2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY APRIL 24, 2000
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Our pitching has been really good but our numbers at home are significantly better than they are on the road."
— Kansas coach Ritch Price, whose team is 6-0 at home in the last two weeks
FACT OF THE DAY
Kansas' Tony Thompson is putting together what could be the best offensive season in the Big 12.Thompson sports a .378 batting average and has 12 home runs.54 RBIs and a .705 slugging percentage.
KU Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
How many times have Kansas and Nebraska met on the baseball diamond?
A: Kansas and Nebraska have met 235 times, dating back to 1892, making this one of the oldest rivalries in Division I baseball. The Huskers hold a 139-95 edge in the series, including a 57-43 record in Lawrence.
@KANSAN.COM
KU Athletics
First Pitch: Baseball writers Josh Bowe and Tim Dwyer provide running commentary from Kansas' three-game series with Nebraska this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.
Video: Want to see how Xavier Henry picked Kansas? Go to Kansan.com for video from Oklahoma City.
FOOTBALL Obama invites champion Gators to White House
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has welcomed the Florida Gators to the White House and congratulated them for winning the national championship in football.
Obama on Thursday welcomed the Gators to the East Room and says their excellence on and off the football field is worthy of praise. Obama says being a champion doesn't end when the clock runs out and noted that the team volunteers 400 hours each year.
Former Hawks make NBA exciting
COMMENTARY
Let me first admit that I do not get excited for the NBA playoffs on a regular basis. I prefer college basketball because something about it is just more exciting. This year, though, Kansas fans like me have a legitimate reason to be giddy for the NBA playoffs. The playoff teams' rosters are littered with former Kansas standouts.
Yes, a lot of them are role players, but that doesn't matter when you're talking about the possibility of a championship ring.
Let's start by analyzing some of the older Jayhawks' chances at a title.
Associated Press
Raaf LaFrentz has been injured the entire season, but he is still on Portland's roster. His NBA career has been underwhelming, and most likely, that how you'll be able to describe Portland's run in the plavoffs.
Jacque Vaughn has a much better chance to win a title than his former teammate. Vaughn is merely a role player on San Antonio's bench, but he has shown he can contribute. Vaughn is also playing with another former Jayhawk, Drew Gooden. Gooden provides solid bench production for the Spurs who direly need it because they're
without Manu Ginobili for the playoffs. The Spurs could give the Lakers a run for their money in the Western Conference finals.
Kirk Hinrich has had to make room for a bevy of guards on Chicago's roster, so he's not as prominent a player as he was the past two years. Nonetheless, the Bulls made it to the playoffs, and Hinrich can get hot at certain times. Unfortunately (or fortunately, with all the injuries), the Bulls drew the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. They've already taken one game, but Boston will, most likely, win a close series, leaving the Bulls out of the championship hunt.
Julian Wright sees a little less floor time than Gooden and Hinrich, but he gets to play with one of the best players in the league, New Orleans guard Chris Paul. But Paul is a lonely centerpiece on that team, and doesn't
get too much help. The Hornets have little chance of winning the championship, but I predict that in a couple years Wright will be a relevant bench player and possibly even a starter with another chance to win a title.
No, I didn't forget about Paul Pierce. He's trying to defend his NBA championship with the Boston Celtics and he is the most relevant Jayhawk in the NBA, but he still has to go through Cleveland to make the finals. That just won't happen with all the injuries the Celtics have had to deal with.
Now we left with two rookies from last year's national championship team. Both Mario Chalmers and Darnell Jackson have a chance to follow up an NCAA title with an NBA title, a very rare occurrence. Chalmers actually earned a starting role at point guard for Miami this season and performed admirably. He even set the franchise record for steals in a game earlier this season. Miami won't make it to the conference finals though, so that leaves Jackson. He plays very sparingly for the Cavaliers, but he is on the roster of the best squad in the Eastern Conference.
Finals. Lebron can do everything and will do everything to bring a championship to Cleveland. So, that's my pick, and yet again, a Jayhawk will be an NBA champion. So, you may not care about the NBA, but a Jayhawk on the championship team should be reason enough to get a little excited.
The Lakers and Cavaliers are almost shoo-ins for the NBA
Edited by Chris Hickerson
CHAMPIONSHIPODDS
New Orleans — 5%
Portland — 10%
Chicago — 15%
Miami — 15%
San Antonio — 35%
Boston — 45%
Cleveland — 85%
NBA
Two Missouri alumni attend invitational camp
COLUMBIA, Mo. — With their college careers behind them, Missouri standouts DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons believe they've made a strong showing to NBA evaluators.
Both players accepted postseason invitations to the Portsmouth Invitational Camp, which featured some of the nation's top seniors divided into teams in a tournament.
Carroll averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds in three games and was named the tournament MVP as his team finished third. Lyons averaged nearly 14 points and seven rebounds in the tourney.
Both players considered entering the draft last year but decided to return for their senior seasons. It was a good move. Their showing during the Tigers' surprise run to the Elite Eight almost certainly elevated both players' standing with NBA scouts.
Associated Press
...
Pat-a-cake
SPECIAL OFFER: $5 TICKETS Available for KU students
USE PROMOTION CODE $5STU
Call 785-864-2787 for details. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Offer expires April 24, 6 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, April 24 & 25, 7:30 p.m.
TREE OF LIFE
Origins and Evolution
featuring the Grammy Award-winning
Turtle Island Quartet
Exciting new work bridging the sciences, humanities and performing arts, featuring more than 100 KU students!!
ASSOCIATED PRESS
785-864-2787
lied.ku.edu
Members of the Rajasthan Royals react as they take the kick of Kokata Knight Riders 'Sourav Ganguly, right, at the Indian Premier League Twenty20 match in Cape Town, South Africa. Thursday
This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Creative Campus Innovations Grant Program, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
LIED CENTER OF KANSAS
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
TODAY
Baseball
Nebraska, 6 p.m.
Lawrence
Track & Field
Drake Relays, All day
Des Moines, Iowa
Women's golf
Big 12 Championships,
All day
Lubbock, Texas
Tennis Big 12 Championships, All day Norman, Okla.
Softball Baylor, 2 p.m. Lawrence
SATURDAY
Baseball
Nebraska, 6 p.m.
Lawrence
Track & field
Drake Relays, all day
Des Moines, Iowa
Women's golf
Big 12 Championships,
All day
Lubbock, Texas
Rowing
Minnesota, TBA
St. Paul, Minn.
Tennis
Big 12 Championships,
All day
Norman, Okla.
SUNDAY
Softball Baylor, Noon Lawrence
Baseball
Nebraska, 1 p.m.
Lawrence
Women's Golf Big 12 Championships, All day Lubbock, Texas
Men's Golf
Big 12Championships,
All day
Hutchinson
Tennis
Big 12 Championships,
All day
Norman, Okla.
MONDAY
Teller's
Only $9.95
SUNDAY BRUNCH
www.tellerslawrence.com
EARN UP TO $80 THIS WEEK. *Eligible new donors
CASH IN YOUR POCKET.
DONATE PLASMA.
IT PAYS TO SAVE A LIFE.
816 W. 24th Street, Lawrence, KS 65046
785.749.5750 • bljasploma.com
Fee and donation times may vary. New donors bring photo ID, proof of address and Social security card
ZLB Plasma
RILING, BURKHEAD, & NITCHER CHARTERED SERVING LAWRENCE SINCE 1900
DUI?
YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE
IMMEDIATELY. NORMALLY
YOU ONLY HAVE 10 DAYS
TO DEMAND A HEARING
THAT DECIDES IF YOU
LOSE YOUR LICENSE.
785-841-4700
B08 MASSACHUSETTS ST.
MRILING@RILUNGLAW.COM
RILUNGLAW.COM
FOR MORE INFO LOOKUP RILING, BURKHEAD, AND NITCHER CHARTERED ON MARKETPLACE
What students are saying about Dons'
Early last semester, I began having problems with my car. It was making funny noises and the cruise control stopped working. I didn't know what to do. Normally my dad handled these things for me, but being an out-of-state student made that impossible now that I'm in college. I had heard about Don's Auto from some friends and through the Kansan, so I decided to give them a call. I'm so glad I did! They were great! They were very nice and super understanding.
What impressed me most, was that they offered to my dad and consult with him every stop of the way. Now, I always take my car to Don!
-Alyl Nienhueser,
KU Sophmore from Nebraska