TUESDAY,FEBRUARY 11.2003 SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3B Jordan plays in his last All-Star game, ties up loose ends The Associated Press ATLANTA — He passed on the perfect ending the last time he had the chance. So Michael Jordan didn't mind Kobe Bryant erasing the one he cobbled together in the closing seconds of the first overtime in Sunday night's All-Star game. Not that he would ever admit otherwise. "As much as I wanted to play well," Jordan said after his East side lost 155-145. "it felt good just being out there." Anybody who still harbored doubts about his retirement can relax. Jordan is leaving this time for good. For most of his competitive life, you couldn't have pried a sentence like that out of him with a crowbar. Now you just hope it isn't followed by a torrent of tears. When he was younger, Jordan never worried about perfect endings or playing well, and he never, ever set foot on a court just to feel good "being out there." That was something the supporting actors said, not the guy who owned the spotlight. But Jordan turns 40 in a week. And while that little "competition problem" his late father talked about still has Jordan in its grip, and probably always will, age has finally taught him a fact of life most of us are forced to learn much earlier. Nobody, not even Jordan, wins all the time. To be sure, the night had already been humbling enough. There was the awkward maneuvering before the game to squeeze out a starting spot for Jordan, the 0-for-7 start from the field, the kitschy tribute delivered by Mariah Carey at halftime, and perhaps toughest of all. seeing defenders swat his shots away with such practiced cool that they looked as though they had been doing it all their lives. Still, there were only 4.8 seconds left in overtime when he swerved into the corner and made a high-arching 15-foot over Phoenix's Shawn Marion to give the East a two-point lead. But the Lakers' Bryant was fouled on a 3-point attempt at the other end with a second left. The heir apparent made the first and missed the second. Jordan came over and said something. "I was needling him, trying to get him to miss," Jordan said. "He was talking trash," Bryant confirmed. "Part of me felt I had a job to do, but another part of me just didn't want to do it, to be honest with you." The competitive part won out. Bryant made the final free throw. Jordan had one final attempt blocked and the game went into double overtime for the first time. There, MVP Kevin Garnett scored nine of his 37 points while Jordan watched the final five minutes from the bench. Afterward, someone asked if the sequence when Bryant trumped Jordan's potential winner was part of a bigger picture, akin to a symbolic passing of the torch. "Obviously," Jordan began, almost by instinct, "I'd much rather we won the game." But then he quickly veered off down memory lane, echoing several of the things he touched during the halftime speech, about how important it was to pass on the lessons he learned from men like Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. "Now I can go home and feel at peace with the game of basketball," Jordan said at halftime. To do that, Jordan had to tie up a few other story lines. And because he understands what it means to be playing on borrowed time, he made sure to get to those. There was a reconciliation with East coach Isiah Thomas, the 10 points Jordan needed to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in All-Star history, and proof that the game he was leaving behind would wind up in good hands. The first time Jordan came out of retirement, he said it was to teach the knuckleheads and the flood of youngsters pouring in some respect. The jury is still on that one, but four of the starters Sunday, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal, jumped directly from high school to the pros and there wasn't a head case among them. Jordan traveled everywhere and anywhere for a competitive fix, a kind of modern-day Ulysses roaming the world in sneakers and baggy shorts. He could have left in the most triumphant way, after his jumper gave the Bulls a sixth title in 1998, but the second time he came back for himself. Now, he's finally come full circle. Jordan is on his last legs, happy to be out there, happy to pay the game back. The rest of his season will be played out quietly, and it will end somewhere well short of his expectations, and we'll hear more of the same we heard Sunday night. But under his breath, the greatest player of his time, of any time, really, will walk off the stage muttering the same thing he was probably muttering Sunday night. "If only I could get that last shot back one more time." Clemons concentrates on his game COLUMBIA, Mo. — Home games for Ricky Clemons are easy, as if he'd never been arrested for allegedly choking, shoving and restraining a woman last month. There were no boos for the Missouri point guard in his first game back after being reinstated following a one-game suspension, no derogatory posters, no protests. In the Hearnes Center, he remains a beloved member of the starting five of the 21st-ranked team, seemingly unscathed and innocent until proven otherwise. Certainly, there have been distractions. Today, the same day the Tigers leave to play Texas A&M on tomorrow, he will be arraigned in Boone County Circuit Court on charges of second-degree assault stemming from an alleged attack on 20-year-old Jessica Bunge of St. Clair. He was arrested Jan. 17 amid accusations he pulled Bunge's hair and bloodied her nose the previous night at his off-campus apartment. He has denied the allegations and soldiered on, immersing himself as much as possible in the game, and insists it's not difficult to keep his mind on 3-pointers and assists. "Nah." Clemons said Sunday after a victory over Texas Tech. "It's not tough at all." On the road, though, the sit uation can get pretty dicey. The student section at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence was merciless last Monday, greeting Clemons, 22, with chants of "Wo-man Beat-er" in the first half before coach Roy Williams walked over to the crowd and glared. Before the game, a female student with a black eye painted on her face wore a white T-shirt that read "I (heart) Clemons," dancing and inciting cheers and even getting pointers from a security guard. Instead of sending the fan back to her seat, the guard gave her additional material by pantomiming a choking motion to the throat. That brought even Whenever he touched the ball, which was all the time, there were boos. At Texas, fans mobilized an hour before the game. There, they waved mug shots at Clemons, who was arrested but not prosecuted on a similar charge in 2001 at the College of Southern Idaho, and chanted, repeatedly, "No means no!" Clemons must get used to it, with four more games away from the friendly confines before the Big 12 tournament next month. "I think that's going to be what you expect going on the road," coach Quin Snyder said. He'll be an easy target again at Texas A&M, both during the game and afterwards, when a member of the Sports Information Department again will be at his side for support. "Basketball is my avenue." Clemons said getting 14 points and five assists Sunday. "So it's very easy to just concentrate on basketball." Clemons, a junior college transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, is an indispensable member of the team known for his lightning-quick moves to the basket and seemingly limitless 3-point range. The Tigers are thin as it is, with only eight scholarship players, and lost by 20 points at Oklahoma State in their only game without Clemons. But it's clear he's struggled under the glare of unwelcome publicity. He was a modest 4-for-10 shooting with five assists and four turnovers against Texas Tech, and has shot 36 percent with 17 assists and 27 turnovers since the suspension. The situation has already affected the school. Athletic director Mike Alden said coaches will be more diligent in background checks of potential recruits, and that neutral university representatives will be involved in the reinstatement process. In Clemons' case, the decision was made by Alden, Snyder and Clemons' attorney. Teammates say Clemons has held up admirably, under the circumstances. "He's handling this probably better than any of us could," junior forward Travon Bryant said. "He's getting a lot of grief from people, but he's staying focused. That's tough." The Associated Press CHICAGO — Eager to get the focus off its scandals and back on its athletes, the U.S. Olympic Committee had one final say on Lloyd Ward's woes and then created a task force to help it avoid future messes. Whether it will be enough to satisfy Congress — not to mention the American public — remains to be seen. "I don't think you change the world over the weekend. I think that it is a continuum," Ward said after the USOC's executive committee wrapped up a critical two-day meeting. "I think ultimately what blunts any criticism is not what occurs in a meeting, but what occurs in performance." "The story will be written going forward, and it won't be one that has no history," the USOC's chief executive officer added. "But I think it will be one now where this weekend will create a little bit of air cover and a little bit of a runway so that we can do some good, and I'm excited about that." The USOC hasn't had much to be excited about in recent months. Since Ward was accused in December of trying to steer Olympic business to his brother's company, five USOC members have quit, president Marty Mankamyer resigned and the organization's leaders have been called before Congress. Congress has the authority to revoke the USOC's charter, and senators have made it clear they want meaningful reform. One senator, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, even said Ward should resign because of his role in the recent scandals. With another hearing scheduled Thursday, the USOC's executive committee gathered here this weekend knowing much was at stake. The first issue to deal with was Ward's future. He's been a lightning rod for controversy since November, first for his membership at all-male Augusta National and then for the conflict-of-interest allegations involving his brother. "I want closure to this." Ward said Saturday. "Whatever it takes, let's do it and move forward." 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Stop by or call today! 211.6 8^th St. 785-893-7359 211 E. 8th St. 785-843-7359 The University of Kansas Chancellor's Student Awards Committee The Donald K. Alderson Award The Agnes Wright Strickland Award Is accepting nominations and applications for the following graduating senior awards: The Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award The Class of 1913 Award The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award Nominations must be received by 5:00pm, March 7 Applications must be received by 5:00 pm, March 26 *This award is not limited to graduating seniors CUT IT OUT! Campus coupons coming tomorrow 1