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SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
COMMENTARY
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2003
Brad Zollars
bzollars@kansan.com
A little help to Bill Self in choosing between jobs
Bill Self has a problem. In fact, it's the same problem Roy Williams had not long ago. He's torn. He loves Illinois, loves his players, the area, the university. And like Williams, he also has the opportunity to have a dream job. To be at the highest level and coach the Kansas men's basketball program.
Right now, Self is in Florida, vacationing with his family. I'm sure he doesn't want to take up vacation time trying to make this choice. What's a man to do? Well, Self should get down on his knees and thank the heavens. Lucky for him, I have lived in both Kansas and Illinois for most of my life and am the perfect impartial judge. So sit back and take another ride on Space Mountain, Mr. Self, I've got you covered.
Sports:
Both the Kansas City area and Chicago have professional sports teams that entertain.
Chi-town may look like the clear winner here with its beautiful Wrigley Field and the fact Kansas City has no professional hockey or basketball team. But Bill, you're not missing much.
Think Kansas has gone forever since winning a championship? The last time the Cubs and White Sox won the world series, James Naismith was still coaching the Jayhawks. That's heartbreak. And sure, watching the Royals lose 100 games a season isn't that exciting, but at least you don't have the possibility of getting tackled by a fan while patrol the sidelines of Allen Fieldhouse.
Chicago does have great food, but Champaign, Ill., is a long way from the city. Lawrence offers some of the most eclectic food choices in the United States, and it's only a hop, skip and a jump to Kansas City barbecue.
Food:
Trust me Bill, the first time you have a No.1 from our beloved Burrito King at 3 a.m., you'll wonder how you even entertained the thought of not coming here.
Historical Relevance:
Lawrence is a well-known Civil War city. The Jayhawkers drove Quantrail out of Kansas after he torched the city. And famous Americans such as Langston Hughes and Beat writer William Burroughs have called Lawrence home.
roughs have earned their fame. The only plus for Champaign is the pronunciation of its name, which matches the alcoholic drink that tastes like crap and leaves you with a terrible hangover.
Shopping:
OK, so Kansas can't compete with Michigan Avenue, and the Plaza's in Missouri so we can't claim that either. But keep this in mind, no matter where in Lawrence your family moves to, you'll be no farther than 5 feet from a Dillons.
College Basketball:
Please, no contest. Sure, Illinois has done pretty well in recent years and did knock Kansas from the tournament three seasons ago, but that's about all it has to claim. Kansas has Phog Allen, Wilt Chamberlain, Roy Williams and the creator of basketball, James Naismith, under its belt, and the list goes on and on. Allen Fieldhouse is college basketball's version of Graceland, and you could be the next version of the King: Bill Self.
Zollars is a Chicago senior in communications.
So there you have it, both Kansas and Illinois in a nut shell. The choice seems obvious; doesn't it?
Freshman Dena Seibel finishes in the women's unseeded 800 meter run. Seibel finished the race in 17th place.The Kansas Relays will continue today and tomorrow at Memorial Stadium.
Relays sport multiple events
The Kansas Relays have been described as a three-ring circus by meet director Tim Weaver, and today the circus is in full swing.
A full schedule of athletes will compete today with events beginning at 8 a.m. and running until 9 p.m.
Beginning on Wednesday and ending tomorrow, the Relays will see more than 4,000 athletes compete from all over the world. Yesterday saw the completion of the heptathlon and the decathlon, which were both won by Nebraska athletes. Casey Thom won the decathlon with 7,226 points and Ashley Selig won the
Yesterday evening also began the distance carnival in which a number of Kansas athletes competed. Sophonore Jeremy Mims won the Unseeded College 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.51 and was the Jayhawks' only event winner of the day.
heptathlon with 4,954 points.
For a full schedule of Kansas relays events, see page 2B.
The highest finishing Kansas women were freshman Jenna Bimbi in the 800-meter run (2:14.01) and sophomore Lauren Brownrigg in the 3,000-meter run
With his performance, Mins regionally qualified for the NCAA Regional Competition.
(10:18.45). Both finished in fourth place.
Today, both field and running events begin at 8:00 a.m. Weaver said one of the highlights of the day would be women's and men's steeplechase, which will begin at 5:35 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
"It is kind of like a NASCAR event for track and field with people jumping over water, into water pits and over big steel barriers." Weaver said. "Occasionally a
crash happens and the crowd tends to make a little noise at that point."
Weaver said there was something for everyone at the Relays, and he urged fans to come out and support the event.
"If you want to see big guys throw big steel balls we got that for you. If you want to see crazy people fling themselves 16, 17, 18 feet in the air we can do that, and of course people running in circles and jumping over things," he said.
The Relays will conclude tomorrow after a full day of events, which will begin at 8:00 a.m.
— Chris Wintering
Senior guard Kirk Hinrich receives a standing ovation from his former coaches and teammates after radio announcer Max Falkenstein introduction. "Kirk only missed one game in four years, and he hated that," Falkenstein said.
Eric Braem/Kansan
Banquet brings end to season, era
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan senior sportswriter
By Doyle Murphy
It seemed so normal.
The Kansas basketball players sat in front of the capacity crowd at the Lied Center, gathered for another basketball banquet. Roy Williams, the man who had been their mentor since the day each one of them stepped on campus, sat behind them. Each member of the team was dressed to the hilt. Williams and his assistants did the same.
They could have been posing for a
Instead, they were collected to end an era. Not the kind of end that happens every year when the seniors leave. Teams change — but this was different. This was the end that means your parents have sold your childhood home: The house is still there, but it's not the same.
Still, the evening seemed normal. The strained ear could detect a smattering of boos as Williams filed onto the stage amongst the Jayhawks. Not everyone stood during the numerous ovations, but on the surface, it was the same.
And then there was the voice. Piercing through a quiet moment, a single voice shot through the crowd, stinging Williams with the message he had been dreading all evening.
"Traitor!"
The sentiment that had been printed on hundreds of "Benedict Williams" T-shirts, shouted at television sets during Williams' University of North Carolina press conference and plastered on the pages of Internet chat rooms had been said.
Williams cringed, and most of the
SEE BANQUET ON PAGE 6B
Donation to provide athletics scholarships
Ray C. Wyatt, former Kansas track champion, will be honored for his contribution to the Kansas University Endowment Association today.
Wyatt, a 1958 graduate, committed $750,000 for olympic sports scholarships. He made provisions in his will to create the Ralph E. Wyatt and Ray C. Wyatt fund. The fund is named for Ray and his late father and will provide scholarships to athletes in sports that aren't profitable for the University, preferably in track.
A. Drue Jennings, interim athletics director, said the gift was greatly appreciated.
Wyatt's father introduced him to Kansas athletics early on, often taking him to football and basketball games. In high school, Wyatt knew he wanted to run track at Kansas.
Wyatt ran the 440-yard relay at Kansas. In 1956, his relay team won the outdoor race at the Big 7 championship. In 1957, he won the 440-yard dash and his relay team captured the indoor and outdoor conference championships. Wyatt was part of a track era in Kansas history that included Wilt Chamber-
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
SEE DONATIONS ON PAGE 6B
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