3-pointer with two minutes left. It's not too surprising either, considering the guy has taken his knocks against Wayne Simien, Nick Collison and National Player of the Year candidate Drew Gooden for the last two years. There's a reason why Kansas is so strong inside. Kappelmann has helped make it happen.
Fan favorite Zerbe perhaps still embodies the 12-year-old kid mentality when it comes to putting on his jersey, and that's what college basketball should be all about.
"It's a dream come true," Zerbe said during his senior speech. "I wouldn't give this up for anything."
He will never forget it either.
Neither will Lewis Harrison, whose value to the crimson and blue obviously comes from his humor. If you were at Senior Night, your eyes were proba-
SEE WRISTEN ON PAGE 7A
The Hearnes hex
When Kansas is ranked and plays Tigers in Columbia Hawks often lose
By Doug Pacey
Kansan sportswriter
Senior Missouri guard Clarence Gilbert hopes that history will be on his side t Sunday, as the Tigers often beat Kansas teams ranked No.5 or higher.
There's this thing that the Missouri Tigers tend to do.
It seems every time they play a highly ranked Kansas squad in Columbia,Mo.,they win.
The pattern the Tigers follow is simple. Play the Jayhawks at the Hearnes Center when Kansas is ranked in the top five and Missouri will win.
That has happened five of the last six times that scenario has played out.
There was the game in 1997 when the unranked Tigers beat No. 1 Kansas 96-94 in double overtime and gave the Jayhawks their only Big 12 Conference loss. Missouri played spoiler again in 1998 when it edged No. 3 Kansas 74-73 and again gave the Jayhawks their lone Big 12 Conference loss. Even last year, the Tigers beat No. 3 Kansas 75-66 on the night Missouri unveiled "Norm Stewart Court."
With Kansas again the country's No.1 team and carrying a perfect 15- 0 Big 12 record (26-2 overall), can Missouri (20-9 overall, 9-6 Big 12) do it again?
"They're going to be up for us," junior forward Drew Gooden said. "It's set up perfectly for them. They don't
want us to go undefeated. They're trying to get to the tournament, they're a bubble team. They're going to be motivated. They know if they can get a win against us they're in."
Missouri beat No.12 Oklahoma State 72-69 Monday
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 7A
1 p.m. Sunday
CBS, Channel 5
Kansas vs. Missouri
Antlers prank call players
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sports writer
Kansas men's basketball players can expect to receive some harassing phone calls during the next few days.
Members of the Antlers, a fanatic group of Missouri students, said they planned to be at the top of their game when the Tigers battle the Jayhawks on Sunday at the Hearnes Center.
Colin Glennon, the Antlers' leader or the Grand Poo Bah, who is also called "Goose" within the group, said the organization had already begun calling Kansas players.
Greg Miller, left, and Kyle Hays, are members of the University of Missouri-Columbia Antlers Club. They cheered their basketball team as they played University of Texas at the Hearnes Center on Feb. 17, 2002.
"We say things to them like 'You suck and you're going to lose,'" Glennon said. "I'm sure the players expect a call from us. It's just a friendly way to spice up the rivalry."
The Antlers, which has 20 members, don't hide their hatred for Kansas. The group wears dresses and sports mohawks when the Jayhawks
come to town.
"It's the biggest game of the year," said Kyle "Captain Quicksword" Hays. "We dress up like women because it was rumor once upon a
time that Lawrence, Kansas had the largest per capita transvestite population in the country."
SEE ANTLERS ON PAGE 7A
Kansas track athletes get last chance
By Matt Norton Kansan sportswriter
Basketball isn't the only college sport in which the term "on the bubble" takes on special meaning in March.
A group of Kansas track athletes, who are traveling to South Bend, Ind. and Lincoln, Neb., are on the bubble for qualifying for the NCAA indoor championships.
The Alex Wilson Invitational and the Nebraska Last Chance are just that — the last
Vadim
Gvozdetskiy
chance for KU athletes to earn a trip to Fayetteville, Ark. next weekend.
Junior Vadim Gvozdetskiy is one of the Jayhawks on the bubble. He is ranked 15th in the country in the pole vault with a mark of 17-5 3/4. Last year 16 vaulters went to nationals, so his spot is far from secure.
"The majority of the athletes that are running the events at Notre Dame are on the bubble and the best competition is there," coach Stanley Redwine said. "The facility at Nebraska is really good for vaulting, so we're sending other athletes there."
Gvozdetskiy just missed on his final attempt at 17-93/4 last week at the Big 12 Championships, testing one of several new poles that had arrived the day before the meet.
He said the pole's increased length and flex should allow him to jump higher this weekend at Nebraska.
weekend.
"I used one of them at conference, so I feel pretty comfortable with that," Gvozdetskiy said. "I should definitely be able to go for 18 (feet)."
Freshman Brooklyn Hann will compete in two events at Notre Dame this weekend, the triple jump and the 4 x 440 relay with freshman Kim Clark, sophomore Stacy Keller and junior Shameika McField.
Hann, the KU record holder in the triple jump at 41-6 1/4, said she was still learning about the event, but felt confident that she could gain the seven or eight additional inches that she would probably need to get into NCAAs.
Last year 16 athletes qualified for NCAs in the triple jump. Going into the weekend, 16th place is just under 42 feet
"I did triple jump in high school, we just didn't get coached in it," Hann said. "We kind of just went to the meets and did it. So it's a lot different now when you're actually being coached."
Hann said she was disappointed that the 4 x 400 team got stuck in the slow heat of that event in Lincoln last weekend
SEE TRACK ON PAGE 7A
WANT TO SUGGEST A CHANGE IN KU ON WHEELS' ROUTES OR SERVICES?
Come to KU on WHEELS ROUTE HEARINGS TUESDAY, MARCH 5 5:00-7:00 p.m. (Walnut Room, Kansas Union)
KU on WHEELS WILL BE CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING CHANGES:
1. Addition of service to JRP.
2. Any additions or deletions suggested by people attending the hearings.
Have Questions: CALL 864-4644
CAN T ATTEND THE HEARING AND WANT TO MAKE
SUGGESTIONS; SEND A LETTER TO 410 KANSAS UNION