NBA: Former player, Jayson Williams, charged with manslaughter. See page 4B. BIG 12 MEN: Missouri beats Oklahoma State. See page 3B
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2002
COMMENTARY
Jessica Scott jscott@kansan.com
Don't forget to watch shoes as 'Hawks play into March
Hang in there everyone. We've already made it two months and the most important point of the semester is quickly approaching.
No, it's not midterms or even Spring Break that puts a swing in our step. It's March Madness. And our Jayhawks are leading the way.
As the month that sports fans live for draws near, most people are talking about conference tournaments, seedings and bubble teams. Will Kansas go undefeated in the Big 12 Conference? Can Missouri even find a date to the Dance?
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Senior Brett Ballard's layup tied Kansas' game against Nebraska Sunday night. 35-88 with less than a minute left. Ballard played a season-high 15 minutes.
But one major aspect of the wonderful world of college basketball is being severely neglected, and that area is footwear.
An athlete can always make a statement on the court with his or her shoes. It seems trivial, but shoes play a crucial role in the life of a college basketball player. In a society in which advertisements and endorsements are becoming increasingly prevalent, who's wearing what seems to have more importance than who's beating whom.
Just flip through Sports Illustrated or turn on ESPN for a few minutes if you don't believe me. I guarantee that images of Michael, Kobe and Allen wearing their latest shoes will instantly bombard you. These athletes have contracts with competing companies, yet their motives are the same
— push the fashion envelope further while making the biggest profit.
And profit they are making.
On Feb. 9, Michael Jordan released the 17th version of his patented shoe, possibly the most recognizable line of basketball shoes since the days of the Converse All-Stars. For only $200, the Air Jordan XVII can be yours, complete with a metal briefcase and a Jumpman CD-ROM package.
"With the Air Jordan XVII, the consumer should not expect just a basketball shoe. They should expect an experience," Larry Miller, president of Jordan Inc., said.
For half of a month's rent, I'd better be playing in the actual game with Michael Jordan.
Hoping to cash in on the success of Kansas basketball, Jordan, Inc. shows off its new invention in the latest issue of Slam magazine: an Air Jordan shoe with 'JHAWKS' written on the outside. This company owns the endorsement rights to only a handful of prestigious universities, such as St. Johns, Cincinnati and North Carolina, and most members of the Kansas men's basketball team used these new sneakers to squeak by Nebraska on Sunday.
But how else can you explain some of Drew's insanely difficult, nearly impossible moves?
Nike recently flexed its technological muscles by inventing the Nike Shox, also known as the "boing boing" shoes. Sixteen years in the making, the Shox have actual springs built into the heel for extra leaping ability. This shoe has found success with runners as well as basketball players, even though the average price for a pair is $150. Coincidentally, the Nike Shox VC (Vince Carter, of course) will be released just in time for the NCAA tournament. I predict that these shoes will be the preferred choice at the Big Dance this year.
No matter the footwear, Kansas might not need help from flashy, high-tech kicks to win it all this year.
It's gotta be the shoes.
Scott is a Haven sophomore majoring in journalism.
Ballard helps team escape Nebraska
By Doug Pacey Kansan sportswriter
Brett Ballard didn't expect to play many minutes this season.
He knew that freshmen Aaron Miles and Keith Langford would play for Kansas. Heck, he was around when Kansas' coaching staff was recruiting the two freshmen last season.
The Hutchinson senior probably figured that the career-high eight points and 18 minutes he got against Cal-State Northridge in Kansas' 99-75 victory in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament last year would be the high point of his two years as a Jayhawk.
At the end of last season he was the third guard on a team that started two, senior Jeff Boschee and junior Kirk Hinrich, and he averaged 12 minutes in Kansas' final six games. Now, he's the fifth guard on a Jayhawk squad that sends three — Boschee, Hinrich and Miles — out for the starting tip and has played more than five minutes in just four conference games this season.
"I knew that I wouldn't get as many minutes this season as I did last season." Ballard said. "We have so many talented and athletic guards on this team. It makes sense for Coach to be doing what he's doing."
Playing Boschee, Hinrich, Miles and Langford ahead of Ballard might be practical for the No. 1 Jayhawks (25-2 overall, 14-0 Big 12 Conference), but as Sunday's 88-87 victory at Nebraska proved, it's not always the best thing.
Ballard played a season-high 15 minutes against the Cornhuskers, including the crucial final few minutes. Williams said Ballard was in the game with the other four starters at the end because Nebraska's defense let Miles shoot the ball and Ballard was a better shooter than the freshman point guard.
Ballard made just one basket—a driving lay-in that tied the game, 85-85, with less than a minute left. On Kansas' next possession, down 87-85, Williams called a play that would give Boschee a shot to take the lead with a three-point attempt. But Ballard took the ball on the wrong side of the screen and that left Langford
open at the top of the arc.
Needless to say, Langford drilled the three-pointer and won the game for Kansas. After the game, Ballard admitted he went the wrong way, but was too happy about the win to get bogged down by such details.
Instead, Ballard, who usually doesn't get too many interview requests after games, joked about his sudden popularity with the media and with the other players.
"It's my goal to not say anything that can get posted in another team's locker room."
Notes:
Junior Drew Gooden's 26-point and 14-rebound performance Sunday against Nebraska was his 20th double-double of the season. With one more he will tie Raef LaFrentz's school record, which was set in 1997.
SEE BALLARD ON PAGE 8B
Perimeter defense key to success
by Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
But knowing and doing are different things.
The No. 1 Kansas men's basketball team knew that Nebraska was a great outside shooting team and that shutting down the Cornhuskers' perimeter offense on Sunday would be key.
Nebraska players drilled three-pointers with such ease against the Jayhawks at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, it appeared that the Cornhuskers were running through their pregame shooting drills. Nebraska's 18 three-pointers were the most ever allowed by a Kansas team.
Though the Jayhawks won the game 88-87,coach Roy Williams said he was a little concerned about his team's perimeter defense. But he said he thought the loss of junior guard Kirk Hinrich to foul trouble led to some of the squad's defensive mishaps.
"A problem that we have is that yesterday, after Kirk fouled out, we had three really small guys in there, and they were able to shoot some of them over our guys." Williams said. "That's one of the negatives that we have with the three-guard lineup is we don't have somebody with some size, where you can put a 6-5 guy on a 6-1 guy, and all of a sudden those three-pointers get more difficult."
Nebraska is the best three-point shooting team in the Big 12 Conference, averaging 9.3 treys per game. But the squad had never experienced an offensive explosion like it did against Kansas.
The Cornhuskers were hot from the outside, especially guards Cary Cochran and John Robinson, who each scored a season-high 22 point.
Nebraska made 48.6 percent of its 37 three-point attempts and 54 of the team's 87 total points came from behind the arch.
Kansas junior forward Nick Collison said he thought the Jayhawks didn't play particularly well defensively against Nebraska, but that it was nothing to be concerned about.
SEE DEFENSE ON PAGE 8B
Women have final chance at victory
By Jessica Scott Kansan sportswriter
Tonight is the Kansas women's basketball team's last shot.
the Jayhawks' game against Texas will be the team's final opportunity to end its school-record 15-game losing streak.
The game also marks the Jayhawks' last chance to earn a victory in the Big 12 Conference. Since the beginning of Big 12 play, Kansas has not won a game, and, with a loss tomorrow, it will become the first Big 12 team to go winless in the conference since Iowa State went 0-14 in the Big 8 during the 1983-84 season.
Senior Selena Scott will face the Texas Longhorns one last time — something she said she anxiously awaited each year.
"I don't like UT," Scott said. "It's a rivalry for me because it's my hometown."
The Longhorns (18-8 overall, 9-6 Big 12 Conference) come to town fresh off a 91-point performance against Texas A&M last week. All 11 players scored at least four points in that game, led by senior Heather Schreiber with 16.
A native of Austin, Texas, Scott will join fellow seniors Nikki White, K.C. Hilgenkamp, Katie Hannon and Kristin Geoffroy in their final home game tonight against No. 15 Texas.
The offensive explosion was Texas highest output of the season, and the Jayhawks hope that their game plan will keep them in the contest.
"We just have to stay with them in transition," Hannon said.
SEE WOMEN ON PAGE 3B
Tough player leads Jayhawks
Lance Hayes slid headfirst into second base, safe with his third stolen base of the season on Saturday against Milwaukee-Wisconsin.
Instead of standing up and dusting his dirt-stained uniform off, though, Hayes lay on the ground in obvious pain. Something was wrong.
"I dislocated my pinkie," he said. "I was kind of freaked out when I looked at it because it was sideways."
Instead of giving in to the torment, the junior outfielder popped the finger back into place and stayed in the game. On the next pitch, he stole third base uncontested, and later in the day, he hit a solo home run to help the Kansas baseball team to its 13th-straight victory, dating back to last season.
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
"He is one tough kid," coach Bobby Randall said. "He has been a terrific addition to our team."
The Jayhawks (8-0) play host to Northwestern on Friday at Hoglund Ballpark, and when Randall sits down to fill out his lineup card, he should have no trouble figuring out who belongs at the top.
SEE HAYES ON PAGE 8B
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Junior infielder Brandon Shepard connects for a base hit during Friday afternoon's game against Milwaukee. The Jayhawks improved to 8-0 after sweeping the doubleheader this weekend.
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