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SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2003
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Ryan Wood
rwood@kansan.com
'Hawk athletic facilities need improvement
It's sickening to see Kansas athletics playing catch-up so often so often.
Men's basketball aside, the Athletics Department is currently in a in state of shambles. The teams, overall, are bad, but the facilities that many of them use are worse—even with $6 million being donated by two filthy-rich alumni in the last few years.
When generous efforts come to assist the mismanaged department, it's certainly welcomed, but never enough.
Los Angeles native Dana Anderson gave $4 million for construction of a new strength and conditioning center, which was completed last month. It looks wonderful, and the athletes are drooling over how nice it is. It replaced Shaffer-Holland Strength Center, barely more adequate than the weight room at the junior high school I attended.
Then, last fall, a Kansas City businesswoman named Cheryl Womack donated $2 million for the construction of a new softball complex. It will replace Jayhawk Field, the current "complex" that may easily be the most embarrassing venue in the Big 12 Conference.
How embarrassing? Softball fans have to use a port-o-potty. The concession stand is a trailer. The concourse is carpeted with rocks. The media headquarters is an old white tent.
The eyesores of the field go on and on. Who let it get so bad?
Women's basketball coach Marian Washington instructs the team during a game.Washington will remain at Kansas to coach for her 31st season.
The trend in Division I athletics is a stadium-style softball complex that's actually a comfortable environment for fans. Every school in the Big 12, except Iowa State and Kansas, have one. Thanks to Womack's deep pockets and devotion toward women's athletics, the Jayhawks, playing catch-up as usual as usual, will finally play on a home field they can have a little pride in.
they can have a nice position
A Bohl, athletics director and softball groupie, no doubt feels a sense of accomplishment in getting his girls a new place to play. Fresno State, where Bohl was in charge from 1996-2001, profited greatly from his national champion softball team.
As nice as the new stadium is for Kansas softball, I hope, if Bohl is still around in a month, that he notices other glaring problems that need fixed.
SEE WOOD ON PAGE 3B
Now that the dust has settled from Marian Washington's 30th season as the Kansas women's basketball coach, The University Daily Kansan's Ryan Greene sat down with Washington to discuss the past season,the upcoming season and Washington's individual future at Kansas.
Ryan Greene: Your record does not indicate how much the team developed since last year. Talk about how the
Marian Washington: I think the last game of the season, well, our last win of the season, really showed the progress more than anything. I really felt Leila (Mengüc) was a player that has played and started on and off for me in the past, but I thought she really stepped up this year in terms of her leadership. I saw Tamara (Ransburg) take a good step forward. Got some good performance from Aquanita (Burras). But the bottom line was that we needed to have all of them forming for us to have some wins, and we got three wins out of the conference. But I thought we were in a position to have gotten more. I just saw them grow in understanding the game better.
RG: You and the team seemed pretty upbeat after a tough loss to Texas in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. How big was that first round win against Iowa State as a catapult into the off-season and next year?
MW: I think it was major because it showed a lot of mental toughness as well as a team performance on both ends of the floor. And I think that's what they had to keep in mind. I really told the team I wanted them to focus on that game against Iowa State. Last year they went to the tournament, we were close at their place, and then they blew us out here, so we had every reason not to have gone into that game with a lot of confidence. And yet they came out and they played with confidence.
RG: With nine new players on your roster and five of them in the top seven on your depth chart, did the team come
together as a whole as quickly as you would have liked?
MW: I think the one area that I struggled with most was the lack of, I don't want to say, lack of leadership because we had Leila, but we just didn't have enough. To see them finally begin to talk and understand and encourage each other with certain areas of the game, whether it was in our work ethic on the court, a lot more of them stepped up, and
I thought that was important. Did it take longer? Yeah, a lot longer than I had hoped, but I thought that one area really could have helped up us more if we had a little bit more experience.
RG: Who do you see from this year's newcomers as a leader next season? Who from that group had the most emotional impact on the team this year?
MW: Tamara. She has that natural inclination. When you're looking for good leaders, you can go one of two ways. You can force it on somebody and teach them how to lead, or you spot one or two who has that natural leadership ability. I think Tamara really has it and I hope she will be very responsible, because she can help. Players respect her.
RG: When you look back on this season.
SEE WASHINGTON ON PAGE 3B
Fans speculate about Williams' next step
By Jesse Newell
jnewell@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The clock showed 6:31 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after the pep rally welcoming home the second place Kansas Jayhawks ended, but the presence of coach Roy Williams resulted in a crowd of autograph seekers in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Overland Park native made it to the front of the crowd and softly tapped Williams on the shoulder.
Kansas alum Rick Jenkins knew it was his time to be heard.
An exhausted Williams turned, looked him in the eye and slightly raised his hand.
"Whatever's good for you and your family, coach," Jenkins said.
What is good for Williams and his family will soon be the topic of the college basketball world.
"Thank you," he said.
With the resignation of North Carolina's Matt Doherty last week, speculation has been surrounding Williams and his possible return to coach at his alma mater. While Williams will not yet comment on the matter, Jayhawk fans at the
pep rally were cautiously optimistic that Williams would remain at Kansas.
"I think he's going to stay." Kansas alum Bob Sailler said. "I think if he goes to North Carolina, he's going to be in the shadow of Dean Smith, and when he's here, he's creating his own dynasty."
At one point in the pep rally, the crowd of 8.000 fans gave Williams a standing ovation. Later, his team followed suit, as all 13 members stood and paid tribute to their mentor.
"I'm a little less secure this time about him saying than I was last time because of the comments that he's made about how he's changed his life goal of winning a championship to being able to coach his grandchildren." Sneegas said.
Ten-year-old Jacob Beck of Eudora said this could be a deciding factor in Williams' decision.
Some fans are less optimistic. Marvie Sneegas, who spent eight years at the University of Kansas, said the decision would be tougher for Williams this time around.
"He's going to stay because he likes the kids at KU," Beck said.
Pleas for Williams to stay have come from as high up as the Kansas Capitol. Governor Kathleen Sebelius, in a released
"I think he's going to stay. I think if he goes to North Carolina,he's going to be in the shadow of Dean Smith, and when he's here, he's creating his own dynasty."
Bob Sailer
Kansas alumnus
statement, expressed her wishes for the coach to remain at Kansas.
"Roy Williams represents what's best about coaching in America. It's no wonder that any team would be thrilled to have him as a leader." Sebelius said. "As an alumni, as governor and a huge KU basketball fan, I will do whatever I can to keep him here."
As for Jenkins, he doesn't want his one message to the coach to go unheard.
"We just have to let him do what's good for him and his family," Jenkins said. "If it's best for him to go, I'm sure we'll do the best we can here. He owes us nothing more than he's given us."
Edited by Erin Chapman
Kansan file photo
Kansas coach Roy Williams and senior guard Kirk Hinrich talk on the sideline during a game. Spaculation has surrounded Williams about a possible return to coach at North Carolina, his alma mater.
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