6B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2003
AYHAWKS IN THE PROS
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
kansan sportswinter
Now that the NBA regular season is in full swing, every Tuesday the University Daily Kansan will update you on how your favorite former Jayhawk athletes are doing in the professional ranks. If there are any former Jayhawks that you would like an update on, e-mail your requests to rgreenee@kansan.com. Because of an overwhelming amount of responses, there will now be two updates per week.
Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics
The Celtts had the weekend off after going 4-2 on their 6-game West Coast road trip. In
only two games over the past week. Pierce was strong, recording two double-doubles. In Tuesday's victory at Golden State, Pierce had 31 points and 12 assists. He recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's loss at Sacramento. Pierce is still the league's fourth leading scorer, averaging 26.4 points per game.
Drew Gooden - Orlando Magic
A trade to Orlando along with shooting guard Gordan Girleek in return for Mike
Miller and Ryan Humphrey is just another chapter in Gooden's strange rookie season. Orlando star Tracy McGrady was upset that his good pal Miller was dealt away, and vented his frustration by ignoring Gooden and Giricek in the clubhouse. Gooden's four games this week were split between playing for Memphis and Orlando. After seeing limited playing time in his final two games with the Grizzlies, Gooden made a strong debut with Orlando. averaging 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game
for the Magic
Vaughn is still productive as Orlando's starting point guard, and now has two new
Jacque Vaughn - Orlando Magic
weapons to dish the ball to in Gooden and Giricek. Vaughn's best outing this week was in Sunday's victory against New Jersey, with 9 points and five assists.
Raef LaFrentz - Dallas Mavericks
Reasons have not been disclosed as of yet, but La Frentz's playing time in four games this
week was minimal. LaFrentz scored a total of 18 points in the four games, averaging just over 19 minutes per game.
The Jazz are in the thick of the western conference playoff race,
Grego Ostertaq - Utah Jazz
as Karl Malone and John Stockton are making a final push for a title. Ostertag did not do much
offensively last week, but he remained solid on the boards. In his last four games, Ostertag grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game.
Danny Manning - Detroit Pistons
Detroit vaulted to the top of the eastern conference standings with its tough defensive style of play. In four games last week, Manning played a total of 8 minutes and went scoreless.
Scot Pollard - Sacramento Kings Did not play because of a broken right hand.
READER'S REQUEST
After transferring to Kansas from Los Angeles City College;
Jelani Janisse, Guard (1998-99)
anisse never really made his mark in the KU record books. In two seasons as a Jayhawk, Janisse scored a total of 25 points in 96 minutes on the floor. However, Janisse is known by hardcore Kansas fans as Jelani "The Sheriff" Janisse for the Rumble of the fledgling SlamBall league. SlamBall features a mixture of traditional basketball and trampolines. In the league's first season, the Rumble won the league championship. SlamBall is played in the summer, but during the past fall, Janisse played some legitimate basketball as a starting guard for the Los Angeles City Stars. The Stars played a series of exhibition games against college teams before the start of the regular season. The Stars faced schools such as Florida State and USC.
Kenny Gregory, Guard/Forward (1997-2000)
Gregory left Kansas ranked tenth on the school's all-time scoring list. In his senior season he was named honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press and led the Jayhawks to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Illinois. Gregory figured to find a spot in the NBA after graduation, especially when he averaged 12 points in the Chicago NBA Pre-Draft Camp. Gregory went undrafted, but signed as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies decided not to add Gregory to their regular season roster, so he moved on to the National Basketball Development League.
After playing for both the Mobile Revelers and the Greenville Groove, Gregorywent on to play in another semi-pro league with the Dodge City Legend of the United States Basketball League. In 28 games with Dodge City, Gregory averaged 20.1 points per game. Following the conclusion of the USBL season, Gregory went overseas and is currently playing for the Chester Jets of the British Basketball League. Gregory recently scored 23 points for the Jets in a victory against the Newcastle Eagles on Feb.8.
Royals pitcher returns after chronic blister problem
The Associated Press
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Jeremy Affeldt will start the first exhibition game of the season for the Kansas City Royals, continuing a comeback from a chronic finger blister injury that forced him to miss 50 games last year.
Pena said vesterdav.
Affeldt passed his first test of spring training without a problem, throwing 30 pitches in the bullpen and 51 pitches in batting practice Sunday. He'll get the ball Thursday when the Royals open their exhibition schedule against the Texas Rangers, manager Tony
"I threw without pain, without a blister breaking." Affeldt said of his Sunday session. "I put pressure on the finger and there was no soreness."
Affeldt couldn't say that last year.
"It hurt the whole time," Affeldt said. "It hurt warming up in the bulpen."
Affeldt threw a season-high seven innings and 108 pitches on June 3 against the Chicago White Sox, allowing only three hits and 2 runs. But he would make only one more start.
"My first five pitches ... there was a huge bubble," Affeldt said of his final start, against the St. Louis Cardinals, during which he lasted only 3 1/3 innings and gave up 6 runs. "It was the biggest finger blister I ever saw."
He went on the disabled list on June 18 and would not return until August, when he was used strictly in relief. As a starter, Affeldt was 0-4 with a 5.45 ERA in seven starts; he was 3-0 with a 4.03 ERA in 27 relief appearances.
"I like Jeremy a lot," said John Wathan, a former Royals player and manager who is a special
assignment scout. "He's got a good fastball, an excellent change up and a good curve ball. The biggest thing with him is
keeping the blister in check."
Affeldt went to the winter Dominican Republic League to get some more innings and experience, but the finger blister flared up again.
"I couldn't get to 60 pitches."
Affeldt said. "It bothered me after warming up in the bullpen. I had a setback."
Attfield called Royais trainer Nick Swartz and his winter league stay was cut short. The Royals flew him to New York to see a doctor.
He saw a specialist in Springfield, Ill., and talked to big league pitchers Al Leiter and Paul Splittorff, who had both been hampered by finger blisters. A plan was formulated to control the blister which included wearing a Band-
"He didn't give me any answers."
Affield said. "I was frustrated."
Aid, filing his callus daily and keeping his nails trimmed short.
Pena promises not to baby the young left-hander in spring training — the Royals plan to get Affeldt's pitch count at least into the 80s by the end of March. They have to know if Affeldt's finger can withstand throwing that many pitches without forming a blister.
"I feel it is healed." Affeld said. "I'm really excited. I don't think it is going to give me any problems this year."
"I like that approach," Affeldt said. "I don't want any surprises. They don't want any surprises."
Tarpoff charged with felony
Missouri lineman shoots himself fabricates story
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri) defensive lineman Nick Tarpoff, who last week claimed he was shot by an intruder before later admitting he actually shot himself in the arm, was charged yesterday with felony possession of an illegal weapon.
Also yesterday, the Tigers indefinitely suspended Tarpoff, in whose house Columbia police said they found a sawed-off shotgun after last Wednesday's shooting.
Tarpoff, 21, was arraigned
yesterday morning in a Bo one County courtroom. If convicted, he could get seven years in prison and $5,000 in fines
Nick Tarpoff
Boone County Prosecutor Kevin Crane said it would be determined later whether Tarpoff would be charged with a misdemeanor in connection with the false police report.
Missouri announced the suspension in a two-paragraph statement, saying only that the disciplinary matter would be handled internally and that coach Gary Pinkel would have no additional
comment.
Police have said that Tarpoff told them he was sleeping upstairs in his house last Wednesday night when he was awakened by a noise downstairs. Tarpoff claimed he struggled with a man who was trying to steal his television set before eventually getting shot in the right arm, police said.
Tarpoff was hospitalized overnight. The next day, police said, he said he made up the story about the intruder.
Tarpoff, who struggled with injuries last season, played nine games and recorded 21 tackles as a backup. He played in 10 games in 2001, including one start, and made 41 tackles.
Cowboys fall in second half
The Associated Press
STILLIWATER, Okla. — Andre Emmett scored 28 points and Texas Tech rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to upset No. 16 Oklahoma State 62-57 yesterday night.
The Red Raiders (16-8, 6-7 Big 12) had lost two out of three and played poorly in scoring just 18 first-half points. But Emmett and Kasib Powell, who scored 19, got going in the second half to help keep Tech's NCAA tournament chances alive.
Oklahoma State (20-6, 9-4) was coming off a big victory over then-No. 3 Texas on Saturday, and the Cowboys appeared to have control of the game. But they struggled in their half-court sets as the Red Raiders rallied.
Melvin Sanders scored 17 and Andre Williams
grabbed 16 rebounds for Oklahoma State. Both fouled out late.
The Red Raiders trailed by as many as 13 in the first half and by 12 with just over 17 minutes left in the game. Then Powell scored 12 points and Emmett had four in a 16-3 run that gave Tech a 39-38 lead with 12-17 remaining.
It remained a one-possession game until Emmett, leading the league at 21.7 points per game, capped a 7-0 run with a three-point play to give Tech a 54-50 lead with 6:14 remaining.
The Cowboys got within a point twice after that, the final time 58-57 on a follow shot by
Ivan McFarlin with 1,52 to play.
But they didn't score after that.
Emmett, meanwhile, scored inside with 1:34 left for a 60-57 lead, and after Sanders missed a 3-point try from the right corner, Will Chavis sealed it with two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining.
The Cowboys started out just 5-for-19 from the field as Tech kept them from getting many fastbreak chances, and it was tied at 14 when Emmett scored inside with just under eight minutes to play.
A follow shot by Tony Allen started a 14-5 run that saw five Cowboys score. Meanwhile, Tech committed six turnovers, missed four shots and went 0-for-4 from the free throw line to fall behind 29-18 at halftime.