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SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2003
Ceremony honors athletes
Dailey, Collison given awards for instruction, academics
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
kansan staff writer
Nearly 200 athletes were honored for their commitments off the playing field last night at the 10th-annual Jayhawk Scholar Recognition Banquet held at the Kansas Ballroom in the Kansas Union.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway said in his opening speech that recognizing academics for athletes was important.
"Once the cheering stops, your education is what will sustain you," he said.
The athlete awards consisted of nine Hale Achievement Center Academic Awards and 195 Jayhawk Scholar Awards. Out of the Jayhawk scholars, 21 had 4.0 GPAs in the fall.
Collison as the Big 12 player of the year.
The Senior Male Scholar Athlete of the Year was awarded to Nick Collison, men's basketball player. Collison will graduate with a major in communication studies and was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. This season he was a consensus first team All-America selection and National Association of Basketball Coachs National Player of the Year. The Big 12 Conference coaches selected
Collison said he was surprised he won. He said he didn't know academics were tougher on athletes than normal students
"I know a lot of people had better academic resumes," Collison said. "We get recognized more when we succeed because a lot don't."
Collison currently prepares for professional workouts and will leave to practice with the Olympic qualifying team in August.
Gwen Haley, a member of the swimming and diving team, won the Senior Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award. Haley, a human biology major, will graduate with Highest Distinction. She is a member of Phil Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa phi honors societies and was named the 2002-2003 Phillips 66 Classroom Champion. She also received the 4.0 Jayhawk Scholar award. In swimming, Haley owns the third-fastest times in school history in the 200 and 400 individual medley.
Eric Braem/Kansan
Haley was accepted to the University of Wyoming Ph.D. program in neuro science and received an assistantship.
SEE CEREMONY ON PAGE 6B
Bob Frederick, former athletics director and professor of education, presents the Senior Athlete of the Year Award to swimmer Gwen Haley and basketball player Nick Collison. Presenters honored nearly 200 student athletes at the Jayhawk Scholar Recognition Banquet at the Kansas Union Ballroom yesterday.
Baseball takes on two in-state foes
By Daniel Berk
dberk@kansan.com
Kansan writerswriter
After losing two of three games against No.6 Texas, the Kansas baseball team will try to rebound today and tomorrow when it squares off against Washburn and Wichita State.
Casey Spanish, senior infielder, narrowly dodges the tag as he slides safely back to first. Spanish had two hits in the Jayhawks' climatic final game against Texas on Sunday. Kansas lost 5-3 in 11 innings.
Kansas enters the week with a record of 33-21, while Washburn brings a record of 21-27 to Lawrence. Wichita State, which defeated Kansas 7-2 at Hoglund Ballpark last week, enters the week with a 34-21 record.
Brandon Baker/Kansan
Kansas will send sophomore Kenny Falconer to the mound today to face Washburn, while senior Pat Holmes will start tomorrow against Wichita State.
Falconer enters the game with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 6.95 but has played only 22 innings so far this season. Holmes is 3-1 with an ERA of 5.36 from 40.1 innings.
Kansas coach Ritch Price said his team's maturity and leadership would help it bounce back from the tough weekend with Texas. Kansas dropped the final game of the series 5-3 in 11 innings, the first extra inning game of the year for the Jayhawks.
"Obviously, it was a devastating loss for our team," Price said. "It is one of those games where you can't sleep because you are thinking about it so much."
In Kansas' everyday starting lineup, the team starts only two freshman and one sophomore. Sophomore Travis Metcalf starts at third base, while freshman Ritchie Price and Matt Baty secure short stop and second base respectively.
Baty and his older brother, junior first baseman Ryan Baty, will get another crack at Wichita State tomorrow after dropping the first contest.
Both Batys are showing excellent seasons. Ryan is batting .375 with 51
RBI and 10 home runs. Matt is batting 358 with 12 stolen bases.
Ryan and Matt both shined in Kansas 's victory against Texas as
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6B
Cyclones coach resigns, accepts settlement
The Associated Press
Eustachy acknowledged Wednesday that he was an alcoholic seeking treatment, the same day the school suspended him with pay and athletic director Bruce Van De Velde recommended he be fired.
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy resigned yesterday, one week after the publication of embarrassing photos of him drinking and partying with students.
The deal between Eustachy and Iowa State gives the coach $110,000 for the remainder of 2003 and a lump sum of $850,000 on Jan. 1, 2004.
"By resolving this situation today, we will continue to move forward in our important mission of providing students with the best education possible," said Greg Geoffroy, university president.
Eustachy, who had said last week he would not resign, spoke briefly outside his home yesterday, saying it was "extremely important to resolve this issue immediately for the benefit of everyone involved."
"This matter needed to be brought to a close. If allowed to continue, that damage would have been irreparable," Zumbach said.
Eustachy said he concluded over the weekend that it would be best to accept the settlement, resign and move on.
The monetary settlement "resolves all matters," said Steve Zumbach, the university's attorney.
"I'm not done coaching. I will coach again." he said.
Zumbach said it had been one of the most divisive issues that had confronted the university during his 35-year tenure.
As part of the settlement, Eustachy will receive the university's health benefits during the next year. Those benefits include coverage for treatment of alcoholism, Zumbach said.
"This decision now
allows our basketball program to move forward and supports Mr. Eustachy and his family in his struggle with alcohol," Geoffroy said.
Eustachy
Geoffroy said he supported Van De Velde throughout the week.
A handful of basketball players rallied on the campus in support of Eustachy, while some boosters said they were upset with Van De Velde's recommendation.
Eustachy urged his players to stay.
"I expect my players to put any divisiveness behind them and work together to become the individuals and team I know they can be," he said.
"As for the players that my staff and I recruited, I hope they understand Iowa State will continue its high level of commitment to the basketball program and they will be lucky to be members of this team."
Van De Velde said he would start the search for a new head coach immediately.
Van De Velde declined to comment on the settlement.
Yesterday was the last of five days Eustachy had to appeal Van De Velde's decision.
Eustachy spoke yesterday with his
SEE EUSTACHY ON PAGE 6B
Ryan Greene rgreene@kansan.com
Lessons on being a fan and a good journalist
Wow, what a year.
When you get a better chance to know Kansas athletes and coaches as people, and not just by their jersey numbers, statistics or positions, it teaches you how to be a better fan.
It seems as though I've taken several knocks over the past couple weeks for writing sappy columns that have pertained less to sports and more towards life's little lessons, but this is my last column of the year, so why not do it again?
Is there any better way to put it? However, this column is not about the hirings, firings, wins and losses that the various teams here at Kansas endured and experienced. Its about how Kansas athletics left its impression on me; both as a person and a writer.
When you see first hand off the court that a guy like Nick Collison, who is a god to Kansas basketball fans, is really just a humble and generous guy, it shows you that not all guys on the team reap the celebrity benefits.
For anyone who knows how into sports I truly am, they can understand what a tough reality pill that was to swallow.
When you go on the road for a weekend with the baseball team f, you see that Ritch Price isn't just spitting lies when he talks about what a great group of kids he has.
Seeing things how they really are can be an enlightening experience, and it was to this sports fan.
When you get a chance to sit down with women's basketball coach Marian Washington in her office for two hours on a Wednesday afternoon and pick her brain about all kinds of stuff, it just makes you want to go out and support her team.
As a person, it has taught me that in society, there is no reason for an athlete to ever be placed on a pedestal or given the benefit of the doubt. They're normal, everyday people, just like you and me.
My biggest lesson, however, came as both a fan and a writer.
I've been told all year by professors, readers and editors that journalists are not allowed to be fans.
There was never anything harder to do than sit on press row for my first time covering a men's basketball game and not be allowed to cheer, or for that fact even whistle along with the fight song. After a while, not being a fan at a game becomes complacent. You're no longer a fan, you're just a harsh critic.
When you're outside as a fan looking in on the team and journalists, it's hard to understand being on the inside looking out.
Instead of being able to celebrate victories and be completely optimistic all the time, but it's your job to point out the faults
The harshest reality of this came during the Final Four, while I was watching the games as a "fan" here in Lawrence. When I found myself being an over-critical ass during the Duke and Arizona games, I knew that journalism was starting to get the best of me.
It was a hard slap in the face, and I was able to once again let go as a fan as Kansas whooped on Marquette by getting sloppy drunk, and cried after the Jayhawks fell to Syracuse in the National Championship game.
Most of all, this year has taught me that there is a fine line between being a journalist and a fan. I cannot yet perfectly keep balance on that tightrope, but I'm awful close and understand what it will take. Talk to you again in August.
Greene is a Vernon Hills, Ill., junior in journalism
.