Tell us your news:
Contact Jessica Tims or
Matt Gehrke at (785) 864-
4858 or jtims@kansan.com
SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2003
COMMENTARY
Ryan Greene
rereen@kansan.com
Bench help necessary for women to improve
After enduring her toughest season as a coach last season, with an 0-16 conference record, things could only get better this season. An 0-5 start to the conference schedule this year must have had Washington wondering if she would ever win another conference game.
A good portion of the pressure on her young squad was eased Saturday night. The Jayhawks ended a streak of 21 consecutive Big 12 losses by defeating Texas A&M on the road.
The team's performance this weekend was a complete turnaround from last Wednesday's sloppy loss to Oklahoma, where Kansas turned the ball over 30 times.
Freshman forward Tamara Ransburg, sophomore guard Aquanita Burras and freshman forward Crystal Kemp have already proven that they can be productive against Big 12 opponents. For the team to make that extra push, there are three players in particular who will have to step up from here on out.
Now that the team has its initial conference victory, it will have to earn its stripes down the stretch of the season.
Erica Hallman, freshman guard
Hallman has already shown flashes of brilliance on several occasions this season. Her tendency to pass first and shoot second has earned her a couple of starts. Hallman has the ability to score at will against anyone she chooses. She is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.5 points per game. Her average of 3.8 assists per game is a team high.
As of late though, Hallman seems to have put her shooting way on the backburner with only 12 points in the team's last three games. Hallman can dazzle the crowd and opponents with some amazing passes but has to keep up her scoring average to add the most that she can off the bench.
Stacev Becker, sophomore guard
Becker, a transfer from Wichita State, was unable to play for the team until second semester but she has already proved her ability to shoot consistently from downtown. After only ten games played, Becker leads the team in three-point field goal percentage and is tied for the team lead in three-pointers made with 14.
Becker is obviously the team's biggest threat from beyond the arc, so she has to find ways in her minutes off the bench to consistently get open outside. If she is having trouble getting freed for the three, Becker has to utilize her quickness to penetrate the lane.
Keila Beachem, junior forward
Beachem remains the team's biggest mystery. When she does see minutes on the floor, she is apparently the team's most athletic member.
SEE GREENE PAGE 3B
Basketball games pay off
By Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Every time 16,300 men's basketball fans fill Allen Fieldhouse,the University of Kansas gets another dose of the lifeblood that fuels KU sports.
The Athletics Department may spend between $15,000 to $18,000 to make a game happen, but it's the money it gets back that supports the rest of KU athletics.
Men's basketball earns about $275,000 in ticket sales every game
before sales taxes and surcharge revenues. According to the University of Kansas Athletics Corporation, basketball accounts for 23.2 percent of its revenue and just 8.9 percent of the expenses.
Men's basketball and football are the only two sports at KU that make more money than they spend, said Susan Wachter, the Athletics Corporation's chief financial officer.
"Men's basketball helps to pay for other sports," Wachter said. "Without the money from basketball and football
and donations, there wouldn't be other sports."
Concessions earn roughly $10,000 per home game. Basketball also made approximately $22,600 in cash contributions, separate from Williams Fund donations which are split between basketball and football.
Overall, men's basketball earned more than $7.5 million and spent around $2.2 million in 2001-2002, according to the Athletics Corporation.
SEE COSTS PAGE 3B
Kansas men's basketball expenses per home game
Police - $2,750
Pence $27,50
Florida Medical $1,250
Fire and Medical - $1,250
Fire and Medical $1,250
Taking Injuries $23
Tekla Tables/Obers $2,750
Facilities Operations $1,500
Athletic Maintenance - $1,250
Networking Telecommunications services
Officials: (Conference) - $4,300
(Nonconference) -
$3,000-$4,000
Six statisticians - $150
Six stat runners - $75
Concessions requests - $150
Bench Crew - $400
Clean-up - $2,000
Hawks hang on by Horns
Collison's career game keeps Kansas clear of third-straight setback
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Nick Collison seals off Texas forward Brian Boddicker in the Jayhawks 90-87 victory over the Longhorns. Collison finished with 24 points and 23 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
They've seen it before — crazed fans storming the court, come from behind victories against top-ten opponents, last second three-pointers clanging off rims.
Yeah, they've seen it before, but this time the Jayhawks viewed the scene through winners' eyes.
After dropping back-to-back games against Colorado and No. 1 Arizona in the past week, No. 12 Kansas edged third-ranked Texas 90-87 last night.
Jared Soares/Kansen
After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half, senior forward Nick Collison made sure the Jayhawks would not lose the third consecutive game for the first time since 1994. Collison manhandled a Texas frontline noted for its physical play. He tore down a career high 23 rebounds more than half of Kansas 43 total rebounds. Add to that total 24 points, and Collison had a night that prompted ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale to join Kansas fans in a standing ovation when Collision left the court. It was only the second time in his career that he has done that for a player, Vitale said. The last time was when Navy's David Robinson played against Kentucky.
Vitale wasn't the only one impressed with the Jayhawk big man. After the game, Kansas coach Roy Williams couldn't sav enough good things about him.
"Nick Collison," Williams said. "Unbelievable on the backboards. If we
hadn't had him I don't know what we would have done on the backboards."
As good as Collision was, he couldn't help Kansas during its white-knuckled finish.
With 1:18 left in the game and Kansas clinging to a 4-point lead, Colli-
son picked up his fifth foul guarding Texas junior forward James Thomas. Thomas converted one of two free throws, but Texas junior guard Brandon Mouton turned the ball over in the Longhorns' next possession. Two seconds later, Collison's replacement,
sophomore guard/forward, Michael Lee took advantage of the mistake by converting two free throws, putting the Jayhawks ahead 90-85.
Texas wasn't finished yet
SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 6B
Burras shows skill in victory
By Ryan Greene
By nyan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
It's 10:15 p.m. on a Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse. An hour after the Kansas women's basketball team has lost 61-49 to Oklahoma, the hallways are quiet except for a faint bouncing noise. In the gym, sophomore guard Aquanita Burras and former Kansas guard KC Hilgenkamp are squaring off in a game of one-on-one.
To anybody who knows Burras, it's not too far from typical.
career. Asking Hilgenkamp for help paid off when Burras returned Saturday night with 16 points in the Jayhawks' win against Texas A&M. The turnaround is just a small step in what has been quite a journey.
For Burras, the night had already been bad enough. She had just experienced the first scoreless game of her brief Kansas
Her career started in Fairbanks, Alaska, and took a detour at Central Arizona Community College before finding home in Lawrence. She said the Central Arizona coach had been talking about her talent with a coach from summer basketball team.
"The next thing you know, she asked me if I wanted to come." Burras said. "She said I had a full-ride to come to her school, and that was my little trip to Arizona."
As a freshman at Central Arizona Community College, Burras shot onto the
scene, leading her team in scoring with 14.2 points per game. Along with her scoring, she pulled 6.5 rebounds per game and recorded 85 steals during the season. Capping off the year, she was named Second Team All-Conference. Although she found quick success in Arizona, Burras had set higher standards for her playing days.
"I said I was only going to stay there one year because I wanted to play at the Division-I level, and I didn't want to waste another year at the juco level," Burras said. "Coming to the Big 12, that was my big opportunity just to go ahead and step on the scene."
SEE BURRAS PAGE 6B
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Sophomore guard Aquanita Burras
Men's, women's bowling teams continue to advance
By Ryan Copeland
rcopeland@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The KU Bowling team continued its winning ways this weekend in the Sixth Annual Blue and Gold Classic. Notre Dame hosted the tier one tournament in South Bend, Ind.
The KU men's team finished in third place out of 33 teams with a total pin count of 11,012. Morehead State University took first place with 11,383 pins. Morehead State holds the number-one rank in the country.
Jesse James, Lawrence senior, led the team with a 214 average. He was fifth in total pin-fall and was named to the All-tournament team.
Ryan "Rhino" Page, Wichita freshman, recorded a 211 average and finished in eighth place overall.
Coach Mike Fine said he was most surprised with the the women's team.
"We're especially pleased that our women's team continues to show improvement,"Fine said.
The women finished fourth out of 25 teams. They tallied a pin count of 10,351 just 32 pins less than number-one ranked Wichita State University. Central Missouri State won the women's side with a total pin count of 10,409.
Kelly Zapf, Rochester, N.Y., sophomore, had the hot hand for the women', finishing with the a 197 average. That average earned her third place and All-tour nament honors. This was Zapf's fourth All-tournament selection of the year.
The KU men's and women's teams are ranked sixth and 16th in the nation, respectively. Both teams most likely move up in the polls after this weekend.
Up next for the Jayhawk Bowling Club is the Association of College Unions International at Kansas State University on Feb. 8 and 9.
"We are especially pleased that our women's team continues to show improve-
Mike Fine Bowling coach the post-season will be the Hoosier Classic in Indianapolis on Feb. 22 and 23.
The last tier-one tournament before — Edited by Melissa Hermreck
1