10
Wednesday, June 10, 1992
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Portland must respect Bulls' defense
NBA playoffs
Next playoff game;
Game 4 of the Finals
tonight at 8 p.m. in Portland
The Associated Press
Portland's 94-84 loss to Chicago Sunday was the Trail Blazers first home defeat in nine playoff games. The loss dropped their final record at home to 0-4 over the
The Chicago Bulls lead the Finals series 2-1.
Portland has a 25-1 playoff record in the Memorial Coliseum over the past three years.
"The past couple of years, the best team has won, and the best team can always win whenever they play. We still hope to prove we're the best team. It's not too late to do that."
*Portland guard Danny Alinge*
Michael is Michael. Perhaps the best offensive weapon in NBA history. Need anyone say more?
PORTLAND, Ore. — Everyone's talking about Michael Jordan. What else is new? The guy's so good that any reference to him immediately brings images of slam dunks and shoe commercials.
During the NBA Finals, though,
more is being said. Like Michael is so
offensively, it's easy to forget
that he's a defensive wonder.
While his offense was limited because of a heel injury — he "only" had 26 points, 8.1 below his postseason average — Jordan's defense helped Chicago beat Portland 94-84 Sunday.
The Bulls have a 2-1 series lead going into Game 4 tonight.
Cydney Drexler has noticed Jordan's defensive excellence. It would have
been hard for him not to have noticed. Jordan is often so close to Drexler the pair seem to be glued together.
Drexler, who finished second to Jordan in league MVP voting, is shooting 43 percent and has committed nine turnovers in the series.
"Michael's a pretty good defensive player," Drexler said Monday.
Jerome Kersey has noticed, too. Because the Bulls switch a lot on defense, Jordan, 6-foot-6 and 198 pounds, often finds himself guarding the 6-foot-7, 225-pound Kersey.
"Jordan's a hands-on defensive player," Kersey said. "He gets his hands and body into you and pushes you harder than you thought he could. He's always overplaying you, always looking for the steal."
"He's very good," Drexler said. "He's quick and active. He can gamble and he still has the speed to get back into the play."
Source: Associated Press
And he often gets it. Jordan led the NBA in steals in 1988 and 1990, was sixth this season and is averaging 2.11 steals per plavoff game.
Jordan wreaks havoc on an offense because he seems to be everywhere on the court: switching to doubleteam post players, scrambling to disrupt 3-point shooters, trapping along the baseline, blocking 7-footers' shots from behind.
Statistics, though impressive, do not fully measure his defensive impact.
All the while, he's keeping his own man in check and scoring 30-plus points at the other end.
"You've always got to keep an eye out for Michael," said Portland point guard Terry Porter, who also has been stopped by Jordan in the series.
In 1987-88, Jordan was the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year.
"It's one of the most valuable awards I've gotten, because it told
everybody that I didn't just play offense," said Jordan, who just completed his fifth consecutive season on the league's All-Defensive Team.
However, any recognition he gets for his defense is overshadowed by his 32.3-point career scoring average.
"I always thought defense was important," Jordan said. "Everyone says that defense is hard work, and I've never walked away from hard work. It's a challenge to try to play well at both ends. You're known for your offensive skills, so to come back and try to make an effort on the defensive end takes dedication."
Jordan is dedicated to keeping the Bulls on top of the NBA heap. He didn't practice Monday because of a pain in his left heel, but he said he would be ready for Game 4.
"Come game time Wednesday, no problem," he said.
Rookie Season Benefits Randall
That's trouble for the Trail Blazers, whose offense is sputtering.
"ormer Jayhawk learns to play smart by running with the Timberwolves
By David Mitchell Contributing Editor
Mark Randall began the 1991-92 season with the Chicago Bulls. Bulls finished the regular season 67-15. After being waived by the Bulls three months into the season, Randall was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota finished the season 15-67.
The former dayhawk said the move from Florida to Minnesota was a mistake.
"Obviously it was a change," he said. "It really didn't matter to me. As long as I'm in the NBA, I'm happy."
Randall is back in Lawrence this summer completing his degree in advertising. Because he originally signed a one-year deal with Chicago, Randall is now waiting for a new contract from Minnesota.
"I like to have some kind of multiple-year
"tract." he said. "I like to have that kind
chance for the future."
"My goal is to help a team any way I can. I feel I can help Minnesota more than I could with the Bulls. In Minnesota, I have a better
After being selected as the Bulls' first round draft pick last summer, Randall was caught up in a numbers game on the talented Chicago squad. Playing behind Olympian Scotte Pippen, Randall did not see much playing time with Chicago.
In Minnesota, Randall's playing time increased, averaging 10 minutes a game.
"I need to play," he said. "That's the only way I can improve and learn."
And he said he still has a lot to learn about the NBA.
"There's a lot of things I need to work on," he said. "I felt over the season, I improved. I learned this past year, you don't have to be the best or the quickest as long as you learn to play smart."
Randall said the learning process and the struggle to establish himself was something most rookies faced.
"Unless you are a superior talent, you're not going to step in and set the world on fire," he said. "Guy's don't really come into their own until their third year — just like in college."
High School in Colorado with high expectations. But his first year was somewhat disappointing as he averaged just 4.5 points a game. His second year at Kansas he was a medical redshirt and sat out the 1988 championship season. But in his sophomore season, he flourished into an All-Big Eight Conference performer. In his senior season, he led the Jawahra backs to the Final Four.
Now, as in college, Randall is faced with switching positions. After playing small forward in high school, he was moved to power forward and center at Kansas. In the more physical NBA, Randall has been moved back to small forward.
Randall came to Kansas from Cherry Creek
"When I came to Kansas, I was primarily a three-man, but I was forced into the four and five spots because Kansas didn't have any big men," he said. "I feel more comfortable where I am now."
As Randall waits for a new contract from the Timberwolves, he knows that Minnesota will have four picks in the June 21th NBA Draft.
"Minnesota is a great place," Randall said.
"I hope more than anything to be there."
Kansas sophomore earns one of 12 spots on U.S. Women's Junior National Team
Kansan staff report
Kansas sophomore Angela Aycock was named to the U.S. Junior National Team this weekend. After four days of trials, Aycock earned one of 12 spots on the squad, which will represent the United States at the Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament Aug. 23-30 in Mexico City.
Aycock said she expected her summer experience to improve her game.
"When you play against people who are better than you, or of equal talent, you pick up a lot of things," she said.
the Kansas coaches have asked Aycock to work on becoming a more aggressive player.
"A lot of players there are more aggressive than I am, so I can learn a lot from them," she said.
Oklahoma forward Etta Maytubby also was named to the junior national team. In recent years, Big Eight women's teams complained that they did not get the respect they deserved. Aycock said she hoped the selections reflected a changing attitude.
"I think our presence will definitely affect how people look in Big Eight players," she said.
Aycock was an All-Big Eight honorable
mention selection in her freshman season, averaging 10 points a game.
She said the honor of representing the United States had not yet sunk in.
"I was happy and pleased," she said. "I guess it will hit me when I get out on the floor."
COURTSIDE. Former Kansas basketball player Lynette Woodward did not make the U.S. Olympic Team. Woodward was the cocaptain of the 1984 U.S. team that won the gold medal. She was a four-time All-American at Kansas during 1978-81.
Camp kicks off
Daron J. Bennett / KANSAN
Pat Ruel, Kansas offensive coordinator, center with hat, runs offensive drills for youths from Lawrence and Kansas City who attend the week-long KU Football Camp. The senior and junior high school campers arrived Sunday and will be drilled throughout the week on the fundamentals of football. Participants in the camp also will watch films and receive classroom instruction.
Parrott Athletic Center expansion to help student athletes in class and on the field
Exterior construction on the Parrot Athletic Center expansion is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 15. The $5 million project began in September.
Julia Clarke / KANSAN
By David Wilson Special to the Kansan
Parrott is an annex of the field house, and its expansion will fill the gap between the field house and Anschutz. Construction has been going on since September and is within its $3.5 million budget, said Allen Wiechert, director of facilities planning. The interior is expected to cost an additional $1.5 million. The project is privately financed, and money is being raised by the Athletic Department through the Kansas University Endowment Association and the Williams Fund.
Come Oct.15, the Kansas football team will no longer have to meet in the storerooms of Allen Field House and the four corners of Anschutz Sports Pavilion. This is the target date for the completion of the football facilities, including meeting rooms, in the Parrott Athletic Center expansion.
The exterior is expected to be done within a few weeks. The center is being built by the Harris Construction Company of Lawrence.
The facilities will include coaching offices for men's basketball and football, larger locker rooms, an expanded sports medicine center and tutoring rooms, said Bob Frederick, athletic director.
Many athletic offices now share space in the field house. Swimming, volleyball, and softball share one space, with only partitions dividing
the offices. When all phases of the project are completed, no sport will have to share space. A private conversation between a student athlete and a coach will no longer have to take place in the bleachers, Frederick said.
In later phases of the project, new baseball locker rooms will be built where the football locker rooms are now, in the original Parrott. Baseball locker rooms are currently in the southwest corner of the field house.
Frederick said that the new facilities would also enhance recruitment capabilities and that in the Big Eight, Kansas' facilities would be equaled only by those of Colorado.
The second floor of the center will include academic support services for student athletes. No classes will be conducted there, but it will contain areas for one-on-one counseling, a large study hall and a small computer lab with about six stations. Also, enrollment and pre-advising for student athletes will be handled there. The focus of the academic services will be on freshmen.
"The blueprints haven't been finalized, but in essence, that's what we're looking at," said Paul Buskirk, assistant athletic director of Student Support Services.
The Academic Achievement Center is currently housed in a basement at Jayhawker Towers. "We will have 8,000 square feet for the Academic Achievement Center," said Frederick.
Kansan staff report
Expos' minor league team drafts ex-Kansas pitcher
Former Jayhawk pitcher Curtis Schmidt has reported to a Florida training camp for the Montreal Expos 'short-season Class A Affiliate.
The Expos drafted Schmidt last week in the 41st round. He will play for Jamestown, N.Y., of the New York Penn League. The season begins June
Schmidt said he had agreed in principle to a contract with the major league team.
"I'm excited about playing for the Expos," he said. "I like the organization, and it seems like a sound system with good coaching."
Wilson Kilmer, Kansas pitching coach, said he liked Schmidt's chances in pro ball.
"He's going to progress in professional baseball on his ability to get the
job done." Kilmer said.
sonnidt did not have an overpowering fastball but that he was a smart pitcher who used a variety of pitches to fool hitters. Kilmer said.
"He wants people to make contact," he said. "That usually results in a lot of ground balls."
Kilmer said Schmidt's sidearm delivery reminded him of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Dan Quisenberry. But Schmidt could be effective as either a starter or a reliever, he said.
The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Schmidt last year in the 26th round, but he elected to stay at KU for his senior season.
He was 7-5 with Kansas in 1992 and compiled a 13-10 record in the two years he played for the 'Hawks. Schmidt earned All-Big Eight Conference honors in 1991 and 1992.
SPORTS BRIEFS
- Kansas pitcher Stephani Williams was named to the GTE Academic All-American first team. The junior, who is a Spanish major, earned a 3.93 grade point average in 1992. Williams won 30 games for the Kansas softball team and finished the year with a 0.59 ERA. After two years at Kansas, Williams ranks third in career strikeouts with 411. She also earned all-conference honors in 1992 and was a second team All-American. Kansas made its first trip to the Women's College World Series, finishing the season 45-10.
Two members of the Kansas track team earned All-American honors at the NCAA Track and Field Championships last weekend. Junior Marybeth Labosky placed sixth in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 11 1/2 inches.Sophomore Heather Berlin, the Big Eight Conference champion, placed fourth in the javelin throw. She also earned All-American honors.Senior Cathy Palacios finished tenth in the 3,000 meters. All three are expected to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials this week.