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THE UNIVERSITY D
SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
10A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2003
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Ryan Wood
rwood@kansan.com
Weekend outdone by Roy's response
Kansas men's basterball coach Roy Williams held the most uncharacteristic of weekly press conferences on Friday. It was, unfortunately, the big story of Kansas athletics despite an event-filled weekend.
The baseball team swept a three-game series with mighty Louisiana State, the No. 6 team in the country, this weekend. The Border War Series did what it's done all year — give points to Missouri — at the women's basketball game on Saturday. Wayne Simien returned to action yesterday, scoring seven points in Kansas' 70-51 victory over Iowa State.
But Williams stole the spotlight—and he didn't even want to.
Mangino still hasn't said anything. In a situation like Bohl's, a coach refusing to comment isn't good if you're the boss who's under fire.
Roy Williams did comment on Friday. And it still wasn't good for Bohl.
Patrick Dennis/The Advocate, Baton Rouge, Lu.
Williams spent roughly 10 minutes through the duration of the press conference talking about Al Bohl. He never once said his name, instead, referring to him by his title.
"My relationship with my athletics director is a very professional relationship," Williams said. "He's the athletics director, and I know that."
The media caught on. Several questions were asked about Bohl, but no one ever used his name. In the 30-minute press conference with one topic and one guy on everybody's mind, no one flat out said it. It was spooky.
Kirk Hinrich, the lone player at the press conference, had what appeared to be a gag order regarding the mess. Hinrich, though, probably couldn't care less about Al Bohl anyway.
But, apparently, neither does Williams. Judging by behavior at the press conference, his personal relationship with Bohl is rocky at best. And if you're Bohl, that's not good.
If Bohl wants to stay at the University, he better get his relationship with Williams — and with everybody else for that matter — straightened out. Millions of dollars from donors speak volumes, and you can bet your life that if push comes to shove, Bohl, without a doubt, would lose a popularity contest to Williams.
If Bohl's end is near we can only hope that the athletics department doesn't go down the toilet while his hands are still on it.
Fresno State, where Bohl was last athletics director, is arguably the most corrupt department in the NCAA, and all of the staining of that department han-
pened during the six years Bohl was in charge.
And how he's the man at Kansas, a department with one sport that's good enough for the NCAA tournament, and a number of others that need major work.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Here's hoping Bohl doesn't screw things up like he easily could.
Kansas' No.21 Casey Spanish is congratulated after hitting a three-run home run. The hit increased the score of Sunday's second game in the third inning to 7-1. The batter who followed hit a solo shot to bump the lead to 8-1. Kansas won the game 9-7.
Wood is a Lee's Summit, Mo., senior in journalism.
Kansas sweeps No.6 LSU
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The Kansas baseball team (9-3) shocked college baseball fans when it swept No. 6 Louisiana State (4-3) in Baton Rouge, La., this weekend.
Kansas came into the weekend series with a record of 6-3 against mostly unproven competition. Louisiana State, at 4-0, was off to its best start since 2000, when the Tigers won the national championship. This weekend's games were played in Alex Box Stadium, a place that Ritch Price, Kansas baseball coach, referred to as the mecca of college baseball.
Before the first game, Price advised the team to play hard.
"They have 8,000 season tickets and five championships hanging from their scoreboard that they call the 'Intimidation Board,'" Price said. "I told the team we had to win the hustle game and we had to compete, every pitch."
For the 7,326 screaming LSU fans Friday night, the stage seemed to be set for a major mismatch.
The first game started grimly for the Jayhawks when Tiger lead-off hitter Quinn Stewart bombed a home run off starter Kevin Wheeler's first pitch in the bottom of the first inning.
The Jayhawks responded with a three-run second inning to take a 3- lead. With a run in the top of the seventh to tie the score at 6-6, Kansas forced extra innings.
It was Wheeler's time to shine. In the top of the 10th, Wheeler smashed a lead-off homer to spark a three-run inning, which gave Kansas a 9-6 victory that fans never expected. Ryan Knippschild
claimed the victory for his three scoreless innings of relief, including the decisive 10th inning.
Rain forced the cancellation of Saturday's game, bumping it to yesterday and creating a doubleheader.
Only about 2,000 fans watched the last two games of the LSU saga.
In game two, Kansas started a three-run fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead. This
came after an LSU error on a Casey Spanish double allowed Wheeler to score from first. Sophomore third baseman Travis Metcalf hit a homer to bring Spanish in. The Jayhawks held on to win 6-4.
Game three became ugly in a hurry for the Tigers.
Tied 1-1 with two outs in the third inning. Kansas exploded for seven runs. After a bunt single by senior outfielder
Lance Hayes and a Ritchie Price single, junior first baseman Ryan Baty doubled down the left field line, scoring both runners. Wheeler scored to right field and Baty scored. Junior outfielder Matt Tribble singled to center field and Spanish, senior outfielder, hit a three-run homer. Metcalf then hit his second home run of
Eric Braem/Kansan
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 6A
All alone, Kansas sophomore guard Aaron Miles shoots the second of two free throws resulting from a technical foul on Iowa State junior forward Jackson Vroman. The second half of the Jayhawks' 70-51 victory over the Cyclones was riddled with drama, including the ejection of Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy. Miles, who went eight for nine from the free throw line, set a single-game team record with nine steals.
'Hawks win in 'screwed-up day'
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter.
Yesterday's meeting between No.9 Kansas and Iowa State had something for everyone.
Dallas Mavericks forward Raef LaPrentz had his jersey retired, Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy was ejected, nearly 200 former players were recognized as part of 105 years of Kansas basketball, and sophomore forward Wayne Simien made his return and got in a scuffle. Oh yeah, and Kansas (19-5 overall, 9-1 Big 12 Conference) won 70-51.
The Jayhawks got their first indication that it wouldn't be a normal outing during warm-ups. LaFrentz's ceremony delayed pregame activities, so that the players ran onto the floor to the sound of the Kansas alma mater, "Crimson and the Blue."
"It was a screwed-up day," Kansas coach Roy Williams said after the game.
"We've never heard them singing 'Hail to KU' when we come out."
Once Collision and his teammates got past the early confusion, they settled into one of their lowest scoring halves of the season. The Jayhawks' 28 points in the first period — good enough for a 6-point halftime advantage — were just six more than they scored in the second half against Arizona.
Sophomore point guard Auron Miles made up for the Jayhawks' lackluster offensive performance by providing a series of highlights on defense. Miles notched seven steals in the first half and finished the game with a Kansas-record of nine. He nearly recorded a triple-double with points (14), assists (9), and steals (9).
"He was sensational," Williams said of Miles. "And you can't say that about a lot of things today."
Those other things included a second-half skirmish between the Jayhawks and Cyclones.
Kansas senior forward Nick Collison said of the last line of the alma mater. "That was kind of strange."
Former Kansas athletes return to Allen Fieldhouse
SEE IOWA STATE PAGE 6A
By John Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansan sportswinter
Former Kansas forward Bud Stallworth was one of nearly 200 former players and coaches who attended yesterday's Kansas victory over Iowa State as part of a celebration of 105 years of Kansas basketball.
Stallworth, who played under Ted Owens from 1970-72, averaged 25.3 points per game his senior season and scored 50 points in his final game in Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 26, 1972, in a 93-80 victory over Missouri.
Even though Stallworth has not taken the floor at the Fieldhouse in more than 30 years, he said yesterday brought back fond
SEE ATHLETES ON PAGE 6A
Women fall to Mizzou; Border War still uneven
By Ryan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sports switter
Like just about every other team at the University of Kansas, the women's basketball team did not have a memorable first experience in the Border War series with Missouri.
The Jayhawks (9-13 overall, 2-9 Big 12) fell to the Tigers (13-9, 7-4) on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse, 61-55. The Tigers were paced by junior forward Evan Unrau, who scored 15 of her team-high 18 points in the first half. She was complemented by her fellow forward, junior Stretch James, who had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the game. Despite the individual efforts, it was three-point range where Missouri dismantled Kansas as a team. The Tigers hit seven threes in the game compared to only one for Kansas.
"The area that really hurt us was that we lost players in transition and that is just a lack of focus," coach Marian Washington said. "In the first half we gave up four three-point shots, and it's mostly because we did not set up correctly."
The two teams played close for most of the first half. Kansas led 11-10 four minutes into the game, but Missouri then went on a 9-0 run to take the lead for good. Along with the Tigers' run, the Jayhawks went scoreless for a five-minute stretch in the first half that killed the team's momentum. Washington said that more leadership from freshman point guard Eric Hallman would help avoid such scoring droughts in the future.
"She has so much talent, but she has to learn how to lead this club." Washington said. "I think that there was too much dribbling and they weren't clear about what they were supposed to be doing."
Freshman forward Tamara Ransburg paced Kansas with a game-high 19
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SEE BORDER WAR PAGE 6A
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