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University Daily Kansan / Wednesdav, March 4, 1992
SPORTS
Transfer players fill shoes
Walters and Pauley rise to the occasion
By Lyle Niedens
Kanean ennortewriter
After the Kansas Jayhawks lost four of their top six players from last year's NCAA runner-up team, Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams knew that some holes needed to be filled if the Jayhawks were going to contend for a Big Eight Conference title this year.
Gone was center Mark Randall and his inside scoring punch. Gone was Terry Brown and his three point bombs. In their shoes have stepped transfers Eric Pauley and Rex Walters.
The two starting newcomers have been integral parts of Kansas' drive to a share of the conference championship.
Williams said he was not surprised at the pair's success.
"I really thought both of them were good players," he said. "The points they've scored haven't surprised me, and both of them have gotten better defensively."
The twosome combined for 31 of Kansas' 77 points in the Jayhawks' victory against Oklahoma State on Monday. Pauley paced the 'Hawks with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half, and Walters scored 10 straight points as Kansas pulled away from the Cowboys in the second half.
That sort of play has been typical. Both Pauley and Walters have come into their own during the conference portion of the schedule.
After struggling offensively early in the season, Pauley has shot 67 percent from the field in the past six games and has pushed his scoring average to 9.2 points a game. The 6-foot-10 junior center scored a total of 38 points and grabbed a total of 20 rebounds in Kansas' last two games, victories against Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State.
Pauley, a third team junior college All-American last season at Cypress Community College in Calif., said that winning a share of the conference title was special but that the Jayhawks were not finished.
"That's what we've been working for since day one," Pauley said of the conference championship. "But we're not going to stop with that. We want to beat Iowa State. We don't want anybody to say we're co-anything."
Walters has led Kansas in scoring all season, but he has increased his scoring average to 18.5 points a game in conference play. The 6-4 guard sat out last year after transferring from Northwestern but practiced with the team and even has a ring signifying the Jayhawks co-conference championship last season.
However, Walters said that this season's conference title rink would mean much more to him.
"Most of last year was frustrating." he said.
"There were no immediate goals for me.
"I'm going to wear this ring. I got one last year. I don't wear that one, but I'm going to wear this one, and I'm going to wear it with a lot of pride."
Walters said that winning a share of the conference championship was especially sweet after coming from Northwestern, where he led the Wildcats in scoring as a sophomore in 1989-90.
That team was not as successful as Kansas has been. The Wildcats went 9-19 that season and finished last in the Big Ten Conference with a2-16 mark.
"All of my life, I never felt like I was a part of a real winner," Walters said. "Now I feel am."
Walters said that if he had to do it all over again, he would come to Kansas in the first place.
"I think if I had to do it again, I'd call Coach Williams the day I found out he was coming here, because I had no idea how much of an effect one man could have on a program," he said. "He's done a great job getting a lot out of me."
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'Hawks to vie for Big 8 title
By Lyle Niedens Kansan sportswriter
Rex Walters' three-point shooting and defensive play has helped to spark the Jawhawks.
They'll get their wish if they defeat Iowa State tonight, or if second place Missouri loses at home tonight against Oklahoma.
The No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks won a share of the Big Eight Conference championship Monday night with a victory against Oklahoma State. But the Jayhawks want the title outright.
The Jayhawks may be playing Iowa State at the right time. The Cyclones have lost four in a row, including a 96-70 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. Once 17-5 and looking for another win, the Cyclones are now 18-10 overall and trying to stay out of the conference cellar.
Iowa state coach Johnny Orr said. "We've been playing good in practice but we don't do that in games."
"We don't want to be called cochampsions, " said junior guard Rex Walters after Monday night's viceroy game. "We're not really feel like we're champions."
"There isn't any soft spot on the schedule if you're not on top of your game," he said. "There isn't any bad game against beat."
Orr blamed the strength of the conference as another reason the Cyclones have faltered.
The Cyclones will to have play harder than they have been if they are to have a chance against
Kansas, Orr said.
"We have to play better pressure defense and we must rebound better," he said. "They are a good team. They have excellent depth, pressure defense, and they play exceptionally well. They have no weak spot."
Kansas coach Roy Williams said that the Jayhawks, coming off back-to-back victories at home against Oklahoma and the Cowboys, appeared to be over a period of weeks. They lost at Nebraska two weeks ago.
"I feel we had a little bit of aull for two or three games," Williams said. "I think the last two games, we had better. It helped to be back home."
The Jayhawks pounded the Cyclones three weeks ago at Allen Field House 91-60. That game, too, came after a game against Oklahoma State, but the Jayhawks were coming off a loss to the Cowboys in that instance.
This time, the Jayhawks are coming off a victory. Roy Williams said he was not sure if the Jayhawks would have a letdown or not tonight.
"If we're not ready to play, we're going to be in a lot of trouble," Walters said.
Kansas officials estimated that Allen Field House surpassed the five-million mark in attendance Monday night.
Courtside
(3) KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Coach: Roy Williams Record: 22-3, (10-2)
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Coach: Johnny Orr Record: 18-10, (4-8)
Game time: 7 tonight at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. It will be televised on channels 3 and 13 in Lawrence and broadcast on KLZR 105.9 FM.
Probable Starters
Position/Player Height Year PPG RPG
24-F Alonzo Jamison 6-6 Sr. 9.7 4.3
34-F Richard Scott 6-7 So. 9.9 4.5
51-C Eric Pauley 6-10 Jr. 9.2 3.6
23-G Rex Walters 6-4 Jr. 16.6 3.4
30-G Adonis Jordan 5-11 Jr. 13.8 3.4
Iowa State Position/Player Height Year PPG RPG
42-F Julius Michalik 6-11 Fr. 13.3 5.7
43-F Howard Eaton 6-6 Jr. 8.1 5.3
24-G Justus Thigpen 6-2 Jr. 16.1 3.3
4-G Ron Bayless 6-1 Jr. 11.8 1.9
32-G Fred Hoiberg 6-4 Fr. 12.5 5.0
Source: Kansas Sports Information Department Almee Brainard, Daily Kansan
Baseball team wins close game against Washburn, 3-1
Darrvl Monroe receives congratulations after hitting a home run
After winning four straight blowouts, the Jayhawks beat Washburn University 3-1 yesterday at Hogland-Maupin Stadium. Kansas improved its record to 8-2, the team's best start in 26 years.
After a weekend series with Southeast Missouri State in which Kansas scored 45 runs, Bingham labeled those player's games.
By Jerry Schmidt
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas baseball coach Dinge-B哈am said Monday that he wanted his team to concentrate on close games. But first they needed on base.
Kansas started the game in high fashion when its lead-off hit, sophomore center fielder Darryl Monroe, hit a home run over the left-center field fence, his third on the season. He had five all of last year.
"We got the coach's games today," he said after the victory against Washburn.
"I was sitting on a fast ball," he said
"It was great and it gave us confidence."
Bingham said he had a dilemma on his hands concerning whether to exploit Monroe's speed by placing him in the lead-off spot or to utilize his power by having him bark third.
Monroe went :-for 4 on the day with a triple in addition to his home run.
"He shows three-hole characteristics," he said. "But I'm not sure we have a lead-off type guy to replace him."
Washburn pitcher Brad Foster gave the Kansas hitters fits throughout the game. The left-handed Foster, coming off a no-hitter in his last outing against Bethany College, kept the Kansas hitters off-stride with his curve ball and change-up. Foster also threw sidearmed at times.
"I think he pitched a great game," Bingham said. "He mixed his pitches well and threw from two positions. We tried to do a few things against the lefty, and I think our kids played a little pressed."
Kansas 3 Washburn 1
| | | | | | | | R | H | E |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Washburn | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 8 |
**WP—Chris Corn (2-0), LP—Brad Foster (1-1), SV—Todd Breyfogle (1)**
**HR—Kansas, Darryl Monroe (3)**
Sophomore Chris Corn pitched five innings in the earning victory, his second in as many outnels. Corn gave up two hits, struck out three, walked one and gave up his first earned run of the season in the fourth inning.
Junior Todd Breyfogle pitched the last four innings and earned the save, giving up two hits and striking out four hitters. Breyfogle said a change in his grip helped him yesterday.
"I threw with two seams today instead of the usual four seams," he said. "I tried to keep it down and throw strikes. They've got to hit my pitch."
Breyfogle has struck out eight hitters so far this season in the seven innings he has pitched. He has given up only one hit and allowed no runs this season.
Tark the Shark' says goodbye to UNLV
"I thought Todd Breyfogle has been the missing link," Bingham said. "We put him in a pressure situation, and he made great pitches today."
The Kansas offense received a lift from junior Jeff Niemier, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI, extending his hitting streak to ten games.
LAS VEGAS — The most successful and controversial coaching career in college basketball came to its apparent end with a victory last night as Jerry Tarkanian left the court a winner once again at UNLV.
Kansas will leave Friday for Florida where they will play Stetson University in Daytona Beach on Saturday.
Those 19 years were also filled with
The Associated Press
The sixth-ranked Runnir' Rebels beat Utah State 65-53 in an emotion-filled night at Thomas & Mack Center, an 18,000-seat arena which symbolizes the heights the program reached under Tarkanian.
battles between the coach and the NCAA for most of the time and between Tarkanian and the school for the final season, culminating in the rescinding of his resignation last week.
"Tark the Shark" was honored after the game in ceremonies highlighted by a 10-minute video retrospective of his career. He was presented gifts including his trademark towel used in the final game, the banner at Thomas & Mack proclaiming "Welcome To Tark's Shark Tank," a banner symbolic of the national championship team
and four lifetime tickets to the building his teams filled season after season.
If Tarkanian, 61, does not surface at another school next season as has been rumored but never confirmed by the coach, he will have ended his career with a record of 625-122, the best record ever for a Division I coach by percentage. The victory total is the 10th best all-time and second among current coaches only to Dean Smith of North Carolina.
Tarkanian was 509-105 at UNLV and had just one season with fewer than 20 victories in the 19 seasons he coached
there. His teams made four Final Four appearances, and UNLV won the national championship in 1990.
The Runnin' Rebels (26-2 overall and 18-0 in the Big West) finished 1991-92 with 21 consecutive victories, and the victory against Utah State (15-11 overall and 9-8 in the conference) was their 47th in a row at home. Both streaks are the longest current ones in the nation.
The season ended yesterday for the Runin' Rebels because NCAA sanctions keep the team from participating in any postseason play.
Swimmers to try for Olympics
Kansan staff report
Three-time All-American Kansas swimmer Barb Pranger will take her talents to the national level today at the United States Olympic Trials.
The Davenport, Iowa, senior will compete in the 100-meter butterfly at the meet in Indianapolis. Sophomores Krista Cordsen and Ronda Lusty will join Prenger. Cordsen and Lusty will participate in the 50-meter freestyle on Friday.
The top two swimmers in each event will represent the United States at the Olympic Games this summer in Barcelona, Spain. Pranger also qualified to go to the Olympic Trials in 1988, as a high school senior. She said she hoped to place higher than she did in 1988.
The Olympic Trials will conclude Friday.
"I may be kind of a long shot," Pranger said. "But I think I am due to break through. If I can get in that final eight anything can happen."